Realtor Prospecting Ideas - Why Agents Should NOT Answer the Phone - Real Estate Coaching

Realtor Prospecting Ideas – Use these top producing real estate agent strategies for increasing prospecting focus and effectiveness.

In this team mastermind, we are discussing Realtor prospecting ideas. I am going to talk about why you must stop answering the phone during the time you have blocked off for prospecting each morning.

VIDEO: Realtor Prospecting Ideas – Why Agents Should NOT Answer the Phone

A high-producing, successful agent rarely (if ever) answers the phone

Okay, hold up — you might be freaking out a bit. This might not what you thought I was going to tell you when you read “Realtor prospecting ideas.” In fact, this may be exactly opposite of what you have been doing. But hear me out, because what I’m about to explain to you will make sense. I coach my clients to never answer the phone. An agent that always has to answer their phone needs to rethink their business model.

When you don’t answer the phone, it is because you are busy getting more business or servicing other clients. If you are always answering the phone, it looks like you have a lot of free time. It looks like you are not that great of a Realtor because you must not have other clients you are working with right now.

Anyone that will always drop everything they are doing to answer the phone is ultimately not going to be considered the best person for the job. Answering immediately does not equate to the best customer service in any industry. Do you consider yourself to be a business professional as a Realtor? If so, think about other industries with business professionals. Can you image if you needed to get your teeth cleaned at the dentist and they were available for walk-in appointments? Yikes. Might be time to get a new dentist.

Realtor prospecting ideas: Protect your lead generation time

This is probably the most important of all Realtor prospecting ideas: protect your time. Consider this example. If you were just about to sit down to conduct a listing consultation with a potential client, would you answer the phone? No, you wouldn’t, because you value this opportunity to win a new listing. So, if you value this opportunity for new business, why don’t you put just as much value in protecting your lead generation time each morning? It should be the same concept. Don’t pick up the phone.

Why is it so hard?

Realtors are people pleasers by nature. It is hard to hit “decline” when a call is coming in. It is drilled into our heads that we must be “Johnny on the spot” when it comes to serving all of our existing clients. The fact is, no one is going to complain about getting a call back from you later in the day when your lead generation time is over. I don’t think anyone ever loses a client for responding two hours later. When it comes to ideas for Realtor prospecting, this one is pretty simple. However, that doesn’t mean it is easy.

Also, lead generation is not the most fun activity. Prospecting can be downright painful. You might see an incoming call as a welcomed distraction or “break” from your yucky work. The truth of the matter is that you can use excuses to get out of any important activities, prospecting and lead generating included. This is why you must timeblock, and then fight for that time. Prevent the opportunity for distractions to derail your productive lead generation time. Turn off your phone if you can. Whatever needs to happen to help fight the urge to pick up — make it happen.

More Realtor prospecting ideas

Here’s another Realtor prospecting idea: handle incoming calls/messages with a text script. It can be as simple as this: May I call you right back after this appointment, please? You will find that 99.9% of all people you work with will be okay with this. And the .1% that aren’t okay with it — well, these aren’t clients I would want in the first place.

Understand that you don’t need to explain anything. You don’t need to say what your “appointment” is. It could be your lead generation time. It could also be time you have blocked off to be at your daughter’s soccer game. Or, it could be your “family dinner” hour. No matter what, if you are protecting your sacred times (including your lead generation time), these should be considered “appointments.” This is valid and needs no explanation to anyone. Protecting your time is of utmost importance!