There’s Safety in Numbers

Over forty years ago when I started my real estate career, it was required that I learn how to prospect, how to uncover new business, find people who wanted to buy a property, but most important, find people who wanted to SELL a property. I wasn’t given a choice; it was literally written into my job description. In some ways, it was easier back then because we were not given an option.

Imagine being hired in a grocery store to work in the produce section. Then one day because they were busy on cash, they asked you to bag groceries. You let them know you don’t like bagging groceries, so you refused to do it. I think it is fair to say that you wouldn’t be working there for very long.

The same can be said about real estate sales. Agents look for every activity to help them avoid prospecting. They will pay 3rd party companies vast amounts of money to generate leads on their behalf, all so they can avoid talking to strangers. I watch agents everyday texting instead of talking, and they wonder why they struggle to hit their self-imposed sales quotas. I often find these same agents are mystified by other agents’ success. They conclude that the other agents must have a secret technology that gives them an advantage, or they must have cracked the code on social media, or perhaps they are just plain lucky.

As a coach and real estate trainer for over 25 years, I have coached, studied, and trained some of the best agents in the business, and I know the secret to your success… it’s relationships and communication.

Over the last two years during the pandemic, the big money earners in our business (for the most part) have been experienced agents who have regularly reached out to their database, their friends, relatives, neighbors and past clients. What did they do? They actually called their sphere to ask how they were, and politely explored the possibility of making a change, either to a bigger house, a different location, etc. But the real take away is that they were on the phones every day, beating the bushes, looking for someone they could help with their housing needs.

Still, too many agents didn’t share in the success of the high-flying real estate market. Not everyone in real estate is making a fortune. If I wasn’t making bucket loads of money and other people were, I would want to know what they were doing that I wasn’t. And what does it always come down to? The ability to generate business.

Here’s the thing I do know for certain. Successful agents are on the phone every day. Most of all they are getting out of their own way and not making excuses. What to do if you’re struggling to find the discipline and focus to make calls? One technique that may help is referred to as body doubling.

Body doubling is when you work in the presence of another agent or group. When we work alone, it is easy not to do the things we don’t like to do. When we work alongside someone else, it drives us do the uncomfortable tasks. We’ve known this for decades, which is why we encourage agents to go into the office for call nights. When we don’t like to do something, it is easier to do it in a group.

What are the benefits of having an accountability partner, or participating in call nights with colleagues?

1. 1. It lessens your feelings of isolation.
   2. It decreases your tendency to procrastinate.
   3. It increases your sense of accountability.
   4. It gives you a greater sense of calm because it is considered normal.
   5. It allows you to observe someone else doing it as a live training exercise.
   6. It gives you a sense of confidence and competence because you are doing it.
   7. Friendly competition gets us out of comfort zone and makes us try harder.
   8. It gives you a feeling of success when you get booked.

So, when should you get an accountability partner, or when should you reach out to your manager about setting up a call session in the office? When you need help with the four R’s:

1. 1. You are RESISTANT to get started.
   2. You are RELUCTANT to keep going in the face of rejection.
   3. You are RESTLESS and have difficulty focusing or concentrating.
   4. You are READY but you are just not getting it done.

When agents are reluctant to do something they know they should, the question I always ask is: Could you do it if your life depended on it?

If the answer is “Yes, I could do it but I don’t want to” then it is a behavioral issue.

If the answer is “No, I would do it but I don’t know how” then it is a training issue.

If you know prospecting is critically important to your success, is it that you can’t do it, or you won’t do it? If you CAN’T do it because you don’t know how, I recommend you call our office at 866.607.7999 to explore what training and coaching options we have available to help you. If you WON’T do it because you are afraid to, then I recommend there is safety in numbers, so plan a call night at the office.

I know some of you won’t take me up on this suggestion. You may think it is easier to make your calls from home. I can promise you that you will be less distracted, more focused and get better results if you do it in a group setting at the office.

Out of all the prospecting methods available to you, the phone is still the most effective tool. Agents have drifted away from talking to people because they find it easier to communicate digitally with prospects. You may sell house if you’re lucky, but you will never make friends unless you talk to people, and in this business, we can use every friend we can get.

If you want more information how to generate an abundance of leads, please visit https://leadersedgetraining.com/agent-virtual-training/.

Chris Leader
President
Leader’s Edge Training