Attracting new clients is front and center for most agents, from those fresh out of training to seasoned agents with decades of experience under their belt. From spending hours on social media to chasing referrals, finding new clients takes up a large amount of time and energy. But for an elite few, attracting sellers has become less of a challenge with one comprehensive tool in their arsenal.
Buyside, a platform that turns buyer data directly into leads and listings, offers its users a unique seller-directed feature, where agents can easily match buyers in the Buyside database with potential listings in order to show value to sellers.
We interviewed three top agents from three different markets to see how Buyside is giving them a competitive edge: Kate Oesch from Northwood Realty Services in Ohio; Rob Rosa, a top agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties; and Christina Pappas, district sales manager with The Keyes Company in Miami, Fla.
Showing a potential client exactly how many buyers are in the area looking for properties similar to theirs demonstrates immense value for you as an agent right off the bat. For Oesch, who has been selling real estate in Ohio since 2002, this Buyside feature allows her to lock in potential clients by nailing her seller presentations.
“I enjoy showing a seller how many buyers are ready and waiting,” says Oesch. “I use this on listing appointments to show we have buyers searching right now. After all, that’s what a seller wants. They want it sold today.”
Since he began using Buyside, Rosa has felt more confident when sharing buyer info with prospective sellers. “The Buyside Market Analysis is excellent,” says Rosa, who has been in real estate for 16 years. “I feel like I can provide a potential seller great information about real-time buyers with only a few clicks. I love to use that opportunity to give sellers insight about who may buy their home.”
“Securing listings has become easier,” echoes Pappas. “We have x number of people specifically looking for a property just like yours, and I can pick up the phone and invite their agent to preview the home,” says Pappas. “Never before have we been able to understand exactly who is looking for our customer’s property.”
Another must-have feature is Buyside’s Home Valuation System, which allows potential sellers to find out how much their home is worth with just a few clicks. Unlike many other valuation systems, Buyside offers sellers three different valuations on their property, and has proven invaluable when attracting seller leads.
“While many people have asked how there can be three differing valuations on a property, I find that this feature enhances the reason you need a REALTOR®,” says Pappas, who has been working in real estate for five years. “You need someone to help understand and decipher the three valuations, and to put a human perspective on the market.”
The home valuation system not only offers value to potential clients, but also simultaneously collects their data for easy agent follow-up. But where can potential sellers find this unique system? On social media, of course. Agents like Oesch, Rosa and Pappas leverage the integrated and comprehensive Marketing Suite to attract leads online via various social media platforms.
“I love the ‘What’s My Home Worth’ widget for social media and signature,” says Pappas. Oesch, on the other hand, uses the home valuation tool in her Facebook marketing campaign. “The ad I use encourages people to plug in their address. Who doesn’t want to know what their home is worth?”
Like Oesch, Rosa utilizes the Buyside Home Valuation page to reel in seller leads. “I love the opportunity I have with a lead-generating and capture page. This is an important differentiator that I now have to help me gain more listings.”
It’s not just the information Buyside offers that helps attract leads. It’s how they offer it. “The valuations are given to the client right away,” explains Oesch. “Other programs make people sign up to receive the home’s value in an email. A lot of leads are lost this way.”
Buyside’s backend system is easy to navigate and use for follow-up, explains Oesch. After a lead has entered their information to receive their home values, Oesch calls them to talk about the numbers they received. “I use this opportunity to sell the value of a professional opinion. It’s like the door being cracked open, and I can walk in.”
“Using the right tools such as Buyside on my social media and in my conversations with customers has really helped me stand out and attract new business,” says Pappas. As a REALTOR®, Pappas knows that every conversation she has could lead to a potential new customer or referral. Having the right tools to shepherd and support this process is essential.
“Using Buyside has been a huge help,” says Pappas. “I’m able to be proactive with my listings. I’m now able to pick up the phone and call potential buyers that I know are actively searching for my customer’s home. No longer do I have to sit and wait for the phone to ring, or for someone to walk into my open house. With Buyside, I’m able to target those buyers for my property in order to sell it in the quickest amount of time for the most money possible.”
For more information, please visit www.getbuyside.com.
Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.
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