Jamie Biesiada
When it comes to online lead generation, an agent's speed in answering a potential client's inquiry is a critical component to converting that lead into a booking.
Travel Leaders Network has seen that evidenced in data collected from its Agent Profiler platform, a proprietary system of individual agent profiles housed online aimed at connecting them with consumers. Nearly 6,000 agents have profiles on Agent Profiler,
and the platform is projected to bring in some 150,000 leads in 2018.
"The speed of contact is one of the key factors in online lead generation in terms of success," said Brian Hegarty, vice president of marketing for Travel Leaders Network.
Travel Leaders Network tracks a number of data points related to Agent Profiler, and agents who respond the fastest to consumers have a better chance of closing the lead, Hegarty said.
"For an agent who contacts a prospect within one hour of receiving the lead, they're seven times more likely to close that lead than an agent who waits to do it within the first 24 hours," he said. "And then an agent who contacts within one hour is 60
times more likely to close that lead than an agent who contacts after 24 hours."
When a consumer uses Agent Profiler to get in touch with an agent, the consumer is immediately sent an email letting them know their request was received, according to Jeremy Van Kuyk, vice president of technology for Travel Leaders Group. Simultaneously,
the agent gets an email with the details of the request, and an agency owner or manager is also copied in case the agent is out of the office or unable to answer in a timely fashion.
"We expect quick turnaround," Van Kuyk said. "Customers expect quick turnaround. It's instant gratification."
A follow-up email sent to consumers 24 hours after their initial request asks whether or not they've heard from an agent. During Travel Leaders Network's conference last month, Hegarty said 75% of the time, the answer is yes.
As to the 25% who do not answer consumers within 24 hours, he said last week that the network continues to educate agents on best practices and share statistics like those on the success of agents who answer quickly. Those statistics come only from consumers
who actually answer the 24-hour follow-up email.
There is opportunity in the online lead-generation space. Last year, Travel Leaders Network delivered 125,000 leads to agents via Agent Profiler, with the goal of delivering 150,000 leads in 2018.
In addition to response speed, Hegarty said the key factors leading to agent success in the space are clearly stating specialties and having quality content on a profile. The most successful agents have also embraced ratings and reviews. When they post
them on their profiles, they get three times more leads than agents who don't, he said.
Agent Profiler is also bolstered by each agent who joins it. Van Kuyk estimated about 100 agents per month are adding profiles.
Hegarty said, "We embrace the network effect theory in the online space that basically says the more agents that we have, the more unique content that it generates, the more authority that it gives us in search and the more leads that will generate."