The worst sound an REI professional can hear when talking with a prospect who has just called isn’t “Don’t call again” or “Go to hell!” or “I’m not interested in selling” or a myriad of other phrases you’ve likely encountered over the years. Yes, those suck, but the worst sound is simple and devastating: a click.
That click means the prospect has hung up and you’ve failed to engage them in any way, shape, or form. That click gives you nothing to build upon—even a “F--k off!” from a prospect lets you know where you stand. That click is failure, and in the highly cutthroat REI space, failure is not acceptable.
Smart REI pros use call tracking software to give themselves an advantage with callers and, hopefully, avoid the click. Yet, choosing the wrong software or an outdated solution can fail to yield any benefits and actually put you at a disadvantage. To fully make the most out of call tracking, you need a system built especially for real estate. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Call tracking systems deliver data that would otherwise consume too much time to compile on your own. Geographic location, time of call, caller information, and more can be reported through call tracking software. Moreover, many solutions allow users to set up multiple phone numbers corresponding to specific marketing or sales campaigns, thus creating rich data whenever someone calls that unique number. If, for example, one campaign’s number is drawing more calls from a certain region than another campaign, users can adjust their sales tactics accordingly.
This sounds great for SEO professionals and anyone else trying to boost lead generation in business-to-business (B2B) environments across a wide range of industries, but for REI professionals, multipurpose call tracking software won’t serve much of a purpose at all. Sure, you’ll get a caller name and location, and you may get some data for future strategy, but when the heat is on with a prospect, generic call tracking systems can leave you in the cold.
REI investors and wholesalers know that when a call comes in, the first few seconds are critical—a deal could be won or lost then and there. Your goal: Make it past the first minute. That's when the prospect can dismiss you without caring, there's no connection. If you can make it to minute 2 by engaging them with a good question or making them laugh, your chance of success goes up dramatically. And stats show that an initial sales call of over 3 minutes, is nearly twice as likely to result in an appointment. You'll never get there if you fumble the first few seconds. Building trust with the caller is essential, but that trust will be difficult to obtain if you are stuttering through the conversation or allowing uncomfortable pauses while you fumble for information about the caller and/or the property. Unfortunately, generic, outdated call tracking software not geared toward REI doesn’t pull up that instant, detailed caller/property info, even if it’s already in your system. Unless you are a genius multitasker, you will need some time to find the relevant information—and that’s still assuming your multipurpose call tracking system was able to deliver the goods in the first place.
REI professionals require a wealth of data on a caller and the caller’s property from the outset. Can you trust general call tracking software to place you in a position of strength as soon as the phone rings? REI-specific call tracking systems provide instant and thorough information on your screen when a prospect calls. This knowledge, when applied properly (you obviously can’t come off as too creepy by revealing you know everything about the caller) gives you an edge when building a rapport with the person on the other end of the line. Instead of putting prospects on the spot and bombarding them with questions, you can pace the conversation and let them talk and be heard—all the while using your stealthy, detailed knowledge to steer the discussion.
The call analytics features of multipurpose tracking software are appealing for larger REI shops, and the best REI-specific solutions incorporate such reporting to deliver comprehensive data on your team. For example, the system can track which team members are getting the most calls and are most proficient in engaging prospects (via call-length statistics). Call analytics put the metaphorical cherry on top of the REI software sundae, offering the intelligence you seek before, during, and after calls with prospects.
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