Most of the time, we hate to say it aloud,
especially in mixed company. A word that
can strike fear into the heart of agents with huge SoI's, or weaken the knees
of agents with years of repeat clients and consistent referrals. Shhhhhh!
But as we sit back and enjoy our numbers as we’ve
satisfied the market’s pent up demand so far this year, and as that market activity
begins to slow with the kids getting back to school and the sights and sounds
of football practice filling the air, maybe it’s time we spoke the profane aloud:
PROSPECTING
There, I said it.
Hopefully, the kids aren’t reading this!
Yes, prospecting, that element of Real Estate 101 we
tend to put on the back burner—or totally forget—when the market is strong and
things are going well. But we all know
that generating leads is what makes our business grow, and our marketing
program is only part of the formula.
While most of us now have our own websites and hopefully a program of
advertising and direct mail and maybe even farming, those marketing tools can’t
take the place of an active prospecting plan.
The best prospecting system lets us put into play
the most effective levels of communication: telephone calls and face to face meetings, either in groups or, ideally, one on one. Remember, a major goal of our prospecting
plan is to contact those targeted folks we don’t know yet, and to convert them
to members of our sphere so they can help us generate more leads. Of course, we’re prospecting when we hold an
open house or contact those FSBO’s and Expireds, but it’s also important to
target groups or areas for prospecting that will have the greatest potential
for bringing in new referrals. And, as
we said in the last Playbook, one of the best prospecting targets is our own
sphere of influence, as long as we’re prepared to be proactive in asking those
friends for their help in expanding our business. Don’t forget that “What can I do to help
you?” approach!
So, let’s get ourselves organized and do some
profitable Quadrant II work (remember Stephen Covey and his “Important, but not
yet urgent” quadrant) as the football season kicks off!
David M. Hassler
Director of Coaching
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