A good conversion rate for online leads is about 2%.

About 1 in every 50 contacts will turn into a closing.

If you aren’t on top of your game, those numbers can get worse, fast. Imagine having to work through 100 or 200 leads before getting a closing because you are terrible at getting the appointment.

If you are spending money on lead generation, have a script to make sure you are asking the right questions and not leaving anything out.

One of the oldest and most practiced scripts for home buyer leads is the LPMAMA script (pronounced L-P-mama). It is easy to remember when driving, away from your computer, and needing to respond to that new lead calling in!

LPMAMA Meaning

LPMAMA stands for Location, Price, Motivation, Agent, Mortgage & Appointment.

It is a mnemonic device to remember the script for a buyers’ agent’s initial conversation with a new home buyer lead.

Location

I see you are looking in [city]. Are there any other areas you are open to?

Location, Location, Location!

It’s the most important thing about a home, and you need to know which areas they are open to and what is driving that decision.

Don’t accept their answers on their face, either. Sometimes buyers are looking for the wrong location based on misconceptions. E.g. they may think some quality parts of town are too far away, when in reality it is a very quick drive along the interstate. Or they may have not considered school districts yet.

Dig into the “why” of what they are looking for.

Price

What is your monthly mortgage budget range you would like to keep within?

I recommend talking in terms of their monthly mortgage budget and not the price tag. Affordability is driven by mortgage payments, not purchase price. That is a more responsible way to frame the financial discussion than looking at preapproval amounts.

This question can also help screen buyers. Maybe you need to invest in some expectation setting before you show that $1.2M mansion to a buyer trying to keep their payment under $1500/mo.

Motivation

What has you thinking about buying? Are you renting now? How soon do you need to move? What is driving your timeline?

Discovering why they are searching for homes is essential to properly serving customers. It can drive all their other decisions like price, location, timeline, and even whether they buy at all.

More than once, I’ve discovered prospects were wanting to buy for the wrong reasons and ultimately advised them against buying.

Other times, I’ve recommended radically different approaches to what they were looking for based on their motivation (e.g. to consider buying a duplex if only staying in the area a short time because duplexes make great rentals).

Agent

Have you spoken to any other agents about your home search?

You cannot interfere with a client who is already formally working with another agent.

REALTORS® shall not solicit buyer/tenant agreements from buyers/ tenants who are subject to exclusive buyer/tenant agreements

Code of Ethics Standard of Practice 16-5

This may mean asking directly “are you working with a real estate agent”? Or you can take the more indirect approach of asking if and how they’ve been looking at homes previously.

If you at any point confirm they have a signed representation agreement with another agent, you have a duty, if you are a Realtor with NAR, to recommend they reach out to their current agent.

Mortgage

Do you have a lender in mind you are working with?

It’s important to get pre-qualified with a mortgage lender as early in the process as possible. The further out, the sooner a buyer can start fixing any credit issues that come up. Also, the lender can do a gut check on what is or isn’t affordable before you and the buyer waste too much time looking at houses outside their budget.

For safety reasons, you or your office may have a policy of only showing homes to pre-approved buyers. Meeting a stranger at an empty house has obvious risks.

Appointment

What time would you like to see the home?

This is the most important thing element of LPMAMA!

You aren’t going to win people over the phone. You don’t need an hour long conversation finding out every detail about what they are looking for.

Just get in the same place at a house and then you can ask questions and really get to know them.

And if they aren’t ready to see homes yet, be sure to follow up consistently with in-person touches until they are.

How to Use the LPMAMA Script

LPMAMA is ideal for paid and portal leads where buyers may already have a house in mind, or Internet leads who are ready to start looking but don’t have a house in mind yet.

• Portal Leads (e.g. Zillow)
• Paid Leads (e.g. ZBuyer)
• Open Houses
• Social Media

LPMAMA Tips

• Keep it conversational
• Keep it short
• Listen
• Take notes
• Send a follow up text or email summarizing their needs and confirming the next appointment
• Defeat the “I’m just looking” objection

Alternatives to LPMAMA

“ALM”: The “LPMAMA” Killer?

Kyle Whissel is the broker of the Whissel Realty Group and host of the Whissel Way Real Estate Training YouTube channel.

He suggests that, in the 2020s, LPMAMA is too much.

In the Internet age, buyers are already well educated on what is available. Often they already have a house in mind they want to see if they’ve clicked through on Zillow.

He suggests shortening it to “ALM”.

• Appointment
• Location
• Motivation

This immediately gives would-be buyers exactly what they are looking for upfront. They want to see a house!

If you can get the appointment, there will be plenty of time to talk about lenders, price range, and features they are looking for in a home.

The ALM method might be especially effective for Internet leads who have a property identified first. Otherwise, the LPMAMA is probably a better way of establishing a complete picture of a buyer’s situation.

LPMAMA’s Cousin, FORD

Another related mnemonic device I was taught as an agent was FORD.

• Family
• Occupation
• Recreation
• Dreams

This is handy in lots of situations, not just real estate.

The purpose is to get to know someone by asking open-ended questions about these topics.

You probably don’t want to go through all this in your first phone conversation. But you might want to keep it in mind when making small talk going through homes or subsequent conversations.

Conclusion

LPMAMA will ensure you get the essentials of what you need to set the appointment and start serving home buyers.

Updated April 15, 2024; Originally published November 4, 2021