The Pursuit of Prospects is a very personal thing.
Everyone has their own history and code of conduct beat into them by their parents and past experiences of how to deal with strangers. I haven’t done everything below but I know of agents that have had success with these different methods.
And if you ever think, “I would be so mad if someone did X to me!” Well, I said the same thing and I was completely wrong. The person we are when we imagine something is happening is different when it’s actually happening. When I first heard the idea to message someone through Facebook to solicit them, I remember clearly and succinctly stating I would reign down hellfire if someone did that to me.
Lo and behold one night, I asked my friends on Facebook for recommendations for a travel agent. I was sitting watching TV and notice the Facebook Messenger app popped up around 8:30 pm. I clicked it and it was a stranger saying, “Judy, tagged me in a post saying you were looking for a travel agent. How can I help?” I proceeded to chat and I used her for the travel arrangements and never checked with the other recommendations. She was urgently patient.
Please remember this story as you decide what you will and won’t do. Don’t say no for other people. Try something out before you decide that you will never do something.
Since this is the first place we talk about scripts in general, I want you to understand the person who reaches out to you about a home. Let’s say you have an ad running about a particular listing or even get a call from your real estate sign.
The viewpoint of the average agent is, “I need to convert this lead,” or “I paid for that lead, I have to convert it for my ROI.”
So the average agent will start asking the prospect,
- “Have you been pre-approved?”
- “Are you working with an agent?”
- “What price point are you looking at?”
- “Are you looking to buy now or 6 months from now”
Interrogate much?
First of all, I want to say that I don’t like calling people leads. It dehumanizes them. I use the term because it’s the common vernacular and I try to remember to say clients or prospects. Words matter but that’s another lesson. Next, consider why they are calling. They want information and usually don’t want a Realtor. So right off the bat, using the above interrogation tactics, you are already at odds.
If the prospect is on the phone asking about a specific property, you should give them that information. Hopefully, you don’t have that page open to give it to them immediately. If you give it immediately, they are very likely to hang up. While you are logging in to double-check the MLS has the information as you recall it (I’m giving you excuses to stall a bit just to get past their defenses) start talking to them. It would go something like this:
Ring, ring.
“This is Mike.”
“Hi Mark, (they don’t listen to my name, which shows they are trying to get on and off the phone quickly), how much is that house 11810 SW Barber?”
“Let me look that up for you.” Now I have a built-in excuse to look up the price being on a large team where I am not the listing agent. You can find a way to stall that makes sense for you. “Did you want to see that house today?” Depending on how busy/hungry you are, the best way to qualify and convert someone is face-to-face. We’ve quickly closed and quickly decided not to work with someone by meeting them immediately. It can be well worth your time.
“No, I’m just starting to look. I’m just curious about the price.”
There’s only so much stalling you can do without it being obvious.
“What’s got you thinking about moving?” If you are lucky, they will get into a story that brings up some emotion. Make sure at some point to say you didn’t catch their name. If you can get them into a story do it. If they won’t go there, give them a price and find out if they are familiar with the area. Whatever their answer, show them your knowledge. You can tell them about another new listing in the area or about an off-market property you heard about that would sell if the right buyer came along.
Your goal is to either set up an appointment or prove your value enough that they are fine that you follow up with them. And permission to follow up is so much easier than calling and reminding them who you are. Give the client what they want, which is assistance. Then go for what you want which is an appointment.
Online Leads Can Take Time!
The most recent number I heard was that the average online lead will buy in 11 months! Wowza, that’s a long time. So a common thing, which is the truth, that buyers say is, “We’re just looking.”
“Great! I know most people start a year before they actually buy, so that is no problem for me. What’s got you thinking about moving?”
Give them permission to take as long as they want. Social proof is your friend. Telling them that they are doing what most buyers do makes them feel better about it. Now the funny thing is, a lot of those people are going to buy sooner than they expected. It’s kind of like with cars. So many people say, “I wasn’t even planning on buying!”
This is where the Mighty Script can help you, help them, to find their internal motivation, and possibly light a fire under it.
Texting
Texting has become a more and more powerful tool over the years. People have become more insulated. They don’t like picking up the phone and they don’t enjoy emails. So many agents have had great success actually reaching people over texts.
There are three ways to communicate; Call, Text, and Email. You should reach out to them the way they reached out to you generally. On the same day that you receive an online prospect, you should use all three. You have no idea which one they prefer. Call, then text saying the below script and lastly send an email saying, “Here’s the info you wanted or “Let me know the best way to reach you so I can help you.”
If you call and don’t get an answer, text saying, “This is Mike with ABC Realty. I just called you but thought text might work better for you.”
If they don’t respond, in an hour text, “Did you want to set up a showing at 11810 SW Barber?”
If they still haven’t responded, reply with, “Let me know” or “Is this Bob?” This is usually where most people will find a way to respond. They don’t like to leave questions or people waiting for them.
Be careful with text. It’s super simple, low stress and easy for them not to feel connected to you. You need to be setting appointments. Having great text conversations doesn’t allow you to be very real. Even if you have to get them on a Zoom call to put a face to the name and phone number. You cannot confidently say you have a client if you haven’t met them.
How Often To Contact To Get A Response
The average agent won’t do it enough which is why they fail. Let’s start there. It’s no fun to call and get no response. Most agents quit after 4 attempts. Most people say it takes 9-11 attempts to reach a prospect.
Here are some different plans I’ve heard:
- Call them every day until they buy or get a restraining order. Excessive? Maybe but also probably effective.
- Zillow’s internal contact system is something like 13 touches in 9 days with six happening in the first two.
- Contact every two days until they buy or say get lost.
- Contact them 200 times
Fortune is in the follow-up. So much opportunity is wasted because real estate agents listened to the Hyena and let the prospect float away. Agents talk themselves out of calling. Everyone will buy at some time. Be there to help them when they are ready.
Lastly, for an image that might stick in your brain to help you be less aggressive, imagine they are a cat. If you come at them like a puppy, they are going to run. Patiently urgent wins the game.
Exercise: Pick one of the methods above or create your own system in less than 15 minutes. Whenever someone tries to make their own up, they forget about it for 3 months. If it is still the time of day to call, start your system now.
Do the work, get the results.
Next Lesson >> Buyer’s Consultation