Lead Tip #7:

Avoid “Stale” Leads

It’s a no-brainer. Get on a lead while their interest is still hot, and your chance of taking an app goes way up.

The folks at Marketing Sherpa have even proved this. They found interest begins to slip with every 30-minute lag after a prospect submits their info online.

So when you’re paying full price for a lead, you expect one of two things:

1. You get the lead seconds after they requested a quote online, OR

2. You get it seconds after the lead’s interest was verified over the phone.

But that’s not the kind of lead some companies are selling. They might be charging you “real-time” prices… but they’re busy filling your order with names scraped from old databases. Or they’re dipping into leads they already sold — last week.

And they’re not televerifying leads to make sure they’re still interested in hearing from you.

A lot of L.O.’s are winding up with these “stale” leads… and their ROI is tanking.

Before you buy, try to find out how long a company waits before they send your leads.

Ask them:

Are the leads timestamped? And what does that prove?

Timestamping leads is a type of quality control… IF you know what that number really stands for. Usually the timestamp reflects when the lead entered the company’s distribution system.

Now it may only take seconds between when a lead requests to be contacted online, enters the distribution system and when it is electronically verified and sent on to you.

These kinds of leads are as real-time as it gets. BUT… does your lead company forward 100% of your leads that way? Or are any held back and sent later?

Are the leads televerified if they aren’t sent in real-time?

Believe it or not, sometimes a lead that’s a little delayed is every bit as fresh as a real-time one — as long as it’s televerified.

I’ll explain. A good company electronically verifies contact info for incoming leads in real time. But some leads are flagged for having questionable info. Instead of passing these leads on to you, the company holds them back so their info and interest can be confirmed over the phone by a company rep.

Once televerified, that lead is put back into distribution and is delivered to buyers like you. The timestamp might be off, but it’s still super fresh. In fact, it’s even been warmed up for your phone call. The lead has literally just said, “Yes, I’m interested”, and is waiting to hear from L.O.s.

Your company should also make taking advantage of their real-time delivery as convenient as possible. When leads come straight to your email, wireless phone, PDA or laptop, you can get on them while their interest is hottest.

Watch out for companies that won’t explain in detail what happens to your lead BEFORE it’s sent to you.

And remember: if a company sells “aged” or “vintage” leads, these are not real-time — and should always come with a healthy discount.

Jeremiah Desmarais, ProspectZone. ProspectZone is a leading provider of internet leads to the mortgage and insurance industries, and the creators of Smart LeadsTM. Reach him at jdesmarais@prospectzone.com or 1-877-561-9663.

Lead Improvements

Have You Tried Your New Lead Feedback System?

We launched our feedback tool last December, and LOTS of you are using it to tell us which leads you want more of, and which ones don't work out.

We use all your input to identify and turn off bad sources and crank the marketing on the best-performing leads.

But to keep improving lead quality we need ALL buyers to give their feedback.

It's simple to use, and the more feedback you give, the better the leads you get!

Questions? Learn all about the feedback system here: http://www.prospectzone.com/mortgage/lead-feedback.html.

And don't hesitate to get in touch with your rep if you'd like a quick demo: 1-877-561-9663

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