The Marketing Numbers and KPIs Every Buyers Agent Should Track.

Numbers are only useful when everyone records them in the same way.

Define:

• Marketing enquiry

• Qualified enquiry

• Discovery call booked

• Discovery call completed

• Proposal sent

• Client engaged

• Client commenced

• Purchase completed

• Lost opportunity

• Referral partner

• Marketing source

• Active client

For example, a general question on social media may be a marketing interaction but not yet a qualified enquiry.

A discovery call should not be recorded as completed when the buyer missed the appointment or the conversation lasted only several minutes without useful discovery.

Clear definitions prevent marketing reports from appearing stronger than the underlying business.

Marketing numbers can be divided into four groups.

These show what the business did:

• Articles published

• Emails sent

• Videos recorded

• Referral partner meetings

• Local market inspections

• Campaigns launched

These show whether people noticed:

• Website visits

• Email opens

• Video views

• Social media reach

• Post engagement

• Guide downloads

These show whether attention became a business opportunity:

• Qualified enquiries

• Discovery calls

• Proposals

• Clients engaged

These show whether the resulting business was worthwhile:

• Suitable client engagements

• Average fee

• Client acquisition cost

• Service capacity

• Client retention

• Purchase completion

• Reviews

• Referrals

• Repeat business

All four groups can provide useful information, but they should not be treated as equal.

A post receiving thousands of views may be less valuable than a referral partner conversation that produces one suitable client.

Record where every buyer enquiry came from.

Possible sources include:

• Google search

• Business search profile

• Agency website

• Educational article

• Location guide

• Professional directory

• Social media

• Email

• Paid advertising

• Lead magnet

• Event

• Past client

• Mortgage broker

• Accountant

• Financial adviser

• Solicitor or conveyancer

• Selling agent

• Property manager

• Another buyers agent

• Personal network

Avoid source categories such as:

• Online

• Referral

• Internet

• Other

These do not provide enough information to guide decisions.

Identify the specific platform, professional or activity where possible.

A buyer may discover the business through an article, join the email list and later make an enquiry after being referred by a mortgage broker.

Where practical, record:

• Original source: How the person first discovered the business

• Final enquiry source: What prompted the direct enquiry

• Influencing sources: Important content or relationships encountered along the way

This provides a more accurate view than attributing the complete result to the final contact alone.

Ask new prospects:

How did you first become aware of us?

And:

Was there anything in particular that prompted you to make contact now?

These questions can reveal marketing influences that digital systems miss.

Not every enquiry is a suitable client opportunity.

A qualified enquiry may involve:

• A genuine buyer or authorised decision-maker

• A location the agency covers

• A property type within the agency’s expertise

• A potential need for a service provided

• A realistic current or future timeframe

• A broadly appropriate purchasing range

• Willingness to discuss finance readiness

• Expectations that can be addressed responsibly

Record:

• Total enquiries

• Qualified enquiries

• Unqualified enquiries

• Reason an enquiry was not qualified

• Future suitable enquiries that are not yet ready

Use:

Qualified enquiries ÷ total enquiries × 100

This provides the qualified enquiry rate.

For example, if the agency receives 40 enquiries and 24 are suitable opportunities, the qualified enquiry rate is 60 per cent.

A low rate may indicate:

• Broad targeting

• Unclear service areas

• Weak website information

• Misleading campaign messages

• Poorly matched referral sources

• Incomplete enquiry forms

• Marketing built around unrealistic promises

A lower total enquiry number can still represent an improvement if the proportion of suitable buyers increases.

Record the type of buyer making each qualified enquiry.

Possible categories include:

• First-home buyer

• Owner-occupier

• Investor

• Interstate buyer

• Expatriate buyer

• Downsizer

• Commercial buyer

• Auction buyer

• Negotiation-only buyer

Also record readiness:

• Buying now

• Preparing within three months

• Planning within six months

• Planning within twelve months

• Waiting for finance

• Waiting to sell

• Timing unknown

• Purchase paused

This helps the agency understand whether a campaign attracts active buyers or builds a longer-term pipeline.

Do not describe a six-month future buyer as a weak enquiry if the marketing campaign was designed to attract early-stage preparation.

Measure the time between the enquiry and the first personal response from a team member.

An automated acknowledgement does not count as the complete response.

Track:

• Average personal response time

• Median response time

• Enquiries answered on the same business day

• Enquiries receiving no personal response

• Number of contact attempts

• Response time outside normal hours

• Response time by team member

• Response time by enquiry source

Review quality as well as speed.

A fast response that ignores the buyer’s question may be less effective than a thoughtful response made shortly afterwards.

This shows how effectively suitable enquiries become discovery appointments.

Use:

Discovery calls booked ÷ qualified enquiries × 100

If the agency receives 20 qualified enquiries and books 12 discovery calls, the rate is 60 per cent.

A low rate may point to:

• Slow response

• Weak first communication

• Unclear value in the call

• Complicated booking

• Limited appointment times

• Inappropriate qualification

• Failure to explain what will be discussed

• Poor enquiry quality

• Buyers at an early stage

Record why a qualified buyer did not book.

Do not assume every unbooked call reflects a failure. Some buyers may require finance preparation or another step first.

Track booked and completed calls separately.

Record:

• Calls booked

• Calls completed

• Calls rescheduled

• Calls cancelled

• Missed appointments

• Calls attended by all decision-makers

• Calls requiring a second conversation

• Reason a call did not proceed

Use:

Completed discovery calls ÷ discovery calls booked × 100

This is the discovery completion rate.

If many buyers miss the call, review:

• Confirmation messages

• Appointment reminders

• Explanation of the call

• Rescheduling process

• Time-zone handling

• Appointment length

• Booking delay

A call booked three weeks after the enquiry may be more likely to become irrelevant than one arranged promptly.

This shows how many completed discovery calls lead to a written service proposal.

Use:

Proposals sent ÷ discovery calls completed × 100

Interpret this figure carefully.

A lower proposal rate is not necessarily a problem if discovery identifies buyers who:

• Are not ready

• Have an unrealistic brief

• Require advice from another professional

• Fall outside the service area

• Want a service the agency does not provide

• Expect guaranteed outcomes

• Are not suitable for the business

The discovery process should qualify opportunities, not send a proposal to every person.

Also record the reason no proposal was provided.

This is one of the most important conversion measures.

Use:

Clients engaged ÷ proposals sent × 100

Review this rate by:

• Buyer type

• Service type

• Enquiry source

• Buyers agent

• Location

• Purchasing range

• Referral partner

• Proposal version

• Time between discovery and proposal

• Number of decision-makers involved

A low rate may indicate:

• The buyer was not ready

• The proposal was generic

• Fees were unclear

• The service was poorly matched

• Important concerns were not addressed

• Another decision-maker was absent

• Follow-up was weak

• The buyer chose another agent

• The buyer decided to search independently

• The purchase was delayed

Record the actual reason where possible.

Use:

Clients engaged ÷ qualified enquiries × 100

This provides the overall conversion rate for suitable opportunities.

Also calculate:

Clients engaged ÷ total enquiries × 100

The second figure shows the result from all enquiry activity, but it should not replace the qualified-enquiry calculation.

Review both monthly and across longer periods.

Buyers may take several months to become ready, so one month’s enquiries may not become clients during the same reporting period.

Measure the number of days between:

• First enquiry and discovery call

• Discovery call and proposal

• Proposal and engagement

• First enquiry and engagement

Review time to convert by:

• Buyer type

• Lead source

• Service type

• Readiness

• Referral partner

• Team member

A buyer preparing for auction may convert quickly. An interstate investor planning a future purchase may require months of nurture.

Knowing the usual time helps the agency:

• Forecast future clients

• Create appropriate follow-up

• Avoid writing off early-stage opportunities

• Understand campaign lead times

• Manage service capacity

Use both the average and median where possible. One unusually long opportunity can distort the average.

Use:

Marketing spend ÷ total marketing enquiries

Include the costs directly connected to the campaign or marketing system, such as:

• Advertising

• Design

• Content production

• Photography

• Video

• Email systems

• Campaign pages

• Professional directories

• Events

• Contractors

• Campaign-specific software

Do not include unrelated business expenses merely to create a more complete-looking figure.

Use:

Marketing spend ÷ qualified marketing enquiries

This is more useful than cost per total enquiry.

A campaign producing inexpensive enquiries may perform poorly if most fall outside the agency’s service or readiness requirements.

Use:

Marketing spend ÷ completed discovery calls generated

Use completed calls rather than only booked appointments.

This reveals whether the campaign produces real conversations rather than form submissions.

Use:

Marketing spend ÷ clients engaged

This is often called the client acquisition cost.

Calculate it by:

• Campaign

• Lead source

• Service

• Buyer type

• Quarter

• Year

Include a clearly defined group of marketing costs and use the same method each period.

A low acquisition cost is not always better. A higher-cost source may produce better clients, higher-value services and more referrals.

A simple calculation is:

Professional fees attributed to marketing ÷ marketing spend

For example, if a campaign produces $40,000 in professional fees from $8,000 in marketing spend, the ratio is 5 to 1.

This is not the same as profit.

Professional fees still need to cover:

• Service delivery

• Salaries

• Inspection time

• Travel

• Software

• Insurance

• Administration

• Other business costs

Use the measure to compare marketing activity, not to claim that all attributed revenue is a return.

Calculate:

Professional fees from a source ÷ clients from that source

Review whether different sources produce:

• Complete search clients

• Negotiation-only work

• Auction representation

• Longer or shorter engagements

• Better client fit

• Repeat business

• Referral potential

A source producing many small engagements may still be valuable, but it should be understood accurately.

For each source, review:

• Total enquiries

• Qualified enquiries

• Discovery calls

• Proposals

• Clients

• Conversion rate

• Average time to convert

• Acquisition cost

• Average professional fee

• Client suitability

• Early cancellations

• Reviews and referrals

• Future opportunities

A mortgage broker who introduces six well-prepared clients may be more valuable than an advertising campaign generating 100 poorly matched enquiries.

Avoid judging lead sources by volume alone.

Record how many opportunities currently sit at each stage:

• New enquiry

• Qualification required

• Discovery call booked

• Discovery completed

• Proposal being prepared

• Proposal sent

• Decision pending

• Future buyer

• Purchase paused

• Client engaged

• Lost opportunity

Each active opportunity should have:

• Owner

• Next action

• Due date

• Expected decision timeframe

• Source

• Service

• Notes

A pipeline report without next actions becomes a list rather than a management tool.

A simple estimate may use:

Number of active opportunities × expected conversion rate × average professional fee

For example:

• 20 active suitable opportunities

• Expected conversion rate of 30 per cent

• Average professional fee of $15,000

Estimated pipeline value:

20 × 30% × $15,000 = $90,000

This is a planning estimate, not guaranteed revenue.

Improve accuracy by calculating each stage separately. A proposal already sent may have a different probability from a future buyer planning to purchase next year.

Marketing should be connected to service capacity.

Track:

• Active full-search clients

• Active limited-service clients

• Maximum responsible capacity

• Team member capacity

• Search locations

• Inspection workload

• Upcoming auctions

• Clients approaching purchase

• Paused clients

• Expected new commencements

Use:

Active client load ÷ maximum responsible capacity × 100

This gives a simple capacity-use measure.

If the business is near capacity, marketing may shift towards:

• Longer-term pipeline building

• Referral relationships

• Educational content

• Future buyer nurture

• Limited services the team can handle

• A waiting-list process where appropriate

Do not continue promoting immediate service availability when the business cannot provide it.

Track the proportion of clients by:

• Buyer type

• Service type

• Location

• Property type

• Purchasing range

• Lead source

• Buyers agent

• New or repeat client

Compare the actual client mix with the marketing strategy.

If the business wants to become known for interstate investors but most clients remain local owner-occupiers, the positioning or campaign may not be working as intended.

Website traffic is useful when connected to buyer action.

Track visits to:

• Homepage

• Main buyers agent service page

• Investor service page

• First-home buyer page

• Interstate buyer page

• Location pages

• About page

• Case studies

• Fees or process information

• Contact page

• Discovery call page

Also record:

• Enquiry form submissions

• Telephone link use

• Email link use

• Discovery bookings

• Lead magnet registrations

• Visits that lead to qualified enquiries

• Pages viewed before an enquiry

Use:

Website enquiries ÷ relevant website visits × 100

This gives a website enquiry conversion rate.

Do not judge the website only by total traffic. A smaller number of visits from suitable buyers may be more valuable.

For every guide, checklist or worksheet, track:

• Campaign-page visits

• Registrations

• Registration conversion rate

• Successful delivery

• Replies

• Qualified enquiries

• Discovery calls

• Proposals

• Clients

• Unsubscribe requests

• Average time to convert

• Buyer type

• Acquisition source

Use:

Registrations ÷ campaign-page visits × 100

Then calculate:

Qualified enquiries from the resource ÷ registrations × 100

A lead magnet with fewer registrations may still be stronger if it attracts buyers close to becoming clients.

Track:

• New subscribers

• Subscriber source

• Successful delivery

• Replies

• Content requests

• Discovery calls influenced by email

• Future buyers reactivated

• Unsubscribe requests

• Complaints

• Inactive subscribers

• Net list growth

Use:

New subscribers − unsubscribes and removals

This gives net list growth.

Email opens and clicks can provide context, but replies and qualified enquiries are more meaningful.

A large list of people who never expected to hear from the agency is not a strong marketing asset.

For automated email sequences, review:

• Entry source

• Completion rate

• Replies by email

• Timeframe updates

• Discovery calls

• Service enquiries

• Clients engaged

• Emails producing unsubscribes

• Buyers moving into personal follow-up

• Clients incorrectly left in prospect sequences

The most valuable email may not be the one with the highest open rate. It may be the email that prompts suitable buyers to explain where they are in the process.

Useful social media measures include:

• Profile visits

• Saves

• Shares

• Meaningful comments

• Direct buyer questions

• Website visits

• Lead magnet registrations

• Discovery enquiries

• Referral partner conversations

• Local recognition

• Content referenced during discovery calls

Follower and view counts can show reach, but they should not be mistaken for business growth.

Track which subjects produce:

• Genuine buyer questions

• Enquiries

• Email registrations

• Professional introductions

• Useful conversations

Avoid changing the complete content strategy because one entertainment-focused post receives high reach.

For articles, guides and videos, track:

• Views or reads

• Time spent where available

• Saves or downloads

• Replies

• Questions

• Email registrations

• Service-page visits

• Qualified enquiries

• Discovery calls

• Client conversations influenced

• Long-term search visibility

Some educational content may produce enquiries over several years.

Review both immediate and longer-term value.

Track:

• Active referral partners

• Partner category

• Meaningful conversations

• Introductions received

• Qualified introductions

• Discovery calls

• Proposals

• Clients engaged

• Conversion rate

• Average time to convert

• Average professional fee

• Introductions provided to others

• Last contact date

• Next relationship action

• Client and partner feedback

Do not measure relationships only by meeting numbers.

A useful relationship produces trust, good communication and suitable introductions over time.

Track:

• Clients asked for referrals

• Referrals received

• Qualified referrals

• Clients engaged

• Time between purchase and referral

• Repeat purchases

• Original lead source of the referring client

This helps the agency understand whether marketing is creating a longer chain of value.

A client originally introduced by a mortgage broker may later introduce several family members or colleagues. That broader contribution should be visible.

Selling agent relationships are not a direct marketing channel in every case, but they can show whether local authority is growing.

Track:

• Active selling agent relationships

• Relevant opportunities received

• Pre-market opportunities considered

• Properties inspected

• Agents remembering active briefs

• Local campaign information

• Repeat contact from agents

• Introductions received

• Local buyer enquiries

• Local referral relationships

• Reviews mentioning the service area

• Invitations to provide local commentary

Do not measure local authority only by off-market opportunities.

Reliable information, campaign access and professional recognition are also meaningful.

For each paid campaign, record:

• Audience

• Message

• Offer or lead magnet

• Spend

• Impressions

• Visits

• Enquiries

• Qualified enquiries

• Discovery calls

• Proposals

• Clients

• Cost at each stage

• Time to convert

• Professional fees

• Client suitability

Do not stop at cost per form submission.

A campaign should be judged by how far suitable buyers progress.

Use:

Desired actions ÷ campaign-page visits × 100

The desired action may be:

• Guide registration

• Discovery call request

• Event registration

• Service enquiry

• Brief review request

A low conversion rate may indicate:

• Weak connection between advertisement and page

• Unclear audience

• Unconvincing offer

• Excessive form fields

• Poor mobile design

• Insufficient trust

• Confusing call to action

• Slow page

• Broad or exaggerated claims

Review the complete page before increasing advertising spend.

Record why each suitable prospect did not proceed.

Possible reasons include:

• Fee

• Chose another buyers agent

• Decided to search independently

• Finance changed

• Purchase delayed

• Property plans cancelled

• Existing relationship

• Stronger location specialist

• Unclear service difference

• Slow response

• Proposal did not address the need

• Another decision-maker disagreed

• Brief was unrealistic

• Service outside agency expertise

• Lack of confidence

• No response

Use specific reasons rather than recording every loss as “price”.

Review patterns quarterly.

Several buyers raising the same concern may identify a genuine weakness.

A signed client is not automatically a successful marketing result.

Track:

• Brief quality

• Finance readiness

• Realistic expectations

• Communication fit

• Number of major brief changes

• Search pauses

• Early termination

• Fee disputes

• Complaints

• Conflicts

• Service satisfaction

If a lead source produces clients who regularly become difficult or unsuitable, the original marketing message may be attracting the wrong expectations.

These are service measures rather than pure marketing measures, but they can reveal whether marketing promises match delivery.

Track:

• Time from engagement to purchase

• Properties screened

• Properties inspected

• Properties seriously assessed

• Offers made

• Auctions attended

• Purchases completed

• Engagements ending without purchase

• Reason no purchase occurred

Use these figures carefully.

A longer search does not necessarily indicate poor performance. The client’s brief, market availability, finance, decisions and due diligence all affect the result.

Do not turn average purchase time into a promise.

Track:

• Clients asked for feedback

• Reviews requested

• Reviews received

• Testimonials approved

• Case study permission

• Case studies completed

• Feedback mentioning communication

• Feedback mentioning local knowledge

• Reviews by service type

• Referrals following positive feedback

Do not pressure clients to provide a particular rating.

The quality and relevance of feedback matter more than volume alone.

After important stages, ask:

• Was communication clear?

• Did the service match what was explained?

• Did the client understand the assessment process?

• Were concerns handled properly?

• Would the client recommend the agency?

• What could have been improved?

Use a consistent method so results can be compared over time.

Do not wait for a public review to discover that a client was dissatisfied.

Review how dependent the business is on one source.

Calculate the percentage of clients coming from:

• One referral partner

• One advertising platform

• One professional category

• One social platform

• One local market

• One lead magnet

A single strong source can be valuable, but excessive dependence creates risk.

The annual plan should gradually build several reliable sources without spreading effort too widely.

A practical buyers agent marketing dashboard may include:

• Total enquiries

• Qualified enquiries

• Qualified enquiry rate

• Average personal response time

• Discovery calls booked

• Discovery calls completed

• Proposals sent

• Clients engaged

• Proposal-to-client conversion rate

• Overall qualified enquiry conversion

• Average time to convert

• Marketing spend

• Client acquisition cost

• Best-performing lead sources

• Future buyers in nurture

• Active client capacity

• Lost-opportunity reasons

Add short notes explaining important changes.

The dashboard should support decisions, not simply report numbers.

Every quarter, review each significant source using:

• Enquiry volume

• Qualification rate

• Discovery rate

• Client conversion

• Acquisition cost

• Average professional fee

• Time to convert

• Client suitability

• Reviews and referrals

• Ongoing potential

Then decide whether to:

• Continue

• Increase

• Improve

• Reduce

• Pause

• Test differently

Do not continue a channel only because the agency has always used it.

Group enquiries by the month or quarter in which they were first received.

Then follow that group over time.

For example, January may produce 20 qualified enquiries:

• 12 discovery calls

• 8 proposals

• 4 clients in January

• 2 additional clients in February

• 1 additional client in April

The final conversion from the January group is seven clients, not four.

Cohort reporting is particularly important when marketing to early-stage, interstate or investor buyers who may take months to proceed.

Assume the agency records:

• 180 total enquiries

• 120 qualified enquiries

• 78 completed discovery calls

• 50 proposals

• 22 clients

The stage conversion rates are:

Total enquiry to qualified enquiry

120 ÷ 180 × 100 = 66.7 per cent

Qualified enquiry to discovery call

78 ÷ 120 × 100 = 65 per cent

Discovery call to proposal

50 ÷ 78 × 100 = approximately 64.1 per cent

Proposal to client

22 ÷ 50 × 100 = 44 per cent

Qualified enquiry to client

22 ÷ 120 × 100 = approximately 18.3 per cent

The agency can now see each stage.

It may decide that the greatest opportunity is not generating more enquiries. It may be improving discovery call attendance, proposal quality or follow-up.

There is no universal buyers agent conversion rate that every business should achieve.

Targets will vary according to:

• Buyer type

• Service

• Fee

• Location

• Lead source

• Market conditions

• Business reputation

• Client readiness

• Qualification standards

• Decision time

• Team capacity

Begin with your own baseline.

Set improvement targets that reflect the business, such as:

• Faster personal response

• Better-qualified enquiries

• Fewer missed discovery calls

• More personal proposals

• Better follow-up completion

• Greater referral diversity

• Lower acquisition cost from a proven campaign

• More suitable clients

Do not attempt to track every possible number from the first month.

Start with:

1. Enquiries by source

2. Qualified enquiries

3. Response time

4. Discovery calls completed

5. Proposals sent

6. Clients engaged

7. Conversion rates

8. Marketing spend

9. Client acquisition cost

10. Active client capacity

11. Lost-opportunity reasons

12. Reviews and referrals

Add more detailed measures when the basic data is being recorded consistently.

A small accurate dashboard is more useful than a large unreliable report.

Before reviewing marketing performance, confirm that:

• Marketing stages have clear definitions.

• Every enquiry has a specific source.

• Original and final sources are recorded where possible.

• Qualified enquiries are identified.

• Buyer type and readiness are recorded.

• Personal response time is measured.

• Discovery calls are tracked from booking to completion.

• Proposals are linked to discovery calls.

• Conversion rates are calculated consistently.

• Time to convert is understood.

• Marketing costs use a defined method.

• Client acquisition cost is calculated.

• Lead sources are compared by quality.

• Active client capacity is visible.

• Website activity is connected to enquiries.

• Lead magnets are measured beyond downloads.

• Email is measured by replies and client progress.

• Social activity is connected to meaningful action.

• Referral partners are tracked individually.

• Lost opportunities have accurate reasons.

• Client suitability is reviewed after engagement.

• Reviews and referrals are included.

• Results are reviewed monthly and quarterly.

• Longer-term conversions are captured through cohort reporting.

The purpose of marketing measurement is not to create the largest possible dashboard.

It is to understand which activities attract suitable buyers, how those buyers move towards engagement and whether the business can serve them properly. When the numbers follow the complete client journey, marketing decisions become more deliberate and growth becomes easier to manage.