3 Effective Ways to Route Leads to Your Agents

March 19, 2016

Esther Lee

It’s not enough to simply generate a ton of leads. What happens to them after they register on your site? If you don’t have a lead distribution model properly set up, the leads you’ve paid for may end up falling into an abyss. Here are 3 of the most effective lead routing methods that our clients have experienced the most success with.

How It Works

Leads are distributed directly to the agents in a rotation. A system with lead routing options like BoomTown can be set up to assign new leads directly to agents. The number of leads assigned to a particular agent per rotation cycle can be weighted or distributed evenly.

Agents are responsible for the first response and all subsequent follow up. For this model to be effective, all agents should be highly coached and kept accountable for follow-up processes. What constitutes “too many leads” is subjective, so make sure you are monitoring your team’s daily activities to gauge each agent’s capabilities.

ROUND ROBIN BOTH

Who Is Right For This Model:

Teams with highly motivated agents who embrace technology.
Larger teams of independently contracted agents that have a strong training/coaching infrastructure.
A team with a dedicated staff member to monitor daily agent activity and hold agents accountable.

Pros

It is simple and direct, and takes little effort.
There is no need to hire additional staff.
Agents are ultimately responsible for their own success or failure.
If leads are evenly distributed, no one feels that another agent is receiving more leads than another.

Cons

There is no way to identify the quality or type of lead that gets assigned. One agent could end up with a pipeline of all first-time home buyers, and another with all luxury buyers.
Leads may get neglected if agents are cherry-picking only “hot” leads, or too busy with showings, closings, or scheduling listing appointments to respond quickly.
Being responsible for all aspects of lead management in addition to selling may be overwhelming for some agents.

How It Works:

One agent or a group of agents is set to be “on duty” for a number of hours a day or specific day(s) out of the week. While an agent is on duty, they receive all incoming leads for that period of time or day.

Agents do not receive leads when they are not on duty, and instead use that time to manage their pipelines and service buyers and sellers. In this model, agents are also 100% responsible for the first response and all subsequent follow up.

Who Is Right For This Model?

Teams with agents who are actively engaged or are accustomed to “on-duty” schedules.
Teams with highly coachable agents who will adhere to set follow-up procedures.
A team with a dedicated administrator who can regulate lead assignments according to the “on duty” schedule and frequently monitor the system.

Pros

Ensures that the agent on duty is quickly responding to all new leads and efficiently logging activities in the system.
Allows agents to spend dedicated time prospecting and following up with their leads.
Ensures that someone is available at all times to answer incoming phone calls or requests.

Cons

Traffic fluctuations across the day or week can result in varied and unpredictable lead flows for each agent.
A constantly changing schedule can be overwhelming for some agents to manage.
There is the possibility of inconsistent lead response and follow-up processes. Agents must be coached to use the optimal follow-up processes.
Being responsible for all aspects of lead management in addition to selling may be overwhelming for some agents.
Giving agents too many leads may lead to “cherry-picking” only the best ones.

How It Works

All leads are initially assigned to an Inside Sales Agent, who is typically a licensed agent. The ISA serves as a representative for your website and is responsible for the initial response and scrubbing of the leads.

The ISA’s ultimate goal is to nurture all leads through steady communication until the leads are ready to meet with an agent or set up a showing appointment. Once the lead is ready to talk or meet with an agent, the ISA passes them to an agent who will then continue to work with the prospect to close a transaction.

Leads can be re-assigned to an agent based on several different factors:

The agent rotation schedule
The agent on duty at the time
The location an agent serves
Particular fit with an agent’s specialty or personality

Often, an ISA will follow up with a lead shortly after they have been transferred to an agent to make sure they are being taken care of and continue to be a familiar point of contact.

ISA Model

Who Is Right For This Model?

Teams with agents who don’t have the time to manage internet leads. For example, if agents are frequently out of the office on showing or listing appointments.
Teams able to get a tech-savvy lead manager who is great on the phone and self-motivated.

Pros

Agents can focus on what they do best: interact with buyers and sellers in the field to close more deals, and let ISAs focus on lead qualification and nurturing.
Ensures a quick response time to new leads, in real time, with a consistent message and approach.
Agents only deal with leads who are ready to work with an agent.

Cons

Prospects can form a relationship with the ISA over time which could potentially jolt them when transferred to the agent.
Compensating the ISA requires additional expense.
Agents who are accustomed to directly receiving leads may be hesitant to switch to this model.
Without very clearly defined processes, there can be a gray area when it comes to determining when a lead should be passed to an agent

Whichever method you decide to apply to your team, it will only be as effective as the procedures you set for your agents. As a leader, you must have the ability to motivate your agents and master the art of accountability.