How to Build Rapport With Inbound Leads Quickly (+ Scripts)

If you’re relatively new to cold calling, getting hung up on or dealing with objections might have made you throw in the towel.

What if I told you there is a way to minimize these common objections and never get hung up on again? OK, so you will still get hung up on… obviously, this isn’t magic. However, my team has used these simple scripts for years to deflect the objections that lead to the most hang-ups. The key is to use them before the objections even come up.

Of course, different leads require slightly different strategies, so I organized the scripts by lead source. Remember to let me know what you think at the end of the article, and happy cold calling!

1. Zillow Leads

Love it or hate it, Zillow dominates our industry. Anyone who has ever thought about buying a home has probably registered on Zillow, most likely early on in their search. Most buyers are looking for something specific and very likely just want to talk with the listing agent.

But did you know that the average registered lead has the potential of getting up to four phone calls almost immediately? They may be contacted by the listing agent plus up to three agents who pay for the lead through Zillow Premier Agent. 

This is why one of the most repeated terms in the real estate industry, “speed to lead,” is so profoundly important for prospecting on Zillow. The lead’s information goes to the listing agent as well as to the Premier Agents who pay for leads. No wonder Zillow leads are pissed off when we call!

So how do you break through and come away with a win? It is surprisingly simple. You just need to identify with the lead’s problem and be prepared for the two most common objections they will have: “I’m not really looking” and “I only want to work with the listing agent.”

Here’s a quick example script for your opening line to get as much info as possible without even talking about the home they registered for. The objection here is, “I’m not really looking.”

Don’t make the mistake most agents make and say, “That home is already under contract.” If you tell them that, they will have no reason to continue the conversation with you. Instead, practice the script I just gave you and dig into their situation. In order to empathize and build rapport quickly, you need to understand where they’re coming from.

Here’s a script to handle the “I want to work with the listing agent” objection. This one is a quick conversation-ender for many agents. If they get hung up on, it’s usually going to come after this objection.

Of course, this is not how the conversation ends. You will probably get one of two responses to this question:

Note: Zillow Leads Require Multiple Call Attempts

The dirty secret to success in real estate is that you just have to be a little bit better than your competition. Scripts help, but if you have trouble getting people on the phone in the first place, you’re sunk.

So when the speed-to-lead approach doesn’t work, meaning they don’t answer the phone on that first attempt, try and try again. Staying consistent with multiple call attempts is crucial to converting Zillow leads into customers. In cold calling, I find that it typically takes an average of eight attempts to reach a prospect. So don’t give up too quickly.

The rule I train my inside sales agents (ISAs) to follow is a minimum of six to eight call attempts within two weeks. This is how you beat your competition, because with this consistency you increase your chances of having a conversation. Meanwhile, the other agent lost because they stopped trying too soon. They tried once, maybe twice, and then they gave up. Always remember that real estate is a numbers game.

If you’re looking for a smart ISA solution, check out REALQualified. REALQualified’s team of highly trained ISAs will follow up with your leads on your schedule.

2. Google PPC Leads

Leads from Google Ads are among the most common leads generated in the industry. Think of these leads much like someone walking into a store and the salesclerk asks, “Is there anything I can help you with today?” The typical response is something like, “No thanks, I’m good,” OR “I’m just looking, thank you.”

So why do so many agents get mad with leads who respond in the same way? That philosophy of speed to lead really isn’t relevant with Google or any pay-per-click (PPC) lead. These leads aren’t ready to be pounced on like a Zillow lead. That means your strategy to build rapport with Google PPC leads should be a little different.

The way these leads usually find you is by literally typing “homes for sale in {city}” into Google and clicking on whatever comes up. Unfortunately, that means they might register on more than one website. These leads have their defenses up and are on high alert because there is a big chance you are not the only phone call they are receiving. That means being too aggressive can result in having your number blocked. No one wants that!

As long as there is a call attempt within 12 hours, depending upon what time they register, that should be enough. In my personal experience calling these leads, most are genuinely just looking. Who doesn’t like to look at homes? Your main goal when calling is to simply find out where they are in the process. Sure, the appointment is the ultimate goal, but you are more likely to get results from them long term with proper nurturing. So don’t get too aggressive. Save that for Zillow leads.

When I train agents, I always tell them, “He who has the conversation wins!” Keeping that in mind calling these leads and knowing they are “just looking” in several of your competitors’ databases is key.

Now that you understand where they are coming from, it makes talking to them so much easier. Here’s a quick opening script as an example:

The reason this opening line works so well is that it’s a laid-back approach. This helps drop their defenses of not wanting to be sold. It’s quick and to the point. It also leaves less room for an immediate objection because you are directly identifying the fact they were searching online for homes, which they were. This is the first phase of breaking through with Google leads, dropping their defenses, and building rapport.

Want to try PPC advertising but don’t know where to start? Agentfire makes it easy. They offer a full library of top performing landing pages and lead magnets you can quickly customize to capture qualified leads from Google ads. 

Sure, there are lots of other marketing platforms to choose from, but with more than 500 verified 5-star reviews and an average rating of 4.9 on Facebook and Google, it seems most Realtors who choose AgentFire never look back.

3. Realtor.com Leads (& Others)

Leads from Realtor.com or any other online source can come from a variety of situations. They could be just looking, wanting more information on a specific property, or wanting to see a home. And don’t forget those strange people who say, “I wasn’t looking for homes online!” Yeah, right. Then how did I get your phone number?

Just like Google PPC leads, always frame your opening question with how they were routed into your database. Here’s a good example script for your opening line:

Don’t worry about putting much focus on the name of your website or the company you work for. Most leads will remember registering on at least one website but might not remember every site they registered with.

Instead, what really matters are the questions you ask to find out where they are in the process to gain a sense of urgency. Finding the lead’s intention, urgency, and current situation is paramount to converting these leads into customers as well as building your pipeline of future business.

4. Facebook Leads

Just like Zillow leads, we either love or hate Facebook ad leads. But love them or hate them, they’re vital to your business. And it’s no longer only about marketing your listings. You must be intentional with your target audience when posting Facebook ads to generate the right type of leads that will result in new business. 

Related Article

Real Estate Facebook Ads: 8 Best Practices & Examples for Agents

But you don’t have to bang your head against a wall when it comes to Facebook leads. You can let experts take the wheel instead. Many companies offer all-in-one systems that include social media marketing, like Top Producer Social Connect. All you have to do is enter your city and budget, and the pros at Top Producer will get your social media campaign up and running within hours, generating hot leads directly to your customer relationship manager (CRM). And you don’t have to become a Facebook ad expert to do that.

It is important to understand your market dynamics and be the solution to the problem your leads have in your market. This strategy will produce more quality leads and save you from a lot of frustrating calls from lookie-loos.

Here are a few Facebook ad headlines that will actually get you leads:

Always use direct headlines that grab attention. Once you choose your audience, you are then targeting their interests, creating a higher-quality lead. The most important thing to remember with Facebook leads is that they will have a longer turnaround time. Speed to lead is less important here.

Of course, when calling them, you should still always remind them that they were on Facebook and clicked on an ad that indicated they were interested in receiving more information. Just remember to ask what specifically they would be interested in with respect to location or housing type.

Here’s a good script for Facebook leads:

You have just taken a lead that wasn’t that serious and, by digging a little deeper, were able to turn it around to an appointment. Will this work with every lead? Of course not. However, if you want a chance to convert any leads, you always need to be thinking about solving their problem. The first step is to equip yourself with the right questions to identify their problem. The next step is to propose your solution to that problem. Simple!

5. Home Valuation Leads

Are you using a tool like Real Geeks to create home valuation landing pages? The first lesson I learned with these leads is that they don’t necessarily own the home they are looking to get an evaluation on. Weird, right? Also, quite a few of these leads are more curious about the value of the homes they do own for refinancing purposes and not actually selling.

The best thing about these leads is that you are building an arsenal of potential sellers in your database. I want you to think long term and big picture about these leads. My best advice for new agents is this: You are in the database-gathering industry, whether you know it or not. The biggest value you have in your business is your database. Anyone who tells you differently is lying or not very successful. Contacts = contracts. It’s as simple as that!

Now let’s learn how to have a conversation with these leads.

Option 1:

You could also run into the situation in which they were looking at the value of a home they were interested in purchasing, or perhaps an FSBO, or even a former childhood home. This is why I often open up with the next option:

Option 2:

Taking conversations this far gives you a great indication of the time frame. Remember, we can’t make people move—we can only offer suggestions and see if it piques any interest.

Over to You

How do you build rapport quickly on the phone? Have a great tip or script you’ve been using? Let us know in the comments.