So I haven’t shared much of our story (yet!) but I previously was a licensed REALTOR before running Hello Marketing Studio full time. Rewind a bit and before I was ever licensed, my favorite thing to do was go to open houses and study the strategy that the agents were using.

This past weekend that’s what my husband, our little 1-year-old, and I did. We hit up 8 open houses Saturday and Sunday and in between changing dirty diapers in the passenger seat (lots of them 😅) and passing back and forth snacks, I got a lot of juicy insights that I couldn’t wait to share with you. I was literally left shocked by what I saw….

Here’s the breakdown of each house….

House #1
Saturday, our first stop! We pulled in and there were at least 40 other cars parked along the long driveway leading up to the house. The open house was from 1-4 PM and it was PACKED. The house had just gone active so this was the very first opportunity anybody had to view it. It was buzzing and the agent was just standing in the living room not talking to anybody or initiation conversation. 

We briefly chatted with him and shared a little bit about what we’re looking for, and he never asked for our names, never got our email address,  never asked for our phone number, and never handed us a business card. It wasn’t just us; he wasn’t collecting anybody’s information. I’m assuming his strategy was just to hope people reached out to him?? 

There had to have been over 100 people in and out during those 3 hours, and it makes me queasy to think about how many active buyers and sellers he could have followed up with afterward if he would have at least just collected their info. 🥴

Houses #2-8
None of these agents collected our information. I was shocked. We’re eager and active buyers walking in, and nothing. I’m sure from their point of view they might not have wanted to come off too strong, were nervous, etc., but from a buyer’s standpoint, this sends me the message that you aren’t available. Some had put up directional signs throughout the entire neighborhood, picked up helium balloons to put put on the mailbox, prepared a spread of different snacks, and set aside hours of their weekend to be at this open house and yet weren’t taking advantage of all of the leads stepping through the door. 

Now there’re no way for any of those 8 agents to follow up with me (or all the other visitors), see if I have any real estate needs, collect feedback for the seller, or just nurture me as a lead.

The Main Takeaway
You have such an advantage as an agent if you can reframe your mindset to understand that buyers and sellers NEED you. You’re there to serve them, to educate them, and to share your knowledge and resources with them, and you can’t do that if you can’t start conversations with them, get their information, hear what they are saying, and follow up with value (not a sales pitch).

It would have been super helpful for an agent to share with us their go-to lender, a list of other comparable homes, current interest rate information, a home buyer guide, or even just an MLS printout (most agents didn’t even have that).

Since you’ve purchased marketing resources from us, we know that you’re the kind of agent who wants to show up with value and be the expert, so I just encourage you to know that you’re not a bother, and that consumers NEED what you have to offer, so today don’t be hesitant to start up new conversations and reach back out to old leads offering value. You’re definitely not bothering them—you’re exactly what they need.

What’s the biggest problem you’re currently having with capturing and following up with your leads? If we can help you with it, we’d love to do so, so comment and let us know.