What do you think about when you hear "seller leads from Facebook Ads"?
No good - right?
As agents, we often dismiss these "opportunities" from this specific channel.
But Greg Harrelson's demonstration at the latest RGAcademy coaching session proved that this dismissal might be premature. And worse - it could be making us lose money.
At the live session, he outlined the steps he took to design a high-performing PPC seller lead campaign that spanned four days, costing a mere $3 per day.
The outcome? A remarkable total of 17 leads at an astonishingly low acquisition cost of 64 cents per lead.
This achievement underlines the potential of PPC - a single conversion among these leads could instantly render the channel exceptionally profitable.
"And not only this," says Greg, "the other 16 leads I got are documented sellers who are now on my database and I can send them a market activity report every month, a Sold report every month, and I'm gonna call them once a quarter."
In this article, we aim to shatter the myths that have clouded our perceptions about seller leads and provide actionable insights into effectively harnessing the power of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns to uncover these hidden treasures.
Okay - so we know this channel is actually rather good at generating high-quality leads, and 10% of them will translate into listings over the next 12 months.
But we also know that there's a big gap between the agents who are generating these leads, and the agents who are closing them.
So how does Greg Harrelson go about converting these leads?
Selling a property is a decision that doesn't always demand immediate attention. Unlike the urgency associated with buyer leads, seller leads often operate on a different timeline. They don't necessarily require an immediate conversation with a real estate agent.
Rushing to make that initial call can catch them off guard and trigger defensive responses. This is where the concept of smokescreens becomes relevant.
Greg Harrelson highlights this nuance: "If I went to my CRM and checked all the sellers who said 'Oh, I was just curious' to me, I'd see that 3 months later, they listed."
This is why we want to exercise restraining when reaching out to seller leads. The concept of Speed to Lead is not as important here.
So what should you do?
Resist the impulse to call them immediately - consider waiting until the end of the day or even until the next day.
This way, you're giving them space to consider their options without feeling pressured.
This patient approach carries multiple advantages. Not only does it contribute to a more comfortable and receptive conversation, but it also minimizes the likelihood of encountering smokescreens—those evasive responses that can often hinder productive dialogue.
Once you do call them, avoid following your first instinct.
A statement like:
"Hey, I noticed you checked this and this and this on my website." will generally lead to a negative outcome.
People don't want to feel like they're being watched. Avoid mentioning that you know they've filled out your "What's my home worth" widget.
Instead, take a more empathetic approach, and start with value.
Here's an example of how you can begin the conversation:
"Hey Tom, just wanted to touch base with you. I believe you own a property on X community. I do a lot of marketing around there, and a property recently sold for $Y. Are you thinking of selling?"
And if they say "no", you can double down on value:
"Okay, makes sense. Listen, you might have filled out an online valuation, and sometimes those can be a bit outdated. If you'd like, I can send you a proper report of all the houses that have been sold in this neighborhood, so when you drive past them you know how much each is worth. Would that be helpful?"
Typically, they'll say yes to a free report.
"Nice. I'll prepare that for you now. Just curious, how long have you owned in that community?"
And that's how you get the conversation going.
Notice that in the example, you lead with value twice before asking for anything: first, by letting them know about the value of a nearby property, and then, by offering a free report of all the other properties around their area.
By using this value-driven technique after giving them time before you make the call, you're positioning yourself as a helpful source rather than an annoying salesman.
This combination ensures that you're not just making calls; you're cultivating relationships and forging a path to successful conversions.
Which means these leads will be much more likely to trust you in guiding them along their selling journey.
In contrast to overt objections, it's smokescreens that often cloud seller leads' genuine intentions.
"I might have clicked the widget accidentally," they may say.
There is no accident - they would've accidentally had to click on the widget, manually input their address again, accidentally click again, manually input their email address, accidentally clicked again, and accidentally input their phone number.
But, with a strategic blend of Patience-to-Lead, Value-driven communication, and a casual and helpful approach to engagement, a good real estate professional can navigate the intricacies of seller lead interactions confidently.
While in this article we focused on clearing the name of paid leads, we cannot underestimate the power of organic traffic.
Greg Harrelson himself has gotten 41,000 organic views this month on his website, all through SEO.
And this is a topic that both him and Abe Safa cover extensively in RGMastery.com - their private coaching academy for real estate agents.
There, they go through their process step-by-step, and they offer agents to look at their backend to optimize each step of their funnel to drastically improve conversions.
Join now at www.RGAcademy.com