No matter how much lead generation you do, if you keep doing these 4 things you’re going to consistently fail at it.

Today, I am going to talk with you and teach you the 4 things you need to stop doing if you want to bring in more real estate leads from your Facebook business page or from any form of lead generation you are doing.

We’re going to go over this. If you implement these 4 things you’re going to drastically change your results from your real estate lead generation.

Real estate does not have to be stressful all the time, there will be stressful moments. It doesn’t have to sacrificial, you don’t have to sacrifice your family or your life. You can actually enjoy your business. Create more time, make more money, and enjoy the journey. Again, I am Christina with Leads and Leverage I am really excited to have you here, today.

Alright, so we are going to talk about the 4 things. This is so prevalent in our industry and probably prevalent in a lot of industries I just know the real estate industry, I mean gosh I’ve been in it since 1995. Plus my Dad before me was in it from 1989 on, so I am a second-generation realtor,

I understand it, I’ve been with it through the changes. My brother-in-law and sister still own the brokerage and property management company so I we still have some peripheral contact with it. It’s kind of interesting that with all the change, nothing’s changed.

If You Keep Doing These 4 Things You’re Going to Keep Failing

So here we go, no matter how much lead generation you generate if you keep doing these 4 things you’re going to keep failing and you don’t want to fail!

#1 Expecting Immediate Business

The first thing, guys this is huge, when you’re lead generating and expecting “immediate business” – for instance you expect to run an ad and expect to get an appointment. That’s what you’re doing. Like yeah, I want a transaction, but here’s the thing, this is actually the worst way to lead generate.

The worst way. Number one, if you do it like this you kind of sound desperate. It’s okay to sound urgent and aggressive and assertive to get their business, but when you’re trying to go from ad on a social media site or platform where somebody is trying to relax and chill out and your suddenly trying to get them into buy or sell mode, hmmm it doesn’t work that way.

Your website, same thing, at a home show, a chamber event, it doesn’t matter where you are if you don’t actually do the journey with the person, you sound desperate. You’re actually alienating your future prospects.

If all you can do is focus on lead generating, immediate business – I am going to talk about how to actually switch this up so you get all of it immediate and future.  So you sound desperate you alienate your future prospects, you perpetuate the used car salesmen reputation, yes, yes, yes and you don’t want to do that.

We already  struggle with the public thinking we are overpaid, they have no idea what we do, they really don’t. It’s not just them, it’s everybody  who owns a business who understands all of the time and money that is involved in the business.

People who have never owned a business, do not get it or understand it. Someone who has never been a real estate agent before just doesn’t understand all the time, the training, the money, all the things that are put into it. No you aren’t getting rich unless you’re doing a billion transactions, you aren’t getting rich off of one or two commissions, it’s not happening.  

They don’t understand, but if we keep trying to look desperate or just focus on the immediate person, we look like that used car salesmen and we’re always stressed  

If that lead doesn’t respond right away we panic instead of continually lead generating, knowing that through it all there are people at all various levels of readiness and we should focus on getting them into our sphere and nurturing them through the process. Let’s bring them in and nurture them. That’s what we’re gonna do!

If you keep lead generating and expecting immediate business, you’re going to live in a perpetual state of feast and famine and stress. You have to stop doing that and focus on the long run.

#2 Not Having a Long Term Follow up System

Number two with your lead generation, if you do not have a long term follow up system and I mean months to years, not 2 or 3 weeks, I am talking months to years.

If you do not have a long term follow up system in place or at least you’re building it then here’s the thing: all your lead generation is wasted. The time you’re putting into it: wasted. The money you’re putting into it: wasted.

Because you’re still in the I’m looking for immediate business.

You’re literally throwing away the hundred leads you get from doing a Facebook ad.

Let’s say you had a hundred people who opted-in, that’s a lot of time, money  and energy and why the heck you don’t have something in place to follow up with them over 3, 4, 10 years is beyond me.

You put time and money into and people are not ready right then. This is a very big decision, it’s a big sell, it’s a big  purchase, things happen. You need to be working their journey with them, walking their journey with them.

The whole process is not about that 6 month buy or sell time frame that they experience 2-3 times their whole life, for most people. Unlike me, this is like my seventh house we’ve purchased, not including all the other places we’ve lived, and I am only 47.

Being in real estate I move alot, so I am not the norm, We’ve only been here a year and I am almost positive we will move again 3-5 years. No idea, we just do this.

The point is most people only do it 2 or 3 times in their entire life. So if you don’t have a long term process in place and all you’re doing is wanting them is to buy or sell now then how are you going to stay in contact with them in the long haul?

Seriously, how are you going to get them to see you are valuable even when their not buying and selling.

How will YOU get them to believe you find them valuable when they’re not buying and selling? It runs both ways, you need to have a follow up system in place throughout their entire journey, this absolutely key.

If you do not have this in place or are not building or trying to build it as you go along, you are totally wasting your time and money. You are making your business a stress, oh my gosh you are going to be feast and famine, and it will be a nightmare.

Everything you’re doing right now is 100 days, if you did not generate a lead that is ready, willing and able to buy or sell right now – you’re not going to eat in 100 days, you’re not going to close a deal in 100 days. If you don’t generate people who are ready, willing and able right now for 4 months in a row or 100 days guess what?  

You are NOT going to eat.

You have to be doing long term!

#3 Lead Generate That is Focused Only on Immediate Business

Number three, so number one is you cannot lead generate that is focused only on immediate business. You cannot do that.

Number two, you cannot lead generate if you have no follow up system in place or have no intention to set up a follow up system that is actually going to work over the course of a decade or two decades.

Seriously, you can’t just throw something out in the mail once or twice a year and think that is follow up.

You’re not only wasting money, you’re lying to yourself. You need a system and you can set it up.

It’s much easier than you think. It’s tough the first year, but after the first year, most of what you’ve done can be repeated, again.

Number three, if you’re lead generating, whatever you’re doing, and you’re constantly on the react side versus the proact side, let me give you an example.

If you’re on the the react side it’s like “Oh I put that ad up yesterday and I haven’t gotten anyone to respond yet and I spent $10 per day, I need to stop that ad and change it.” Or “I sent out this ONE direct mail, I spent $500 and I didn’t get a result, so I’m just going to stop that because it doesn’t work.”

Guys the problem isn’t the method you’re using, the problem is you. The problem is that you did not take any time to understand a strategy. You saw what someone else was doing and thought “Crap, I need to do that”and you just did it without even learning about it or understanding it or even knowing if it was working for them.

This happens all the time, I see people inside our membership do it ALL THE TIME. The path I give you guys inside Leads and Leverage is all about the long game, building a growing sustainable business through every up, down, sideways market you can imagine.

It is about the long haul, but here is what happens: Members get in there and panic because “oh my gosh my ad didn’t get an opt-in the first 24 hours, in the first 48 hours” or they panic because maybe the ad only got 5 opt-ins then they’re not actually doing the follow up which is what I am teaching.

You cannot always react whenever, you need to be proactive and understand the strategy you’re using.

If you are using direct mail, understand the strategy. Understand gosh I need to hit them once a week, every week for 8 weeks. Then I need to hit them every 2 weeks, like clock work, never ever, ever missing a 2 week period. It needs to be stuff they will find valuable, NOT all related to sales or open houses or stuff they won’t be interested in if they just bought a new house or they have no intention of moving in 5-7 years.

You need to go on their lifestyle journey with them. You need to stop reacting because here is a perfect example: When you’re implementing any type of lead generation strategy online or offline, it does not matter, any type of lead generation strategy and you go the long haul, of the first 100% you put into it – the first 90-95% you’re not going to see results.  

If you know it take 12-18 months for direct mail to get people to respond or start listening, etc, guess what? You need to commit to 18 months and you need to  not stop doing it. I don’t care if at month 8 you’re like, “I’m stopping, this isn’t working.” Guys, it’s the same thing with losing weight. You get tired of it, you get bored with it, you see another thing, you’re not willing to put in the foundational basics.

We all do this. I do it. You have to push through. There is a great analogy I know you have heard of it, I know I have talked about it before, but you need to hear it again.

The question arises: Would you rather have 3 million dollars, right now today or I will give you a penny on the first day and double it every single day for an entire 31 day period.

Which one would you rather have? The 3 million dollars today or that penny doubled at the end of 31 days?

Here’s the thing guys, that person who choose 3 million dollars today will feel like they’re ahead all the way up until the 29th day, it is not until the 29th day that somebody gets 3 million dollars, on the 30th day it’s 5 million and on the 31st day it’s 10 million.

What’s the point in all of this? It means that even when you think you’re not getting there you are getting there if you are implementing the strategy if you are doing it right. If you are reacting and expecting immediate business all the time and that’s all you’re getting, if you’re frustrated because well you’re getting some fake people in there, so people are still looking, they’re still doing it..

Do you know many “fake” people I sold homes to? They put their “fake” information in there in the beginning, but since then as I was giving value, guess what? They turned around because “oh this isn’t someone who is going to call and annoy me” This is someone who is actually giving me value.

You need to be focused on the long game, not just immediate business. When we focus on immediate business we forsake everyone else who maybe interested months down the road; We assume they will call us, no they will not call us if we are not in contact with them, you have to be in contact with them.

We think we don’t need long term follow up or random follow up. Of all of you guys listening, I would bet maybe one of you have a legitimate long term follow up that includes email, snail mail, a phone call and an appreciation. Maybe one of you. I have been behind the scenes of so many mega teams that have crap for follow up.

They have some immediate stuff for some of it, they have all these people that they are getting, but are not following up with and they have no long term follow up. They buy all this canned crap and cannot figure out why it didn’t work. They have all these contacts and no long term follow up.

Do you know when they are generating a 1,000 leads a month, if they had this really great long term follow up that gave value through the process of that they would never have to spend $40,000 a month on Realtor.com,Trulia and Zillow to generate more leads because they would have so many leads they could keep going into infinity at the same level they’re at, but their follow up sucks.

I am not talking about following it up in 3 seconds or less, which is the name of the game for number four.

#4 Chasing the Same Cherry Pickings as Every Other Agent

Number four, If you are chasing the same cherry pickings as every other agent, which means the immediate business stuff, if you’re only chasing immediate business that everyone is chasing then you’re going to be one of the 87% who fail in the real estate business in 5 years or less.

Yes, that’s a real stat right from NAR. This is exactly why all these agents chasing the same exact very few people who are ready right now – these exact same agents is why all the “gurus” stress fastest to the lead wins. They know everyone is chasing the same stupid leads, they’re chasing the same ones and they know everyone is desperate.

What a freaking stressful way to run a business. Holy cow, I wouldn’t want to work that way. How do you think it’s possible like everything you do, if you’re trying to beat that lead you’re gonna have to be up at 2 am texting that lead or have someone doing it for you. You have to be on it all the time and that is stressful.

If you think trying to develop a know, like and relationship in 10 seconds is actually possible then wow , that is just stressful. They are using memorized script objectives which means – they are not actually listening to the lead.

The lead is a real person, they aren’t actually listening to them. All your are doing is listening for key words so they can pop out a script.

Yes, you need to know your market, absolutely. Yes, you absolutely need to be able to answer their real objections which means not popping out a script, and digging deeper to find out what the real problem is, to find what the real objection is. They think we don’t care because we act like we don’t care.

If you want to be successful at any type of real estate lead generation, you must : (I am giving you the opposites now!)

#1 Lead Generate for the Long Game

Number one, you must lead generate for the long game. If you generate for the long game, yeah you will get immediate business, but you need to know every single lead that comes to you is valuable.

It might be valuable now, very rarely, but most likely it will be valuable 9 months from now, 18 months from now, 54 months from now. It is valuable, it is a person on a journey. You must focus and realize every single lead that comes in is valuable EVEN IF they cannot give you a commission check right now.  They are valuable.

#2 Have a Long Term Follow Up Process

Number two, you must have a long term follow up process and if you do not have one, you need to create it as you’re going along.

You need to dedicate time in your business every single month to make sure you have a mailer going out, an email going out, and you have some kind of client appreciation – it can be small, every quarter and you need to somehow be in contact with people in real life.

You have too! If all you’re trying to do is generate a lead to get a closing, you are going to fail. Absolutely, you will fail if you do not have these things in place.

#3 Be Proactive not Reactive

Number three, if you are constantly reacting, you need to know the strategy if you are going to start lead generating.You need to know how long it’s going to take, in some cases it’s a couple of years for long term stuff, so you need to be dedicated to it.

You need to mentally get yourself in gear for the long term game. You are building a business, not trying to get a quick meal, you want an actual business. That is the mindset difference, we come into it thinking, “I want money now!” or do you want a business that feeds you over the long term. You have to be proactive not reactive.

#4 Build Real Know, Like and Trust Relationships

Number four, you stop chasing the same cherry pickings that every other agent is. You don’t need to know script objectives, you need to know your market.  

You don’t need scripts, you need to be able to dig in and understand the person, you need to show that you care, you need to build real know, like and trust relationships not this fake crap in 30 seconds.

You need them to hear you when you say do not look at or listen to Zillow. You need them to hear when you say, your home is overpriced, you want too much for it.and here’s why. You need them to go, “You’re right, you’ve said it before, I’ve heard it before from you, I trust you.” etc.

That’s what you need from them and if you want that you need that long term connection with them. You have too. Period.

These are the 4 main things not to do and I flipped it around and told you exactly how to do it.

What Was Most Useful For You?

You guys, here is what I need to know and I forgot to ask this yesterday, but this is really important to me.

I need feedback, what do you guys need from me? How I can  help you guys through this journey? What was most useful for you, today?

Let me know in the comments below. I really want to know this because I want to answer your questions to help you guys move forward.

For most of us throughout the country, here in North America we are going into our slow season . We are coming into it so if you were not as busy as you wanted this summer or you were busy, guys you will slow down. It’s going to slow down, flat out.

People,especially people with kids tend to not to move after school has started unless something drastic requires them to move.

So you cannot keep shifting who you are focusing on, you need to understand your strategies behind everything, this is a long game.

You need to have the fortitude and the mental capacity to push yourself through when you take dips, when it gets frustrating, when you’re not seeing results. Instead of keep pulling your money from everything else you’re doing and trying a new thing,

I watch you guys do this. Leads and Leverage has been around almost exactly 5 years now. Do you know how many of you guys I have watched from that point to this point coming and going. “Oh I am going to try Leads and Leverage for a couple of months”  then you go to another one, then to another one and then come back to Leads and Leverage?

Guys, all that bouncing around – we’ve had several agents who started with us and stayed who now have BIG businesses. They had nothing at the beginning. . and why? Not because they’re special, not because they have something over you, except they stuck to it. They put blinders on and stopped looking at all the shiny objects, stopped reacting and focused on being proactive. That is huge.

That is where your power is. That is why you build.

I started Leads and Leverage five years ago. Do you know how many people have come and gone trying to sell crap to you guys as vendors? Do you know how many? Like tons. I’ve seen tons and some have grown and some have not but they come and go because they’re not focused on the long game. They’re focused on an immediate sale. They don’t understand how to push through. When you guys are bouncing around they get frustrated.

Do you know how many repeat members we have because we didn’t get frustrated with people who left? We knew what they were doing, I could see what they were doing, but they weren’t ready to hear from me, they weren’t ready to hear that they shouldn’t be bouncing around like this. Fine. They needed to go experience it for themselves, but now they’re back.That happens all the time, every day in everything we do.

Are you going to keep being reactive or are you going to be proactive? Are you going to build out your business over the long haul, no matter what the Facebook algorithm does no matter what the market is like? Those are the keys.

This kind of turned into a rant because it is frustrating and disheartening to see agents do this, if they would just stick to what they were doing two years ago, they would be where they wanted to be right now. I know it, because I built it myself – I have helped agents in our membership build it themselves, it’s consistency and pushing through the slog. It really is.

Okay so, awesome you guys, Tony said, “What’s most important to him was long term follow up.” It is key. It is the absolute key.

Susan said, “Stop feeling the pressure to react,” Yes! That’s like the shiny object syndrome is kind of all in that.

Susan says ““I see marketing as a long term theme and to not be pressured to do what other agents are doing which is to chase the same leads everyone else is chasing.”

Yes, because here is the key to this and I want you guys to know this, if you’re just chasing the same leads everyone else is chasing now and you’re still getting leads in and you’re not taking care of them, when they’re ready those will be the same leads others are chasing.

However, if you preempt all your colleagues and competition and you start taking care of those future leads now, there won’t be any chasing because you’ll have them and there will be less for other people.

You’re going to get them all. That’s how it works.

Alright you guys please, please, please let me know what was most useful for you in the comments.