If you like cold calling, raise your hand. Okay, so nobody really likes cold calling. Most real estate agents will use cold calling to get new listings because it does work, but nobody really likes doing it.
Most agents are not natural cold callers and most agents would rather skip this part of the job. If there as a way to get all the new listings you needed without cold calling, you’d probably give it a try.
You don’t have to use cold calling to get new listings. There are several other ways to generate leads, many of which provide higher quality leads than cold calling. Here are some of the best ways to get new leads without cold calling.
7 Top Ways to Get New Leads, No Cold Calling Required!
1. Target FSBO Homes
Many For-Sale-By-Owner listings sit on the market for months, if not years. Most people going this route won’t be successful. A report from Zillow showed about 36% of sellers will try to sell their home themselves. However, only 11% are successful when trying to sell without an agent.
Going after FSBO listings is a great way to find leads without cold calling. If 89% of homeowners fail when going the FSBO route, a smart agent can certainly find plenty of new listings by targeting these sellers.
You won’t need to call them, either. You can send the FSBO listings something through the mail. Heck, you can create a plan and target them with a piece of mail every month until they respond or the property is sold.
It takes between 5 and 12 points of contact for someone to become interested in your message/business. This means you need to send more than just one mailer.
With a postcard mailer, they don’t have to open an envelope and you can highlight the pain points of trying to sell a home without an agent. The cost of doing this through the mail is very low since you can send a large postcard for the price of a stamp. Send 5 to 12 means each FSBO listing you target will cost you $3 to $5 for the marketing.
2. Inbound Marketing Online
Most people considering selling their home look online for a real estate agent before choosing their listing agent. You can use inbound marketing to cash in on the digital age of real estate.
By creating the right content (blog posts, service pages, downloadable guides, etc.) and using good SEO (search engine optimization) you can build an automated lead generation system.
It takes time to build your content library and start seeing traffic, but once you build it, they will come, if you do it right. Of course, you can speed it up by sharing your content on social media, boosting it with paid social media posting and ads, and by hiring the right team to handle your SEO.
The best part, you don’t have to do any of the content writing yourself. Hiring a talented writer to help you create content for your inbound marketing strategy will help you generate more new listings without needing to pick up the phone.
3. Ask For Referrals
One of the most powerful ways to feed your real estate business without cold calling is asking for referrals. You can simply ask each person you work with for referrals or you can offer some type of gift for referrals.
Some agents will foot the bill for a housewarming party and ask the new homeowners to invite their friends and neighbors. This can be a great way to network and give the new homeowners a chance to celebrate without needing to spend money on food, drinks, or entertainment.
No matter how you go about it, referrals are one of the best ways to get new listings without cold calling.
4. Go After the Divorcees
Yes, it’s a bit taboo and many wish it wasn’t a market, but divorcees make good real estate leads. Since most judges mandate the couple to sell their home, it’s a good place for real estate agents to find new listings.
A large percentage of people filing for divorce will list their home within six months of filing. While it’s not something anybody really wants, a good real estate agent can find new leads from divorcees.
Along with listing the property for the couple getting divorced, you will likely end up with two new buyer leads, too.
One of the best things about this strategy of finding leads is the lack of competition. Many real estate agents don’t target divorcees, but you can. With the right landing page and the right social media ads, you can target those in need of your help selling their home due to divorce.
5. Contact People Inheriting Homes
More than one million people inherit homes each year in the United States. For a real estate agent, this can be a great place to find new listings. If you know how to find local people inheriting homes, you can target them with your marketing.
The county clerk’s website for your local area will usually list cases for inheritance. From here, you can search the public records to find information on people inheriting homes.
Then, use an online search tool to find the address for the person inheriting the home. Now, you just need to send them a few mailers and you might land a new listing.
You can also use SEO and online marketing to target those inheriting homes. This can be targeted by location and with the right SEO, you can gain a first-page listing in the search engines.
6. Set Up at Trade Shows
The right trade shows, festivals, and other events can help you get new listings without cold calling. You can pay to set up a booth and use some type of game or a give-away to attract attention. Collect names and email addresses/mailing addresses of people interested to create a list of prospects.
Once you have a list, you just need to load it into a mailing system or an emailing system to prospect. While not everybody on the list will be ready to buy or sell, you can certainly work your list for months, if not years, to find new listings without cold calling.
7. In-Person Networking
A very powerful way to find new listings without cold calling is in-person networking. You can join your local Chamber of Commerce, attend networking events, get involved with community organizations, and do many other things to network in person.
When you network, you want to have a plan and you want to work hard to find the right connections. Whether it’s a new homeowner looking to sell or another type of connection that could lead to new clients, forming relationships will help get your name out there.
You don’t have to become an expert cold calling machine to get new listings. These are just seven of the ways you can find new listings without picking up the phone for a cold calling session. While the last two will have to wait until virus concerns are no longer an issue, the other ones can be used at any time.
