Taking the Fear Out of Prospecting
If there is a word that can strike fear – in varying degrees – in the hearts of most real estate agents, it’s this one: prospecting. For decades, brokers and trainers have been telling agents they can build a real estate career by…well, prospecting…but agents rarely take that advice. And when they hear that it includes open houses, and conversations with sellers of expired listings and For Sale by Owners, their dread and revulsion often grow exponentially.
Sure, most agents will host open houses. It’s (by far) the least threatening of the gruesome threesome, but even then, the very conversations they need to have, don’t happen – again, because of fear. But is it just fear that keeps agents from doing what they intellectually know they should do, but have so much trouble doing?
It is fear, but not fear of talking to people. It’s the fear of rejection. It’s the fear of people being mean to them or closing a door in their face. And unfortunately, new agents can be subject to alleged prospecting horror stories.
Really, these conversations with owners of properties with expired listings and FSBOs, as well as conversations with guests at open houses should simply be just that – conversations. They should be conversations no different than any other simple human interaction. My best advice: Dial it down.
First, detach yourself from the result. Sure, you’re scared of failing – so don’t set yourself up to fail. Knock on the door, start a conversation about their house being listed but no longer being on the market, and see if they’re considering interviewing a new agent. If they say no, ask why, but don’t push – it’s just a conversation. For a FSBO, often hoping to sell their property themselves because they don’t see the value in a REALTOR®, start the conversation and offer value. But don’t talk about listing the property. Be human first. Find out what they are/were planning to do, what their dreams are. Cultivate that relationship. And then, when they’re ready, talk about how you can be just that human to help them.
Taking this approach – that I call Peoplebased – will take all the pressure off both the seller and you. And then, without that pressure and fear, you can have conversations all day, every day, with the people who need you.
