Seven Secrets to Cold Calling Success

David Ortiz, a trained chef who had been running his own financial-planning firm since 1997, renamed his business Financial Chef last year and started meeting with prospects over meals he’d cooked himself. Wining and dining potential clients certainly made Ortiz and his Miami, Fla., business stand out, but when it came to cold calling prospects, he was at a loss.

Plowing through 100 names a day, he’d be lucky to get two or three promising leads. He quickly grew frustrated, but with the help of a sales coach, revamped his strategy. Ortiz cut his number of calls by two-thirds, but spent more time researching and weeding out prospects before picking up the phone. Now, for every 25 cold calls, he usually gets five to seven meetings with potential clients. “It takes a lot more time, but the end result is that I am getting to more qualified and more willing prospects,” Ortiz says.

Cold calling need not be a source of angst for small-business owners. Here are seven successful strategies from experts in the field:

1. Plan Ahead
Who will you be calling? When will you be placing your calls? These are questions you should answer the day before you make the calls, says Stephan Schiffman, a New York-based corporate sales trainer and author of Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!) (Adams Media, 2007). He advises blocking out an hour every day for cold calls and sticking to that regular routine.

2. Investigate Before You Call
It may seem tedious, but doing homework on the person you’re calling will make a huge difference. This can be as simple as doing a Google search on the company or looking up the prospect on LinkedIn, says Sam Richter, author of Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling (Adams Business Press, 2012). If a Google search doesn’t turn much up on the person you’re calling, tryMool.com/media, a search engine that scours both local and national media outlets for clips. “Even if you’re not going to use the information, you will come across more confident and more powerful when you have information on the other person and their company,” Richter says.

3. Seek Out a Personal Connection
Whether through online research or during the phone call itself, you should try to find a personal connection with your prospects. Your research might reveal that you share the same alma mater or have a past connection with the same company. During the call, you also might discover a common interest. “When I am talking to somebody and I am able to work the whole affinity towards food and cooking, it just absolutely changes the dynamic,” Ortiz says.

4. Get Information Before You Give It
You should ask lots of questions during the call rather than immediately try to sell your product or service, says Art Sobczak, author of Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure and Rejection From Cold Calling (Wiley, 2010). Learn about your prospect’s business needs first, so you can more effectively tailor your pitch. “People don’t care about you,” says Sobczak, who coached Ortiz. “All they care about is what you can do for them.”

5. Get Out of Your Chair and in Front of a Mirror
It might seem silly to watch yourself in the mirror as you talk, but a mirror will make you smile and smiling will make you more confident, Schiffman says. He also recommends standing up when making calls. “You’ll feel better and more animated,” he says. Using a tape recorder could also be helpful, as it’ll help you gauge how you come across on the phone. Schiffman recommends recording all your calls and listening to them repeatedly, so you can spot problems and correct them.

6. Keep careful records
You want to keep records tracking who you called, when you called them and how many of those calls resulted in appointments. Measuring your progress will not only keep you organized, it will also give you a sense of accomplishment. While a call might not result in an immediate sale, you can always get something positive out of it, Sobczak says, even if it’s just more information about the company or person. Write it all down because it might prove useful if there’s an opportunity for a follow-up call.

7. Use Referrals in Your Voice Mail Message
More often than not, you’ll be reaching voice mail rather than speaking with the prospect directly. To increase the chances of getting a call back, try to find a common connection you can mention in the message you leave. Social media sites like LinkedIn let you see the people your connections are connected to–a useful resource when looking for referrals, says Richter. If you know someone connected to the person you’re calling, ask if you can use his or her name. “You’re almost always going to get a call back when you have a referral that you mention by name,” Richter says.

By Jane Porter

Retrieved 5 December 2012 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224931#

5 Signs That It’s Time to Quit Your Job and Become a Real Estate Agent

In this shaky economy very few people would consider it a good career move to change their job–let alone quit to become a real estate agent.

But there are a number of people who are doing just that. Why? What’s in it for them? Here are five reasons.

1. Lifeless Job

From the honeymoon period to burn-out, every job goes through a series of steps. Early on everything is exciting with the change of position, new location and learning the ropes. But once you’ve met goals and achieved objectives you start to lose interest. Eventually you dread coming to the office and may even be irritable. If that describes you, then it may be time to quit.

2. Lifeless Career

Have you been at the same company for sixteen years? In the same industry for twenty? You are overdue for a serious change. Stagnating in a position or even company can also stagnate your own personal and professional improvement. Quitting your job to become a real estate agent will help you gain new skills and improve upon your old ones.

3. Lifeless Boss

The dead-beat boss is not good for anybody with at least a little bit of ambition. He or she might take your assertiveness as an actual attempt at their position–and do everything to squash you. More than likely you won’t have a psychotic boss–just not a very good supporter. He doesn’t back your plans or ignores your please for progressive. Life under such a manager is no fun.

4. Lifeless Industry

Sure, in 2008, and for the next four years, real estate became a lifeless industry as it self-imploded and purged the bloat. But even back in those bad days average agents were able to make a living. They just had to adjust. And now that the market is slowly improving, life is getting better. Well, your industry might just be getting ready to crack. Does that threaten your company? Will there be lay offs soon? If so, it might be a good time to change careers.

6. You Are Lifeless

There are many reasons you may not be motivated in your current job. Your job, position and company may not contribute to your mid- to long-term professional goals. In fact, they be an obstacles. You may simply not have the passion or gratification of a job well done any more.

Conclusion

You may have know for over a year that is was time to move on. Sometimes it could be longer. I know I stayed in a position I hated for 18 months because of the pay, benefits and the people. It took a near-firing to kick me in the butt to leave that position and move on in my career.

Don’t be afraid to cut the cord for the sake of your career. Make sure you do it respectively, though. Burning bridges can come back to haunt you down the road. Treat everyone with respect and loyalty when you leave. You won’t regret it.

By Real Estate Marketing Blog

Retrieved 30 November 2012 from http://www.realestategrowth.com/blog/archives/5-signs-that-its-time-to-quit-your-job-and-become-a-real-estate-agent.html

How to Kill a Sale: 7 Stupid Tactics

Buying and selling real estate in a recession is no easy task. You have to work hard. And your margin for error is a whole heck of a lot thinner than when things are good. I’ve been in real estate long enough to see my fair share of booms and busts. And I’ve been in real estate long enough to know which sales tactics will lead to success–and which will lead to failure.

These latter tactics, the ones that kill deals, are all too common in our business. If you are not familiar with them, take a peek to see if you are making any of them. And see how you can avoid them.

1. Chase Dead Leads

Getting a warm body on the phone or in person in today’s economy can make some salespeople giddy. And it can blind them. Real estate agents are no exception. We get someone interested in us to help him buy a house. He’s got a few picked out. You immediately agree, jump in your SUV and pick them up. Three weeks and ten homes later you learn he’s got a poor credit score and is underemployed.

That would be a dead lead. You didn’t just kill a sale. You never had one to begin with. It was DOA. Next time around find out if they both have the desire and ability to buy. Stick them in your marketing funnel if they don’t.

2. Sell Features Before Benefits

Fireplace. Low utility bills. Close to downtown. In-ground pool. All of these are great things. They are also features. And can mean a thousand things to a thousand different people.

An in-ground pool sounds like work. Come to think of it, so does a fireplace. And what does low-utility bills mean to me? And close to downtown–so what? Next time around sell them on the benefits. Save money. Be the most popular guy in the subdivision. Romance your wife with a fire in the fall. Save time commuting so you can spend it with your family. Those are the benefits of the features I mentioned above. That’s what will sell him. Not the features.

3. Raise Objections Too Soon

Answering objections that your prospect or client raise is essential. But don’t get ahead of yourself and answer those objections before they have even been raised. Sure, you can cover some obvious objections, but leave the other stuff for them to raise. Don’t hide anything illegal from them. Just don’t point out issues that they may not being looking for.

4. Wait for the Prospect to Move

There are a hundred ways to skin a cat. There are a hundred ways to kill a deal. Some quickly. Others slowly. Putting the ball into the client’s court–and leaving it there–will more than likely lead to a dead deal. Keep the ball in your court and you keep the sale alive. You keep the sale moving. Tell them you will call them at such-and-such date and time to follow up. Tell them what you need them to do next. Control the sale and you won’t kill the sale.

5. Fail to Listen

You can, however, control a sale to death. In your passion and excitement to keep the deal and live and moving forward you might find yourself talking over, around and through your client. You say you hear their concerns and desires, but you aren’t listening to them. You are too busy moving forward. Too busy to listen. This is a great way to shoot yourself in the foot. Don’t do it. Slow down. Listen to your client. Ask questions. Check his pulse every once in a while. What’s he thinking about? Anything he needs to share? Probe, and then listen carefully.

By Real Estate Marketing Blog

Retrieved 30 November 2012 from http://www.realestategrowth.com/blog/archives/how-to-kill-a-sale-7-stupid-tactics.html

7 Ways Real Estate Agents Can Beat a Winter Slump

Depending on where you live, from about October to March the real estate market slows down–if not altogether dries up. What can you do to make the most of these dead months?

Here are a few suggestions:

Have an Open-House Party

Open houses can be pretty lame. A pair of buyers or two milling around a home while you sit and tap your pencil on the desk, staring out the window. Instead of treating an open house like a visit to a museum, ask the seller if you can have a happy hour.

The hitch is this happy hour is on Sunday from 2-4.

Bring food, drinks and music–and let people browse and have fun. And if you keep this strategy for the winter months only, then people will actually look forward to house shopping in winter. And keep in mind–you may not sell more houses, but you will make out like a bandit when it comes to generating leads. You will be the talk of the market.

Take a Poll

Ask your prospects, customers and former clients to help you gear up for 2013. Get suggestions for marketing, listing ideas and even staging tips. People love it when you ask for their opinion. Treat this like a monthly exercise and people will anticipate your next poll.

Go Shopping

Look for discount and deals on items you need for your office and work space. The winter may be a good time to buy that iPad or new printer or scoop up those $1 items that the retailer picked up for a penny. Look for closeouts as businesses are shutting down. Search out auctions to buy staging furniture. Heck, be on the look out for a house or two, too.

Got to Conferences

Go to regional or national conferences you weren’t able to attend during the busy months. Use this time to network with agents from across the country who might be great sources for relocation leads.

If you are of the ambitious sort, why not start your own conference or mastermind group? You can play host, become the authority in your community and pile up those leads as winter warms.

Penny pinch

Now that you aren’t rushing off to a showing every afternoon, take the time to reduce all of your expenses. Hunt down new prices for your phones or insurance. Investigate independent service companies and find out their competitive prices (think home inspectors or title people–anybody who can help your clients).

Take a Class

Now is the time to enroll for some higher education. Find a college course in accounting or seek out a mentor. Is there an online certification that you’ve been hoping to get? The winter is a great time to get it.

What other ways can you think of that will help you beat the winter doldrums?

By Real Estate Marketing Blog

Retrieved 30 November 2012 http://www.realestategrowth.com/blog/archives/7-ways-real-estate-agents-can-beat-a-winter-slump.html

Mobile Advertising: Should Real Estate Agents Use It?

More and more these days people are using mobile phones to search. They jump on the web to check out reviews, compare prices and even make purchases. Research supports this trend:

60% percent. That’s the percentage of customers who will review a product via their mobile before purchase (Digby Mobile Commerce and Engagement Stats)
51%. The percentage of smart phone users who will buy if you have a moible site. (ConsumerSearch Offers On-the-Go Shopping Advice with Free Product Review App)
77%. Percentage of people who access search and social sites via mobile phones. (Mobile Movement)

For certain small businesses this could be a gold mine of new leads and traffic to your brick-and-mortar store.

But should real estate agents jump on the bandwagon? Great question. Let’s take a look.

1. Can You Determine Customer Location?

What makes mobile advertising so powerful is that the ad networks work with geo-targeting, allowing advertisers to show ads in well-defined areas. For companies that service a large area–like a county or two or a major metropolitan area–this is likely to increase your conversion rate. You are likely to get in front of many customers.

2. Can You Create Call to Actions?

Mobile advertising isn’t just meant to tip people to the existence of your real estate business. It’s also meant to get people to take action when they see your ad. For example, a good call to action encourages a home buyer or seller to:

Call you directly.
Send an email.
Visit your website.
Sign up for a text alerts or an email newsletter.
Submit contact information.
Secure an appointment.
Follow you on social media.
Register for an event.

These actions are easy to measure and allow you a method of tracking your mobile marketing campaign success.

3. Do You Have a Mobile Site?

Your current website will not render nicely through a mobile phone. You’ll need to build a mobile website to accomodate your prospects who use their phone. If you use WordPress for your website, then the WP Touch plugin will do a nice job of recognizing when someone is accessing your site via their phone and rendering a mobile version.

Otherwise you can invest in a m.yourdomain.com (mobile site). Wonder if your site is mobile ready? Check out Google’s project.

Don’t forget to make contact information easily accessible.

4. Start with Google AdWords

If you want a little jolt to get your campaign going, consider spending some money with Google AdWords. These ads are easy to create since they are nothing but text. No images or banner creation.

The cool thing about AdWords is that you an build a mobile specific campaign (with separate bids) separate from your website-specific campaign. Set maximum budget levels so you don’t exceed your pocket book.

5. Consider Other Mobile Ad Networks

If you roll with a different ad network, you will need to provide a banner. These networks roll out ads across mobile websites and apps. Banners can be created in any design software or with Google’s ad display builder. Last May Trulia launched mobile advertising for real estate agents.

By Real Estate Marketing Blog

Retrieved 30 November 2012 from http://www.realestategrowth.com/blog/archives/mobile-advertising-should-real-estate-agents-use-it.html