Dear Mr. Internet,

Dear Kyra,

What you are experiencing is a common problem for online marketers.  And paradoxically, one of the keys to have them become more forthcoming is to assure them that they don't have to!  Before we explore how you do this from a practical standpoint, let's first review just who these reluctant prospects are.

It is important to remember that your online visitors are Internet Empowered Consumers� (IEC�) who are very different from the typical offline real estate prospect.  In particular:

• They are in control - because of their relative anonymity and any attempt to rest that control away from them will be met with resistance;

• They may not be ready to open up about who they are - most online real estate consumers are in the information gathering stage when they first visit your site and want to initially remain anonymous;

• They value their privacy - which means they will respond favorably to explicit assurances that their privacy will be protected.

There is a way to incorporate this understanding of the IEC� into your forms so that you will see a big jump in the number of visitors who willingly fill out your forms and do so with correct contact information.  Failure to do so is the reason why many real estate Web forms actually drive visitors away. 

The IEC� Friendly Web Form...

If you incorporate the following into all of the forms on your Website, you will see a big shift in the way visitors respond to them:

• Give Them Something Of Value - make sure it is very clear what value the visitor will receive in exchange for completing the form;
• Assure Them Their Privacy Will Be Protected - use language on the form that explicitly assures them that their privacy will be protected and back this up with a link to your privacy policy;
• Only Ask For What You Really Need - don't insist on full contact information if all you really need to deliver the value is their e-mail address.  Ironically, if you state this on the form (that most of the information is optional) you will find that more people are actually willing to fill it out and with correct information.

One of the more successful online marketers in the business is Alice Held, and her site at http://www.come2az.com is a very good example of an IEC� friendly site.  With her permission, I've taken one of her earlier Web forms and modified it slightly (using the principles above) to make it even more compelling �CLICK HERE to view it now. 

In particular notice that this form makes it clear that the only field that needs to be completed is the e-mail address (necessary to deliver the relocation package).  This level of explicit reassurance will actually make it more likely that visitors will voluntarily provide the rest of their contact information.

There are cases where the visitor must complete all the information within the form.  VOWs (Virtual Office Websites) are a prime example of requiring full information before allowing the visitor to view MLS data.  If this is the case, provide an explanation as to why their full contact information is required and once again, reassure them that this information will not be shared with anyone.

Also, if you don't already have a privacy policy on your site, get one.  CLICK HERE for a free privacy policy template and assistance in creating your site's privacy policy.  The importance of this cannot be overstated.  I helped a major regional franchise instantly and dramatically increase the numbers and quality of the leads generated by their Web forms by simply having them post a link to their privacy policy on their forms.

It's Us, Not Them...

Regardless of where I travel around the world speaking to real estate sales people, they all seem to have the same issues and frustrations in working effectively with the Internet Empowered Consumer�.  The main reason for this is that most of our sales training has focused on the traditional consumer who is someone you can see, shake their hand, or hear the sound of their voice.  All these non-verbal cues are missing with the IEC� which makes it incumbent upon us as professionals to adjust to this special kind of consumer, and not insist the other way around.

If you take the time to do this by applying the steps covered here and meet the IEC� on their terms, you will find they will be attracted to you like a magnet �if only because so many others are pushing them away.

Article Resources

Privacy Policy Template - a free template for creating your site's formal privacy policy.

(NOTE: Mr. Internet, his company and staff receive no compensation whatsoever from any third-party vendors or service providers. Investigate any products or services found on the Net thoroughly to your satisfaction before using them at your own risk.)

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Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He's dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. You'll see his column on REALTOR� Magazine Online every month and in the magazine quarterly. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Web site at http://www.russer.com