To garner the business of this new influx of buyers, Werling has stepped up her emphasis on prospecting and lead management.
“The biggest contributor by far in acquiring new business is the use of end-to-end prospecting and prospect development solutions,” says Werling. “You need to have the ability to prioritize your leads based on when they logged into your website, and how often they are actively searching. If you have that information, you will know which leads are hotter than others and may be ready to pounce. We use TigerLead for this. It’s 24/7, nonstop. It’s always up and going, and it’s consistently being used.”
According to Werling, the new normal of the real estate business demands that agents get organized and follow systems such as this—it’s the only way to ensure increased productivity.
“The one thing I stress for all agents and brokers is that they need to get organized,” she explains. “My number one suggestion is to invest in a system to manage the development of relationships with potential clients and customers, for listings, for buyers and for long-term communications that lead to referrals.”
Werling and her team systematically stay in touch monthly after closing, send personal letters and cards to former clients, and keep up with the anniversary dates of buyers’ home purchases. “Even if they closed 10 years ago, we know who they closed with. All the information for our clients and customers is at our fingertips.”
Werling follows up using various sorts of communication—phone calls, emails, social media and direct mailings are all utilized in order to keep in touch and continue her prospecting efforts.