- Some argue that agents don't focus enough on tapping existing contacts or past clients for new business.
- First is one of a number a new products geared toward helping professionals market more effectively to their sphere of influence.
Having a sense of which of your contacts might want to list their homes soon is one thing; clinching appointments with these prospective sellers is another.
First — a startup that predicts who in an agent’s “sphere of influence” is most likely to transact in the coming months — is now offering to take this work off an agent’s hands.
Not only does the company flag likely sellers in an agent’s network, the startup’s new “First Appointments” service will also try to set up meetings with these people on an agent’s behalf.
Some online marketing experts argue that agents focus too much on lead generation and not enough on tapping existing contacts or past clients for new business. First is one of a number a new products geared toward helping professionals market more effectively to their sphere of influence.
“We light up an agent’s network or sphere to spot the people most likely to sell, then book appointments — a call, a coffee, a drop-in — so our agents proactively connect with their most important contacts,” First CEO Mike Schneider said in a statement.
First uses predictive analytics to link people’s attributes, such as their property and demographic data, and people’s actions, such as childbirths or job changes, to a high likelihood of transacting.
After agents upload their contacts to First’s system, the startup collects, monitors and analyzes such data to maintain a running list of the top 20 percent of their contacts who are most likely to move in the next year.
The startup’s “First Appointments” service will continually reach out to the people on this list so its agent clients don’t have to.
After agents set their scheduling preferences, First will recommend meetings with high-value contacts.
If an agent approves a recommended meeting, the company will try to book an appointment for agents during their specified time windows. Agents can also choose to reach out to the contact themselves rather than have First take care of the work.
First prioritizes recommended meetings based on how likely its algorithms determine that contacts are to transact, their price point and the type of relationship an agent has with contacts.
“Some agents handle the actual calls themselves, and others hand that off to us entirely — largely dependent on the audience they are targeting and level of relationship,” Schneider told Inman.
