By Bob Corcoran
Four words I always tell agents to focus on (and for good reason, they’re how you make money) are listing, selling, negotiating and prospecting. They’re what I call dollar-productive activities for agents. Do those well and you’ll produce dollars.
But the one word you have to do first and do right before you can get to the other three is prospecting. If you don’t have prospects, you can’t list, you can’t negotiate and you certainly can’t sell.
Everything starts with prospecting. So, how are you doing these days in your prospecting? Got any room for improvement there? If so, keep reading.
One thing I like to do with my clients is give them an idea of how their prospecting efforts compare to other agents around the country with our proprietary program called the Tele-pro System. Our agents can see exactly where they stand with the competition and create a personalized road map they can follow to increase their prospecting numbers and start making real money in real estate.
With Tele-pro, I’m able to tell my clients exactly how much commission they make per dial and per hour of prospecting. On average, my clients make about $120 per dial and $1,873 per hour. Not bad, huh?
My clients are able to see the direct correlation between their prospecting and their sales. They set up their daily prospecting schedules and stick to those schedules religiously. And the dividends speak for themselves. Are you making $1,873 an hour?
Here a few tips to get you moving closer to that number and beyond:
Talk to more people per hour by calling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. As for weekends, Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 1p.m. work well and Sundays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Call at the most productive times: between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Typically, the best hour is between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The best daytime hour is between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Talk to between 50 and 70 people a day. That’s generally how many folks top agents are contacting.
Return calls quickly. When you get a call back into your interactive voice response or hotline system, make a return call as soon as you can and certainly within 24 hours.
Do your share of listening. Remember, people want to be heard and understood. Are you listening to what people are saying to you?
Follow the answer and ask method. The two best words in prospecting are answer and ask. Every time somebody asks you a question, answer it, and then immediately ask a question. Or, every time somebody makes a statement to you, acknowledge what they said and immediately ask a follow-up question. For example, if they ask, “What is the asking price of this home?” Then you say, “This home is priced at $229,000. Is that a price range you’re looking to buy in?” Follow this simple rule, and you’ll control the conversation and get the information you need.
Use and follow a script. It has long been proven that following a telephone script will take the “cold” out of cold calling. Remember, scripts have only one purpose – to close that appointment. A script helps you stay focused, build confidence and keeps you moving in one direction – more sales!
Let me hear from you. Do you know your prospecting number totals? Are you tracking any of your prospecting numbers? Do you see the advantage in knowing these numbers? Please send any comments or questions you have to Article@CorcoranCoaching.com or visit facebook.com/CorcoranCoaching.
Bob Corcoran is a nationally recognized speaker and author who is founder and president of Corcoran Consulting Inc. (CorcoranCoaching.com, 800.957.8353), an international consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into the residential or commercial broker or agent’s existing practice. Sign up today for your complimentary business consultation: CorcoranCoaching.com/bpw.php.
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