The Reluctant Prospector

I'm doing a little one-on-one consulting with a relatively new agent (who's gonna ROCK!) in Denver. We have similar personalities when it comes to our feelings about prospecting and business-building, so our conversations about prospecting always lead to some interesting A-HA moments for both of us.

Anyway, yesterday, my agent friend told me about a conversation he had with a like-minded career coach - one who specializes in matching personality types with business-building strategies. According to this coach (and my friend's score on the MBTI), my friend is capable of cold-calling and door-knocking for business, and he might even be rather good at it, as long as he feels he has something of value to offer.

HOWEVER, the coach cautioned him that even though he might be moderately successful in his cold-prospecting efforts, his personality type is simply not one that tolerates rejection well over the long term. That if he spends too much of his time and energy on prospecting activities that involve a steady dose of rejection, he'll eventually become depressed and discouraged. And probably won't realize why he's so lethargic and unenthusiastic about his career... and his life.

That makes perfect sense to me! I've been preaching for a long time now that there's no reason to spend your days doing something that you aren't comfortable with when there are perfectly acceptable alternatives. And if there AREN'T perfectly acceptable alternatives, maybe you're in the wrong business!

The good news is, of course, there are plenty of real estate prospecting techniques that don't involve much rejection. Oh, sure, rejection is a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to put yourself in positions of pursuing it in the name of generating business if you don't want to. There's no need to "suck it up" or "just do it" if the sucking-up or just-doing makes you miserable.

Life's way too short for that. Figure out what you enjoy doing that brings in business. Do that. It really is that simple.

RELATED BLOGS: 
Be Yourself... Have More Fun... Sell More Real Estate! 
Stay IN Your Comfort Zone!
When to Venture Out of Your Comfort Zone... and when to stay in

It's Here!!!! 
The Sequel to Sell with Soul
Own one of the first 1,000 copies printed, numbered & autographed.
www.SWSStore.com

I remember when I was a brand-spanking new agent back in 1996, I contacted my previous human resources manager and offered to show relocating employees around Denver if they were looking for a rental. I figured, what the heck? After all, they're renters today; but maybe buyers tomorrow and besides, I could use the practice getting around town.

Good for me.

Just the other day, I talked with a new agent who is considering adding property management to his menu of services. I asked him why and he replied that he thought it would be a good opportunity to make contacts with people who will probably buy a home eventually.

Good for him.

But... here's where I'd like to see that reasoning tweaked just a little.

Yes, renters may eventually become buyers, and later, sellers. But... not because they're renters. They may eventually buy or sell a home because they're human beings.

This is another example of the laser-focused prospecting I cautioned against last week. Agents try to identify specific groups of people to target with their marketing and focus their efforts on that group. Other popular targets include first-time buyers, home-builders, divorcing couples and newlyweds. Some agents watch the obituaries in hopes of scoring a good listing or two.

And there's nothing wrong with identifying a group or groups of people you want to work with and customizing your approach to them! But you know what's cool about our business? Almost EVERYONE who crosses your path "may eventually buy or sell a home" -- whether they're renters, builders, first-timers or newlyweds. Just make it your goal to cross paths with as many warm bodies as possible as you go about your day! And remember to smile...

The SWS Mega-Toolkit
$89 

(You can buy the toolkit and get a copy of my new book freeeee - thru tomorrow)
Here are the details

The other day, a nice man from REALTOR Magazine called me up to chat about the Do Not Call list - specifically, what recommendations I, Jennifer Allan, queen of cold-calling (*snort*) might have for agents stymied in their prospecting efforts by that pesky DNC.

We had a great conversation, although it remains to be seen if any of my brilliance will make it into the final article since I really have no experience with the DNC except for being first in line to sign up.

But one of the last questions he asked made me think... and I came up with an answer off the cuff that I'm rather proud of. Thought I'd share it with you.

Question: "Jennifer, I understand that you never cold-called, but I'm sure that someone in your RE/MAX office did. If that agent were to ask you for advice on what to do instead, what would you have advised him?"

JA's Off-the-Cuff Answer: "Hmmmmmm."

No, seriously, I did come up with something...

"What I would probably tell him would be to get out from behind the desk and the telephone and take his naturally charming self out there into the world and make contacts face to face. No, not by knocking on doors or attending power networking events, but rather by striving to make a positive impression on as many people as possible as he goes about his day. By implementing a Quality over Quantity approach to attracting business. Instead of trying to make contact with 100 people a day, who will almost certainly promptly forget about him, try to really connect with two or three, who will be much more likely to remember him tomorrow... and six months from now."

I'm guessing that someone who has experienced success in cold calling has an appealing personality and a confident aura of success, which would be very attractive out in the real world, too! And, frankly, being out in the real world making real friends and real connections sounds a whole lot more fun and rewarding than dialing for dollars three hours a day!

I must confess that while I think my advice is brilliant, I've never been approached by a master cold-caller for my opinion and I don't expect to be in the near future. There are many paths to success and we're all better suited to one path or another.

So, while I don't expect the cold-calling world to suddenly shift their tactics to the JA-Way, I do hope I can inspire those who'd rather not cold-call to try the JA-Way and see if they like it!

Oh, and watch for your April edition of REALTOR Magazine to see if any of this made it in...

It's here, it's here! My new book - it's here! I mean that literally - it's EVERYWHERE in my house. Boxes and boxes of books, everywhere I look. Yeah, it's kinda cool. Strike that. It's so darn freakin' unbelievably cool. I do a little happy dance every time I trip over my boxes and boxes and boxes! (But check back in with me in two weeks as I'm moving all these boxes and boxes to my new place!)

Here's an excerpt from the first chapter of the book... enjoy!

"If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!
by Jennifer Allan

Chapter One 
"What's Fun Got to Do with it?"

Selling real estate can be a blast. All day, every day? Uh, no. There will be days you long for the stability and security of a steady paycheck and regular hours. There will be nights you lie awake tossing and turning, unable to forget that scathing criticism you received from your unhappy seller. You'll have weeks - maybe even months - when you have no idea where your next mortgage payment is coming from. That's definitely not fun... and, unfortunately, something a lot of us can relate to in recent times.

But you'll also enjoy the euphoria of successfully negotiating a tough inspection. Of beating out five other agents for that primo listing without budging on your commission. Of picking up the phone to find a $1.5M buyer on the other end who found you as a result of your blog. Of hearing from your new referred client that your mutual friend said you were "the best." Of being too busy to breathe and then, when you finally come up for air, realizing that you just had a $50,000 month.

Making gobs and gobs of money is fun. Getting steady streams of referrals is fun. Being a master negotiator is fun. Solving problems is fun.

Being an exceptional real estate agent is fun.

This book is going to show you how to have more fun selling real estate by being exceptional at what you do and making lots of money doing it. Yes, you can mix business and pleasure... and have a heck of a time doing it.

First, we'll revisit and expand upon the Sphere of Influence (SOI) business philosophy introduced in Sell with Soul, because having lots of friends is fun, even for introverts like me. Getting business and referrals from your friends is even more fun-more fun than cold-calling, door-knocking, mass-mailing and advertising combined! We'll discuss how the traditional Numbers Game is not much fun at all and how you can change the rules and beat ‘em at their own game.

Moving on, we'll jump into the car with your buyers and debunk most of the nonsense that real estate trainers have been pushing at us since time began. The way we've been trained to "manage" and "handle" and "protect ourselves from" our buyers is a bunch of hooey! Relax, enjoy your buyers, trust your buyers, respect your buyers and they'll be a joy to work with.

Next, we'll spend some time discussing some advanced strategies for marketing, selling and closing your listings, with a particular emphasis on pricing. Trust me, being an outrageously effective listing agent - that is, one who knows how to actually sell houses - is buckets of fun. Being good at turning your listings into paychecks gives you an intoxicating sense of power over your business.

We'll also discuss some of the finer points of being an exceptional real estate agent-covering topics such as win/win negotiating, the right use of systems and effective communication skills.

Finally, we'll wrap things up with some fresh ideas on time management, taking your career to the next level (or conversely, down a notch), firing your clients and much more.

.....................

Want one of your very own? You can buy it from me (numbered & autographed - www.swsstore.com) or at Amazon... I think the Kindle version is already available, or will be shortly.

You can also get one for free, sorta, if you participate in the book release party at my website - just go here for details.

Did I mention how darn cool it is to release a book?

Right before Christmas, I did a live interview with PI Window on Business's Jon Hansen with the somewhat cryptic title: The Sincere Introvert: Sincerity and Vulnerability in the Age of Personal Branding. The premise of the interview was to discuss how a self-professed introvert (that would be me) was able to succeed in a sales-oriented career by creating a "quiet" personal brand.

Good stuff, if I do say so myself. I had a good time, anyway.

Well, my 45 minutes flew by, and according to Jon, the audience seemed entranced (okay, those are my words, not his) by our conversation, so he invited me back for another round.

That's where I'll be today (Thursday, January 7th) at 12:30 eastern time. Would love to have you join me! Here's the link to do that... http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jon-hansen/2010/01/07/the-sincere-introvert-part-2-the-new-age-of-personal-branding

Most prospecting training is focused on... FOCUSING. Laser-focused prospecting. Doing "it" for three hours a day, whatever "it" is, no interruptions, no excuses. Do "it" until you reach your goal of so many contacts, so many appointments, whatever. Lather, rinse, repeat. Every day.

And eventually, you might even enjoy "it." You might start to see relationships between how much of "it" you do and how many houses you sell. The more of "it," the more of the other.

Whatever your "it" of choice is - FSBO's, expireds, cold-calling, door-knocking, farming, blogging, advertising, SOI'ing, open-housing, lunch-dating - just remember the Good Old Numbers Game and do "it" more.

Fair enough.

But it occurs to me that my business never worked that way. I, frankly, didn't have any sort of formal system for prospecting and my business came from dozens of different sources.

I got business from my best friends, my good friends, and my acquaintances. I got business from open houses, sign calls and floor time. I got business from my lawn guy, my graphics gal and my insurance agent. I got business from my broker, other agents and lenders. I got business from street fairs, coffee shops and happy hours. I got business from current clients, current prospects and past clients. I got business from my website, from blogging and even one House Values lead.

See where I'm going with this?

Just because you met your last client at the coffee shop - does that mean you should only prospect at the coffee shop from now on? Or just because you listed a FSBO last week, does that mean you should only seek out FSBO's? Of course not - I hope that's obvious.

Real estate business is everywhere; it's all around us. Good prospects cross our paths every day, from a wide variety of sources.  Sometimes they cross our paths in the course of doing business, like when we hit it off with an open house visitor or have a great conversation with a walk-in. Other times, it seems much more serendipitous, like when we meet a new-home builder at a friend's wedding or share an elevator with a man who was just transferred. And even if these particular encounters don't result in immediate business, you never know who THEY know who might need someone just like you.

Keeping your antenna up and a smile on your face as you go about your day really IS a tremendous prospecting strategy!

Happy New Year - Love y'all!

It's Here!!!!
Just Released, like TODAY!
The Sequel to Sell with Soul.
Own one of the first 1,000 copies printed, numbered & autographed.
www.SWSStore.com

As it happens every year ‘round this time, New Year's resolutions are being made with a vengeance.

In our world of real estate sales, these resolutions tend to focus on revving up one's prospecting efforts in hopes of having a Great New Year. Promises to more fully commit to a cold-calling or door-knocking campaign, to more aggressively pursue expired listings and FSBO's, to formally choose a farm area or finally figure out what SEO really means.

All well and good. I wish you luck with that!

But in addition to all these Numbers Games, I submit the following plan for your consideration...

Rather than attempting to contact 100 people a day in hopes of catching the attention of a few, how about trying to impress just a few every day, in hopes of making a memorable impression on every single one? If you were to impress two people a day, at the end of a year, that's over 700 people on the planet who think you're really cool - instead simply sort of recognizing your name from your mass-marketing efforts.

Instead of pestering your sphere of influence once a quarter with requests for referrals (which I promise you are not welcomed with open arms), try reconnecting with the people you know as a friend or acquaintance first - a friend or acquaintance who happens to sell real estate.

Instead of focusing all your time, energy and budget on hunting down new prospects, spend at least half of that time being a kick-a$$ real estate agent for those clients who have already honored you with their business.

It is possible to run a perfectly respectable real estate business without doing ANY formal prospecting other than what I describe above. If the people in your world think you're a pretty darn cool person AND a terrific real estate agent, they'll take great care of you throughout your career.

No game-playing required.

Join us on January 16th for a FREEEEE Teleseminar on the
Dangers of Referral-Begging (and what to do instead).
Register HERE!

The live show is over - but here's a link to it. I had a great time; hope the audience did, too... there's some good stuff here if I do say so me-self. Thanks Jon!

Hey, if you have a minute (okay, an hour) in the middle of the day today (12:30 eastern), please consider tuning in for my interview on the Introvert Experience with Jon Hansen! He sent me an outline of the program last night and yipes! He has some good questions - ones I've never answered before... some I've never even thought much about.

I better do that - give them some thought, that is.

Below is the promo for the interview. If you want to join us, here's a link to connect: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jon-hansen/2009/12/16/the-sincere-introvert-sincerity-and-vulnerability-

The Sincere Introvert: Sincerity and Vulnerability in the Age of Personal Branding
As host of the PI Window on Business Show, I have had the opportunity to speak with The Twittering Granny, Canada's Trade Minister, Maine's gubernatorial candidate Matt Jacobson, bestselling authors too numerous to list and industry thought leaders.

Suffice to say each one provided invaluable knowledge, insight and great entertainment for all of us. However, and even with this great constellation of guests, in a world in which personal branding is the key element of building one's profile and establishing an enduring presence, Jennifer Allan caught my attention!

Perhaps it was the fact that she is an admitted introvert? Or maybe it was the simple yet powerful expression of her belief that "the secret of success for real estate agents (Jennifer is a former top producing real estate broker), and other entrepreneurs is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft." A quiet competency if you will that establishes confidence in those with whom she seeks to connect and serve.

A published author, a speaker and a trainer, Jennifer has written five books about the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect.

Jennifer also has a new book that is scheduled for release in early 2010 entitled "If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!"

In the context of the old saying "I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking too loud," I cannot help but think that this champion of the "quiet" brand is perhaps on to something in what is the fast-paced world of social media and social networking.

I am of course pleased to be joined by Jennifer Allan on today's show to talk about her version of building an effective personal brand.

Next up on the list of ways to turn Prospecting Cheese into Soul... the ever-popular Newletter! If you've missed the first two installments, you can catch them here:

Turning Cheese into Soul 
FSBO's & Expireds 

I probably have enough opinions on the topic of Newsletters to fill up half a dozen blogs... and I may just do that. But we have to start somewhere, so let's start, um, here.

We real estate agents love our newsletters, don't we? I wonder how many companies out there are capitalizing on our affection for the newsletter? Encouraging us to "build relationships" via our newsletter... to stay in touch with our friends via our newsletters... to promote ourselves and our wonderfulness via our newsletter?

I'm on a lot of newsletter distribution lists from agents around the country. Some are... well, let's just say that some are better (less-cheesy) than others. Most are clearly purchased "as is" and distributed at the touch of a button (or click of a mouse). Some display a little bit of customization, such as a spot to write a "personal" note and feature a listing or two. A few appear to be 100% created from scratch.

What are the typical topics covered in a real estate agent's newsletter? Lessee... home improvement tips, gardening ideas, recipes, market stats, Just Listed and Just Sold announcements, mortgage news... sorry... but YAWWWWWWWN. Not only does every real estate newsletter seem to follow the same pattern, but half the time, the information is so boilerplate as to not even apply to the local market! Even the fully customized newsletters, while more relevant to the audience, still tend to look, sound and feel like templates.

So let's step back a bit.

What's the real purpose of your newsletter? Is it to...

• Educate your audience on the average Days on Market or Price per Square Foot in your area?
• Impress the reader by displaying your new listings or bragging about your recent closings?
• Ensure your friends know how important it is to winterize their sprinkler systems?
• Share your gardening expertise, even though the monthly "tip" is clearly from a different climate?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, I'll encourage you to think about your answer.

Isn't the ultimate goal of a newsletter to make your audience like you? And remember you?

We can debate all day about what exactly "like" means, but in general, I believe the point of a newsletter is that the person who receives it thinks a little more highly of the person who sent it than they did before it was sent. Which naturally leads to them being just a little more likely to remember that person than they were the day before.

So, what, in a newsletter, might inspire that reaction? Or conversely, what might be the kiss of death?

More next time...

Here's the first installment in a series - Turning Cheese into Soul.

For the record, I have never seriously pursued Expireds or FSBO's myself; however, I have BEEN an expired listing and have appeared to be a FSBO, so I speak from the perspective of a consumer, not a real estate agent or trainer.

And I tell ya - the expired and FSBO campaigns I've personally been the recipient of are pretty darn cheesy. Obviously the agents are taking a shotgun approach to getting business from us poor saps who desperately need their "professional services." The good old Numbers Game - throw enough doo doo against the wall and eventually something will stick. And most of it is, indeed, doo doo.*

Here are some examples of the cheesy marketing I've gotten from agents who want my business...

• Daily postcards addressed to "Property Owner."
• Postcards with a hand-written "Call me! I Have a Buyer for Your Property!" (uh, the house was on the market for the last 9 months).
• Envelopes with my name misspelled (at least that's a step above "Property Owner")
• Letters with promised "enclosures" missing (e.g. "enclosed is a list of homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood!")
• A laughably cheesy series of letters with an insultingly condescending tone.

I've also been cold-called, of course, although not nearly as much as I expected. In almost all cases, the caller was obviously calling from a list and was not in the least bit prepared for a real live human bean to answer the phone. They were usually nervous, probably due to the fact that they were not at all prepared to intelligently discuss the specifics of my listing. I guess they were just shooting for the appointment, and didn't bother to "waste any time" in preparation.

Here's the thing.

The owner of an expired listing or a FSBO probably really WOULD like to hear from you... if you have something to offer aside from a cheesy canned marketing piece and a desperate desire to get a listing agreement signed. These people are not the enemy - they're, yes, real live human beings who have a need they'd love you to fill. But no mass-mailing or cold-calling campaign is going to convince anyone you're the right (wo)man for the job. 

What to do instead?

Quality over Quantity. Instead of simply shoveling out postcards, brochures and missing enclosures to as many targets as possible, take the time to personalize your approach to a few. Drive by the home. Take a close look at the expired MLS listing or the FSBO brochure. Note any marketing challenges you see and think about how you would address them. See if you can identify why the home hasn't sold - it may be price, but it very well may not be. Try to figure out if the property is a short sale; that will affect your approach. Ask yourself - "CAN I SELL THIS HOME?"

That's what your target audience wants to know. Can you sell their home?

If I had received just one personal letter (and I don't just mean a hand-written envelope) from an agent who had taken the time to actually LOOK at my situation and address it specifically, that agent would have had a great shot at my business. If one of the agents who called me actually knew where "Doe Run Estates" is located and why it's special (and challenging), I'd have been impressed. If any of them had indicated they had a clue why my property didn't sell, or even a sincere desire to find out, they might have caught my attention.

But, sigh, no. All attempts to entice me to take the next step were in vain. Hopefully they had more luck with their 99 other targets-du-jour...

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF TURNING CHEESE INTO SOUL...

*For the record, I like Borino's Expired Plus system. It's not cheesy and it's not simply a series of letters designed to beat down a homeowner's resistance. It's aggressive, but do-able for a soulful sort.