When you’re prospecting for real estate leads, you send a letter.
But how many letters? And what should that letter say?
Most definitely, you need to send more than one. There’s a remote chance, if your letter is dynamite, and if it happens to arrive at just the right time, that one letter will make your phone ring.
But it isn’t very likely to happen that way.
If you think about it, you’ll realize that writing a letter to a cold client is about the same as making a “cold” phone call. They weren’t expecting to hear from you, they don’t know you, and they have no idea if you’re good at what you do.
You are merely another stranger who has invaded their mailbox.
In addition to that, your message might arrive on a day when the homeowner is far too busy to open any mail that looks like advertising. It might arrive when the homeowner is angry at real estate agents in general. It might arrive when they’re out of town. It might arrive when they’re in bed with the flu. It might arrive when they’re just not interested.
But the next time they see a letter from you they’ll know you’re just a little bit different from the others, and they might take the time to read and that letter to find out why.
By the time the third letter arrives, they’ll be wondering “Who is this person who is so persistent?” and they might just want to know more.
Then when the 4th letter comes, if they really are in the market for a real estate agent, they’re very likely to call.
But there’s a trick to making this happen. You can't just send any old letter.
You can’t send one of those generic things that says: “Here I am. I want your listing. Hire me.”
You need to send something that says “Here I am, and I want to help you.” And in each of your letters you need to offer advice, suggestions, and information that really does help them in some way.
Then, with each successive letter you’ll be positioning yourself as a person they can trust – someone who will give them good advice and guide them through getting their home sold.
You’ve heard that old saying: “You don’t ask someone to marry you on the first date.”
Getting a real estate listing isn’t much different. If you ask for the listing before the homeowners have had a chance to get acquainted with you, the answer is likely to be “No,” especially in the current market.
So send them letters that allow them to get acquainted with you and learn to trust you. Then ask for their business. And get it.
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