Leads are the lifeblood of your business—yet they come with varying degrees of potential and require different handling strategies.

You’ve likely heard your peers complain about “lousy” leads. But it isn’t a matter of quality, it’s a question of intent.

By definition, a lead is simply somebody responding to a marketing offer, saying, "I'm interested!” What it all boils down to is the nature of the offer.

Context is key! If you fail to understand what motivated a lead to accept your offer, you're essentially left in the dark.

In real estate, for example, there are 3 fundamental offers:  property - process - professional.

1. PROPERTY - Offers focused on the real estate itself: e.g. listing inquiries, open house attendees, home-valuation requests, custom home-search subscribers, etc.

2. PROCESS - Offers concerned with the journey of buying or selling: e.g. downloadable PDF guides, webinar or seminar participants, etc.

3. PROFESSIONAL - Offers spotlighting the agent's expertise and/or reputation: e.g. social media solicitations, online review-driven queries, etc.

It's vital to acknowledge that not all leads are equal. While property leads might come in bulk, they often see you as an accessory to the main event, thus demanding a good deal of skill and finesse to transform them into loyal clients.

On the other hand, process and professional leads come to you because, well—you’re YOU! They recognize your skills and reputation; they've seen you in action and they like what they see. Hence, the conversion battle is already halfway won—ultimately, it's all about context.