Most agents rely too heavily on texting and automation. But here's the reality: 86% of buyers work with the first agent they speak to. If you're not calling, you're likely losing leads and closings.
In an industry flooded with automated drip campaigns, chatbots, and text sequences, the phone has become the ultimate competitive advantage.
Speed + volume + consistency =conversion. It's that simple.
Let's be clear: automation has its place. Email nurture sequences and text reminders keep you top-of-mind. But they don't build relationships. They don't answer questions in real time. And they certainly don't close deals.
Text and email are supplemental tools, not substitutes for conversation.
When you pick up the phone, you do three things automation can't:
1. Qualify intent immediately. You learn their timeline, motivation, and obstacles inminutes, not weeks.
2. Build trust through tone. Your voice conveys empathy, expertise, and confidence in ways a text never will.
3. Create urgency. Alive conversation moves faster than a week-long email thread.
Agents who use proven scripting frameworks and focus on conversational rapport see 30%+ conversion rates from contacted leads to set appointments. That's not luck, it's strategy.
The recommendations below are based on CINC's Success Playbook, developed through years of tracking what top-performing real estate teams actually do to convert internet leads. These benchmarks reflect real conversion data from agents actively working online buyer and seller leads.
Dialing isn't just activity.It's the most predictable income-producing behavior in real estate. But you need volume and consistency to see results.
Here's a progression that scales with your database:
Months 0-3: 300 dials/month
You're building habits and learning to handle objections. Aim for 75 dials per week, roughly 30 minutes of focused calling, 5 days a week.
Months 3-9: 400-600dials/month
Your database is growing. Now you're balancing prospecting new leads with nurturing existing ones. Scale to 1hour per day, 5 days a week. This should net you 100-150 dials weekly.
Months 10+: 600-1,200dials/month
You have a full pipeline. Dedicate 2 hours daily to calling. At this stage, you're not just filling your funnel, you're dominating your market.
The formula is simple:
More dials → more conversations→ more appointments → more contracts.
If your income isn't where you want it to be, your dial count probably isn’t where it should be.
Here's a stat that should change how you work: The odds of qualifying a lead are 21 times greater if you call within 5 minutes versus waiting 30 minutes.
That's not a typo. Five minutes.
Here's how to operationalize speed:
Set up mobile alerts. Use yourCRM's app. Make this non-negotiable. The lead is hottest the moment they register, they're literally on a real estate website right now.
Image Source: Speed to Lead: Why Responding Quickly Matters
If they don't answer, call again immediately. It's not aggressive, it's persistent. And persistence wins.
Voicemails trigger avoidance.Instead, send a quick text after your second attempt: "Hey [Name], just tried calling about the homes you were looking at in [City]. When's a good time to connect?"
Then call again later that day.
Your chances of getting an appointment increase 74% by the fourth "no." Most agents give up after two attempts. Don't be most agents.
The CINC playbook recommends a 6:1 dial-to-lead ratio. If you have 100 leads, that's 600 dials. Sounds like a lot? It is. That's also why top producers close 10x more deals than average agents.
You wouldn't skip showing a home to a qualified buyer. So why skip calling a lead who just registered on your website?
Dialing is the highest-leverage activity in your business. It's how you:
Discover motivation
Overcome objections
Set appointments
Build rapport
Create urgency
Close deals
Automation scales reach. But conversation converts.
If you want predictable income, start with predictable activity. Block time. Hit your dial goals. Use proven scripts. And remember: every conversation is an opportunity.
The agents who win aren't the ones with the fanciest website. They're the ones who pick up the phone.
Start today. Block 30 minutes.Pull up your newest leads. And make 15 calls.
You'll be surprised how fast the pipeline fills when you commit to the dial.