Best Practices for Cold Calling Real Estate Leads
Despite it’s abundance in the workspace, the telephone has fallen behind email for the most utilized sales tool. Perhaps sales professionals feel that if a lead comes from an online source like an IDX website, it would be best to contact the lead in a similar manner. However, this is not always the case. Your phone is one of your most powerful tools, and understanding why and when to call a lead is just as important as what to say.
Why is the phone important? Unless a lead is a direct referral or past client, chances are they know very little about you, your brand, or your services. The phone is the best way to build rapport with a lead whom you have never physically met — your voice over the phone is the closest touch to a handshake.
By using your phone calls to ask questions and educate through your answers, you’ll build stronger rapport with a lead over email or text messaging. Your phone is also the best way to identify a lead’s potential for business by asking qualifying questions, including time to buy, if they have selected lender, and where they standing on the process of selling their current property if applicable.
Therefore, the purpose of a phone call should be to:
- Initiate the vocal handshake
- Listen to the lead and gather information
- Educate the lead on your services
- Set appointments
Use your calls to drive appointments, educate leads on real estate matters, and to strengthen your relationship by establishing agency and credibility. How your lead responds in the first few calls will dictate when to move that lead into a nurturing phase by using texts and emails or into a discard bucket.
Remember to be persistent and don’t abandon leads while attempting to establish a connection for the first time over the phone as 33% of unresponsive leads only receive one to two calls.
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