IT ISN'T NECESSARY TO HAVE SYMPATHY FOR THE COLD CALLER. THE decision to practice PUSH advertising leaves the PUSHER vulnerable to having the person you called hang up on you. Sometimes it's the only way to stop the conversation. The COLD CALLER interrupts your schedule, keeps talking and when you say "good-by" and hang up the phone, they accuse you of hanging up on them. We're not hanging up. We're simply ending the conversation. The rudeness isn't on the part of the person ENDING the conversation. The rude behavior is from the person COLD CALLING you to sell you something.
It's a free country and if lenders want to risk calling folks to PUSH their loan products, fine. The Do Not Call laws are there for a reason. At least when real estate practitioners use cold calling practices, they are promoting THEMSELVES to the consumer. They are not asking other business people to promote their services for them. Real estate practitioners also respect the Do Not Call Laws. Lenders who COLD CALL agents are using us to get to the consumer WHOM THEY CANNOT COLD CALL without washing the telephone numbers.
PULL vs. PUSH One of the most wonderful things about the Internet is that we can put information on line about a product or service and when folks contact you, you can be sure that they WANTED TO TALK TO YOU. The prospective customer or client may not use your services or buy your product, but at least you had the opportunity to promote yourself, your service or your product without being, what's the word? PUSHY.
What is PULL advertising? There are so many opportunities to promote yourself or your product without PUSHING yourself into someone else's space. Proven traditional ways of advertising are web pages, pay per click advertising of web pages, search engines, directory listings (on line and off line), Yellow Page ads
Some types of PULL advertising take a bit of a learning such as having a successful web site. Promoting the web site by search engines. Experienced SEO folks can help make the site successful so that when a person WANTS or needs a service or product, they will search for that product or service and they can then thumb through as many on line ads as they wish until they find one in the area or with the speciality that the consumer wishes.
Other types of PULL advertising include the good old tried and true Yellow Pages. Want to find a mortgage company? Simple. Just pick up the Yellow Pages and call the ones in your area and you can bet your boots that someone will be there to help you. Or, contact your friendly real estate practitioner. We know good lenders because we work with them regularly. We know the good ones and we can vouch for that lender. Now you've just experienced the value of PULL advertising, the Yellow Pages, and the value of the testimonial, someone who has actually experienced the services of a particular lender.
THEN there is PUSH advertising. The most detested PUSH advertisers are the COLD CALLER and purveyors of SPAM. The cold caller simply is playing the numbers and relying on the human nature of the call recipient to be polite. Folks really like and try to be polite. It's not always easy to be polite when you are deep into contract negotiations and a telephone call comes in from a COLD CALLER PUSHING a service or product. Naturally, the COLD CALLER is very experienced and is very good at controlling the conversation to determine if you are remotely interested in the product or service they are PUSHING. If you are not and say so quickly, that should get them off the phone, shouldn't it?? Well, of course it should. But, it often doesn't because some of the very experienced COLD CALLERS jump immediately into their next routine and ask questions like, "Oh, so you don't want any Internet business?". Or, "Oh, so you aren't interested in helping your home buyers find a good loan?"
Insulting? Sure, but it's a part of their routine to put YOU on the defensive and, BECAUSE YOU ARE POLITE, you will often feel that you must answer their question, ridiculous as it may be. So, you politely explain yourself and BOOM, they've got another bite at the apple. They then have the "permission" they need to go to the next phase of their presentation, to either get you to let them display their software to you on the Internet, or try to get an appointment with you to meet with you, perhaps buy you lunch, meet with your agents, consider putting them in touch with YOUR CLIENTS so they can pitch their loan products.
HOW TO CIRCUMVENT THE DO NOT CALL LAWS CONTACT THE AGENT THAT CONTACTS THE BORROWER.
Funny thing about COLD CALLERS these days. The Federal Trade Commission realized that they were just so intrusive in consumers' privacy that they can no longer contact the consumer directly if the consumer has taken the trouble of putting themselves on the "DO NOT CALL" list. So, if the caller is with, say a mortgage company, they can't call consumers of mortgage products the way they used to. But, they can call and call and call and call real estate practitioners because we are a business and not covered.
When I make a service referral, I not only recommend the lender, home inspector, etc. because I have used their services and know that they will perform at the highest level, close on time, have fair rates and fees. How could I, in good faith to my buyers, recommend the services of an "out of the blue" lender???
Now, rather than call during a family dinner, or the child's bath time or in the middle of Dad's favorite TV news show, they simply call the real estate agents during their work day while theyare interviewing a buyer or seller, preparing a contract, WAITING FOR AN IMPORTANT CALL, in conference with co-workers, trying to line up a home inspection, or the hundred other things that we do daily to run our business. Who knows, we may be waiting for a call from a trusted, known lender to discuss a buyer's financing qualifications. COLD CALLERS who pray on real estate practitioners to promote their loan products to our buyers and believe that OUR TIME has no value are wrong. Our time has value and we are free to speak with whom we wish. It's our choice. Not the choice of the COLD CALLER.
I do quite a bit of cold calling. I find the experience quite pleasant.
I made an appointment today with a brief call...mortgage broker already has a Title Company they work with (and I think are in an ABA) and the call was about to end...however, when I simply asked "may I ask, do you deal much in the Spanish market?"... she was right back in the conversation, eluded to the fact they are looking for a bi-lingual LO and would be VERY interested to meet with me since my company can offer bi-lingual (Spanish) closers - on staff, not even subcontracted.
Push Marketing - yeah, I guess. Problem? Not if I just solved a concern of Mortgage Company XYZ.
Many times marketing evolves with reputation (we are a young company - and developing quite well....but again, young......... "name recognition"? - not where it needs to be). Marketing strategies also rely on finances. Many young companies cannot 'outspend' and get the 'big billboard'. And the 'Big Billboard many times gets the call..regardless of skills. Human nature I guess. Like 'RE/MAX must be good...they're BIG" :^) And we ALL know at least one Re/Max slime-ball.
I got a cold call from a promotions guy last week, who received my name from a 'card mailer' I deal with...I already have a promotions guy (printing, pens, biz cards, etc..) but I want to see what his competition is offering. My loyalty is not with blinders. I am not THRILLED with my present promotions / advertising guy....satisfied but not thrilled...
..I want to be delighted with my suppliers just as I want my clients delighted, not just satisfied.
I did not hang up on my cold call. I may be impressed with his offerings next week.
So next time you get a cold call... it could be me, and though you didn't find me...I found you ...just in time to pull you from the edge of the cliff.
I seriously don't mind these especially if they are following up an email or direct mail piece. I am always seriously looking for a non flakey mortgage person to co-advertise and hold open houses with.
I found a good lender here from one of his "cold calls" or maybe it was a warm call. There is nothing wrong with saying "Hi My name is and I just wanted to introduce myself". His voice was warm, calming and inviting. Someone I would want to send my clients to. He was knowledgable. SOmeone I would want to send my clients to. "Please call me with any of your mortgage questions". I do because the guy is a freakin genius in my eyes and he knows exactly who he is because we talked last night.
If I don't have time I let them know when to call me back. I also let them know that I prefer communications via email. If that person strikes me as knowledgable I may use them. If they know how to work a system and send me a newsletter once a month via email, I may use them.
If a lender is cold calling they want business. I need a lender to help me do stuff like put payments on back of flyers and hold open houses. The hungry ones realize this give and take. I use them too :)
If I get phone spammed from lenders here reading this I will NOT be happy now :)
Now just like everyone has a friend relative or dog as an agent, the same with mortgage. It seems like they always bring someone to the table so I don't get many opportunities to use some of the spendid people I have run into. I do always keep them in the back of my mind though :)
As always Lenn well written and articulated. Still being fairly new to the industry-at least in MD-I am still forming relationships-so I have actually talked and met with several different lenders. I have worked with several different lenders but have started now to narrow it down to just 2 with the best variety and SERVICE!
As the lead technology person for our group I am the lucky recipient for the sales calls from you tech geeks. As a nerd and former field sales slug myself I take special pleasure in having my Pc open and test the BS I am regulary fed about how this company can SEO better than anyone. OR how we are always ranked in the 1st page of google. I sometimes enjoy watching this in action when the dummies are in our confrence room and our wireless is in front of them. The bewilderment of the sales slugs at the inaccuracies of their tech geeks is awesome. Then to giggle as they limp away trying to overcome this objection.
YOU TECH GUYS BEWARE STOP PROSPECTING ON ACTIVE RAIN
Wait till one comes knocking on the front door of your house all dressed up in a suit. Kinda like those witnesses. Is it really that desperate out there?
And rate sheets are a thing of the past around here. Maybe in a an email with an out of town phone number but the personal service is gone. I imagine it will find it's way back soon enough.
Interesting article. If I'm doing something that I don't want to be interrupted, I silence the phone and if they truly need or want to speak to me, they leave a message.
THANKS TO ALL RAINERS WHO COMMENTED. VERY INTERESTING. Sometimes the comments are more interesting than the articles.
Allison Stewart Thanks Allison. I simply resent the intrusion. If I want a service or product, I look for myself or get a recommendation. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Michael Byrne I remember rate sheets. The difference was that they didn't come into your office and take up your time. They spoke when they were spoken to.
Rob Robinson But, aren't you cold calling for yourself?? The person who berated agents for hanging up on cold callers wasn't selling us anything. They are trying to get US, the real estate agent to sell their services to our buyers. That's one reason I objected to her blog. She was ALL OVER agents for not letting her cold caller take our time, whether we wanted to or not. Maybe you didn't see the post. http://activerain.com/blogsview/47938/Golden-Rule-Realtors-Please
Lanette Lanette. You must work in an office. Now the question is "WHAT'S AN OFFICE?"
Renee Many of our buyers are already attached to a lender when they contact us to help them find a home. I've met some wonderful lenders that way in fact, the lender I refer to the most, I met through a buyer 15 years ago. In fact, I met a GREAT on line lender this month. I'll blog about the extraordinary service right after we settle on the 28th.
Stephen And when you find a good one or two, reward them with good buyers. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Michael I have one lender I've been working with for about 6 years that sends me rate sheets by e-mail. I greatly appreciate that. He gets a lot of business from my Southern Maryland folks. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Christopher I feel the same way Christopher. They cold call me and say "How would you like to be #1 on Google. I tell them I am.
Greg They're not going to come knocking on my door. I left the big city where they DID knock on my door and moved to the sticks. ______________________________________________________________________________________
Jeff: Pull vs. Push is one of the things that attracted me to the Internet in the first place. I've practiced PULL advertising and PULL real estate sales forever. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Judi. They don't leave messages. It doesn't fit their need to have a captive audience. If they identified themselves as a lender looking for you to recommend them to your home buyers, would you return their phone call??? I surely wouldn't
Lenn - I am all about Pull. Only because I beleive in the golden rule. treat others the way you want to be treated. most forms of push advertising are intrusive and consumers have learned how to block them out. When they do want to "consume" they go out and look for what they need. i like to be there for them when they need me and stay out of their way when they don't.
PAUL: Yep. Here I am at my post protecting agents from folks who want to tell us how to do business and what phone calls we have to take and don't take.
Teresa. Pull advertising means never to have to regret anything you do because it is in direct response to a stated client's need. There is no SELLING involved.
I am a grown-up. If I need a service, I'm perfectly capable of researching and finding someone to perform that service on my own. When I was in the home repair business, I was forever receiving calls from would-be suppliers and marketers, all telling me that I am incapable of finding a reliable supplier, or more effective advertising on my own and they had the best....oh never mind.
I usually carried the conversation just long enough to get them to repeat their company name, and then I told them: “Thanks, I've just added your company to my do not call list, please add me to yours.”
When I retired for the final time (3rd), my land-line phone was soon “retired” as well, replaced by a mobile phone—that so far is invisible to telemarketers.
Dear Codgers. You betcha. The suggestion this morning that agents have some Golden Rule to accomodate Cold Callers was too much for this independent cantankerous old goat. If you missed it, it was
Loved the last line of your post. And the rest of course. I love Pull advertising as well, Lenn. We are required by law here to recommend at least three service providers and luckily I have a good number of people I trust. The 'out of the blue' stuff basically says, just go to the phone book and find them yourself!
I placed myself on do not call several months ago so that I could politely end all of the calls that start with the caller asking me if I'd like to be number one on Google. They usually get flummoxed and politely end the call.
As I said on the blog post about the Golden Rule and being polite, mortgage brokers and other service providers need to create a point of difference that we real estate practitioners can see and appreciate.
Carol We have no such law here. I recommend known lenders that have a track record. If I need a vendor, I have trusted real estate folks from whom I can get recommendations.
Irene The reason the blog this morning got me so riled up was because they aren't even COLD CALLING us to sell us anything. They want to get to our buyers. They know that they can't call consumers so they call us. They are using us to do an end run around the DO NOT CALL laws.
Lenn, this was thoroughly enjoyable! Love your thought process on this one and all the not-so-subtle points. I appreciate that it's hard work getting a business going-but why must I interrupt my day and my established business to be the conduit? I don't have time. Find another way to get my attention.
I agree with you. That type of using does little to warm a relationship where you might actually drop a card from that mortgage person into the hand of a buyer.
Even real estate people aren't attracted to business wolves.
I make calls that are in response to offer service and help, but not to slip a deal under the 5th rib of someone whom I would like to have on my side. Maybe that is why I've not run into anyone who is mean. Giving rather than taking.
Lenn, I read that one this morning as well, and it did get my corpuscles corpuscling alright. But I chose not to comment at that time—I was a little pressed for time as I wanted to get a post out before going to meet the guys at the café. I kinda suspected that is what prompted you post. I’m not speaking “out of school” to tell you that the five of us like your style, and there will always be a chair reserved just for you at the coffee shop.
Great article on Push v Pull. The very same mortgage companies that I found hard to work with during the refinance boom now want to call me all the time. Sorry. I already have three I'm pretty loyal to...and they are loyal to me.
The most annoying (to me) calls I get are the daily onslaught of Pay-Per-Lead calls. They just don't seem to understand my aversion to paying for leads they generated while using my listings (sometimes literally or figuratively) as the bait. Maybe I'm behind the times on that issue. But I do find it annoying.
PUSH vs PULL ... hmmmm...you know... for Americans, you're not quite into the American Spirit - the do whatever it takes to get ahead. Sometimes this is the ONLY WAY to get business. And since when is it wrong to do whatever it takes to succeed if you're not HURTING ANYONE.
1) Don't just label LENDERS... There are Brokers, Loan Officers, Lenders and Banks. If you are getting a call from a call center - say so... not all cold calls are the same as not all professionals are the same.
2) The good Mortgage Brokers ARE selling themselves. And when we're just getting started, we don't have a track record to promote - but we do have the hunger to service them better than someone who has plateaued. And there is something wrong with that how?
I am GenX and all the blogs about us miss one MAJOR POINT - WE HATE BEING PUSHED. We grew up with door to door salesmen that would not take NO for an answer. We don't like hard sells...But as you develop as a professional, it is going to be ROUGH riding if you continue to forget that everyone had to start somewhere.
It is actually quite arrogant to say DON'T CALL ME when you plaster your sign all over the place. A Business to Business call can be quite politely ended without having to insult anyone or take a position of superiority over someone who is just trying to make a living. Again, if it is a telemarketer they're getting paid to make a call - not a relationship... so that's a different category.
4) Loan Officers in a call center calling at 10pm is a Do Not Call List issue - but calling your cell or calling you at the office is anything but... Throwing that out is also showing that you're clinging to one of the most hurtful pieces of legislation ever thrust upon Realtors! Remember, REPAC tried to get through the Do Not Call for Realtors and were shot down. The single worst legislative beating Realtors have taken.
I REFUSE as a small businessperson and independent contractor in the field of Real Estate to use or condone the use of the Do Not Call Registry. If a professional calls me for business - NOT PERSONAL - then I'm apt to listen and politely tell them I do not have time. If I don't know a number - I send it to voicemail and sort it out later.
I have to call new people everyday. Some calls are warmer than others. I get Realtors that are rude all the time. It is just an attitude issue that shows how much my services are valued by that person before that person takes 2 seconds to listen to me to find out I'm fantastic at what I do.
I'm 33 years old. I grew up in Real Estate. I have over 20 years in the business working with and for developers, builders, surveying companies and as a Commercial Realtor, Residential Realtor and now I am a fantastic Mortgage Broker. Everyday I spend my time hoping to find someone else new and interesting to enhance my business and help me keep that dynamic edge. When I retire I can probably say I have 60 years in real estate... but I'll still answer my phone.
David - Gen X grew up with door to door salespeople? I never knew that. I would have had the baby boomers tagged with that wonderful experiance...from vacuum cleaner salespeople to insurance to "painting your address on the curb"....
I pretty much agree with your position on this entire subject. I also find Realtors in general (broad brush) much more rude than when discussing business opportunities with Mortgage Brokers and Lawyers.
This was pretty funny - "It is actually quite arrogant to say DON'T CALL ME when you plaster your sign all over the place."
Leigh Brown Actually, it wasn't the thought that they were getting a new business going that got my attention. I can respect that. However, if the only way that a mortgage company can get business is to cold call agents to get to borrowers, they are invading my time. Cold calling real estate agents for business seems to me to be a pretty poor way to do business. Why not advertise to consumers of their product?? I don't want to "carry water" for an unknown mortgage company. Don't intend to. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ JudyAnn Lorenz I simply disagreed with the assumption that they had some RIGHT to take my time to sell their services to my clients. They don't. Dear Codgers I figured it was the same article. It contained all of the "red flags". Put the REALTORS on the defensive and then try to create sympathy. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Chris Lengquist Well, if the mortgage companies have to resort to cold calling agents to CREATE business, perhaps they should simply cut back and service what they have and improve their service to agents that already use them. Cold Calling agents doesn't create any new business. Referrals do. But, that comes from good service. David: Not all persons in the real estate industry do "what ever it takes" to get new business. Some rely on service and pull advertising. A company that relies on cold calling for new business may not have anything of value to offer.
You still missed the point of my post. Pull vs. Push aside, the mortgage co/lender/bank/broker/loan officer, etc., etc., claiming that there is some "golden rule" that REALTORS must entertain her cold caller is not even selling to the REALTOR. They are seeking to USE the REALTOR to sell their service to the REALTOR's customers/clients. I recommend mortgage companies and loan officers that I know, not someone who cold calls me. Rob Robinson It's not at all arrogant to say DON'T CALL ME simply because they can scrape my name and number from my web site. My web site is an invitation to home buyers, not lenders. But, I get cold called all day long from mortgage companies, SEO companies, PPC companies. I'm not advertising to them.
What I hate about hanging up with respectful cold callers is the guilt that niggles afterwards. Really, if this person is taking the time to request my business, aren't they owed the courtesy (except the dinner's burning, the dogs are scratching the back door, etc.) of a response other than, "IT'S A BAD TIME"- ? And, I immediately forget them. Maybe they can provide a really, really fast intro- something like, "I'm John, I'm sure you're busy- I'll be sending info"...click. No response from me needed! I might remember John for that kind of ease!
ROB: Door to Door was dying - it was gasping for air but I remember the Electrolux salesman.. the Encyclopedia Brittanica...etc... The plaid jacket of Used Car Salesmen was one of the things that gave us our values NOT to hard sell. _________________________________________
"A company that relies on cold calling for new business may not have anything of value to offer."
And you would know that how??
I think you missed the Golden Rule idea - it is "do unto others as you would have done unto yourself"... where would you be if no one had answered your call when you were starting out?
Did you start in the business in a two income family? Maybe some of these people aren't! Did you start in the business when affordable housing was $300K? Did you start in the business when Americans could NOT save because of the cost of living? No.... you actually started in the business when Interest Rates kept first time homebuyers out. It kept people out of the industry because banks controlled everything. You didn't have a free market on mortgages when they were in the 12+% range... you took what you could get because it was still the American Dream!
Again - a Telemarketer from a Call Center is one thing.... but MORTGAGE BROKERS and BANKERS Do not sit in call centers to bug people. There is a DISTINCT DIFFERENCE. A Business to Business call is not personal and your blanket statement about Mortgage People and their choices about how they conduct their business is a personal attack. I know blogs are definitely forums for opinion... but pull vs push you have to do what it takes to get that experience. People denying you any opportunity is keeping the market down because the new realtors and new mortgage brokers are not getting the chance to gain valuable experience because you're biased against them.
This is also a case of knowing the state license law and how it applies to your business. I am BOTH a Real Estate Broker and Mortgage Broker. I NEVER sit on both sides. In fact, I have my real estate license right now for one reason - so I don't chime in about another licensee's business a) without the legal right to practice that field and b) without knowing how the other half lives. I was a Realtor first... and I maintain my license and actually end up coaching Realtors that I work with because they're prone to a few snafus here and there.
It is not USING the Realtor... if it were, they would not call YOU... they would call your Broker and buy a desk at your office, kickback to the broker, and then have the Broker dictate to you that you HAVE to use them or find a new place to hang your license...
I definitely believe you live on a plain where the Mortgage person is beneath you in importance which is sad... because the Mortgage Person brings the money into the transaction and the Golden Rule of Business is: "He who has the gold makes the rules". So if you want, I'll level the playing field because any mortgage broker worth his/her salt has a MUCH tougher go at the learning curve and networking simply because people think that we're all deal doers and not relationship makers. It is actually quite SAD that there are Realtors... REALTORS with such a bad reputation... literally the 3 least respected professions right now are Attorney, Used Car Salesperson and Realtor... there are REALTORS that contribute to the degrading of any other profession - especially one you're supposed to be PARTNERING with.
How about when "pull" advertising becomes "push" advertising? For example, someone goes to an open house and signs in. They are now potentially going to be "cold-called" by the host of the open house? Is that push advertising?
Michael - I Was thinking about mentioning that but I know a hundred realtors will say that they aren't forcing people to go through the door... and that the Realtor laws are that sign ins constitute notice that they were marketing AND tracks people entering the premises for liability issues.
David You assume a lot. Fact is, I worship the ground lenders walk on. If one of the lenders I refer buyers to contacts me with an attractive new program or instrument, I am grateful. I have half a dozen lenders sending updates for VA, FHA, conventional instruments, changes in limits, regs. regularly. That is service and they have proven their value by giving good service to my buyers. I'm very loyal to businesses that treat my buyers well. I don't consider lenders "beneath me", on the contrary. I can't do what they do and I know it. But, I do what I do very well and I wouldn't be doing any favors to my buyers by making one of them a Guinae Pig for a loan officer with unknown service and experience. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Michael I don't use sign in sheets. If a house is right for a person, I'll sell it to them. If they want me to help them find another house, they have my card. I hold Open Houses to sell the house, not prowl for buyers. Real estate agents and brokers are not all alike. Nor are lenders. My post was about COLD CALLING and assuming that the agent being called has some GOLDEN RULE duty to speak with COLD CALLING lenders. It was about PULL/PUSH advertising.
laurie - Your time is YOUR time. Seems to me that if you wanted info from a loan person, you'd know where to find it. You surely don't have to wait for it to come to you through your phone.
I don't assume... assuming is believing that someone that calls you COLD may have nothing to offer. I admit making a generalization but not an unfounded one based on your own words that you keep repeating about LENDERS THAT COLD CALL. It is pandemic among Realtors to believe that cold-callers are wrong for whatever reason. If you get a cold call it is to build a relationship and to ASK PERMISSION to send you something.
SALES 101: You're not going to get the business if you don't ASK FOR IT
No one said anything about Guinea pigging your buyers either... you're assuming that they want you to give them business sight unseen... challenge the next one that calls.... Challenge YOURSELF for that matter. Give them 5 min... here are 3 criteria that you can use:
Find out where they are - not local? Strike one
Find out if they will run a scenario for you. Use a live one - with no personal information - just see what they can come up with and challenge them to run it by a veteran to make sure it holds water - can't or wont? Strike Two
Get them to BUY YOU Coffee... we're all slaves to freebies. If they're local, good and committed, it isn't much to give them 30 min of your time in return for a cup of coffee. They won't meet/buy? Strike Three - now I understand not dealing with THAT PERSON.
YOU MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING. For instance - great you have 1/2 dozen lenders/brokers you work with...but what if that person that you rudely dismissed... YES RUDELY... might just have that niche product that your next listing NEEDS to sell. A product of any kind...
Personally, I do tricky loans but there are categories that I'm not as comfortable with or as patient with... so my niche falls elsewhere. Maybe you'll find that your current list isn't complete and it cost you what? I can tell you that 95% of residential brokers don't have the commercial ability and connections that I have. What does commercial help you? That doctor you sold a house to might want to buy his office space. Why lose it to a commercial agent?!?
35 Min and a Cup of Coffee... you're not THAT busy.
David-- you are right in line, as usual. It seems that my post yesterday got a lot of panties all pulled up in a bunch. Forget what I said about the Golden Rule ladies: Just keep treating people like garbage and watch opportunities slip through your fingers and into the hands of the people intelligent enough to take a second to listen. I just LOVE how so many posters here claim "busy" as their reasoning. As David said you aren't that busy! If you are, you have TIME MANAGEMENT issues.
You're just Realtors for goodness sakes. Really!
I say, take the calls and see what comes of it. Unless, of course, you are just too busy. (Laughing quietly to myself)
I used to be in a stricly cold-calling B2B sales position and know how it is to be the cold-caller as well as the cold-callee. I'm a strong believer in pull over push since I've been a real estate agent especially over the last several years with the way the industry has been going. If you give consumers something that they want and need withouy being pushy, they will see your credibility, knowledge and expertise and appreciate your manners. And hopefully, they'll choose to use you as their agent because of that.
I don't work for free nor on behalf of others so I don't want them to run to another agent with my information and have them reap the benefits of my labor. Sometimes though, that's the case. But to me, it's worth the gamble - the leads I've received and those converted to clients well outweigh the ones that took my information and went elsewhere.
Danilo.... but the assumption is that a cold call is a PUSH instead of just an attempt at an introduction...
The truth is that waiting tables actually might have taught me the most about Push/Pull... servers that pull get lower sales and lower tips... servers that push too much get higher sales but tips fall slightly... servers that learn to push with the right amount of force make huge pockets full of cash.
Push vs Pull... you either go and get what you want or you can wait forever for it to come to you.
Lenn, I love your solution. Heard a really good one the other day from a man in his 80's that's now deceased...he would answer the phone and when they asked for him, he would ask who they were and identify himself as a detective. He would then starting pumping questions to the caller about his association with the "body" that was just found at this address and then proceed to ask the caller what his/her address was so that a detective could be sent to question him as to his/her relationship with the "dead body." All the while, appearing to speak with another detective at the home and interjecting, "oh, you've traced the call."
I was in stitches when this gentleman told me this story...it certainly had the PUSHY caller on the defensive but requires time and energy.
I have say, my favorite of all times are the people pushing to MAKE YOUR WEBSITE #1 on the search engines...love that one!
Lenn, I stopped being polite to cold callers about 15-20 years ago. If they don't understand "thanks, but I'm not interested" the first time, I simply hang up. I learned a long time ago that the only language cold callers understand is rudeness. I don't think I've ever once had a cold caller respond to me with "oh, OK, thank you for your time and goodbye" so I learned to just cut them off mid-sentence when they started up with their SCRIPTS again. They may not value my time but I do. Click! There, I feel much better now.
Makes me wonder if the Realtors that leave their Biz cards on the table at restaurants with the paid bill.. can understand the bus boy wondering why people are so arrogant ..they are adding MORE trash to their crummy jobs. :^)
Don't like cold calls because you can find people if you need them? Then make sure you don't cold call your biz card.
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