Face-to-Face Appointments Are Key to Success
The only way I know for us to make money in this business is if we are literally face to face with a potential buyer or seller. People start their home search or home sale process at varying degrees of interest or need. It is up to you to maximize these opportunities and add unbelievable value to the process so when the time is right, they hire you.
There is a huge disconnect with agents when closing the gap between having leads and securing appointments. Most agents are only giving their time and attention to the 4-7 potential clients that want to do something right now. Having a full pipeline of leads, and then effectively converting those leads into appointments, takes strategy, hard work and dedication on your part to create appointments in your calendar for the week—every week.
The greatest thing about the real estate industry is that it is flexible. The worst thing about the real estate industry is that it is flexible. You don’t have to be somewhere every day, so in order to be successful, you need to be disciplined and strategic. Business comes to you occasionally from your sphere, but not often enough. It is easy to think you were are work all day—but did you make any money? Did you go on face-to-face appointments with potential buyers and sellers? This change in your daily routine will help you double or triple your income. It’s a fact that top-performing agents “make it happen” by having a written plan to secure a certain number of listings and sales per month, therefore dictating the income they will make. Filling your calendar with more appointments every week ensures you won’t have a goose egg month, or worse off, feast-and-famine income.
Follow these proven methods to make sure your week is full of appointments, every week, and you will have listings and sales and, more importantly, consistent income month after month.
Fill the Pipeline at All Times
In order to create face-to-face appointments, you have to have a full pipeline of potential buyer and seller leads. These are people from all lead sources, online and offline. Whether you need to call your sphere, hold more open houses or contact FSBOs or expireds, the truth is, more prospecting leads to more opportunities to meet with people—yes, face to face. When you have a pipeline, your next job is to get an appointment with those people as soon as possible.
Have a Strategy Before You Call
What is the goal or outcome you want out of the call? It is to secure an appointment for either a marketing proposal (listing) or a buyer presentation consultation. Your strategy needs to be effective and value-added to get you hired. What questions will you ask and how you ask them? The goal of each call is to ask great questions and provide value to help them solve their problem and reach their real estate objective. Solve their problem and add incredible value, and you will get a face-to-face appointment.
Make Daily and Weekly Appointment Goals and Track Performance
Literally track your goals versus actual results for the number of calls made and number of appointments you desire and obtain. This will drive you. This will motivate you. What is tracked and measured improves. What is tracked, measured and reported to an accountability partner or coach exponentially improves. Your conversion will increase the better your material (script strategy), and you can make less calls and convert those calls into more face-to-face appointments. Your success will make it easier each time to make more calls.
Time-Block the Money Hours
Put the prospecting calls on your calendar as an appointment. This way it is scheduled, and you made a commitment to yourself to be on your phone making appointments to make sure your week is full with showings and listing appointments. Schedule this highest dollar-producing time into your calendar, and show up for your own success. You will love the results—I promise!
Embrace Rejection—You’re One Step Closer to a ‘Yes’
It is going to be fun to call everyone in your pipeline, your expireds or FSBOs list or your online leads to see who is going to be ready to do something this week. You are weeding out the “not ready” people, and that’s OK. I’m OK with people who aren’t ready yet; they are future business for us down the road. Embrace the fact that not everyone is ready to do something this month, and keep adding value and stay with them for months. They will turn into a client eventually. The more “no”s you get, the closer you are to the “yes” you are looking for.
Keep Calling Until You Secure 4 Appointments
Agents ask me all the time, “How many calls do I need to make?” My answer is, “It depends”—it depends how good your scripts are to convert the call into an appointment. What I suggest is, keep calling until you secure at least four listing appointments. Then make another 10 calls. Why? You’re on fire—that’s why! Keep that greatness up! You will enjoy securing appointments, and even more, you will be creating your own success one face-to-face appointment at a time.
Remember, you have a listing or sale this week. You just don’t know the address yet!
Happy selling!
For a free copy of my exclusive Weekly/Monthly Activity Worksheet to Secure More Appointments, click here.
Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With 20 years of experience in real estate, Johnson offers coaching, consulting and keynotes, and is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. Sign up for a free 30-minute coaching strategy session or visit www.sherrijohnson.com for more information.
