ReferralExchange LIVE Helps Real Estate Professionals Maximize the Value of Real Estate Leads
Since 2005, ReferralExchange—a nationwide referral and lead management service—has been creating real estate experiences between agents and clients that are second to none.
Expanding the company’s referral offerings even further, ReferralExchange launched a new service this past summer that helps agents make the most of their network by verifying and qualifying contacts acquired through their third-party lead generation efforts. Dubbed ReferralExchange LIVE (Lead Intent Verification Engine), the service makes it easy to see, at a glance, which contacts should be pursued—helping agents maximize the value of real estate leads.
Having specialized in inbound referrals in order to grow his business after launching his real estate career 34 years ago, Mel Loewen knew he needed to reinvent himself after an eight-year hiatus.
“Up until 2005, I was averaging between 30 and 50 closed transactions a year on referral business alone,” explains Loewen, an associate broker with The Starnes Group at Coldwell Banker Complete Real Estate in Calgary, Alberta Canada.
“Coming back into the business after taking a soft leave, I realized that I was too old-school. I had to reinvent myself, and I had to do it with new technology, which is something I’ve always embraced,” says Loewen, who quickly discovered that the team at ReferralExchange had built a highly effective system.
“When ReferralExchange LIVE first came out, what appealed most to me was that it was like having my own personal assistant. What they said was going to happen, which was that they would get the client on the phone with me, actually came to fruition,” explains Loewen.
“My results speak for themselves,” adds Loewen, who points to his success at being able to close a client on the first call as a true testament to the power of the service.
Allowing agents to hone their focus even further, ReferralExchange LIVE has three primary components:
- Lead verification: ReferralExchange uses proprietary scrubbing technology to quickly figure out which of an agents’ third-party, raw leads are real and which are not.
- Lead readiness: ReferralExchange’s licensed customer service team calls leads using a proven system that qualifies them and determines their readiness to transact. A live transfer sends them directly back to the agent via phone.
- Lead transaction: Once a lead has been verified as real and ready to transact, the agent may decide whether or not to complete the deal themselves, or refer it to ReferralExchange’s network.
But the benefits don’t end there, as ReferralExchange LIVE puts time back into the hands of real estate professionals.
“A good real estate professional is well-rounded,” says Kathie FitzPatrick, a broker with Keller Williams Yakima Valley in Yakima, Wash.
In addition to being a full-time real estate professional, FitzPatrick spends a lot of time volunteering with violent and at-risk youth—among other initiatives she’s passionate about.
“My time is valuable, and I needed what the LIVE service offers,” says FitzPatrick, who points to the time savings as a key benefit.
“ReferralExchange scrubs the leads and makes sure the person is ready to talk, which is huge,” explains FitzPatrick, as it takes the pressure off of her while helping her stand out from the competition at the same time.
“The LIVE service also makes me look more professional in the eyes of the consumer due to the simple fact that someone is calling prior to me reaching out in order to qualify them and determine their readiness to transact.”
Having spent 10-plus years building a sophisticated software that uses advanced data science to make the most successful consumer-agent connections, ReferralExchange LIVE is taking the work out of turning raw leads into clients who are ready to transact.
For those not taking advantage of ReferralExchange LIVE yet?
“You’re going to spend a lot more time making cold calls and trying to follow-up on leads,” says FitzPatrick, “and you’re going to lose large chunks of your life trying to develop business.”
As the competition continues to heat up in real estate markets across the U.S., the importance of having a product like LIVE is more critical than ever before.
“As more and more agents get into the business, especially here in the Pittsburgh market, the pie that we all share is getting smaller for many,” says Rick Xander, a REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty in Moon Township, Pa. “LIVE is another way for me to not only maintain the level of business I’m used to, but to also expand upon it.”
A former journalist, Xander got into real estate in 1997 when the newspaper he worked for switched from a morning paper to an evening paper.
To say that he’s been impressed with the ReferralExchange platform—and now the LIVE product—would be a serious understatement.
“The folks at ReferralExchange initially contacted me after I earned my Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation,” says Xander, who has been pleasantly surprised with the expanded LIVE product. “It’s been better than I thought it was going to be.”
“To me, it means more successful leads, which translates to more listings and more sales.”
While ReferralExchange LIVE saves Xander both time and energy, it’s also been extremely beneficial when pursuing FSBO leads.
“Pursuing FSBOs can sometimes be exasperating, but ReferralExchange LIVE has agreed to massage these leads for me,” says Xander, “connecting me with the lead after they’ve made contact.”
As the day-to-day demands continue to increase for real estate professionals across the board, the team at ReferralExchange is committed to doing everything they can to set agents up for continued success.
For more information, please visit www.referralexchange.com/live.
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.
