One of the proven strategies of top-producing sales professionals is their ability to data-mine the upper echelon of their contacts rather than spend extra time, money and energy converting low-level leads.
Let’s face it; making prospecting calls reeks of “commission breath.” You and the contact both know you have a reason for connecting other than getting an update on their family, friends, vacations and dreams.
Why do so many agents avoid prospecting? It’s proven that agents would rather seek out incoming leads from strangers than mine the rich resources of people who already know, like and trust them because they don’t know what to say.
But what if that call was so valuable that your contact couldn’t wait to spread the word about your services? What if the result was real referrals?
If you’re making prospecting calls for the purpose of earning a commission, you have the wrong mindset. Without sharing the right information to move the process forward, you’ll be stuck when it comes to the second, third or fourth conversation because you’re missing the vital link to build and strengthen that connection. If you keep calling with nothing of value, you’re bound to damage the relationship.
Here are some tips to take your prospecting to profitability:
Make the call a “care” call. As agents, we know that our prospects are likely being influenced by the national news. Because agents are more aware of their “local” market inventory, list-to-sell ratios, days on market and other nuances of a given area, they can share this valuable information about the “real” market indications. By offering insights and educating prospects about the real marketplace, you’re becoming a valuable and trusted resource.
Be a problem solver. It doesn’t matter if you’re experienced or not. Be exceptional and look at the data in order to determine how you’re going to use it to solve a problem for a buyer or seller.
Go deep. Go back to local sales within the past year and see what the average sales price was. Then, share with homeowners in the neighborhood how much their equity has increased. This opens the door to helping them make decisions about home improvements, trading up or down, or using that extra equity for acquiring investment properties.
The Bottom Line
Agents avoid prospecting because they don’t know how to stay away from saying the same script over and over. When you shift from “follow up call” to “care call,” with information that’s relevant to the needs and timeline of your contact, prospecting makes you more money…and makes you their hero.
Terri Murphy is a communication engagement specialist, author, consultant and master coach with Workman Success Systems. She is the author of five books, a TED Talk speaker and the founder of the Women’s Wisdom Network on Facebook. For more information, visit TerriMurphy.com or email Terri@TerriMurphy.com.
