A struggling agent in AgentsOnline.net posted a question about how she can get other agents to partner with her to help her doorknock. She didn't know what else to do. The good folks in that forum immediately caught onto the fact that she was focusing her energy in the wrong area. I chimed in as well.
My Response# 1 to Door Knocking: I think she needs to do more lead generation. This can be part of it, but she needs to figure out how many doors she'll need to knock on to make it happen. Networking events, getting involved in local charities, etc. can all work if you know how many people you need to meet.
We have CAMP 4:4:3 training at Keller Williams that teaches how to get 4 listings and 4 sales in 3 months. It takes meeting 10 new people at least 5 days a week. You'd then follow up by sending 5 notecards per day and making 10 calls per day to your sphere of influence.
Maybe you should look into getting a coach. Brian Buffini has a coaching program and you'd work mostly by referral. Check his site to see if there's a Turning Point Retreat in your area
Someone then suggested the agent purchase newsletters and do farming, which made me say WHOA! Never spend precious money or time that you don't have on strangers. The best thing we can do is increase our activities with people who will most likely send us referrals...asap.
My Response to Farming Newsletters#2: Farming costs money. We're taught "red-light, green-light" at KW. You don't green-light an expense until you have saved up extra funds for it. I made the mistake of spending money in hopes of getting it back. Everyone will tell us "if you get one sale, it pays for itself", but all of those things add up.
Don't farm, don't send newsletters to strangers, don't doorknock unless you have extra time and leads. Work with people who already know you and love you. If you meet 5-10 new people per day and you keep up with them, you will succeed in this business. It's a numbers game. Later, you'd purchase newsletters, systems, and tools that can help you stay organized, but the main thing right now is to get a good database or way of tracking people and to meet as many people as possible. Doorknocking can be ok as long as you provide something of value, such as an invitation to a nearby open house or recent market stats.
This is my opinion. Do you feel differently? I don't see the value in working with people you don't know when you don't have money and are going broke. It takes a longer time to get to know them and bypass their defenses.
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Dee, I agree about not spending money that you don't have. I think door knocking on FSBO's and expireds can be fruitful - especially if you're reluctant to pick up the phone. I'm glad this lady agent was trying to find somebody with whom to partner - at least for safety's sake.
Taking one morning or one afternoon a week to knock on doors is a good adjunct if she's already doing the other things mentioned, but I sure wouldn't spend my whole week on it.