Managers are the Key to Success

Just had a great conversation with Karen today about leads (if you don’t know Karen, she’s our Executive Director) conversion and national averages. Our consultants and trainers are constantly being asked about the “key” to success in online leads conversion: is it software, is it an auto reply, is it template emails. Well, yes, sure, all of those help. But the real key?

Managers.

Managers are the key to lead conversion success for two reasons: First, they know how much it costs to generate leads - which is a good way to help agents understand why they should not throw leads away so quickly. Only by sharing the full picture with the sales force - of what it costs to run the website, direct marketing, PR campaigns - in other words, what it costs to generate leads - can agents get a better picture of why leads conversion is so much more than just getting another deal. Converting online leads is critical to spending money wisely; if conversions don’t happen, then it’s just like throwing money down the drain. Managers (and management) can advertise and build websites; but it’s up to agents to make the sales happen.

Secondly, managers help improve leads conversion rates because they are close to the action (or lack thereof). If an agent is struggling with online leads, only managers can see why. Is it a lack of tech skills? Does the agent needs some marketing training? Are the agent’s skills in building relationships and online rapport with consumers up to speed? Only managers can see the skill problems at a company - and do something about it. Like providing training, materials, technology and encouragement.

For the past few years, the focus on leads has been on generating them and driving the numbers up. Well, the most important number really is the conversion rate. Who cares if you have a lot of leads but don’t convert hardly any? And no matter how much we provide to our agents - technology, training and even, yes, leads themselves - it’s up to our managers to see the process through and keep it working (or improve it) every day.

– Matthew