Real estate marketing glossary for agents

GCI (gross commission income)

The total commission you earn before splits and expenses.

CPL (cost per lead)

Money spent divided by the number of leads received. It says nothing about lead quality.

Cost per appointment

Money spent divided by the number of booked appointments. A better measure than CPL.

Cost per listing

Money spent divided by signed listings from a source. The number that decides whether a source pays.

Speed to lead

How quickly a new inquiry gets a real conversation. See the speed-to-lead guide.

ISA (inside sales agent)

A person who makes first contact with leads, qualifies them, and hands them to an agent or books appointments.

Lead qualification

Confirming that a lead is who they say they are and has a real need and timeline before an agent spends time on them.

Live transfer

Connecting a qualified lead to the agent by phone in real time.

Paid ads

Advertisements you pay a platform to show to a chosen audience. See the paid ads guide.

Search ads

Ads shown to people who type a related query, so they reflect immediate intent.

Social ads

Ads shown to people while they browse a social platform, usually lower intent than search.

Portal lead

A lead generated on a large listing website and sold to agents, often shared with more than one.

Exclusive lead

A lead sent only to one agent.

Geo-farming

Marketing repeatedly to a defined neighborhood to become the agent people think of there.

Sphere of influence

The people who already know you, such as friends, family, past clients, and contacts.

Expired listing

A listing that ended without selling. Some owners will consider a new agent.

FSBO (for sale by owner)

A homeowner selling without an agent.

IDX

The feed that lets agents display MLS listings on their websites.

Listing presentation

The meeting where an agent explains their plan and price to win a listing.

Listing appointment

A scheduled meeting with a prospective seller.

Attribution

Tracking which source produced a lead or a closing.

Nurture

Low-frequency follow-up with contacts who are not ready yet.

CRM

Software that stores contacts and reminders and tracks where each is in the process.

Google Business Profile

A free business listing that appears in local search and maps.

Special ad category (housing)

A platform requirement for housing-related ads that limits certain targeting options to support fair housing.