Open the lines of communication with your leads in a quick, personal way by using a real estate introduction letter.
You’ve been working toward this moment for a very long time. You knew your old way of marketing wasn’t working, and you jumped right in, ready to make a change. Those catchy new business cards got people to notice you; the time and effort you put into your real estate website seem to be paying off, and the CRM designed for real estate agents you invested in is collecting all of your leads.
But now that the leads exist, what are you doing with them? How do you start conversations with prospects that ultimately result in commissions for you?
Send your leads a real estate introduction letter. An intro letter is essential because it opens up the lines of communication between you and the people who may just want to work with you. As much as you want to believe potential buyers or their agents will call you all day declaring that they are ready to bid on one of your listings, you’re going to have to work a little more for your money, but the benefits will make it all worth it.
When to send a real estate introduction letter
Of companies that respond to leads within 30 days, the average response time is approximately 42 hours, but you’re not average, are you? Real estate is a punctual game.
Researchers out of Harvard Business School looked at over 2,000 U.S. businesses and made some fascinating discoveries. Companies that tried to contact new leads within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify the lead as those that attempted to communicate with the potential customer just one hour later; that number rises to 60 times as likely as companies that waited 24 hours or longer.
So, when should you send a real estate introduction letter? Immediately, if possible. Luckily, it’s easy to schedule an automated (yet personal) response through your CRM so that even if you’re out to lunch, your lead will still hear back from you right away.
And, chances are, if they’re requesting additional information from you, they’re also doing the same with other local real estate agencies. Make sure you’re the first real estate agent that responds to them, or you may completely lose your opportunity to engage.
Tongue-tied? Blitz offers plenty of e-mail templates for real estate professionals that will help you communicate with your contacts appropriately. Reach out to us now to schedule a free demo.
What your real estate introduction letter should include
The lead’s name: When you’re using an automated template to send your real estate introduction letter, personalization can be a little trickier. The best way to do this is by using the customer’s name. Research from Experian has shown that personalized promotional mailings have a 29 percent higher unique open rates and 41 percent unique click rates. For triggered e-mail campaigns, personalization resulted in double the transaction rates.
Succinct language: It’s easy to get long-winded in e-mails, but you don’t want to scare potential customers off right out of the gate. Keep it short and sweet to start.
A quick personal story: This doesn’t need to be anything big — just something that shows your human side and helps you make a connection with the lead. For example, you could say something like, “I was born and raised in this area and know each and every neighborhood like the back of my hand — when we meet, I’ll even give you some inside info on the best places to eat in town.”
How to get in touch with you: Your leads probably come in through a contact form on your website, so make sure they know how to reach you directly. If they can’t find you easily, they’re going to move on.
A real estate introduction letter template you can customize
Sending that first e-mail to a lead can be difficult. What are you supposed to say? You want to be direct, but not annoying; friendly, but not too passive. Don’t worry; we’ve got a template that you can use to introduce yourself and begin a conversation with a lead. Remember, they contacted you first, not the other way around. They want to hear from you!
Hello [Customer Name],
Thank you for your interest in [real estate agency name]! I’m so happy you got in touch with us.
[Company name] has been helping folks buy, sell, and rent property in the [state/city/name of local area] area for over [number of years in business] years. My name is [agent name], and it would be my pleasure to speak with you about your housing needs. [Insert quick personal story].
Let me know what you’re looking for, and I can get to work for you right away. You can reach me directly at [your phone number] or [your e-mail].
Best wishes,
[Your name]
What to do if prospects don’t respond to your real estate introduction letter
Not everyone is going to answer your real estate introduction letter. People forget, aren’t ready to commit, or prefer phone, or you waited too long and they are already working with another agent. It happens. This silence, however, just means that you need to set up an e-mail drip campaign.
A drip campaign to nurture your leads can be essential. Research has shown that it takes at least five continuous follow-up efforts after the initial sales contact before a customer says yes. If you don’t hear from a client after sending your intro e-mail, set the second e-mail to go out two to five days later. Tell them you’re just following up on your original e-mail and provide a gentle reminder that you’re available to speak with them. Subsequent e-mails can be fired off every five days or so until you make contact. Those can include links to brand-new listings, share recent sales you have made, or offer free content, such as an e-book. Provide value, stay top-of-mind, and it will, hopefully, pay off for you in the end.
When should you give up on a lead? We’ll leave that up to you, but just remember these wise words from Dale Carnegie:
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Tongue-tied? Blitz offers plenty of e-mail templates for real estate professionals that will help you communicate with your contacts appropriately. Reach out to us now to schedule a free demo.
Is there a particular format you like to follow when e-mailing your real estate leads? Does something work especially well? Share your thoughts in the comments below!