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Leading The Way
Warm leads pave road to success

Cold Calling? Yuck. Most salespeople could do without it. Add in the “do not call list,” regulations, a consumer who feels bothered by yet another phone solicitor and the whole concept just reeks of inconvenience. That is where using leads generated by the experts comes in.

There are plenty of reasons to use warm quality leads generated by those who know how to do it best. That’s what they do, so you can do what you do best – sell.

Warm leads equal less rejection. Let’s face it, with sales comes rejection but who wants more than they can handle in a day? There is no quicker way to yank the carpet of enthusiasm out from under a new hire than by making them begin with cold calling.

Warm leads on average have a 2 to 4 percent conversion rate, up to quadruple that of cold calling without squandering time on the phone just to find someone who wants to talk.

This lends to a higher return-on-investment. Loan originators aren't paid to make phone calls, they are paid to close deals. And these leads are tailored to your offerings so there is no waste.

GoApply Senior Vice President and General Manager Matthew Connelly said his company makes sure consumers who raise their hand for help understand that they will be called by one or more agents to discuss their situation.

These consumers are waiting to talk to you.

Connelly said he interviews the lender to find out what their needs are to ensure he sends only those consumers that could benefit from what you have to offer.

Another important factor to consider when hiring a lead company is how their leads are generated.

GoApply, a Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions company, delivers consumers that have either responded to a banner ad or proactively used one of the search engines to find help for their current situation. Connelly cautions against using leads that are garnished through any incentivized offering such as, “fill this out, win a $500 gift card.”

Connelly added that doing some of your own Internet marketing is a smart move as well. There are simple marketing steps that are not costly, such as adding a contact form page on the company Web site and using key words and tags for searches.

“Additionally, you can bring in RSS feeds of relevant information that may keep someone on your site for a longer period and provide tools such as calculators so the consumer can answer some of their own questions,” Connelly said.

Purchasing leads from a quality lead company, in addition to some simple marketing techniques, could really add to your bottom line while keeping rejection levels low.


5 Cool Ideas for Real Estate Sales Language
by Michael Angelo Caruso

If you do work around the house or yard, you probably have a collection of tools.  You may even own several sizes of the same tool.  Always use the perfect tool for the job.  Sometimes you use a combination of two or more perfect tools like a broom and a dustpan.  Words are tools.  Strong salespeople know that perfectly selected words and the perfect combination of words close deals.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas for sales language. 

1  Most people need to be encouraged to try new things. 

Try to think of yourself as a coach instead of a salesperson.  A coach encourages people to try new things.  Encouragement works best when it is repetitive.  Encourage people by repeatedly urging them to take action.  Always encourage people to do more.  If you think they are giving up on finding a new house, encourage them to look at a couple more, or maybe a different style home.

2  Non-binary questions will reveal more information.

A binary question is a query that can only be answered with a "yes" or a "no."  Experienced sellers know never to ask a binary question unless an affirmative answer is a foregone conclusion, such as "do you want to save money?"  A non-binary question instigates discussion because it cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no."  For example, you might ask, "What are you looking for in a kitchen, or yard?" or "Which of these floorplans sounds best to you?"  Ask one more question than you would normally ask and increase your sales revenue by at least 5%.

3  Good conversation is like a chess game.

All sales discussions should lead to solving the customer’s problems.  Think five moves ahead.  Ask "do you have a particular house style in mind?"  If they say, "no," you can say, "well, let's get  started on figuring it out."  If they say, "yes," you can say, "I'll bet you we can come up with what you are looking for."  In either case, you're still offering the customer some much-needed encouragement.

4  Watch your language.

Remember that men like to "invest" and women like to "shop."  No one really likes to "buy” or “spend."  Have a customer “authorize” rather than “sign” an agreement. 

5  Use language to chaperone the prospect.

The greeting of the prospect leads to qualifying the prospect.  The qualification process uses open questions that lead to a sales presentation.  Dialogue in the presentation leads to a trial close and then the real close.  Closing language shepherds the buyer into discussing the up-sell and towards recommending referrals.



Michael Angelo Caruso is the author of the 5 Cool Ideas book series and the FastLearnerAudio series.  To receive his complimentary "5 Cool Ideas" newsletter, simply send an e-mail to: 5CoolIdeas@MichaelAngeloCaruso.com.

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Ralph Roberts
A Prince Among Realtors



Time Magazine called this man, “the best-selling Realtor in America,” author, speaker and sales coach Ralph R. Roberts is still on the move since acquiring his Realtor’s license in 1976.

Roberts took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk with us at RealEstateFinanceForum.com about sales success, his latest book releases, Advanced Selling for Dummies: Unique Ways to Grab Attention and Build Your Brand and Foreclosure Self-Defense for Dummies, and his generous gift to society.

Becoming an author has helped Roberts position himself as an expert; he said he has been writing for the last two decades of his 32-year real estate career.

“The first 10 years I didn’t know the value of it,” Roberts told RealEstateFinanceForum.com.  “But now with the Internet, I’m really into social media – I help people be thought leaders.  If you are really good at something you need to let the world know it.”

And even if you aren’t the best writer, teaming up with someone who is can make all the difference.

“Even the most very successful authors have someone to polish their writing,” Roberts said.  “My partner Joe Kraynak is a great, great writer, he can write about anything.  I write about sales, marketing, foreclosures, etc. – you have to write about your passion.”

Roberts believes in following your passion but it’s no secret.

“I don’t believe there is a ‘secret,’ that’s a myth,” he said.  “The secret is to fall in love everyday, get up, be happy, go do what you have a passion about, and if you get paid for doing that ... imagine that!”

As far as the real estate market, Roberts thinks the worst is yet to come, but it’s not all bad news.  “The successful mortgage professionals and Realtors will become even more successful as the part-timers get out of the industry,” he said.  “There will be less transactions but divided amongst fewer people.”

The fraud in foreclosures is sure to become a more popular topic, he added.  “Eighty percent of foreclosures have fraud in them,” he stated, putting the blame on greedy Wall Street for opening the door for fraud.

To help those in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, Roberts said he is launching Foreclosure Self-Defense seminars across the country.

“We are not charging for the (seminar) content, it is my gift to the real estate, mortgage and all the real estate industry insiders so they can go to their local market place and share foreclosure self-defense techniques,” he said.

“I want to train an army out there to help the people who are really hurting right now.”

For more information on Roberts' seminars, books or speaking engagements visit RalphRoberts.com.


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