The short answer
How to call internet leads: call within 5 minutes from your CRM app, open with a specific home they viewed, ask what caught their eye, and let them talk. Listen for area, price, timing and motivation. Before you leave the record, set a stage, check the saved search, write a note and date the next task.
Below: the 11 steps, a first-week call and text cadence, what to say, and the special cases that trip agents up.
Internet leads aren't shopping for an agent. They're shopping for houses. So lead with houses. The call gets you the conversation. The record keeps the lead alive.
Step by step: how to call internet leads
- The alert hits. Open the lead in the app. Not after lunch. Now.
- While it rings, look at their website activity. What homes did they view? What city, price, beds? Pick one home to mention.
- Use a simple opener. "Hi, this is [you] with [brokerage]. Quick courtesy call. You were looking at homes on our site, and I want to see how I can help." Then stop talking. See the new lead call script.
- Listen for five things. Location, price, timing, motivation, and whether they have an agent. See LPMAMA buyer questions.
- Check the saved search on the call. "Are the homes I'm sending you the right ones?" Tighten it while they're on the phone.
- Complete the call task. Complete, never delete. Completed tasks are your proof of work.
- Set the stage. Hot (0 to 2 months), Warm (2 to 6 months), Nurture (later). Didn't reach them? Leave them in the new-lead stage and let your follow-up plan move them.
- Add tags that fit. First-time buyer, VA, 55+, investor. Whatever your team uses.
- Write a two-line note. What they want. What you agreed to do next.
- Create the next task. The follow-up call, the showing, the lender check. A lead with no next task is a lead nobody's working.
- No answer? Leave a short voicemail, text from the CRM, and call again at a different time of day.
First-week call and text cadence (example)
| When | Call | Text or email | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0, first 5 minutes | Call 1, short voicemail | Text right after: one question | Reach them while they're still on the site |
| Day 0, later | Call 2 at a different hour | None unless they reply | A second shot the same day |
| Day 1 | Call 3 | Email with homes like the one they viewed | Show you're useful |
| Day 2 to 3 | Call 4 and 5, mixed times | One text after a voicemail | Find the time they pick up |
| Day 4 to 7 | Daily call | Email on a home they saved or viewed | Stay in front of them |
| After day 7 | Spaced calls for about 90 days | Saved search keeps running | Nurture until they answer |
Example cadence. Set yours in your CRM and follow your brokerage policy and calling laws.
In our experience, the lead who didn't answer on day 0 often answers on day 3 or 4, at a time you hadn't tried yet. Vary the hour. See the nine-day call rule.
What should I say on the first call to an internet lead?
Point at something real they did a minute ago, then ask one open question and stop.
- Opener: "Hi (name), it's (you) with (brokerage). You were just looking at the townhome on (street). What caught your eye on that one?"
- If they say "just looking": "Perfect, that's how everybody starts. Want me to send the new ones like it the day they hit?"
- If they say "send me the info": "Done. So I don't waste your inbox, what should I leave out?"
- To close the call: offer two times for a short follow-up or a showing. Never "when works for you?"
Should I call or text an internet lead first?
Call first. Calls create conversations. Text right after a missed call so they see your name and a reason to call back. Some teams send one automated intro text the second a lead signs up, then the agent calls. That works, as long as a real person calls inside 5 minutes. See day 2 texts.
Every call after the first one
Before you dial, open their website activity and pick a specific home they viewed. On the call, check the saved search: still the right city, price, beds? Fix it while they're on the phone. Ask what they liked and what was off about the homes they've been getting. Offer a showing on anything they liked. Then note, stage, tags, next task. Every time.
The follow-up opener: "Hey, it's (you) with (brokerage). Quick courtesy call. We started emailing you some homes, and this is the criteria I have right now. If you could update me on what you're looking for, it'll help me zone in on the right home for you."
Special cases
- No phone on the lead. Email them and ask for a number in a friendly way. Don't create call tasks for a lead you can't call. Keep the saved search running.
- Your own sphere or a referral. Pause the automated drips for that person so your friends don't get robot emails. The saved search keeps going.
- They viewed five or more homes in one sitting, saved a home, or came back after a long quiet stretch. Those are behavior alerts and they jump the line. See website behavior alerts.
- They requested a showing. They already picked the day and time. Never ask "what day works?" See the showing request SOP.
A worked example (illustration only)
A lead signs up at 6:42 PM. Viewed four 3-bed townhomes in one suburb.
- 6:44 PM: You call. Voicemail. "Hi Sam, it's [you] with [brokerage]. Saw you looking at the townhomes on Maple. I'll text you a couple more like it. Call or text me back here."
- 6:45 PM: Text sent. Saved search checked: suburb, 3+ beds, townhomes, daily email.
- Next day, 10:15 AM: Second call. Sam answers. Lease ends in March. Pre-approved? No. Stage: Warm. Tag: first-time buyer. Note written. Task: lender intro tomorrow.
Illustration only. Names and details are made up.
How to explain it to your client
When a lead asks, "Why are you calling me so fast?":
"Because you were looking at homes and I'd rather help now than tomorrow. I'm setting you up so you get the new homes that match what you looked at, every day, from me. Tell me what you liked and what was off, and I'll tighten it so you only get the good ones."
Watch-outs
- Don't pitch yourself. Nobody cares about your awards on call one. They care about the house.
- Don't interrogate. Ask one question. Listen. Ask the next.
- Don't skip the record. If it's not in the CRM, it didn't happen.
- Don't set "attempted contact" on day 0 if your system does it automatically later. You'll double your tasks.
- Respect "stop." Opted-out means opted-out. Never message around it.
- Calling rules. Follow federal and state calling and texting laws, Do Not Call rules and your brokerage policy.
Keep going
- All lead pages: Leads and scripts training
- Next: the 5 minute rule and the MIT study, what to say on a new lead call, the saved search click, Follow Up Boss setup basics
- Want the 90-day call plan we run built in your account? See 90 Days of Gain for Follow Up Boss: 12 named calls over 84 days that pause when the lead replies.
- Coming soon: 60-Second Lead Reply texts every new lead in under a minute, day or night, then hands off to you.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow federal and state calling and texting laws and your brokerage policy.
Questions
What is the 5-minute rule for internet leads?
Make your first call within 5 minutes of the lead coming in. It traces to a 2007 lead response study. See the MIT lead response study.
Should I call or text an internet lead first?
Call first. Text right after if they don't answer.
How many times should I call an internet lead?
Call daily for the first week or so, then on a spaced schedule for about 90 days. Then nurture. Don't give up after two tries.
Should I leave a voicemail?
Yes. Under 15 seconds. Mention the home. Say you're texting.
What if they say they already have an agent?
Thank them, tag it, stop the alerts, and move on politely. See we already have an agent.
What if there's no phone number?
Email them. Ask for a number in a friendly way. Keep the saved search going.
How do I get my team to follow the process?
Make it a numbered smart list everyone works top to bottom, and review time-to-first-call each week.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.