Forward-looking agents have long utilized online lead-generation in their business. Now that a great majority of buyers use the Internet as a critical part of their home purchase, every agent working with buyers must learn the techniques of lead generation and incubation to continue to enjoy success.

According to the California Association of Realtors, 67 percent of Internet buyers selected their agent because he/she was the first to respond to their inquiry or was the most responsive. Eighty-six percent of Internet buyers said the agent's response time was either "extremely important" or "very important" when they decided which agent to use. Expectations of responsiveness broke down as follows:

• 23% of Internet buyers expected their agent to respond instantly (compared with 0% expectation of traditional buyers).
• 44% of Internet buyers expect an agent to respond in 30 minutes (compared with 3% expectation of traditional buyers).
• 67% of Internet buyers expected their agent to respond within four hours.

With typical close ratios for online leads hovering around 2%, it can be a daunting proposition to respond as quickly as the client may expect. The best agents claim to enjoy close ratios above 10%. How do they do this?

A hard-sell, a canned response or template email is not sufficient. Nothing substitutes for a rapidly returned phone call and ongoing telephone contact. Buyers who must work with an agent they do not already know have a difficult time judging how effective that agent will be. From the results of the California Association of Realtors Survey, we can see buyers use the speed of the agent's first response as proxy for the agent's likely performance.

At newconsearch.com, we aim to produce the highest quality online leads. Once the lead comes in, whether through newconsearch.com or another source, the agent's responsiveness, qualification and incubation program is essential to achieving a high close ratio.