Yesterday, I became a lead.
I was searching around FrontDoor.com for homes in my area. I typed in Arroyo Grande, CA and come up with this page.
I scrolled around. Found an attractive home. Nice exterior w/ocean view. I clicked on it.
I scoured the details.
3,397 sq. ft.
4 bedrooms.
3 bathrooms.
$2,450,000.
The agent has added only three photographs. I think perhaps this is just a teaser so I click through to get more info which takes me to the agent’s listing page. I see the same three pictures. They are:
A shot of the exterior of the home.
A fresco.
A bathtub.
Mmm.
There was some data on the agent’s site. When I cocked my head sideways it sort of looked like it was giving me the finger.
Wearing my consumer hat, I’m not sure I, a regular Joe, can really grasp the meaning of this graph. And why does it have data going back to 1939 and no data between 2000 and today? Am I missing something here?
I wonder what the average consumer would do next.
I thought the web was supposed to be easy.
Understandable.
I’m really confused right now.
But I like this house. And the yellow fire hydrant under the yard sign on the front lawn. I could always paint over the fresco. Or punch it out and replace the wall with a window. And who can’t use a bathtub. It must be a very special tub.
I decide to click on Request Information. Up pops a form. It wants to know who I am.
What would you do? I filled it out.
There is a "Message" field in the lead form. I suppose that’s where I put in my request. The questions I have that might better qualify me. The remarks i have that when answered could serve to better qualify the agent.
Seems to me a simple, courteous, consumer friendly, relationship building "how may I help you" would be a simple improvement over the generic Message as well as support the agents desire to build a relationship with me.
Maybe, I’m wrong.
I inquire about the availability of more pictures. It’s a sign of my interest.
I hit submit.
The time is now 5:17pm.
The day is Monday.
I am now officially a lead.
I hope I don’t turn into an orphan.
… to be continued.
– Davison
Part 2 48 Hours later
Part 3 72 Hours later
Part 4 96 Hours later
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I don't think your wrong, Marc. I'll be interested in reading about when you got a response and had an actual conversation with the agent.
It's been almost 45 hours since I sent this request in. So far, nothing at all.
Not even an email.
Question 1: Is it possible that as a lead, this agent isn't taking my request as seriously as if she viewed me as a real person needing info on a home she's selling?
Question 2: Is it possible, as I have stated in the past, that technology like lead gen does more to hurt agents who might be relationship driven than help?
Yes and yes.
I have noticed that in my office people tune into presentations on new technology and run after each new trend. It seems that real estate offices in general do the same in the guise of "creating more business and leads" for their agents.
When I first started a little while ago it was templated websites. Everyone had access to one, but when I would ask a question about how to set up my website or use my website to reach clients and create relationships with those clients, nobody could answer my questions. Ninety-five percent of the agents in my office have one, but don't know how to use them. It's funny, but it's quite possible that this agent has no clue that you have contacted her, because she hasn't invested the time to figure out how it works. Or, she feels that she is too busy. You'll probably get contacted by someone that works for her in a few days.
Hey Marc,
I think you're onto something!
But a serious comment on the chart and the content – this is what sub-standard content and presentation can do: confuse the end user and offer negative value.
Just from a data standpoint, that chart is a cry for help from the company that developed it. It stops at 2000 since that's when the Census was and there no other "easy" data to acquire about the topic. There's a reason why current, accurate content still demands a premium in this "content was born to be free" environment….
Great seeing you at Inman btw.
Best,
Pete
Amen to that Pete. That chart is giving me the bird. That's all i can get from it. And it says so much about the agent. How little she was willing to go for her seller and the potential buyer.
Data can be gorgeous. It can unfold the mystery of a neighborhood. It can be the winning numbers inside a fortune cookie. But only what that data is converted to easy to understand, at a glance information. To me, that would be everything.
But then again, I know in this case, I am preaching to the choir.
Hi Marc!
Very interesting point, but could be that a lot of the real estate agent have not yet embraced the "technology era"? Could it be that most company that create website only sell pretty pictures and slogan like " The number 1 realtor"? I'm not trying to take side here but I think that there is a lack of education on "how to use efficiently" when it comes to websites. Spam leads are overwhelming sometimes the good ones might just get lost in the crowd. Are you selling a product? Any suggestions on how to better handle website leads?