Phone vs. Email...

[keenjosh]

Ok. I'm excited about the new LEAD FOLLOW UP section here at REW. My first question to REW members with regard to LEAD FOLLOW UP is this:

Is it better to follow up with internet "leads" with email or by phone? And is it smart business to require a phone # on IDX registration once a user goes to view listing details?

First, let me qualify the question by sharing first that I've heard all about the registration vs. no registration debate. I've long been a proponent of requiring registration once a user goes to view details.

Now I've been experimenting with requiring phone #s for about a week now. The results are difficult to track, there is no loss in overall analytics on my site (pageviews, time on site, etc) have stayed fairly consistent. My average # of registrations is off by about 5 per day, but I'm getting on average 12 more real phone #s daily.

[eswiger]

part of the reason people use the Internet to start property searches is the ability to remain anonymous. By forcing the individual to give to much personal information you are scaring them away or getting fake phone etc. If some one leaves a phone they are asking for you to call, do that first. If no phone then send an email and work on getting the phone later.

[kensmith]

Phone will convert better. Has been tested by many agents I know and across the board in multiple cities/states the phone has always returned a higher conversion. The down side to the phone is you need the time to make all the calls. They also need to happen quickly, best is when you catch them still on the computer looking at homes.

[u2man]

I do both but phone is way more effective for me. I usually try to call within 1-2 hours maximum and if I get voicemail I'll call again within 1-2 days.

[Ryan Ward]

I just turned on registration late last week.

First, I have not really seen a decline in contacts about properties.

I am considering forcing a phone number on inquire about this listing and schedule an appointment and all forms once they have already registered with an email only for a couple of reasons:

I get quite a few bad email addresses even on these forms so it will prevent user error from me being able to contact them and the phone converts a lead to an appointment better than an email (generally).

These are forms where they want you to contact them so anonymity is of less concern at this point.

[EFS Webmaster]

Just a programming tip regarding requiring phone # fields...

Make sure that the field is flexible enough to permit a variety of data entry. For instance, you will often find that:

- some people don't include area codes,
- some people will include a "1" as a prefix,
- most form "masking" that is done to prohibit "bad" phone #s can prevent VALID international phone numbers.

[webmaster]

I am not a Realtor, but I can tell you with 100% certainly that in my business having a qualified sales person contact the internet lead via telephone is likely 10 times the conversion.

[metaylor9]

I am not a Realtor, but I can tell you with 100% certainly that in my business having a qualified sales person contact the internet lead via telephone is likely 10 times the conversion.

Even with a forced registration? I used to not call forced registrations, but I will call every single registration for a month and see how it goes. I imagine I will get lots of bad numbers and maybe even make a few people mad, but maybe I will capture more buyers.

[u2man]

This is a very common example in real estate registrations......lead registers on a handful of websites looking for properties and is coming to town the following weekend. The agent who first get's the appointment to meet them whenever they arrive will usually close the deal.

Not asking if they have a trip planned and setting the meeting will not get you winning results. People don't like to cancel appointments and I can count on one hand how many times I've been no-showed in many years.

What are others asking on the phone on initial calls?

[u2man]

Even with a forced registration? I used to not call forced registrations, but I will call every single registration for a month and see how it goes. I imagine I will get lots of bad numbers and maybe even make a few people mad, but maybe I will capture more buyers.

We have always forced registration including phone #s in all but 1 month to test. I'm talking about an 8 year time frame. I've tested not calling, calling @ different intervals and now a combination of email/drip and calls.

The problem is that some agents have great phone skills and others aren't very good at asking the "right" questions. So the success rate will vary across the board.

I will say this.....if I'm seriously looking for a home, car etc I don't have a problem leaving my tel #. If I do leave my # then I'll probably initially work with the first person who calls. If you get a bad # then send them email. If you get a fax machine then send them a fax!