Real estate marketing glossary for agents
This glossary defines the terms real estate agents run into when they buy leads, run ads, or set up follow-up, in plain language. Each definition is short on purpose.
By Aldo Chandra, licensed real estate agent and founder of Automize Studio. Updated September 24, 2026.
Terms
- 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.
Part of Real estate marketing for agents: the complete guide.
Common questions
What does GCI stand for in real estate?+
Gross commission income: the total commission you earn before splits and expenses.
What is the difference between CPL and cost per appointment?+
CPL divides spend by all leads. Cost per appointment divides it by booked appointments, which shows how many leads became real conversations.
What is speed to lead?+
How quickly a new inquiry gets a real conversation with someone who can help.