I hear it all of the time… “I mail, I drop, I email, I use social media, I advertise, etc. but I’m just not getting enough listings. What more can I do?”  My response is always the same… “How many people are you talking to face to face and over the phone each day in your prospecting efforts?”  And this is where the conversation begins to slide.  “But Brad, I hate door knocking, I hate cold calling even more, and I feel like I’m bothering my past clients and SOI by calling them all of the time, and I mail them and email them all of the time so they don’t forget me and my last manager told me that was enough, in fact my last manager told me that I just needed to mail more, more often, and better messages.”    At this point I realize that I am fighting an uphill battle and it’s very likely that everything I say from this point forward will land on deaf ears since it’s so easier to follow the “mail more” advice than it is to do the work that I will suggest.  Sometimes though, I am pleasantly surprised by the agent that “get’s it” and says, “OK, I’ll do what you are telling me to do.”   And those are the agents that keep me going on my mission to build careers.

If you have an open mind and strong desire to dramatically increase your success and income, then continue reading…

What I will share will seem like common sense, but in an industry where there are literally thousands of companies selling the “next best thing” to get agents business, it’s easy to drift off track and forget the most simple of strategies that cost NOTHING but time and a little sweat!

It’s well known that over 50% of communication is Non-Verbal, and more about body language and tonality, and that the #1 highest form of communication is FACE to FACE, yet as Real Estate agents we spend so much time buying products and services that limit that form of communication. i.e. mail, email, texting, smart phones, social media, and all kinds of fancy stuff.  Managers bring these services to sales meetings and push them on the agents in hopes that $29.95 month will solve all of the agents woes.  Presentation boards, brochures, flyers, etc. that frankly no one will ever read or care about if you don’t TALK to them, present well, and get FACE to FACE at some point.

Here’s where the world has been and has come to when it comes to forms communication by usage:

1. Email, Texting, Social Media

2. Post cards, form letters, bulk mailers

3. Personal handwritten notes and letters

4. Telephone calls.  Voice to Voice

5. Face to Face in person initial conversations

Whats wrong with this picture?  We have become so reliant on making things easier and less personal that 50-80% of our email in boxes and regular paper mail is JUNK!  I don’t know about you, but if I don’t check our mail for a few days, I end up with a plastic bin full of JUNK and have to sort through it, tossing anything and everything that isn’t personal and important.  Same with email.  Heaven forbid we don’t check our email for a day, we would have hundreds to delete to get to the good stuff.  But how many VISITS, CALLS and PERSONAL NOTES do we get anymore?  Our lawmakers even had to create laws to stop us from texting while driving because we are so averse to making an actual call that we risk our own and others lives to avoid it.

Actual Coaching Notes

Now here’s the success strategy to change and improve your business.  Flip that list above, upside down!  Get out there and actually knock some doors when people are home between 3-6pm, or anytime for that matter.  Meet people, get to know them, establish relationships, and impact their memory banks so when they do get your mailers and emails they actually look at them more than 3 seconds.  Make your first contact with a prospect or neighborhood in person.

Think of it like this, if the majority of the Real Estate agents/industry are working the above list in the order I wrote it, then YOU need to do the opposite!

That is how you will grow your business exponentially, and frankly that is how you will beat your competitors hands down!

So, go buy some comfortable shoes, and figure out how to use your smartphone for something more than facebook, twitter, email, texting, youtube, pictures, music, etc. etc. and start making some calls to your SOI, Past Clients, Farm, and all prospects and start off with “Hi, my name is ______ and I just wanted to meet/talk to you instead of only mail and email you….”

I posted a great and inspiring video below about a successful “door knocking salesman” that should help alleviate any fears you may have towards knocking doors.    As always, I’m happy to provide free coaching to agents with a strong desire to grow their businesses!  I look forward to SEEING you and TALKING to you soon! 🙂

Brad Pearson

(714) 782-2723

Bill Potter, Door to Door Salesman