What is a lead?

The folks at 1000Watt Consulting debuted this video of people -- consumers we presume -- speaking frankly about their real estate needs. The jist is that people are people, not leads.

Marc Davison, a partner with 1000Watt and Inman News columnist, has addressed the topic of lead generation in past columns. (See "Lead generation is dead.") Davison's tongue-in-cheek satire of the death of lead generation appears to be a cry for a return to conversation and value, rather than numbers, clicks and drip e-mail.

From Davison's column: "Lead Generation is survived by Customer Engagement, its decidedly more social, open and confident offspring. Some industry observers familiar with Customer Engagement note that it also shows the influence of its grandparents, Conversation and Value."

The video raises some interesting questions about the future of automated lead generation, which seems to work wonders for some in the industry while leaving others frustrated and hostile. Which business model will work for brokers, consumers and agents?

See also, "Real estate, the Web and the great divide," by Steve Kropper.

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