Cold calling can be a bone of contention for many homeowners out there. Not everyone enjoys having a stranger saunter up to their front door, with the intention of selling them something.
As real estate agents, sometimes it’s necessary to go knocking on doors to drum up business. If you practice these simple principles, you’ll be able to build relationships more successfully when it comes to cold calling potential leads.
Statistically, real estate agents are amongst the least trusted professions – with some statistics suggesting we rank below sex workers in terms of trustworthiness. This is especially sad for agents who spend a goodly amount of time on their image.
Building Relationships
If you called five agents to book in a viewing for selling your home, and only three called back – what would you think about the other two? To be honest, it doesn’t really matter – with such a poor professional outlook, they won’t be in business for very long.
The bottom line is very simple – build relationships and nothing less. Despite the perceived lack of trust in realtors, at the end of the day people need us to sell their homes. If they didn’t need us, they wouldn’t be calling up.
Your main concern as an agent should be that the seller signs with you – not the next agent who walks into their home. Apart from your own personal systems for engaging with a seller, you should be able to build a relationship with them.
Once you’re able to build a relationship with the seller, they won’t be looking anywhere else. So how do we get to that point?
Top Tips For Good Cold Calling
The cold had fact of cold calling, is that there is a99% chance you’re disturbing the potential lead. With this in mind, it would seem a little tedious to open with questions like “How are you doing?”, “Could I have a few moments of your time?” etc. This will always get you off to a bad start.
Avoid the clichés and go in with something like “Have I caught you at a bad moment?”. It shows that you’ve thought about the fact you’re definitely disturbing them. Make sure you use that exact wording however, as phrases such as “is this a bad time?” will not be as successful.
When a prospective lead feels that they’ve been forced into a cold call, all they can think about is how they get you off the phone or from their doorstep. At this point you need to show them why they need you and your services.
Make sure you keep an honest tone – remember that although we sell real estate, we’re still very much in the service industry. If you make it your goal to provide a good service to people, your clients will be happy and your career will grow to be successful.
If you can adapt these basic principles, your cold calling technique will be much more effective. Ensure you love and focus on the core principles of a solid customer service model – this will always make you exceed the expectations of your potential leads.