...not looking to buy in about a year...

[Joshua Sloan]

What are you guys/gals saying to people that register and tell you that they are not going to buy for about a year?

I've been tossing the idea around to say to these people something like...
"If I was able to find you a great deal on a home right now, would you be interested in buying right now?"

Is anyone donig anything different or similar. I'm thinking that their response "not looking to buy for about a year" is just an objection so they don't have to deal with a salesperson, but I'm not sure...

[rvolk75]

You're absolutely right. It is an objection. I believe that if a person is not ready to buy, there's very little you can do to convince them otherwise. You might succeed every once in a while, but the chances are low.

I usually offer to put that person on an Automatic Notification list. That way your information is constantly in front of them. This email plus a drip or a newsletter might do the trick. But be patient.

Everyday I realize more and more, that I should stop spending time chasing bad leads, instead concentrate on those who are serious to buy.

[RESteve]

I'm trying to focus more on building relationships; building a big enough network and sphere that will send me referrals in the future if I stay in contact with them enough.

When a prospective client says they won't be ready anytime soon, that's cool with me. I can still try and form a relationship with them, and show them that there is value in being in relationship with this agent even though they're not necessarily ready. What value you say? Free advice, latest news about the market, my thoughts on this development or that one. What do I expect the market to be for them in 2,3, or 5 years?

The more contacts you consistently follow up with in your network and sphere that would do business with you, or refer business to you given the opportunity, the more leads you can expect to receive in the future.

Gary Keller says the best lead generation program is a marketing based, prospecting enhanced lead generation program. Our sites are a form of prospecting; we're fishing the net for leads. Your followup programs should be marketing based (follow up emails, letters, calendars, etc.).

The key is consistency. If you form a relationship with a client and don't follow up with them in the long run, you can't expect them to remember you. I always felt it was my job to remind my client that I'm an agent, no their job to remember I'm one.

[BarryC]

I just tell them:

Interest rates are in the mid 4's

There's a 8,000 tax credit to be had

Phoenix is offering a 15,000 loan to be used towards buying foreclosures right now.



If this doesn't work, do what you would usually do and set them up on an email home search (I like to hit these type of people once a week with the listings). Then move on to the next prospect. It's a numbers game.

[SLP-NYCT]

Not wanting to use a "fishing" analogy, but I am...April 1st is around the corner

Like Steve said, are web sites are the boat that allows us to fish, but unlike fishing, we don't need to throw the small ones back. We can put them in a tank and watch them grow. Then EAT them

OK, maybe not the best analogy, but hopefully you fisherman out there will enjoy it.

[Micheal Pannell Realtor]

Dont Eat them, Catch and Release them.

[ResaleBroker]

The more contacts you consistently follow up with in your network and sphere that would do business with you, or refer business to you given the opportunity, the more leads you can expect to receive in the future.

Excatly. Well said.

[alohatony]

Monday I showed condos to a guy who was a lead more than 2 years ago. I didn't even know his wife was in my drip campaign. last week they emailed me and said, ok we're here and we're ready. For them it was as if I had been talking to them for 2 years. for me, i don't ever remember talking to them until this week.

[Joshua Sloan]

Monday I showed condos to a guy who was a lead more than 2 years ago. I didn't even know his wife was in my drip campaign. last week they emailed me and said, ok we're here and we're ready. For them it was as if I had been talking to them for 2 years. for me, i don't ever remember talking to them until this week.

Great Job! On the other side of the coin, I had a guy this week that I follow up with every month for the last 3 years cancel a buyer appointment at my office because he said that he already made an offer. This was less than 4 days after I talked to him and he said he was looking on his own. Which wasn't true, because I set him up in our MLS and on my website to receive automatic updates. And this was after a phone call that was made to him last November 17th where I asked him if he was ready to get his home on the market and he told me no, then when I called back a few weeks later, he told me that he listed it on November 25th. You can't tell me that this guy was blowing smoke for 3 years and then just decided to list with just ole' anyone. Then he finds a home and decides to buy with just ole' anyone! Not likely!

There has to be a better way of pinning these people down. If I had any inclination that he had no intention of working with me, I would have never called him back. But he didn't, in fact, he even called me on several occassions with questions between my monthly calls to him.

When I asked him nicely what i could have done differently to earn his business, so that I don't make the same mistake in the future...all of a sudden he disappears!

[DMG]

All great points - The "I am not buying for a year" first needs to be "qualified" first. Meaning is it real or is it an objection. I would say more often than not it’s an objection. Two ways to deal with this statement let them be and provide information they request and hope they will return and they might. Second option ask questions.

There is a reason everyone under the age of 5 years old gets everything they want, it’s because they ask questions and many of the questions are "why?"

Anytime someone tells me "I am going to buy in a year" I would ask questions like / example:

What will be different a year from now?
Are you looking to be moved and "IN" something in a year or "start" looking in a year?
Are you renting now?
How long have you been looking?
If I could find you the perfect property today at the right price and payment that fits your needs of "today" would you consider it?

Questions like that tell so much of someone’s real motivation. Many time people will just say "just looking" or something similar because they have a fear we will hound them. I don’t suggest be pushy and certainly not hound someone at all but I do feel its better to ask questions and do all we can or another agent will.