 |
 |
COLD CALLING: CALLING SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW |
|
||
|
 Income-Planning Worksheet Advanced tip: Permission Marketing Warm Calling Advanced tip: ABCs of Prospects Broker tip: Add Rehab to Your Business Prospecting Buyers Call-Ins Advanced tip: Use Personal Assistants for Prospecting Advanced tip: Public Speaking Community Involvement Prospecting in Print Tracking Prospecting Results Advanced tip: Lead Analysis Quiz: Prospecting Bright Ideas: Prospecting Code of Ethics: Prospecting More Resources: Prospecting |
Note: Due to the implementation of the National Do-Not-Call Registry on Oct. 1, 2003, this article needs to be revised and edited to conform to the new rules. This page should remain "not live" until these changes are made. 3 Prospecting Methods There are three main ways to prospect—by phone, face to face, and through direct mail. Ideally, you should do all three to some degree. Each medium supports the other two. Marketing expert Don Hobbs of Hobbs/Herder Advertising, Newport Beach, Calif., suggests that phone calls are often more effective if done one week after a direct mail effort. TIP: For successful cross-marketing, create a single marketing theme and use it in all three media. First, let’s consider phone prospecting. 5 Phone Etiquette Tips · Pick up your calls by the third or fourth ring. · Speak clearly, but don’t shout. · Don’t chew gum, eat, drink, or smoke while talking on the phone. · Don’t put callers on hold to take other calls or to look for information. · Always return your messages within 24 hours, and be conscientious about taking messages for others. TIP: Good contact lists are a key to prospecting success; use a crisscross directory, which allows you to find residential phone numbers by street or zip code. TIP: Many states now have some form of "Do Not Call" that may limit your phone prospecting activities. Click here for a current list. The Direct Approach · "Mr. Prospect? This is Ted Byer with Coldwell Banker. I was curious to know if you are interested in selling your home?" · And if the answer is "no", continue with: "I understand. Hey, Mr. Prospect, I'll let you go. The only reason I checked is we always have people who are interested in your area. Do you think you may entertain the thought later this year? Or do you know of any of your neighbors who might be interested in selling?" · If the answer indicates a potential lead, continue with: "I understand. I'll just make a note in my database. Do you mind if I check with you in a month or two?" --Courtesy of salesperson Ted Byer, Coldwell Banker/Walker & Co., Colorado Springs, Colo. TIP: Add a memo field to your database and use it to store pertinent, personal information about prospects that may be of value. For example, planned retirement in two years, children going to college, big promotion. The Indirect Approach · Introduce yourself and your company. · Explain that you have a buyer who is looking for a specific kind of house in their area. · Ask if the person you are talking to knows of a house fitting that description that might be for sale. · Don’t ask if the speaker's property is for sale, at least not yet. Indirect marketing works because you are asking for help. Most people like to be helpful, so when you ask for help in assisting a prospective new neighbor they are more likely to respond positively. · Once you have the name of people who may be interested in selling, call them and start the indirect approach again. · You might mention that you were referred to them by your initial contact, but ask that contact’s permission first and establish that the relationship is a positive one. · If your contact expresses interest in selling, shift to the direct approach. TIP: The best time to ask a question is just after answering one. The Survey Approach · Tell prospects you are conducting a survey for your company. · Pick a topic that will be of interest to potential buyers and sellers in your area--the impact of a new shopping center, the quality of the schools, or as in the example, the effect of interest rate increases--or declines--on homeowners. · Offer to provide results of the survey to participants if they give you an e-mail address. Sample Survey Questions 1. With mortgage rates increasing (or decreasing), homeowners are in a position to realize a major return on their investments. Have you considered selling to take advantage of this market? (Note: Interest rate declines make it a good time to sell; interest rate increases may make a home with an assumable mortgage more salable.) 2. For many homeowners, the question is what kind of new house could they afford. If you were able to sell your current home right now and move to a nicer one, would you be interested? 3. Since interest rates are unpredictable, many homeowners have decided to sell now while the market is hot. Is that true in your case? 4. If you were offered the opportunity to find out what your home is worth in today's market, would you be interested? 5. If the answer to most of the questions is “yes,” ask more specific questions about their sales plans. —Courtesy of sales guru Floyd Wickman, Floyd Wickman Courses, Troy, Mich. For the Advanced Salesperson Prospect in Pairs · A team approach helps keep you motivated; you can’t let your partner down. · Select a partner with a different niche and/or different approach so that you don’t compete with each other. · Decide how potential listings and sales will be compensated before you begin. · Set a goal and then do your best to make sure your partner reaches it. Selling to Someone You Know, next page > |
Make sure you have an actual buyer before you use this approach. It's unethical to prospect under false pretenses. Article 12 |