On 360 Digest Gary Hodges asks Marlo Harris about the wisdom of letting people search from the IDX system on a Realtor’s web site without registering on the site:
Now, knowing that this service probably cost thousands of dollars to provide; shouldn’t there be some way to “enroll” them in this service, with the hopes that the “searcher” will make contact with that agent and/or mortgage broker?
Gary (and anyone else with this point of view), what you can do instead is make your site sticky, and then use that to build loyalty rather than trying to capture it.
Some people have the opinion that people won’t value anything that they get for free, and to a certain extent I agree. But, we’re not selling information. It’s already available for free. We’re building relationships. I think prospects can be frightened off by having to blow their anonymity on your site, just to get something another agent’s site will give them free access to.
As in Marlow’s case, someone who comes to our IDX page to search the full Phoenix/Scottsdale-area MLS system needs to submit an email address only if they want to have listings sent automatically when something new comes up with the features they identified. People can understand that if they want something to be sent to them they need to give us an address to send to. But I expect most people want to browse listings without having that ever-present worry that an agent is going to start bugging them, which of course is a concern anyone has as soon as personal information is requested… make that required.
Instead of quid pro quo — you get to see my information (homes listed on MLS) if I get to see yours (contact information) — we want for you to feel free to freely browse listings from our site. Curl up in your chair, sip a cup of tea, and browse on BloodhoundRealty.com all day… for months if you want. While you’re at it, take a look at other buyer tools BloodhoundRealty.com has to offer. And then browse on over to the BloodhoundBlog to get to know these agents who don’t believe in making any information secret. Full disclosure, utter transparency.
Now isn’t that someone who you’d feel cozy about doing business with? I’ve read that buyers often start their internet search six to eight months before they are ready to talk to an agent. Doesn’t it make sense to let the prospect passively develop a relationship with you instead of chasing her away with a requirement that she shares information before she’s emotionally ready?
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Nathan Hughes says:
Makes sense to me. The best clients I’ve had have been the best informed clients — the ones that know what they want and what they can afford, and just need a little hand-holding from someone used to dealing with these transactions.
Therefore, if a client is willing to do some of the legwork (and enjoys it), then why not let them do it? The balance in what I’m saying is to make sure you’re not avoiding work that you should be doing as a client’s agent.
September 12, 2006 — 7:27 am