Real Estate Lead Generation & Conversion

Providing a “reason to believe” is a basic component of the positioning statement of most major advertisers. The “reason to believe” can include:

• Technical reasons or superiority claims (e.g. faster, or better value)
• Functional benefits that help prove the benefit promised (e.g. provides superior mobile phone coverage)

A classic example of an advertiser that effectively utilized a “reason to believe” is Crest Toothpaste. After winning approval to display the American Dental Association (ADA) Seal of Acceptance in their advertising and on toothpaste tubes, sales and market share rocketed. The endorsement from the ADA served as a very credible reason to believe the Crest claim that using the brand “prevents cavities”.

Just as providing a “reason to believe” is an effective tactic  for major advertisers, real estate professionals can increase lead conversion rates by providing prospects  with a “reason to believe” supporting benefit claims. The key to effective use of this tactic is to: 1) offer a benefit message that is meaningful to your prospects; and 2) provide a credible “reason to believe” in your benefit message/claim. If your benefit message is that you will provide “fast, accurate, and valuable guidance”, then you should provide a “reason to believe” to support this claim.

One of the best sources of “reasons to believe” are testimonials from clients. A good testimonial will both enhance your credibility and provide a specific example of how you assisted a client. The alphabet soup of credentials and designations (ABR, ACRE, CRB, CRB, GRE, GREEN, SRES, AHWD, e-Pro, SFR, QSC, etc.) are also useful in supporting your benefit claims. Awards and honors, such as Million Dollar Club or President’s Club also are impactful. Additional “reasons to believe” can include your transaction history, experience, and local connections.

However, simply providing a list of credentials or awards is not nearly as effective as utilizing them as “reasons to believe”  supporting a benefit message that prospects can identify with. As an example, if you have earned ePro Certification, it is important that it translates into a meaningful benefit to your prospects.  Provide anecdotes on how your Internet savvy has led to successful outcomes for your clients. Your prospects need to be able to translate how your benefit message applies to their situation.

Conclusion

Providing a credible “reason to believe” supporting your benefit claims can increase lead to sale conversion rates. Your “reason to believe” provides support that your service will deliver the benefit that you claim to offer. The most effective reasons to believe are the ones that are particularly credible.  Displaying credentials, designations, and awards is a good tactic for supporting benefit claims, but simply listing them without utilizing them to support a benefit claim fails to take full advantage of the effort expended to obtain the credentials.