Back in the early 2000s, Dr. James Oldroyd ran what’s now known as the MIT Lead Response Management Study. They analyzed over 15,000 web-generated leads and more than 100,000 call attempts across several companies. The goal was simple: figure out how fast sales teams need to respond before a lead goes cold.
The results? Wicked eye-opening for anyone in sales or real estate.
The Key Findings
-
Call within 5 minutes. Leads called in the first 5 minutes are about 100x more likely to be reached compared to leads called just 30 minutes later.
-
Qualify faster. Leads reached in 5 minutes are about 21x more likely to be qualified than those called after 30 minutes.
-
Don’t wait an hour. By the 1-hour mark, your chances of reaching or qualifying a lead drop off a cliff — more than a 10x drop.
-
Best days to call. Wednesdays and Thursdays gave the highest success rates.
-
Best times to call. 4-6 PM is the sweet spot for making contact; 8-9 AM and 4-5 PM are best for qualifying.
-
Too late is too late. After about 20 hours, additional call attempts actually start to hurt your chances of qualifying.
Why It Matters in Real Estate
Real estate leads are shopping multiple websites and calling multiple agents. If you’re not the first one to connect, another agent will be. The MIT study proves that minutes matter, not hours.
For a brokerage like Amo Realty that provides 10–20+ leads per week for each agent, the real competitive edge isn’t just in generating leads — it’s in responding immediately and locking in the relationship before anyone else has a chance.
