We actually handpick REALTORS for you. You call us, we talk to you about your needs, and then we go to our network to look for a match based on several factors including where you need help, what price range you need help in, and any special considerations you give us. If we don’t have someone we have worked with in the past in our network, we start a search not all that different than the search an executive recruiter would use to find an executive. We use current connections (top REALTORS, like top anythings hang out with other top REALTORS), networks where we know other top REALTORS are also members, certain designations, and a variety of other tools at our disposal. Once we identify candidates, we conduct phone interviews and sometimes in person interviews or the prospective agents. During these interviews, we use our experience in the business to ask the appropriate questions.
There are other referral services out there. Some are good, some not so good. The business models vary, but a typical scenario looks like this:
1. Realtors are mass emailed — email subject might read, “Business Suffering? Contact Us!!” When the Realtor visits their site, he or she is offered membership for a monthly fee or a set number of leads from their lead generation system for a lump sum payment.
2. Company advertises for leads — interested buyers and sellers who may be out shopping sites provide their information to say, a mortgage site. Their information is passed along to the Realtor. Alternatively, a prospective homebuyer may be searching a site for listings of homes for sale. Before the homebuyer is able to access the listings, he or she is prompted to enter their name, email address, phone number, etc. This information is passed along to the Realtor as a “lead.”
There are several issues as you may have already deduced. Most importantly, the Realtor in this scenario has not been screened. He or she is more likely to NOT be a top Realtor (again using the example, not speaking of any particular service). Top Realtors are building relationships and networking with their sphere of influence. One of the activities they use to do this is meeting other top Realtors around the country for the purpose of gaining referrals to qualified clients — one of the best sources of business there is.
