With the housing market in a downward spiral, you might think that mortgage leads these days would be hard to find. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. There are plenty of people in the United States who are desperate to get a first mortgage with less-than-perfect credit, or to refinance a mortgage they can no longer afford, or to get a reverse mortgage.
Simple Lead Generation
There are many ways to practice lead generation. Lead buying is the most obvious way, but it can also be expensive. Instead, use other methods of lead capturing. One of the most popular is social media. You can set up a Facebook or Twitter account online, and use the account to post information about the industry in general and your company in particular. As people begin to follow your Facebook or your Twitter posts, capture their information and use it to market to them directly.
If you’re not ready to face dealing with social media, you can also practice lead capturing by having an opt-in form on your company’s website.
After You Capture a Lead
Lead capturing is easy. Once you have a lead, however, you must not let it go to waste. Initiate the sales process immediately by calling leads. When you are collecting leads, it’s best to arrange for real-time data transfers so that you can call the lead as soon as possible after he or she expresses interest.
Besides your initial phone call, you should also send an introductory email, briefly describing your company and how you can help the lead solve his or her mortgage problems.
Persistence is Key
If you are using real-time data, making contact on the first try is likely. If, however, your call is picked up by an answering machine, or not picked up at all, don’t give up. Keep calling until you get a live human being on the other end of the phone.
Don’t expect to sell your mortgage services to the lead on the first call, but do practice sound lead nurturing. This means following up with leads with additional phone calls, email and direct mail campaigns, newsletters, and other contacts that emphasize how your services can be of help. You don’t need to flood the lead with dozens of emails every day–usually one or two contacts every two weeks keeps your company name fresh in the lead’s memory.
As your company makes an effort to consistently follow up with all of its leads, you will see your sales and conversion rate go up. Who says you can’t find good mortgage leads in today’s market?
About Bill Rice