I started selling real estate when I was 21 years old. I read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and then started following Gary Keller’s models before building my MREA team. By 2012, that team became No. 1 in all of Austin. Today, we have 7 teams in different cities, and we’re one of the top producers here at Keller Williams. That success could’ve come a lot faster if I’d stopped chasing a shiny new way to run my business, and it can happen quickly for you if you commit to proven systems for success.

When I first got into the business, I wasted a lot of time thinking I was going to succeed by finding some magic shortcut to success. But the truth is that shortcuts don’t exist. Through failure, I learned that consistency in your follow-up activity is the single most important thing you can focus on as a real estate agent. Good old-fashioned consistency is the thing that drives your business and helps convert leads into listings.

I’ve taught two courses on this very topic: 

Most agents think lead conversion has more to do with their skill and their ability to hammer someone and pin them down, but as long as you are relentless in your follow-up, you will convert those leads into appointments. My rule is to follow up until they give me an absolute yes or no. For anything in between, ask questions to help figure out when you should contact them again, whether it’s in two weeks, two months or a year from now.

The difference between what I did and what my competition did is that I always followed up. I had a system that I followed religiously, and I ultimately replicated that into something our entire call center follows, which proves that success can be systemized. First, every single person went into my customer relationship management (CRM) system within the same day I talked to them. Rather than having reminders on my cell phone or sending myself an email, every single one went into that CRM with notes on what we discussed and a follow-up date. That way nobody ever slipped through the cracks. Every day at 11 a.m., no matter what, I did my follow-up calls. I opened up my CRM, and there the people I needed to follow up with were. That’s why when I put that follow-up date down, I had 100 percent confidence I would be ringing them up a year later.

Finally, I’d also send each person a handwritten note thanking them for their time, along with a business card magnet, and I’d set them up to be contacted once a month with a market snapshot to tell them about activity in their neighborhood.

Success is all about systems, and systems can be replicated. What it boils down to is that success can be yours if you want it, but first, you have to get your systems in place. So here is my three-pronged approach for lead conversion that you can replicate in your own business:

  1. First, send an email about something relevant to their situation.

  2. Next, follow up with a personal note.

  3. Third, touch base with a follow-up call.

It’s incredibly simple and very effective in converting leads.

Because our lead conversion model is so efficient and our real estate agents are focused on the activities that matter most, we’re able to hire full-time staff focused on the customer experience. Keller Williams also knows that this experience is paramount, and that’s why they’re launching KWCommand – a technology-based game-changer for your business. Every aspect of your activity will be integrated into one comprehensive operating system, which will streamline your database and follow-up by creating a one-stop shop for updating and adding contacts and tracking touches. The less you do and the more technology does for you, the more you can focus on offering a radically better client experience than what you offer today; and KWCommand is going to take you there.

If your goal is to have long-term success in real estate, you have to take a long-term approach. When you’re focused on the short term, you’re always focused on your next paycheck. When you’re focused on your career, you can focus on building a pipeline and creating a true asset for yourself in your database.

That’s the most important thing you can do today. 

Pull from Heyl’s success strategies. 

 

Watch: Win with Sellers – Lead Conversion

About Tim Heyl

Tim Heyl is the ambitious founder and leader of the Heyl Group. Since 2009, Tim has grown his team to become one of the preeminent real estate teams in Austin. The Austin Business Journal awarded The Heyl Group the number one team for the “2015 Residential Real Estate Awards” for the team’s 2015 gross sales totaling $107 million.

Heyl’s commitment to his clients and his business has earned him international recognition as one of the innovative leaders in real estate. The Heyl Group was recently named at one of the fastest growing businesses by Inc 5000. The team has expanded its operations to service the San Antonio market and recently opened the Dallas and Houston markets.