Cold Call Perfection in Commercial Real Estate Brokerage
In commercial real estate brokerage the cold calling requirement is high particularly if you want more business in property sales or leasing. It is increasingly the case that the traditional prospecting letter and direct mail is of lessening impact as technology and communication becomes more direct and electronic. Be prepared to make lots of calls each working day and keep the process moving ahead.
So the important message here is that real estate brokers and agents should strive for cold call perfection and talk to lots of people every day. That focus is quite possible with some personal practice and ongoing skill development. If you want to improve your listing and commission results, then this message is for you.
So how can you improve this basic and important skill? How can you be perfect in the call contact process with your clients and prospects? Here are some ideas to help you:
- It is not just a matter of lifting the telephone and talking to people. Your skills in telephone conversation will need to be improved. Fortunately simple dialogues and daily practice will help you with that.
- Don’t pitch across the telephone. In our industry most of the calls that you make should be for information and to see if you can help the person that you are talking to. They are likely to be interested in sales, leasing, or property management. Correct questions and conversation will help you move through those things. If the person has a need or an interest then you can seek a meeting. We connect frequently with some very ‘business savvy’ people that don’t take kindly to push marketing and pitching; that means we should be focused on relevance and communication as a base contact process in all calls.
- It takes about 3 or 4 telephone calls over time to attract sufficient interest in many people; that is to move to the next stage of meeting with you. For that reason you really need to be organised in making lots of calls on a regular basis. You should track the results of all conversations so you can advance the process and conversation at the next call.
- If you are involved in creating commissions and listings for your brokerage, you will understand that this call requirement is very personal. Things must be practiced individually so your conversations become more fluid and connecting. Call scripts will be of some help initially as you formulate your own dialogue. Practice every day. Make the call conversation as natural as possible.
- Stand up as part of making your calls. For that to occur in a practical way you will require a telephone headset. You will find that standing up helps your conversational ability and confidence. In the early days those things are really important.
From a call contact program track your progress in all respects. Expect some ‘no’ responses and move onto the next call. Don’t push for a meeting with people that have no defined and known requirement for your services. Find others that do need you. In any town or city that process is very important. Talk to lots of people; that’s how you build market share.