PROSPECTING

Weekly Objective: To successfully construct your Daily/Weekly Prospecting Schedule.

This week’s plan is to construct a daily/weekly schedule to contact your current Buyers, Sellers, Prospects, Business Associates, Friends, or Sphere of Influence on a daily basis to stay top of mind.

Watch: Become Prospecting Ninja

Does the very thought of real estate prospecting make you shudder? If so, you’re not alone.  This is the scary part for most salespeople.  Fear of rejection.  Fear of sounding and feeling inexperienced.  You must overcome those fears.

For many agents, prospecting is a necessary evil, one that is all too easy to postpone and drop to the bottom of your to do list.

Yet the majority of real estate professionals are hungry for more quality leads, more of those truly motivated buyers and sellers. Real estate prospecting is one of the best ways to generate more real estate leads. It can be time consuming, but it’s an exciting endeavor!

You must prepare – but not so much that you never make the effort.  The entire goal of prospecting is to get a meeting.  If you spend 30 minutes talking, emailing, or texting one prospect you have missed the point.  Get the face to face meeting.

Always come from a mindset of contribution.  Think of it this way: if you wouldn’t read it, neither will your prospects. Make emails fun, entertaining and informative. Be sure to always end every email with some form of a call to action. The reader always needs to know what to do next.

You need to practice on purpose for the situations you know you will face. And then practice some more. Practice until you can leave a compelling voicemail with a real reason to call back…and nail it every time. Practice until you know your customized pitch so well that you can improvise according to the need of the minute…

Practice until you can’t get it wrong. You may not succeed every time, but your preparation will put you in the best situation to come through when stakes are the highest.

This is the way you reach your potential. Prepare. Practice. Rinse. Repeat.

 

This week’s plan will be as follows:

Monday: Schedule the Time to Prospect

Tuesday: Identify the Prospect

Wednesday: Create Your Opening Line or Elevator Speech

Thursday: Making the Call

Friday: Putting it All Together

 

Resources:

 

DAY 1

Monday’s Objective:  Schedule the Time To Prospect

Too many people do not prospect for one simple reason — they get busy doing other stuff and never get around to it.  I believe the reason they never get around to is because they don’t want to do it.

Experiment and find what works for you, but set aside two hours each day to focus on prospecting. Many agents like to focus on prospecting initiatives in the morning between 9-11 am, this can be a good time to make phone calls, update social media posts and ask for referrals. Treat this prospecting time as you would any other important appointment and stick with it!

Reserve the time on the calendar and don’t let other things get in the way.

ACTION ITEMS:

  1. Review your typical schedule, pick 2 hours each day to set aside for prospecting. RESERVE them in your calendar.
  2. Write 5 notecards today.
    • Suggested topics:
      • Book or news article you recently read that they would enjoy
      • New find in town – store, start-up business, restaurant, etc.
      • Coffee gift card – simple thank you for…
      • Home renovation idea or home tip to save energy, money, etc.

Resources:

 

DAY 2

Tuesday’s Objective:  Identify the Prospect

As you make connections, it’s important to remember to nurture those relationships so they can thrive. Remember all those “no, thanks” that really mean “not yet”? Those prospects will require the service of a real estate professional some day and you want to be the one they go to.

Like any relationship, your prospects, clients, and Sphere of Influence require attention.  These days it is easier than ever to stay in touch thanks to the internet.  There are hundreds of techniques to identify leads and prospects and obtain their contact information.  Use Google, LinkedIn, Spokeo.com, or Facebook – do name searches, you will most likely then have the ability to connect to any prospect.

Keep in touch with new leads and stay top of mind.

 

ACTION ITEM:

  1. Write 5 emails today
    • Suggested Topics:
      • Events from the weekend
      • Book or news article you recently read that they would enjoy
      • Market statistics
      • New find in town – store, start-up business, restaurant, etc.

Resources:

 

DAY 3

Wednesday’s Objective:  Create your Opening Line or Elevator Speech

I strongly recommend that you create a strong opening you can use on the telephone.  There’s nothing more powerful, effective or efficient to start a conversation that communicates who you are, and how the lead or client would benefit with working with you.  Take the time to craft your brief opening so that it is designed to get them thinking about their situation.

Don’t waste your energy extolling the virtues of how wonderful you are.  At this point in time, the prospect isn’t looking to hear this.  Always come from a mindset of contribution.

As time goes by, you may run into leaving quite a few voice mails, but it is still effective if you have the right opening.

 

ACTION ITEMS:

  1. Create your elevator speech/opening line. Write it down. Practice saying it.
  2. Send 5 texts today.
    • Suggested Topics:
      • Upcoming open house you are hosting
      • Thank you for…
      • Meet for lunch or coffee
      • News around town that would be of particular interest to this person
      • What are your weekend plans?

Resources:

 

DAY 4

Thursday’s Objective:  Make the Call

Start off by focusing on your sphere. Get comfortable calling people by calling those you’re closest with first and telling them all about your new career and how you’d love if they would work with you or recommend you to their friends. These are your people! They want to see you succeed! Our suggestion: start with the A’s in your database, then move onto the B’s, then C’s. The more practice you have, the more comfortable you’ll be calling people you don’t know as well!

Remember to come from the mindset of contribution (or friendship!) You’ll be calling people in your sphere to start with – all people you have a relationship with! Chat with them about what’s new in their lives, what their kids are up to, etc… then tell them about your new plunge into real estate, how excited you are to be launching your career, and how you would love to work with them in the future for all their real estate needs.

Cold Calling and Calling Acquaintances:

The number of salespeople who go through the first three steps only to not make the call is way too high.  Don’t sit there and strategize about how you need to wait until the sun, moon and stars line up just right.  If you do that once, you’ll do it again and again and you’ll never make the calls you need to make.

Does the very thought of picking up the phone give you chills? Don’t worry! Hesitating to make cold calls is natural and it won’t last forever. Find a script you feel comfortable with, check out the “Do Not Call” list, and cozy up to the telephone. Your script can be as simple as “Hello, this is _______ calling from Silvercreek Realty Group.   Have you thought about moving this year? If you were to move, where would you go?” A simple, friendly question like this can open up a meaningful conversation.

Celebrate the NO.  Part of being an agent is being told “No, thanks” sometimes, and that’s okay! Think of every “no” you hear as bringing you one step closer to the next “YES!” And remember to be courteous and friendly, as often times when someone says “no” what they really mean is “not yet.” The key here is to avoid taking these conversations personally. Like any type of sales, real estate is a numbers game and the more people you talk to, the more viable leads you’ll gain and the more sales you’ll make. Stay positive!

Prospecting is not difficult and in the end it’s very rewarding.  It’s how you develop new customers and an effective method for successful real estate agents.  Just make the call!

 

ACTION ITEM:

  1. Make 5 calls today.
    • Suggested Topics:
      • What’s new in your life?
      • A new business/upcoming event you think they’ll like
      • Meet for coffee or lunch
      • Thank you for…
    • A little ways down the road, when it’s time to start cold calling, here’s some ideas:
      • Expired listing
      • Call neighboring homes around your upcoming open house
      • For Sale By Owner – opportunity to list?

Resources:

 

DAY 5

Friday’s Objective:  Putting it All Together

Too many salespeople make prospecting too complicated.  That is the difference.  They schedule time to do it.  They have a system that they execute. It works.  It sets them apart.

Each day this week you were given one specific task to complete, now we are pulling all these individual daily tasks together for each day of the week.

Attached you will find your Daily Prospecting Schedule.  EVERY day of the work week you will:

  • Make 5 Phone Calls
  • Send 5 Emails
  • Send 5 Text Messages
  • Send 5 Note-cards

Create your specific topic schedule.  Take a calendar, and each day of the week select a topic.  This way, you will always have content and won’t be endlessly searching for something to write or talk about.

By the end of each week and every week you will have communicated with 100 different members of your Sphere, prospects, or clients on relevant topics of interest.

Think how much this will excel your business!

 

ACTION ITEMS:

  1. Make 5 Phone Calls
  2. Send 5 Emails
  3. Send 5 Text Messages
  4. Send 5 Note-cards

 

Our Suggestion:

Every Sunday Print five (5) each Daily Prospecting Schedule documents, one for each day of the week.  On each document, input the name of the person you are going to contact, and the specific topic you will discuss with them.  Now, you are prepared, in advance, for the upcoming week.  You know exactly who you will be talking to, and won’t be endlessly searching for content to write or talk about.

Remember:

Some of the fear surrounding real estate prospecting is the discomfort of rejection.  “Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”

Do the right activities in the morning, and the afternoon and evening will should be ideal.

 

The 4 Mindsets of Our Prospects

  1. Your prospects are busy – Most people are these days. When you are able to connect with your prospect on the phone, you need to recognize that they have many things on their mind.
  2. You are interrupting them – One moment, your prospects were working away. Now they are speaking with you. You have changed their direction. Because they are busy and you have interrupted them, it is in your best interest to honor their time and get right to the point.
  3. They are wondering who the heck you are – Sometimes you are prospecting on someone you know. Often times, you are not. Given that you don’t know who you are calling, I promise the first question they have about you is who you are and what company you are with. You have to answer this unspoken question immediately.
  4. They want to know what’s in it for them – As they are busy, have just been interrupted, and you’ve just shared with them who you are, you must quickly tell them what they will benefit by having a conversation with you. Many CRE brokers make the mistake of vomiting their services all over their prospects. Do not. They do not care about what you can do. They only care about how your services can benefit them. Always speak in benefits statements with short deal stories to substantiate your claims.

Resources:

 

 

Get Creative:  Below is a summary of your topic ideas from the week:

Monday Topic Suggestions:  Past weekend activities

  1. Events from the weekend
  2. Home previews, open house that may meet the client’s criteria
  3. Decorating tips or project viewed from a home preview or open house
  4. How was your weekend discussion
  5. Comment on one of their social media posts in a written note

Tuesday Topic Suggestions:  Past weekend market stats

  1. Book or news article you recently read
  2. Recent business transaction appreciation note
  3. New find in the Boise Valley – store, start-up business, etc.
  4. Comment on a recent accomplishment, either personal or professional

Wednesday Topic Suggestions:  Business Associate Recommendations

  1. Vendor/business spotlight in the community
  2. Personal hobby tips, tricks,
  3. Home renovation idea
  4. Upcoming Weekend Concert, Activity, New Restaurant, Best__________ in Boise

Thursday Topic Suggestions:  Upcoming Weekend

  1. Upcoming weekend sport events
  2. Weekend activity suggestions
  3. Saturday Market favorite vendor
  4. House improvement tip
  5. Thank you for…

Friday Topic Suggestions:  Upcoming Weekend

  1. What are your plans for the weekend
  2. Weekend open houses
  3. Day trip
  4. Historical sites to see around Boise
  5. Weekend yard sales/garage sales

Ideas for monthly topics: http://programminglibrarian.org/node/338

 

 

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