10 Questions to Turn One Lead into Multiple Opportunities

by Steph Rady

In a tougher market, having the right people and processes in place is crucial to success, but as potential business becomes scarcer, squeezing the most out of every opportunity should be in every agent’s armoury.

Today, we unveil some simple questions you can ask your leads to maximise revenue opportunities with everyone your team speaks to.

Following our “9 questions to book more valuations” blog, we spoke to Liza Daniels who heads up our managed lead calling service and has 25+ years’ experience as an estate agency owner for her top tips on how to maximise revenue with every phone call.

Keep the conversation open

As a busy estate agent, it can be tempting to “get to the point” on phone calls and ask prospective vendors if they’re thinking of selling or if you can come round to value the property. With online valuation enquiries, these leads may be a lot earlier in the process and require nurturing. That’s not to say you shouldn’t call them as soon as they come in, as we know how vital speed to lead is, but changing the way you frame the call will allow you to book more valuations, dig for more information and create more revenue opportunities.

Asking open ended questions such as “what prompted your valuation request?” will allow you to get to the true reason the prospect is enquiring without enabling a “no, not interested” or “I was just curious”.

What if leads aren’t ready yet?

It can be frustrating as an agent when leads aren’t burning hot – we’re all drawn to the low hanging fruit as salespeople, chasing the highs of quick wins. But there is value in every correct name, phone number and email address in your area. As well as nurturing leads through an automated email and SMS system like MovePal, there are things you can do on the call to boost your chances of future success.

“If a prospective seller or landlord isn’t ready to list yet, this is your time to find out as much information as you can. If they’re a homeowner for example, what’s the earliest point they’d be looking to sell? Are you able to send them some handy information over in the meantime and can you book a call to check in with them in a few months’ time? Getting a yes to these questions shows your willingness to help them even though they aren’t ready and your proactivity as their potential agent to follow up.” Liza comments.

“For landlords, they may already have a tenant in situ or be in contract with an agent – this is your chance to find out as much information as possible and the pain points they’re currently facing as a private landlord or with their current agent. Many landlords spread their portfolio across more than one agent, so I always ask the landlord if they have any additional properties they’re thinking of letting out.

Additionally, if you can help the landlord overcome a challenge e.g. advising a private landlord on tenants with rent arrears, this opens a door to build trust and lets the landlord know you’re serious about working with them and helping them. While questions like “when was the last time your agent increased your rents?” subtly undermines their current setup while highlighting your professionalism.”

How can I get more revenue from a valuation booking?

For many agents, once the valuation is booked, that’s ticked off as a job well done. But Liza says many agents are missing a trick when it comes to additional revenue opportunities beyond the initial valuation.

Simply asking for a referral can turn one opportunity into multiple leads, even if the person you’re speaking to is not looking to sell immediately, they may know someone who is – if you don’t ask, you won’t get!

Not to mention other opportunities such as mortgage, conveyancing, and removal referrals. As the market becomes tougher, the best agents will have partnerships in place to be able to offer these services with a kick back for the referral. Not only does this improve your customer service in the eye of the prospective client but adds to your business’ bottom line.

Discovering if a landlord is looking to expand their portfolio or open to investment opportunities will help you grow an invaluable audience of potential investors. If you can help the landlord secure their next investment property, who do you think they will look at to manage their portfolio?

 

We hope this blog has been helpful and given you some insight to subtle changes you can make to maximise revenue opportunities. If you would like a copy of our full “10 questions to Turn One Lead into Multiple Opportunities”, click here.

Likewise, if you’d like to find out more about lead generation, nurture, marketing or our lead call service, please get in touch on 0208 663 4930 or email us at team@valpal.co.uk.