A win by forfeit is still a win.

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A win by forfeit is still a win.

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I got one of those calls this morning that we all like to get. "Hi Rich, I found your number on the Internet, do you have a minute?" Yes, and thanks for validating what I do to maintain an Internet presence. After all, it's not just about trying to impress other real estate agents.

During the course of the conversation I was trying to ferret out where she found me, and what prompted her to call. That is just terrific marketing information to have.

As it turns out, she thought my website was all right, but she's seen better. My Active Rain posts provided good information, but she really wanted to look at property. She liked the market reports, even though that's not why she called.

She called me because...(drum roll)...I was the only real estate agent who answered their phone, and she really liked that. OK, my ego was a little deflated about that answer, but chalk another one up in the win column.

I guess I'll never really understand agents who spend all that time, and all that money to get their presence out to the world...and than don't answer their phone. It appears that I'm not the only person who has very little patience. If they don't get the first agent they call, they'll just keep going until someone answers. This morning anyway, that was me.

Rich - 1
Other agents who don't answer their phone - 0

Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114

410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Annapolis MD Real Estate Specialist
Bowie MD Real Estate Specialist
Crofton MD Real Estate Specialist

Rich Iarossi is a full time licensed REALTOR®, working in Crofton, MD. My coverage areas are: Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Howard, Calvert, Queen Anne, and Baltimore City and County. I specialize in residential real estate, working with both buyers and sellers. Use the registration free search on my website at www.RichSellsHomes.com. If you’re not already working with a REALTOR®...I can help. Call me at 443-995-9595 (Cell) or 410-451-6255 (Office).

SKYPE ME: RichSellsHomes

©2011 - RichSellsHomes.com - All Rights Reserved

All information is deemed reliable but should be independently verified. Property information is subject to change without notice.

Posted by Richard Iarossi, Crofton MD Real Estate, Annapolis MD Real Estate on 02/02/2010 03:55 PM

Comments (91)

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91 Comments on A win by forfeit is still a win.

FEB

2010

Woohoo! Congrats Rich! It really does pay to answer the phone!

Great post. I guess that just shows how Active Rain can work.

Jim Startzman, Wilmington Delaware, New Castle County Real Estate Expert. Looking for a new home in Delaware? Search 1000's of Homes right here.

You can still count her as an Internet lead, just not quite in the way you'd expect. At least your telephone number wasn't transposed.

Hi Rich, Sometimes we take 'em any way we can get 'em ! Good for you.

It floors me (that's an antiquated statement) that agents are too busy to answer their &^%#!(#@ phones! Why list a property if you can't take a call. Why bother with an internet site, if you can't answer the phone. Why have a BB or an iPhone if you can't answer it? Amazing.

Congratulations on being a warm body with fingers, an ear and a mouth.

Congratulations on the win and keep answering the phone, who knows the next call could be that million dollar listing.

Wanda: Thanks. I'm puzzled by agents who don't.

Jim: Active Rain postings get a great internet presence.

Rick: Still a win, any way you look at it.

Bill: You're right about that.

Suzanne: I'm flabbergasted too.

Don: From your lips...

ToulaRosebrock.com Hi Rich:

Way to go!!!

I can't tell you how many agents I call who never answer their phone.

The only time I don't answer my phone is when I'm on an appointment...

WhooHoo! Love that score, Rich! LOL

Debi

Congratulations! In the long run why she called doesn't matter as long as you can establish a great relationship with her. I once had a lady tell me that she had chosen me because she could see that I wore braces. Really, lady?

I think answering the phone is an lost art form. I love the sound of a human voice.

Way to go Rich!

What is worst than an agent not answering the phone, is a voice mail that says, I'll call you back at my earliest convenience? Your earliest convenience? When's that?

Golden Results 0

Rich 1

I gave up trying to drive and and yack on the phone. I also focus on who is with me in a meeting or who is on the phone with me now rather than assume the incoming call is more important than they are.

I also take Sundays off.

Still score 0 but I see the point you are making. Will this caller or callers like them be there when you can't answer right then the next time she rings?

Rich...

I try ... but it's hard. My phone rings off the hook and I try to answer as often as possible!

Rich,

Thank you for sharing that story with the rest of us! Isn't it amazing to find that many agents nowaday like to hide behind technology & prefer not to have a human to human conversation? Makes you wonder about their motivation for getting in the business...

Hi Rich~ I always answer my phone unless I am already with a client, or inaccessible. Otherwise, I call back as soon as possible!

I wouldn't have called that a win by forfeit...oh, nevermind. Rich, you answered the phone when the other internet contacts she had did not. That's all that matters. Congratulations!

Hi Rich -- I always answer unless I really can't at the moment -- in the dentist chair, in church, making a presentation, etc. But I will return the call as quickly as I can. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?

Congrats Rich! I have never thought of it that way and am one of the agents in the "0" column. I think I will start answering my phone now.... You never know who it might be. Great post w/ a bit of humor :-) thank you.

My desk phone forwards to my cell phone. The only time I don't answer is when I am with another client, in the shower, or otherwise indisposed! Good for you Rich!!

People can say a million times how it's best to answer the phone, but I don't have my direct number ANYwhere in any of my marketing. I used to get crazy calls, like danger calls, and I don't need that anymore. The number on all my marketing and websites is a VM number, and I usually call people back within just a couple of minutes.

For safety reasons, no female should have a direct number out there for any crazy psycho to have.

Judd Reynolds Good for you. I called an internet lead passed to me by my broker. The couple had cash and wanted to buy a home, NOW. Seems no other realtor would call them back. Glad I did. It wasn't a large deal, but I have a very satisfied client who tells everyone to call me.

I answer the phone... There are few times when I don't... and I call back. I don't understand people that only answer their phone for a few minutes a day.

Congrats Rich! You snooze you loose! 3 most important tools realtor show have at all times are laptop, cell phone and transportation.

I answer the phone. That is money. Congrats on the win by default, but really, you won by being AVAILABLE!

Rich that is good news that you got the call, the hope is this will now lead to a sale.

You're right. A 'W' in the win column is success regardless of how it got there. I'd take a 'W' anyday.

Well done Rich! I agree, do everything you can to take the call and avoid sending a customer to voicemail.

Congrats on the lead, Rich. She chose to work with you because you answered the phone, but it was likely the wide variety of relevant content you provided that prompted her to dial your number. Definitely a win!

Rich,

You also had to be articulate or she wouldn't have stayed with you as the agent.

Good for you.

Well, answering your phone is a no-brainer, but sometimes I let it go to VM and I usually call right back.

I know I get like that sometimes when I want something. The problem is you can't always answer the phone, especially when we're with another client.

Hi Richard -- I've heard this said before and sometimes, it's the simple things that matter. Right on!

Yes answering the phone is a great edge. I try to do it all the time during business hours. I'm sure there must have been some calls that I did not get to that might have turned to business had I answered. We are all doing our best.

FEB

2010

Funny thing everyone has a phone but some can't seem to figure out how they work.

Good for you! It never ceases to amaze me how many agents either don't answer their phones or never get around to returning calls!

Richard, Congrats on the feature!!! 1-0 is still 1-0. A win is a win...

Helping you help others live their American dream...

Why was your ego inflated?? Your system worked.

The web site attracted her and your business practice of answering your phone engaged her.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

GOOD MORNING RICH! I am happy your phone rang and you answered it -- what a simple concept! --Gabrielle

Hi Rich. Absolutely true. Even if you have the best web site in the owrld, if you don't pick up the phone, others are just one mouse click away.

I always answer my phone. Statistics say we have 13 mintues or that person moves on. Real estate is a contact sport meaning we have to talk to people

I thought this post was going to be about a solicitation call!

Answer the freaking phone. Repeat 10x.

I'll never understand why anyone who is in business AND works on a commissioned basis refuses to answer their phone...or responds to emails for that matter..

Kudos to you on your recent victory!

Its been said that 90% of success is due to just showing up (or answering your phone in this case).

Akron, Ohio

Congrats on being the warm body that answered the phone! Yes, answering the phone definitely helps!

But let's be real, sometimes its just not possible and if you call back in 5 minutes they've moved on to another agent. That's the nature of our business. I find that agents that work with buyers are better at being available on the phone than listing agents because we have to be. Buyers are impatient. Do you agree?

Bottom line, I'm ok with the fact that sometimes I will lose business because I'm in a meeting or having an in person conversation with a client when a prospect calls. If a buyer wants to work with the first agent that picks up the phone -- they deserve whoever they get! If a buyer wants to work with me, they will wait 5 minutes for me to call them back. Down the line, that other buyer will probably write an offer with the listing agent when they can't immediately get me on the phone either! Hey, now that I think about it -- maybe I should stop answering my phone all the time!

I posted a blog on another forum about voice messages agents leave for callers. The message is supposedly touted by the speaker circuit and goes something like this, "Hello this is (agent), I answer the phone between 11 and 12 and between 4 and 5. I will return your call during those times." My comment was that people want answers immediately now, the age of the information superhighway is causing an increase in the speed with which people want information and answers including and especially when they finally get up the nerve to call the agent. If you do not answer a warm lead when received, when you get around to it they have turned ice cold.

Congratulations, Rich! It is definitely a WIN!

We are in a service industry where answering telephone calls promptly should just be a matter of fact. There's a call to action in every advertisement I do - An email and a telephone number. To me it does not do much good to advertise, if you are not going to have someone available to answer the prospective client's questions or show them property.

If I am not with a client, answering the telephone and returning emails is my top priority.

It takes less time to just answer the telephone than to let it go to voice mail, retrieve the voice mail, dial the number and then start the game of phone tag.

I know that for me, I prefer the days where you actually got to talk with someone when you made a telephone call. I don't want to press one for English, listen to the 101 options for the next button to press, and then leave a message that I have no idea if or when it will be answered.

It really does pay to answer your phone. Most consumers do not want to hear voice mail, they want a live person.

Answer the phone! What a novel idea I should have thought about that. OK I'll test that theory right-a-way.

(_{Please someone call me})

Bill

I too am always amazed by agents who don't answer their phones or return calls if they get a voicemail, but so much better for those of us who do answer and return calls. I also can't believe that some agents expect callers who may not know them at all to be herded into specific times of the day when they should call - that's absolutely ridiculous. I understand the messages that say that the person on the other end will try to get back to me at their ealiest convenience; however, I seldom wait for it to be convenient for them - I move on to find the next preovider of whatever it is that I called about and I suspect people looking for a Realtor do that, too. I've hit a lot of REO agents who say that they don't have time to answer all of the calls that they get, to which I reply, then hire a staff and get someone else to return the calls. All of us are too busy to play long games of phone tag.

Great post , Rich. I've been preaching "answer the phone" for years. I think the basic problem arises from the number of agents that have trouble prioritizing. Selling real estate comes right after shopping, eating lunch, picking up the kids, going to a ball game, watching television, watching a movie, listening to music, fishing, hunting, surfing, working out, playing golf, tennis, swimming, Facebooking, Tweeting, and taking a nap. I'll keep answering the phone.

Richard, it worked. I have long been wondering why that thing on my desk with all of those buttons and lights kept flashing and making those awful sounds while I was so diligently trying to get my marketing work out on the internet. I just picked the thing up and some strange guy asked me to help him. What do you think I should do?

Bill

I'm with you on that one. The only time I don't answer the phone is if I am with a customer.

Way to go, reachable Rich! Who really cares why we win when we do?

I understand in the home inspection side of the business most of my clients will come via Realtor suggestions. It amazes me how many time the caller will express surprise that a REAL human answered and I get to book most of these calls. I have to love my competition! Thanks guys.

I always try to answer my phone but I can an enormous amount of phone calls and sometimes the caller does get my voice mail. When that happens I always call back as soon as I finish the other call. I get annoyed with agents who don't even call me back - I have dealt with some agents that I left 4 and 5 messages for and still couldn't get a return call. How they stay in business is beyond me.

Way to go Richard!!! ;) I answer my phone whenever I can but when I am with clients, I give them my undivided attention and all phone calls go to voice mail. I also am a firm believer in cell phone etiquette. I will not answer my phone in a restaurant or while at the check out lines at the store, etc.

I always return every phone call usually within 30 minutes, but I have missed a few unknown phone numbers that did not leave a voice mail.

Yep....I always try. Crazy I know. I so prefer when clients contact me by email, I can quickly respond by my phone or computer and never have to worry that I've missed that call. Great post.

Rich,

I have had the same thing happen to me....and of course, when I can't it does drive me crazy.....yes, I do return as quickly as I can...

We always answer the phone if at all possible. The number on all our advertising and signs etc is our cell number. So it is always with us and if you ever move to another company, nothing to change other than your company name....all your clients and prospective clients who have the cell number still get you even at your new company. No lost business during switch-over.

We picked up a new client once when a Realtor, who was the clients Mother, called at 9:00 PM to find a Realtor in our area who was responsive. The previous Realtor in our town was one of the ones who has a team, only answers her phone on occasion, and makes you feel like a number in her long list of clients etc. This wasn't working out well for the client and "MOM" said "let me find someone for you". She said we answered the phone and had all the right answers,she asked for referrals from past clients and made sure we knew there was some hand holding needed with her Daughter, the new client.

All because we answered the phone.

I've had the exact same situation happen to me. My phone call was from a pair of investors that wanted to buy a rental in my area. I started working with them and on the second tour of homes they made an offer. We went to settlement 30 days later. They said they were impressed with my service but really were most impressed that I answered the phone! Since then, they have purchased three homes with me and I received an email recently that said they would be looking for their fourth this spring! Goes to show you that you never know who will be on the other end of the call. Sure, I get a lot of telemarketers calling, and that's annoying, but I also get a lot of leads. I still find it funny how we can be better than our competition by just answering the phone or returning phone calls. Thanks for the post!

It only makes sense to answer the phone. It takes much longer to listen to a voicemail, find paper and pen to write down a return number and call them back. By that time, of course, they found a realtor who does answer their phone and you end up in THEIR voicemail.

While I always try to answer my phone and people on the other end seem shocked that I do, someitmes I just can't. I do not take phone calls when I'm with clients (unless I'm expecting an important call and I prepare my clients that I might have to answer my phone). If I talk on the phone while driving in Chicago I can get a ticket.

I'm not sure if that's the reason so many other agents don't answer their phone, but sometimes there are good reasons.

I, myself, I ANSWER THE PHONE. And I have heard the exact same comment from callers on more than one occasion. And you are right...A WIN IS A WIN!

Oh, my phone is ringing...Gotta Go!

Congrats on your feature, Rich!

Chalk it up to a good business practice and a bit of luck. I don't answer my phone if I'm meeting with a client or already on the phone with someone else (except in some rare urgent circumstances). I don't understand why some agents don't answer their phones when they can, even though they're in a service business.

Oh yes, I totally agree with you. I always answer the phone when I can. Except when I'm driving down the highway, that's not safe for sure.

Congrats on the featured post!

Patricia/seacoast NH

Way to go Rich! Your post is an encouragement to us all.

Good job and good for understanding the reason we are in this business, to serve others in a way that they will want to do business with us and to therefore provide us the life style we strive for. Some agents say they won't answer calls during certain times of the day or never on Sunday or other days. That is their choice, but then the rest of us are more than happy to answer the phone and take that client and provide superior service. Why advertise other than to make the phone ring?

Great job Rich. It's amazing what happens when you give good service.

That was the secret to my early success and is the key to my continued success in this biz, I answer the phone. great Job!

I'm amazed how many posts I read about agents NOT answering thier phones....REALLY?!?!

It's so basic...good for you!

I have to admit I find it funny when I call an agent, they answer, and they are at a closing or something and can't talk. Why take the call?

Hahaha! People hate getting a realtor's voice mail!

Richard.......what??????

You blog?

You answer your phone?

Amazing, how that worked. Just kidding....good job.

This post makes me smile. I recall in the not too distant past when some agents' cell numbers were a state secret. Not anymore. People want a human being to answer their call, not a voicemail message. You are giving them what they want.

Great story. A lesson about going back to basics. Thanks for sharing!

Its a people business. Requires human contact. How hard is that???

thanks for sharing.

I'm with you--I want business so when my phone rings, I answer it.

Blogging is great, emails are good, texting is okay but when a prospect finally does call.... answering the phone is a MUST DO. A win is a win!

Congrats on the win. I am just too greedy not to answer the phone. I am thankful for those that do not.

FEB

2010

Oh, that's very funny! But how refreshing to have someone call you who's so open and honest.

Expecting an individual to always answer a phone call is unrealistic. If some is always available to answer their phone, they are either never working or ignoring the person they are with to answer a phone call. Either way, I do not want to do person with that individual.

Personally, I leave a message and if it is not returned in a timely manner, then I cross the name off my list. Of coure, I keep calling my list while I wait for a return call.

Aaron

Personally, I leave a message and if it is not returned in a timely manner, then I cross the name off my list. Of coure, I keep calling my list while I wait for a return call.

Aaron

FEB

2010

What a novel approach. Answer the phone! So simple, yet few do it.

FEB

2010

This really is a win for you. First impressions really do count, and it's nice to see that the internet presence doesn't always count as "first."

http://realestate.moresalestoday.com

FEB

2010

A win is still a win...thank goodness you were available!

FEB

2010

A point in the win column, is a point. And, you can throw all of that internet work you did out the window. Because if you didn't do it, you wouldn't have been in her "view" to call in the first place.

Way to go!

FEB

2010

I have also gained customers because I was the only one who would answer. However, I must confess that there are times when I just get sick of talking to people because my phone rings incessantly. So, sometimes I'm happy to see them go to another agent because I just don't feel like dealing with them. I have to have a little ME time too Rich!

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Richard Iarossi, Crofton MD Real Estate, Annapolis MD Real Estate

Crofton, MD

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Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.

Address: 2191 Defense Highway, Suite 120, Crofton, MD, 21114

Office Phone: (410) 451-6255

Cell Phone: (443) 995-9595

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