How to Nurture Leads Long Term — and Close in the End

Did you know top-converting Zillow Premier Agents disregard less than 13% of their leads? Simply put, it’s in your best interest to hang onto most leads, even if they’re not buying right away. 

Staying engaged with leads long term can be tricky, but there are three steps you can take to make the process easier — and more rewarding. 

Step 1: Build a database

The first step in nurturing leads over the long term is building a database. A database will help you track all of your opportunities and feed your pipeline in a systematic way, ensuring no potential commission slips past you. Put everyone in your database who has expressed interest in buying a home, and be sure to segment them into A, B, C or D leads. You can learn more about segmenting leads in this training course. 

Step 2: Stick to a schedule 

Schedule specific days and times for maintaining and nurturing your database. Using a CRM, like the Zillow Premier Agent mobile app, will help you organize your days to efficiently stay on top of your pipeline. By adding more focus to B and C leads, many agents double their conversion rate. 

Step 3: Retarget, reach out, repeat 

The final step: getting in touch with those hard-to-reach D leads. Your D leads are those who haven’t given you a “yes,” “no” or “maybe” response. You should keep a high volume of these leads in your database, with the intent to move them into A, B or C lead segments. Here are a few tips to increase engagement with D leads:

• Circle back with them by sending a personalized message on Facebook, LinkedIn or other social platforms. 
• Record a quick video and send it via text. Here’s an example of an open house message you could send: “Do you want to look at a house like the one behind me? I’d love to help you find your dream home! Shoot me back a text with your top three non-negotiables.” To speed up the process in the future, build a library of messages. 

Whatever happens, try your best to engage with every potential lead before you remove them from your database. Until you figure out a lead’s story, you don’t know if they’re a winner.