Inbound vs Outbound

Inbound vs Outbound

Rental Property Investor · SAN DIEGO · Member since 2022 · 90 posts · 42 votes

So I was taught in Real Estate in order to get leads get these lists of motivated sellers and get to work getting in front of them, cold calling or sending direct mailers. But if they are truly motivated why is the conversion rate so low. I kept hearing its a numbers game but never asked does it have to be a numbers game? True at some level it does but do the numbers have to be so low. I am converting 4%-3% can the conversion rate be higher? Then I started asking WHY? WHY? WHY? 

I find this data interesting. We are getting 4-12 highly motivated inbound leads daily from our website (other than the cost to set up the website) these leads are relatively free. For every 3 seller appointments, we go to we are closing 1/3 with homeowners. This means we don't spend any money on direct mailers, cold calling, driving for dollars, or buying lists of foreclosures, absentee owners, death in the family, free and clear, 65+, code violations etc. 


So overall, we are getting 150-200 leads a month. Out of all the leads last month we got, 1 was a foreclosure, and 2 were absentee. The rest of the motivated seller leads we got were people who didn't want to deal with an agent,  didn't want open houses, and didn't want to put their house on the market. They wanted a below-market value offer out of convenience and were willing to sell leaving money on the table. 

The point is if these motivated lists truly contained motivated sellers wouldn't you conclude the leads we are getting would be a higher percentage of these types of sellers that are labeled as motivated. 


Now when I got started investing, I spent a lot of money and time on leads, this can work. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of investors who have great success in this. But if I had to choose how I want to set my company up for the long term would I want the leads to come to me when I am not working daily vs trying to go after them?

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Real Estate Agent · Sandwich, MA · Member since 2014 · 974 posts · 636 votes
4y

@Dom Battezzato

Is is a 3-4% conversion on all inbound leads or is it based off of something else? If conversion is low, I guess it begs the question about what the messaging is that is getting the appointments but not converting. Same thing for getting leads in the door but not converting to appointments. 

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  • Real Estate Agent · Sandwich, MA · Member since 2014 · 974 posts · 636 votes
    4y

    @Dom Battezzato

    Is is a 3-4% conversion on all inbound leads or is it based off of something else? If conversion is low, I guess it begs the question about what the messaging is that is getting the appointments but not converting. Same thing for getting leads in the door but not converting to appointments. 

  • Wholesaler · Houston, TX · Member since 2017 · 264 posts · 212 votes
    4y

    Your conversion rate is based on many factors:

    - Your salesmanship skills

    - Your marketing message

    - Your speed to contact the seller

    - Etc.

    Another thing is your perspective. For instance, we look at the cost per lead / cost per contract as a whole, instead of looking at how many people we have to reach out to in order to get a deal. 

    You also have to look at your results on a yearly basis, for example: In March of this year someone called me from a postcard I sent back in August 2021, we closed that deal with a $25k assignment. This increased my ROI for that campaign significantly, many people will keep your marketing message and reach out when they are ready. So you can't look at your results for any marketing campaign on a monthly or even quarterly basis.

    A good website is also critical, I strongly believe that understanding your outbound marketing and having a great inbound lead site is the recipe to succeed in this business. 

  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    4y

    You may find motivated sellers, but you are contacting a bunch of people, most of whom won't want to sell period.

  • Don KonipolBusiness Member
    Investor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    4y
    Quote from @Dom Battezzato:

    So I was taught in Real Estate in order to get leads get these lists of motivated sellers and get to work getting in front of them, cold calling or sending direct mailers. But if they are truly motivated why is the conversion rate so low. I kept hearing its a numbers game but never asked does it have to be a numbers game? True at some level it does but do the numbers have to be so low. I am converting 4%-3% can the conversion rate be higher? Then I started asking WHY? WHY? WHY? 

    I find this data interesting. We are getting 4-12 highly motivated inbound leads daily from our website (other than the cost to set up the website) these leads are relatively free. For every 3 seller appointments, we go to we are closing 1/3 with homeowners. This means we don't spend any money on direct mailers, cold calling, driving for dollars, or buying lists of foreclosures, absentee owners, death in the family, free and clear, 65+, code violations etc. 


    So overall, we are getting 150-200 leads a month. Out of all the leads last month we got, 1 was a foreclosure, and 2 were absentee. The rest of the motivated seller leads we got were people who didn't want to deal with an agent,  didn't want open houses, and didn't want to put their house on the market. They wanted a below-market value offer out of convenience and were willing to sell leaving money on the table. 

    The point is if these motivated lists truly contained motivated sellers wouldn't you conclude the leads we are getting would be a higher percentage of these types of sellers that are labeled as motivated. 


    Now when I got started investing, I spent a lot of money and time on leads, this can work. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of investors who have great success in this. But if I had to choose how I want to set my company up for the long term would I want the leads to come to me when I am not working daily vs trying to go after them?

    Very interesting insights.  The power of the internet has truly been game changing in the last 23 years.  
    one takeaway not revious;y mentioned is the need to operate a business, instead of a haphazard approach of “ I”ll make so,e calls and drive by when I’m not working my job”.  Part time real estate INVESTING works, running a part time real estate BUSINESS does not. 
    Private Mortgage Financing Partners, LLC
  • Joshua MessingerBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Poconos, PA · Member since 2020 · 443 posts · 264 votes
    4y

    Hey @Dom Battezzato! 

    This is a great post. It really depends on your appetite for risk in my opinion. What I have noticed so far is that it is far riskier to try and do outbound to reach out to sellers via cold calling, direct mail, SMS, etc. vs. building up your SEO, and running ads while building up your brand. The reason being I feel that it's less risky is: 

    1. Less Overhead

    2. More motivated leads

    3. Easier to figure out pain points

    Now I wouldn't want to discount the fact that buying lists of leads does 100% work. But, I feel to make your outbound operations more effective it comes down to what @Joe Gonzalez had shared. 

    I hope this helps and would love to connect more! Ever need anything don't hesitate to reach out! 

    All the best,

    Josh 

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