The sales cycle in real estate begins long before you take a listing or show a home. Considering how long it takes to go from initial contact to closing, it’s always a great time to work on building and managing your sales pipeline. Use the following tips to help build your pipeline and keep it full!

Design Your Website to Capture Leads

Offer something of value to your website visitors and provide ways for them to reach you beyond using the phone. A blog with relevant information about the local market, a way to research their home’s value, and a page featuring local listings are all great ways to draw in leads and encourage them to stick around. Most importantly, you should feature a contact page that is easy to find so clients can quickly enter their information or contact you directly to make an appointment.

Respond Quickly

You may think this goes without saying, but a surprising number of real estate professionals sit on leads for days. Always follow up on every lead as quickly as possible. According to a study on Lead Response Management, leads are lost when agents ignore an inquiry or take too long to respond. The research team found that you’re 3,000 times less likely to reach potential clients if you wait just five hours after the lead was generated.

s less likely to reach potential clients if you wait just five hours after the lead was generated.

Keep in Touch with Past Clients

A recent National Association of REALTORS^® study found that around 90% of buyers and 87% of sellers say they would use their REALTOR^® again, but very few (around 12%) do so. Bottom line: clients will forget about you if you don’t reconnect. Plenty of tools are available to remind you to follow up with clients after the sale, from low-tech calendars to high-tech productivity software. Find a tool that works for you and use it to keep in touch with past clients.

Pro tip: when you include a home warranty from Old Republic Home Protection (ORHP) with each transaction, you’ll automatically receive an Anniversary E-card just before your client’s closing anniversary date. Easily forward the e-cards to your clients for a simple way to keep in touch and stay top of mind!

Market Yourself

Marketers use the term “impression” to describe the number of times a target audience sees a brand name, slogan, or product. In your case, YOU are the brand, and each time someone sees your name or face on a newsletter, website, park bench, or wherever, you boost the odds that they’ll think of you when they need your services. Leverage your resources to ensure you keep your face and name in front of clients—brand awareness is the key to filling your pipeline and keeping it full. Check out ORHP’s free, customizable marketing tools for some ideas!

Reference to any specific brand, product, or service does not constitute endorsement by ORHP. ORHP does not receive compensation for providing third-party links.