That Nasty Eleven Letter Word

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 if we want to optimize our business and not miss opportunities, maybe it’s time we spoke the profane aloud:

PROSPECTING

There, I said it. Hopefully, the kids aren’t reading this!

Yes, basic prospecting, that element of Real Estate 101 we tend to put on the back burner—or totally forget—when the market is strong and we are getting a decent flow of referrals and repeat business. 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 maybe a program of advertising and direct mail, those marketing tools can’t take the place of an active prospecting plan and working that plan consistently. Remember, Big Rocks First!

Of course, a major goal of our prospecting plan is to contact those targeted folks we don’t know yet, and to convert them to clients and members of our sphere so they can help us generate more leads and more referrals. Yes, we’re prospecting when we hold an open house or contact those members of our Sphere and remind them how much we value their referrals. But one of the most lucrative targets for prospecting is also one of the toughest, and one we often tend to avoid! FSBO’s and Expired’s, remember, are folks who already WANT to sell their house, so potentially a fairly quick trip to the closing table IF we can develop a successful plan for converting these owners.

While the Peak Producers approach focuses more on long term relationship building in order to optimize our stream of repeat business and referrals, we want to make sure our coaching and training programs also cover the more basic—and for many, more difficult—cold calling techniques and prospecting tools that can help you generate more business.

So, we have invited Mitch Morales, who joined our Zionsville office this year, to share with us some of the old fashioned prospecting tips and techniques he has successfully used in converting those FSBO’s and Expired’s to closings. Mitch has for some time taken training and coaching from the Mike Ferry organization, one of the best-known training companies along with Buffini and others, and has put that training to great use. Mitch will be leading our Wednesday Wake Up training session next Wednesday November 11, at 9am at the 82^nd Street office and via our usual Go To Meeting webinar.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get some great insights into one of our business’s more challenging—yet potentially highly rewarding—strategies, so tune in for our next Wednesday Wake Up training and get ready to turn up your business!

David M. Hassler

VP, Business Development