If you’re in the Real Estate world, you’ve probably heard people talking about the importance of generating leads. Right? “You need leads!” – “Get more leads!” – “Leads are critical to your business!”

Two weeks ago, we covered free and inexpensive ways to get leads- THIS week is about BIG BANG and Leverage lead prospecting.

Big Bang Ways

8.) Host Your Own Event (Read this past article for more details)

Leverage Ways

9.) Asking People In-Person

10.) Personal Connections From A Local Association or Group

11.) Use Strategic Partners To Add Hundreds of Contacts (this strategy could be your new #1 lead generator)

Big Bang Method

#8 – Host Your Own Event

Once or twice a year hold a special event for past clients, friends, and family. Refer to this article about how to host a Client Appreciation Party and get a rush of new business. The key is to have a door prize/raffle with the winner notified by email.

You can reserve a local venue – baseball park, theater, winery – and share the costs with other strategic partners (more on strategic partners in a separate section below).

Also, when you have a buyer close, offer to send out Change of Address postcards and include an offer for their friends to signup for your email newsletter.

Leverage Methods

The following 3 strategies take more time, but are worth extra effort because you’re building your database with higher-quality contacts who know you, like you, and trust you enough to send you referrals… OR, they were endorsed by someone they know and trust and that credibility can transfer to you, if you do it right.

#9 – Asking People In-Person

Think of all the people you come into contact with on a daily basis. Each conversation opens the door for you to get new contacts for your email newsletter. This includes new clients you are currently working with but here are other examples:

Your dry cleaner, banker, grocer, repair people, and even the other parties to any transaction you complete (hint: their agent will forget about them, so they’ll easily be yours when they buy or sell again).

What do I say?

Instead of asking if someone is ready to buy or sell real estate, try asking them if they want to receive your monthly email newsletter. Tell them why they might want to get it and why you’re offering it to them: “It has the most amazing consumer and health information, and I share it with my friends for free. It’s my way of keeping in touch and passing on valuable information I find, not just real estate updates.”

Notice how you’re not asking if they want to sell or their home or buy one of your listings? You’re not asking them to do anything for you. You’re leveraging your in-person interaction with them to build your email list. There are other times to ask directly for referrals, but this “indirect” approach can get you referrals without feeling like you’re begging for business.

#10 – Personal Connections From A Local Association or Group

Every club, organization, association, or group you’re apart of is an opportunity to build your contact database with email addresses.

• Are you part of a workout club, yoga club, biking club, or other exercise group?
• Are you a member of a local church or other religious organization?
• Are you part of any other local associations where the other members share a common goal or connection?

These are great people to add to receive your email newsletter – you’re leveraging what you have in common to get them on your email database. Plus, they’ll be the ones who read your issues every month and send you referrals.

#11 – Use Strategic Partners To Add Hundreds of Contacts

There are other local businesses in your area, right now, who would love to introduce YOU to their customer/patient/client list if you do the same for them. This is called a “Strategic Alliance” – a relationship with a compatible (not competitive) product or service provider (accountant, financial advisor, dentist, veterinarian, etc).

Finding Strategic Partners can be as easy as asking members of a local “networking group” or your Chamber of Commerce if they want to do a promotion that benefits both of you. For a complete breakdown of exactly how to create strategic alliances, including a letter you can use to attract strategic partners, click here.

More ideas: If they have an email newsletter, ask to have your website link included. This way their contacts can sign up for your email newsletter (if you have an opt-in form on your website). You could also send their contacts a letter or postcard with a “special offer,” because they’re preferred customers/patients/clients of your strategic partner.

The sky’s the limit with this strategy, because you can form partnerships with as many local business owners as you want to get thousands of email addresses in the next year.

Have more ideas you use to generate leads? Tell us about them in the comments below!