The buyer who just messaged about your listing is, at that exact moment, messaging three similar listings from other agents. Whoever answers first gets the viewing; the other three call “tomorrow morning” a phone that no longer picks up. Speed-to-lead studies keep repeating the same brutal curve: contact within 5 minutes multiplies your odds of a conversation several times over versus contact within an hour. This guide builds the full circuit so every portal lead gets a personalized WhatsApp inside 60 seconds, lands in your CRM tagged by source, and receives automatic follow-up, with no agent touching anything.

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The circuit we’re building

Lead enquires on a portal (Idealista, Rightmove, Zillow...)
   → the portal's alert email
   → Make.com parses it (name, phone, listing ref)
   → creates the deal in the CRM, source tagged
   → sends a personalized WhatsApp in <60 seconds
   → no reply in 24h: automatic second touch
   → reply: agent notified to take over

What you need

1. A CRM. We use Pipedrive in the examples (from ~$14/user/month); any CRM with a webhook or API works identically.
2. Make.com (from $10.59/month).
3. WhatsApp Business API via a provider (360dialog, Twilio): required for automated outbound messages. In SMS-first markets, swap the module; the flow is identical.
4. Meta-approved templates (allow 24-48 hours the first time).

Step 1: capture the portal lead

Portals notify by email. In Make: an Email → Watch emails module on the leads inbox plus a Text Parser with one pattern per portal, extracting name, phone, message and listing reference.

Tag the source (which portal) in a CRM field: beyond organizing follow-up, it produces the data that decides where your listing budget actually earns its keep.

Step 2: create the deal in the CRM

A Pipedrive → Create a Deal module: title with the listing reference, person with phone and email, stage “Portal lead, uncontacted”, source tagged. Add a duplicate filter first (Search Persons by phone): if the lead already exists, update instead of create. A buyer asking about three of your listings is ONE very interested client, not three leads.

Step 3: the 60-second WhatsApp

Your provider’s module with a template like this:

“Hi {{name}}, this is {{agent}} from {{agency}} 👋 We just got your enquiry about the {{area}} property (ref. {{reference}}). Would you rather I call you, or shall we chat here? I can offer a viewing this week.”

Why this template clears Meta review and gets replies: it names the actual property (proof it isn’t spam), asks a two-option question (answering is easier than ignoring), and makes a concrete offer (a viewing this week) that moves things forward.

Step 4: automated follow-up on silence

A second scenario, hourly: find deals in “Portal lead, uncontacted” older than 24 hours with no logged reply, and fire the second template:

“Hi {{name}}, did you get a chance to look at the {{area}} property? If it’s no longer of interest, just tell me and I won’t bother you again. And if you’re after something different, tell me what you need and I’ll alert you when a match comes in 🏡”

The middle sentence (“tell me and I won’t bother you”) lowers the guard and lifts reply rates; the last one converts a “no” into a registered buyer need for your future stock.

Step 5: the human handover

When the lead replies, the provider’s webhook moves the deal to “Conversation open” and notifies the agent (email, Slack, internal WhatsApp) with a direct link to the deal. The system’s golden rule: automation opens the conversation; a human always closes it. A bot booking viewings without judgment burns leads; the agent steps in the moment there’s a reply.

Cost and return

One extra closed deal per quarter pays for years of this system, and the effect starts on day one: every lead answered in 60 seconds, around the clock.

Frequently asked questions

Is it compliant to WhatsApp a portal lead? The lead requested information about a property and your message answers that request, which sits comfortably within legitimate interest/pre-contractual communication in most frameworks (GDPR included). Always offer the opt-out, as in our step 4 template.

Does it work with real-estate-specific CRMs? Yes, as long as they expose an API or webhooks; the CRM block changes, the rest is identical.

What if the portal doesn’t pass the phone number? Add a fallback route: when the phone is missing, the flow sends an automatic email instead.

How long to set up? One afternoon for the core circuit (steps 1-3), another for follow-up and handover, plus Meta’s template approval window.

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