AI LEAD SOFTWARE SEEMS TO TAKE ROOT AS A CATEGORY
Published on Friday, May 3, 2024
Apartment List released one in March. Now a company called Realeflow has its own AI-driven lead system.
The question on new areas of niche software is not when one company does something different, but when the second, third, fourth, and other offerings hit the market. That’s what lets you know there’s a new established trend.
Recently, Apartment List made a software sales consultant free to property management partners. The company describes Lea Pro as an “AI sales consultant,” capable of communications through email, text, chat, or phone. Apartment List claims that the software “nurtures leads and handles objections like a top salesperson, with smarter, scalable outreach” and “handles objections and knows how to persuade,” reading “emotional cues for more human-like conversations” with support in English and Spanish.
On Tuesday, Realeflow announced that it, too, had a somewhat similar product — “Leadflow AI Agent, which allows agents and brokers to identify and market to homeowners just as they are entering the motivated-to-sell stage.”
The software is intended to increase potential lead generation and flow for qualified salespersons to close. “Leadflow AI Agent uses artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning to identify and target homeowners before they list with other agents, so that Leadflow AI Agent users can contact them first. Leadflow AI agent also is much more cost-efficient than paying companies like Zillow up to 40% of commission income,” said Realeflow founder and CEO Greg Clement in prepared remarks.
“Leadflow AI Agent utilizes data and artificial intelligence that Realeflow has deployed and enhanced since 2019 in its Leadflow product for real estate investors,” the company said.
There was no information on the cost of the software but take that out of the equation for a moment. Even free only works as an enticement to business customers if a product works as advertised. More important from a market perspective is where both companies are targeting their efforts — at collecting and qualifying leads. This can be one of the most time-consuming activities that is least efficient in terms of return on effort. And yet, CRE sales activity overall is the biggest eventual provider of revenue and, ultimately, profit.
The more efficient the early work is, the better the entire process becomes. But is it ultimately that much of an improvement, or is this some glorified new version of marketing automation? It could be that both are true, or not.
And there is also the issue, previously noted by GlobeSt.com, that too much automation at the opening takes away important experience that people who will specialize in CRE sales might need to learn the markets and its challenges. Ease today could lead to lack of in-house expertise in the future.
Recently, Apartment List made a software sales consultant free to property management partners. The company describes Lea Pro as an “AI sales consultant,” capable of communications through email, text, chat, or phone. Apartment List claims that the software “nurtures leads and handles objections like a top salesperson, with smarter, scalable outreach” and “handles objections and knows how to persuade,” reading “emotional cues for more human-like conversations” with support in English and Spanish.
On Tuesday, Realeflow announced that it, too, had a somewhat similar product — “Leadflow AI Agent, which allows agents and brokers to identify and market to homeowners just as they are entering the motivated-to-sell stage.”
The software is intended to increase potential lead generation and flow for qualified salespersons to close. “Leadflow AI Agent uses artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning to identify and target homeowners before they list with other agents, so that Leadflow AI Agent users can contact them first. Leadflow AI agent also is much more cost-efficient than paying companies like Zillow up to 40% of commission income,” said Realeflow founder and CEO Greg Clement in prepared remarks.
“Leadflow AI Agent utilizes data and artificial intelligence that Realeflow has deployed and enhanced since 2019 in its Leadflow product for real estate investors,” the company said.
There was no information on the cost of the software but take that out of the equation for a moment. Even free only works as an enticement to business customers if a product works as advertised. More important from a market perspective is where both companies are targeting their efforts — at collecting and qualifying leads. This can be one of the most time-consuming activities that is least efficient in terms of return on effort. And yet, CRE sales activity overall is the biggest eventual provider of revenue and, ultimately, profit.
The more efficient the early work is, the better the entire process becomes. But is it ultimately that much of an improvement, or is this some glorified new version of marketing automation? It could be that both are true, or not.
And there is also the issue, previously noted by GlobeSt.com, that too much automation at the opening takes away important experience that people who will specialize in CRE sales might need to learn the markets and its challenges. Ease today could lead to lack of in-house expertise in the future.