By Susanne Dwyer
In the following interview, Jesse Zagorsky, broker/owner of Live. Love. San Diego Homes in Del Mar, Calif., discusses client relations and customer service, lead generation and conversion, and more.
Years in Real Estate: 13
Number of Offices: 1
Number of Agents: 22
No. 1 Tip for Real Estate Newbies: Always answer your phone.
You’ve been on a few panels recently talking about converting online leads in the double digits. Assuming that you get your leads from a good source and there’s inventory to sell, how many end up transacting?
Pretty much everywhere in the country has the same low inventory challenge. In terms of conversion rates, if you buy your leads from a good source (my favorite being realtor.com®), and you have a highly trained group of salespeople working the leads, you should be able to sell 7-8 homes for every 100 leads. I have friends that run successful teams who are converting at 10 percent currently, and a few even higher than that. If you’re working the leads as a solo agent, you can probably convert even higher if you’ve got the right skills.
What is the one thing you can control that makes it more likely that you will achieve success?
Mindset. I’ve taught sales technique courses for years, and I always begin by asking the group: “What percentage of sales is mental? And what percentage is skill?” Without fail, even though we’re in a sales technique course, most people believe sales is at least 90 percent mental, and I agree. So why learn sales skills? Those skills help build confidence, which, in turn, helps your mindset. There’s no right answer for how to improve your mindset, but each person should figure out the recipe that works for them, and put effort into it every day.
What should people stop doing so as to not lose the customer?
Stop making the client jump through hoops before you will meet with them. Modern clients are savvy, knowledgeable, and expect to get what they want, whenever they want it, which is usually now. When you get a new client on the phone for the first time, give them the info they want, then give them a compelling reason to meet with you face-to-face. After you book the appointment, go back and ask questions to decide if it’s really worth your time to meet them. It’s easier to unbook an appointment than to book one.
Are you mostly selling the property leads inquire about?
Rarely do you sell the house a lead inquires about. Think of it like a sign call, or someone walking into an open house. Does it happen where that lead will buy the specific property they inquired about? Sure, but it’s the exception, not the rule.
Are buyers looking at additional online properties with others?
Before meeting with an agent from our team, they’re most definitely looking at other properties from online with various agents. Our informal in-house research shows that most buyers we work with have had contact with at least 4-5 different agents before choosing to work
From:: Real Estate News
