Property ManagementProspecting For Fun
What keeps you from prospecting regularly? A student in one of my classes once answered that question with “just about everything” and there was a loud laughter of recognition from the rest of the agents in the class. I mean, they said things like laundry or dishes might even come first. If prospecting is something you’d rather not do, then you must not be having fun with it.
There are two types of prospecting. You can make cold calls or you can call people you know. The highest and best use of your time prospecting is with the people who already trust, know and like you. Yet, I find, most agents are not fully leveraging these contacts because they don’t want to be seen as pushy. Most of us abhor telemarketers and we think when we are calling to build our business we fall into that category.
Calling people you know
When I had been in the real estate business for about 3 months, someone asked me if I liked it. I said, “I get to talk on the phone all day to people and go look in people’s closets in all neighborhoods in town…what could be more fun!” Now, perhaps that’s worn off for you……But there is no better time than now to start having fun again. Call the people you know and just check in with them. Let them know the good things and opportunities in the market right now. Tell them about how interest rates are going down. Call to connect, to deepen your relationship. They may not be ready to buy or sell again, but they likely have 250 people in their sphere of influence. If we use the statistic of the average person moving every 7 years, that means at least 35 of the people they know might need a real estate agent this year. If each of your sphere only referred you 2 people a year, I bet you’d have the best year ever. Staying top-of-mind is the way for them to mention you when they hear of someone thinking of making a move or needing a Realtor.
For fun, just try calling 10 people a day and have just having an authentic, friendly conversation. This is even a better exercise to do on one of those days when things aren’t going your way and you have crotchety, unreasonable people you are dealing with. It will give you an attitude adjustment.
It’s the magnetic principle of attraction: When you enjoy what you are doing, you attract others by your energy and people want to be around you and refer their friends and family to you. When you are working to do the numbers and are serious about needing business, you repulse and not much happens, or worse, you turn people off.
What hobbies do you enjoy? What do you love to do, but haven’t spent time doing? This year, do more of these things and connect with others while you are doing them. Business will increase and you will feel like you are playing rather than working! In the 21st century, real estate is a RELATIONSHIP GAME not a Numbers game.
Dialing for dollars
Sometimes, it’s time to crank up business and we need to stir up the cosmic dust BIG TIME. When that occurs, the more fun you can put in, the easier it will be to focus and kick some serious butt! Let’s take a look at how you are going to approach it.
How about next time you prospect making your goal to get 15 “no’s” from FSBO’s or Expireds?
Just keep calling until you get those 15 “no’s”. Do you think if you did that with no attachment to how many “yeses”, you should be getting that you might actually get some “yeses”? Now, I don’t mean be sloppy about it, but to let go of whether they say yes or no has anything to do with you and that awful word REJECTION! It is more about them and where they are at that moment. If your job was just to listen to what they really needed right then and to give it your best shot, rather than having your self-worth today be about whether or not they agreed to see you. The other useful part of this is honing your skill. So after each call, note what worked and what didn’t and the next call, tweak your approach.
Play this game today and you are done and did the job when you get 15 no’s……
Jimmy Buffet says,” Fun is about the best habit there is.”
Become the guru
Take a look again at the new rules the marketplace is showing us and the strategies in your game plan. Is there a new niche that you are or could become the expert in? Maybe it is a neighborhood of new home construction that no other agent has a foothold in. Or maybe it is starting a book club and being the real estate guru with that group of people who have an interest and hobby that you enjoy.
It is wise to focus your game on 3 or 4 areas that you will work concurrently for the long term advantage. These could be niches that are people related, they could be geographically related or a specialty such as historical homes. A quarterback doesn’t just hone his passing game. He also knows some running plays or can use other members of his team to help him complete a play. Likewise, you will find having several niches or sphere of influence that give you diversification will enable you to shift when market conditions warrant it. Find areas, people or types of homes that are the most fun and become the specialist.