Top of funnel leads are individuals just starting their search for a master-planned community and they share a common bond: research.
Prospects in the ‘research‘ phase are not ready to be transactional. Therefore, a smart strategy for top of funnel leads includes being non-transactional at the outset and having a long term lead nurturing program in place.
These individuals may generally know where they want to live (states and regions), but variables can pop up and quickly change their plans or put them on hold for awhile:
- Shifting investment portfolios
- Re-sale market conditions in their primary home location
- Time or travel costs associated with touring communities
- Unusual weather events like floods or hurricanes
Top of funnel leads require special handling, so make sure you give your sales team the ideas and tools that gently advance them through the pipeline.
Let them breathe. Ask if they need more information about your community’s lifestyle, features and benefits. It’s not time to close them.
Sell the value, subtly. Share how great the weather is or how much residents at your community love the new clubhouse or latest events. Do this consistently and with no call-to-action.
Ask authentic questions. Go beyond the sales qualifying questions and learn about their lives and interests. Authentic questions and interchange develop stronger relationships – this is so obvious, but not practiced enough.
Read and respond. When individuals offer comments or have questions, read the comments/questions carefully and respond quickly. Comments/questions that go unaddressed are frustrating to someone conducting research important to him/her.
Top of funnel leads are critical to your community’s future because they represent your sales pipeline. People at this stage are seeking information and engagement. Save the close for later.