I'm Calling to Eliminate This House

Why do you think a buyer prospect is calling on your ad?  Do you think they are calling because the need a Realtor?  Some may be.  Do you think they are calling to schedule an appointment?   Some may be.  But more than likely they are calling to eliminate this particular house from their search. 

The likelihood that folks are calling on the ad because they have just realized that they need a Realtor to effectively find the home of their dreams is remote.  Most folks look at real estate purchases like the common cold.  There is no need to call in a professional just because you have a common cold.  Get some cough syrup from the local drug store.   Homeownerhsip...no big deal, go to a few open houses, find a house, get a loan from the bank, tada! 

I can just about promise you they are not calling to make an appointment for a buyer consultation.  Ninety nine point nine percent of them would not know what a buyer consultation was.  I know some Realtors that don't. 

Prospect callers from ads might be calling to make an appointment to see the property.  But they unusually don't feel they need an education about the home buying process.  Most think before they pick up the phone to talk to a professional that they are perfectly equipped on their own to manage to get through this process.  Hiring a professional is the furthest from their mind.

So before I get any further with this topic, I ask, "What is the purpose of the ad? Or sign or any other promotion you use.  To get the phone to ring? 

If you try to sell this house on the phone by telling the prospect how wonderful it is, "Yes, the bedrooms are huge", or "The kitchen is to die for", and the prospect is calling to eliminate this particular house, you may find that this is not the best avenue to pursue, as it is counter productive.

Once the phone has rung and you are talking with a prospect, before giving them any information about the property take the time to qualify this buyer.  First question to ask is, "Are you looking for yourself or for someone else?"  Many times have I gotten through a conversation, and at the end find out they are calling for a cousin who lives in another state and they were just calling to get some information.

After finding out if your caller is working with another agent find out what their motivation is.  When are they looking to move and do they have something to sell before moving. 

Then ask this prospect what they would like to know about the property and after each answer ask if this is the criteria they are looking for.  Example:

Realtor:  What would you like to know about this property?

Caller:  How many bedrooms does it have?

Realtor:  The house has three bedrooms, is that what you need or are you looking for more?

They ask you a question and you ask them one.  It is a fair exchange.  Once you have determined this property does meet the callers criteria it is time to set the appointment.