How can you increase lead capture rate with a full time job?

[Peter Haymond]

I'm graduating this August and will be working a FT job.

I've heard that 50% of sellers hang up if they reach an answering machine pre-recorded response. Now I'm not aiming this question to those of you who just started taking your calls live, which I understand is the best way to get experience & learn this business, but I would like to hear from someone who worked a j.o.b. and took sellers leads using a system to eventually run an real estate investment business full time & quit their job.

I understand after your phone system you can:

a. answer calls live (not an option for me until after work)
b. use a virtual assistant to answer your calls live
c. use a live answering service, like PAT live
d. use an answering machine
e. use an internet call capture service

Whatever the system is that works the best, it has to fit in my business model to create repeatable profits. The whole point of me doing this is so I can hit my first goal of $5000 profit or more per month so I can quit my job to run my business full time. I am creating systems so I can outsource a lot of the technician work to others I'll add to my marketing and operations team. I appreciate your input.

[Brian P.]

Peter

Saw the Hayward thing, are you getting a degree from up on the hill, Cal State? Anyway it brought back memories of taking our dates up there to watch for flying saucers in the 50's.

I know you think the question is simple but the fact is on lead capture is whether by getting a immediate contact is worth it. In my career my motto was to get there first-est with the most-est.

In the following years I began to question if this effort was worth all the trouble. People that needed an answer to something yesterday and had you jump through hoops usually turned out to be flakes.

We didn't have all the tech stuff we have now and I used an answering service that I had answer using my company name, they were told I was out with a client or whatever and would be checking in shortly, and I could return their call then, or at sometime of their choosing which might be more convenient for them.

Later with a pager, things were a little better for a quick response. Finally with the walkie- talkie size mobile phones that cost you a buck every time you got a wrong number and a phone bill equal to some peoples income, you had the so called immediate response.

You know what?, the day I gave up getting to each caller right now proved to me I wasn't giving up much by using a more relaxed approach. And the quality of the leads I did make contact with actually improved. So I only lost doing business with a lot of time wasters. The occasional real prospect I lost was more then offset by spending that effort on my marketing ten-fold.

I don't know what your new job is going to be but some friends of mine are able to take calls on the job with their cell phones, maybe you will be in that position. Plus a good website will reduce some of these calls and maybe a sort of partner where you can help each other out.