I see a lot of agents looking for pay-at-closing lead sources, or asking for opinions about lead sources and the quality of the leads. Let's think about that for just a moment. Bare with me.
Now ask yourself:
What are YOU doing to generate leads and where?
Over the last year or two, if you spent your marketing dollars on generating your own leads through building your relationships, your Search Engine Optmization (SEO), and your brand identification, where would you be now?
Too often, in a hot market, no one spends marketing dollars or time on their website and SEO optimization, probably because they don't think they need to. Then when the market turns and interest rates rise, the calls become further in between, and agents start panicking.
Always be looking forward. If you planned for today's market in your industry, then you should executing that plan and your business could be working on auto-pilot. That frees you up so that you can be creating your annual plan for what is to come. Get ahead of the game, be nimble enough to change course, and be building the relationships you have.
Markets change seasonally, annually, through good times and bad. You need to put on your "analytical" hat. Understand your market trends. How do you market your business during all seasons and market trends.
Research the national, state and local market influencers. What causes your market to flunctuate. Most state associations of realtors provide great information and updates. Use those materials to help you plan. This one is from the NAR.
The lesson in this, is never quit building YOUR own business. Invest in your business so you aren't dependent upon scammers trying to sell you leads. It's not just the cost, but your time is valuable so following up on unqualified leads or those that never respond, is also a cost. After spending all that time and money, you haven't grown your business and you haven't grown your database.
I'm not saying to NEVER buy leads, although that is more or less where I stand, but prioritize the building of your brand and SEO! For what its worth, I hope you get something out of this, and if you'd like to learn more about what a good SEO optimized website and developing your brand can do for you, reach out to me. I'd love to share my knowledge with you.