When a lead doesn’t pan out, it’s easy to chalk it up as a bad lead. The reality is that failed conversions are often more complicated than that.

Sometimes prospective renters contact you before exploring all the options. Occasionally, a comparable community has amenities, features or a price that better fits their needs. However, the most common and controllable reason for a failed conversion is the technique of the leasing consultant.

Odds are, some leasing consultants at your community convert leads at a higher rate than others. It’s probably because they have more experience and more training.  That means the best way to quickly improve the conversion ratio of struggling leasing consultants is through call recording and follow up training. Call recording comes with several benefits:

• Accountability and oversight. Very rarely do leasing consultants receive training on how to sell on the phone, let alone specific training based on their phone conversations. Even those who do receive training can easily fall into bad habits, like forgetting to schedule a tour of the community while on the call, or asking for the source.

• More consistent sales experience. You’ve dedicated time and resources to develop a system you believe works, so it should be consistent across your entire portfolio. A prospect who calls one of your communities in San Diego should have a similar experience to one who calls your community in Oakland.

• Better conversion rates. If everyone on your team is on the same page, it’s less likely that those 50/50 leads will slip away. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a quality lead opt for another community when they were moments away from committing to yours.

If you’re a community that has never recorded calls in the past and plan to do so moving forward, your advertising partner might be able to help. Before you begin, there are a few keys to remember as you institute the change.

• This is your chance to train and improve your leasing consultants – not beat them up. Don’t make it a legalistic experience. No one wants to be micromanaged. Compliment what worked, and critique what didn’t.

• Have some fun with it. Reward associates for fantastic calls, whether it’s with a gift card or a humorous trophy that goes to the top consultant. Rewards encourage associates, while keeping it lighthearted.

• Share the best calls with the entire leasing team. Point out that it was a model call and congratulate the associate who nailed it.

The benefits to call recording greatly outweigh the cons. Just make sure you’re transparent with your team and go easy on mistakes. The positive results will follow.