No offense, but are you really cold calling in this day and age?  Why?  Do you not have any other marketing in place to sustain your business?

Donna - None taken!!! Yes I am cold calling!!! I don't exactly enjoy doing it, but I find that I am in more control of my business this way. If I wait around for someone to call me then I am not in control. Why do I do it in this day and age? ... Because not many others do, plus my sellers like it. I call all around their newly listed homes to find someone who has a family memeber or friend who would like to move into their area! Sure I have other marketing in place, but once again it is relying on something I cannot control.

Let me ask you something...When you first started in the business, did you not prospect until you had the money to spend on marketing?

If you are cold calling and that is what you are doing please make sure you are paying attention to the do not call list or your broker will be hating you.  I did get some stuff by cold calling but never was good at it.  Some people are.  To be truthful, keep trying different things until you hit on something. 

Denise - Thanks for the pointers. I actually use something called Data Exchange which scrubs the numbers from the do not call before giving them to me.

Cody

I love to cold call and door knock the secret is too door knock the area you are cold calling and get the permission of the people to follow up with calls. I've been doing it since 1983 and out of the thousand's of people I have met I only had about three people tell me off.

To me these are great odd's. Plus you are right not many people are doing it. Let me ask you a question? Who would you rather do business with someone you already met or someone who sent you their picture on a postcard or mailer that you get every once in awhile? I have taken listing after listing where the people had someone else's refrigerator magnet and freebies all over the house and I haven't sent them anything.

Cody, keep up the good work and keep at it. Over time you will develop your own style of calling and then it will be fun and easy. Don't let others sway you away from it. of those who try to 99.99% of them haven't even done it for any length of time.

Gary - Thanks so much for your comments and support. That is exactly how I see it as well. I don't want to send out all that money in the mail. I can reach so many more people by phone and direct contact. Recently I took a couple listings myself who had the same thing. Magnets of other agents.

I would love to talk to you more about cold calling. Would you mind chatting with me more about some of the other questions I have?

Thanks

Cody I've been making an average of 150 to 200 calls per day (5 days a week) since 1998. They all started cold but they've become warm since then. I try to stay in touch with these people at least once every other month. In addition they're on my newsletter mailing list (the ones that give me referrals and are pleasant to speak with). I still pick up the phone everyday to make my calls (mostly to say hi... I'm still here and have you heard anything?). Best of luck with your cold calls.

Vincent - That is a great point. So do you actually call until you reach 200 people or do you dial 200 phone numbers? I have found that out of 200 dials I am lucky to talk to 25 people, I am probably just calling at the wrong time of day (9am-3pm). So even if you call someone and they pretty much say I am not interested and hang up you, do you still call them every other month? Or just the ones who take the time to talk to you for a minute?

When you call and say hi...I'm still here and have you heard anything?...are you referring to hearing anything about the market or others who are looking to buy or sell?

Sorry about all the questions! I love to learn!

Thanks for the great help!

Cody

Cody Feel free to contact me at my office number anytime but today, or wait till the weekend and call me on my cell number if you have T-mobile call anytime. I would be happy to help

Gary - Thank you very much. How do you feel about email? That way you could get back to me whenever you have the time. I have no problem waiting!

Cody

Like it or not your are not only a Realtor, but also a telemarketer.  You are using the phone to market your business.  Thats not a bad thing.  Cold calling does not have much success, but once in a while it pans out. 

The majority of the people you cold call will be annoyed until you find the right person who is actually in need of your services.  Then again you are a telemarketer so you know that HAHA!!! 

You are also an adult babysitter at times, a driver, a negotiator, a psycholigist, a graphic designer, a CEO, and the list could go on and on. 

Showing up in person is about the same.  People are still defensive.  When I walk an area I usually have my kids in tow in the wagon.  Its easier to strike up a conversation, people are less defensive when the kids are around, its good exercise, and the kids get out of the house on a weekend evening. 

Cody

Go for it!

Chad - Thanks for the comments. Thanks for telling it strait. Good idea about the kids! I of course don't have any kids, do you mind if I borrow your kids and the red wagon?

Cody

When I FIRST STARTED IN THE BIZ I tried cold calling a few times, with nothing coming from it!  With the National Do Not Call List in place, it really doesn't help because almost everyone is on it!  I would look into other more up to date ways of prospecting.  Try to set up a FREE website with Point 2 Agent!  I did that a few months ago and really took some time to tweak it and put in the right key words and now I am getting at least one new person registered (contact information) every day from the site!  I have already closed with 2 clients from the site and have gotten 2 new listings in the last 2 months!  NOT BAD FOR A FREE SITE!

Easy Cody, they are 3 and 5, you don't know what you are asking!  I would gladly ship them out to you for a quiet weekend alone!  You better sell a few houses though before they arrive, the food bill is pretty heavy.  Such small stomachs, but they rarely fill up?  Now I just have to send my wife away for the weekend as well, and that my friend will be the perfect weekend! 

Back in my single days before RE, I would take my nephews and neices out and about.  At first my brothers thought I was doing it to be a "loving" Uncle, and I did, but Women are really talkative to a man with a child.  I use the children as my door knockers and ice breakers.  Ask your Friends and family to "use" their children for a farming stroll for a few hours, and I bet the kids will be ready to go before you get off the phone! 

Michael - Hey I will do that man. Thanks for the advice. At this point while getting started I am doing and trying anything I can to get the ball rolling.

So can you give me any advice as to how to tweak it and put in the right key words? I would really appreciate you helping me with that one. I have never created a web page before. Thanks again!

Cody

HAHA, Chad that is funny. It is probably best you didn't ship your kids unless they like living on muscle milk and way protein, I may have some old corn dogs in the freezer but I doubt it. lol.

Anyway, good idea about the kids. I may have to look into renting a few of them.

Thanks for the tips!

Cody

Cody I do mean 200 dials. If no one is home I leave a message (all the time) it goes something like this- Hi this is Vincent from Prudential I'm calling in reference to a very important RE matter could you please call me back at your earliest convenience, my number is 646----.

On average I can get people to stay on the phone with me for about 20 minutes each.  Getting lots of details from them like - when & where would they move, how many kids they have (and their names), the dogs name in the back-round, is the house a semi/det/att home, how many brs, is the basement fin/semifin/unfin, is it gas or oil, how many owners, etc.,

If they don't want to speak with me or hang up I do call them back the next month with a different approach. I keep all my notes and bring them up on my screen when I speak to them and jot some new ones as we're talking.

I call the ones I already know for fresh new leads. I always offer info of what their neighbors just did (whether it be sold, listed, or expired). They like to kept up to date on what is going on around them or up the block from them (this is why they don't mind me talking with them for a while). Then I hit them with who do you know? Have you heard anything from a friend, family member or coworker that thinking of..?

Best of luck.

Vincent - I like that, I would be curious to know what the important real estate matter was if I got that message. When they call you back and ask what that matter was do you tell them it is a new buyer looking, or the markets condition or something like that? I like your style and am anxious to learn more!

So it looks like you don't just wing your calls. You know the neighborhood you are calling and have some information about it to present as well as the homeowners tax records to veiw as your talking.

Great info, Thanks!

Cody

Cody

I like Chads idea about bringing the kids, I go to one area and borrow the neighborhood dogs and they walk with me off a leash and are well behaved. In the summer time after I do my foot canvassing I take them to the part of the lake where no one swims and let them all go in to cool down.

Gary - Ya I like the idea too. I don't know though. At my age them may feel that I am trying too hard. I am only 21. What do you think? A dog may be more practical for me.

Cody

Go for the dog, make sure it is a dog from the neighborhood perhaps an elderly persons dog take it with you. The elderly people will appreciate it and the neighbors will think your a nice guy for helping them out. Don't forget to chat with the owners for a while when you get done with the dog, you'll be surprised of how informative they can be.

Gary - Great! 4 months from now once it starts dumping down rain I will give that a try. I suppose I could get on of those cool hat umbrellas. Thanks!

Cody

Don't go around looking like a dork! If you can't walk call, if you can't call mail and if you can't mail, hold a free seminar. Get involved in your community or farm area or get a different job.

Gary - obviously I was joking, I am not stupid. I ask questions and bring up different things because I want to be the best and am not afraid to ask. Learning is my strength, not my weakness. As far as getting a different job, this isn't a job for me, it is a passion, a way of life. I plan to fight as long as I have to in order to be successful. Thanks for your comments!