Today’s real estate agents have a lot on their plates. Sure, the market is recovering, but recovery has brought with it a whole new set of challenges, from developing new revenue streams to battling inventory shortfall. Unfortunately, in the midst of juggling the real-time demands of being a real estate professional, the essential task of managing and cultivating leads often falls by the wayside—especially those leads that require time and guidance to secure the right mortgage financing.
To address this very problem and help agents cultivate and convert leads, Citibank developed what is proving to be a turnkey solution for its real estate partners: Premier Lending Desk.
Launched in February 2012, Citibank’s Premier Lending Desk was designed to drive and then field leads that come through a real estate firm’s website, nurture them for whatever period of time necessary, and return them to the agent when the consumer is ready to transact. Premier Lending Desk also plays a key role with Citibank’s team of Home Lending Consultants, allowing them to focus on the business of working hand in hand with home-buying consumers each day; as a leading retail mortgage lender, a vehicle such as Premier Lending Desk allows Citibank’s Home Lending Consultants to be more productive and help get qualified buyers into homes.
A Lead Strategy that Really Works
“If you’re a lending partner, it’s important to ask yourself, ‘What can we do to drive the mutual success of the relationship?’” explains Citibank Senior Business Development Manager John Ellinthorpe. “In today’s world, the online game is such a key driver to success…and one that’s measurable. Online is where the eyeballs are, so we had to figure out what to do to convert that visibility into mutual business for our real estate partners and our Home Lending Consultants in the field.”
