Start Generating More Traffic Today
What is your biggest challenge in new home sales right now? This is one of the questions we ask new members of Sales365.
One popular response: “How do I generate more traffic”? I sat down with Shore Consulting team member Mike Wise. He interviewed me to address some specific questions from our members.
Mike: Let’s start with the basics. What kind of “traffic” are we talking about here?
Jeff: I define “traffic” as anyone who can buy or anyone who can refer someone else to buy.
Mike: How is traffic generated today?
Jeff: There are really two ways to classify traffic.
- Traffic that comes to you (inbound)
- Traffic that you go get (outbound)
Mike: Do I need both? Is one better than the other?
Jeff: Having both is nice but not everyone has someone else generating traffic for them. Self-generated traffic is absolutely necessary to ensure you meet your sales goals.
When it comes to traffic we surely need the quantity but to further ensure that we meet our goals we are specifically looking for quality traffic. Think of this as your pipeline; you need a bunch of people at the top of the funnel and a percentage of those people need to be ready to make the journey to buying from you.
Customers that come to you by way of marketing or advertising are top of funnel. They may be serious buyers or they may be “just-looking.” Customers you go out and get are almost always more qualified to be buyers sooner rather than later. Therefore self-generated traffic will always be your best source of quality traffic.
Mike: Is the directive of self-generated traffic typically shared when sales professionals are hired?
Jeff: For the most part, yes. Could it be emphasized even more? Probably so.
Many sales professionals often don’t prioritize this until all other traffic sources have depleted. This, of course, is the total opposite of how it should be. To quote Jeb Blount in Fanatical Prospecting, “The brutal fact is the number one reason for failure in sales is an empty pipe, and the root cause of an empty pipeline is failure to prospect.”
Mike: As a sales professional, what should I be doing to self-generate traffic?
Jeff: First and foremost, understand the “why” behind the “what.” Why is self-generating traffic important to your success? Then shape your mindset around the why and gain confidence by establishing belief. When you believe in yourself and the service you provide to others everything, including generating traffic becomes much easier.
Here are three critical concepts to keep in mind going forward:
- Play the long game. You shouldn’t expect results immediately.
- You’re always going to need a pipeline. Always. To hit your goals and become a top-performer you can never stop generating traffic.
- Block time for these activities. Get it on your calendar. At a minimum, weekly.
Mike: I have the self-generating traffic mindset down, now what?
Jeff: There are countless ways to self-generate traffic. You could put on a clown suit and stand on a street corner. I don’t recommend this because it’s a high-effort, low-impact activity. You can analyze your options using the impact effort filter. You should be looking for areas to make the most impact with the least amount of effort. This doesn’t mean you should focus solely on low-effort activities. Some of the high-impact ideas we talk about require a higher effort but are almost always worth the investment of your time in the future.
When thinking about generating traffic to a new home community, I like to refer to the three R’s:
- Repeat visitors
- Referrals
- Realtors
Repeat Visitors
These are the people who have been to your community before but not yet purchased. There’s always an opportunity here for follow-up. This might be a drip campaign with a combination of phone calls and emails. At the very least this should be something to let the buyer know you’re still thinking about them. If you did good discovery work this will be easy but you have to make it a priority.
Referrals
Are your customers legitimately thrilled about the experience they had with you? If so, chances are they are willing to share with others. Again, another follow-up opportunity. These past buyers simply need a reminder that you still have new homes to sell and would love to help others the same way you helped them. Many times, as a bonus, they get to help pick their own neighbors!
People who are elated with your service will refer an average of six different traffic units to your community within one year of moving in.
Realtors
You’ll be looking to foster relationships with top-performing realtors. The key to these relationships is giving first before you ever make an ask. Ask yourself these questions to gain the proper perspective here.
- How can I add value to this realtor?
- How can I make their life easier?
- How can I help them be more effective and successful?
Keep in mind these top-performing realtors are being pitched constantly by others, including other new home sales reps to partner up. Do your research upfront and be sure to personalize your outreach to these realtors.
It’s easy for top-performing realtors to feel like people are looking to ride on their coattails. Not you. Be different. Give value first. Establish a solid relationship based on value and trust before asking for anything from them.
Mike: What about using social media for generating traffic?
Jeff: By all means, you should be using current technology and social media for this. My suggestion here is to keep that value first mentality top of mind. When posting on social media create your own filters to sift through before posting. Does the content benefit you or your reader? Are you asking for something or giving something of value to them?
Remember, the “why” precedes the “how” here. Making sure you understand the importance of generating your own traffic creates a solid foundation in which you can execute these traffic-generating ideas.
