The Reluctant Prospector

If you hang out here much, you know how I feel about the traditional numbers game of prospecting, specifically cold-calling.

Blech.

A business model based on being rejected far more often than you're welcomed and calling it a game?

Blech.

I don't think anyone who cold-calls imagines that his or her calls are welcomed by the majority of the voices on the other end of those telephone lines. When you commit to a cold-calling business-building strategy, you have to acknowledge that you will annoy a lot of people. But that's okay, they say, because the end justifies the means. It's okay to annoy a lot of people as long as you end up with a little business for yourself when the day is done.

So, I'm thinking.

What if, instead of striving to annoy cold-call 100 people a day, you strive to impress one person a day?

At the end of the year, the cold-caller will have annoyed more than 30,000 people... but you will have impressed more than 300.

Who do you think is a better source of future business for you? Thousands of annoyed people? Or hundreds of impressed people?

RELATED BLOGS
Does the End Justify the Means?
Impressing versus Touching
Real Estate is Not a Numbers Game

Yesterday I promised to follow up on my blog "You Gotta Ask for What You Want, Right? Eh, not always."

I ended the blog with the assignment to read thru some of the more popular Referral-Begging scripts, and then say them out loud. To refresh your memory, here they are:

• "Do you know anyone who needs to buy or sell real estate?"
• "Do you know anyone moving to my area who could use my services?"
• "I build my business by referral; will you please keep me in mind if you hear of anyone buying or selling?"
• "I'm never too busy for your referrals."
• "I'm always looking for referrals, so would you mind taking a few of my business cards?"

When you say these words out loud, what message are you sending to your audience?

Several commenters nailed it. When you beg for business you sound desperate, hungry and unsuccessful. Definitely not emotions you want to inspire in your audience. People don't hire and refer out of pity; they hire and refer out of respect.

But it goes deeper than that.

Did you notice how all these scripts are all about YOU (as in, the person saying the scripts)? All about what YOU need and want?

There's nothing in these scripts that leads your audience to believe you have anything of value for them; you aren't assuring them of your competence, of your expertise, of your work ethic. You aren't telling them with your words or tone or even your body language that you are capable of Taking Great Care of Them and Their Referrals. No, you're simply telling them with your words, your tone and your body language that you Need Their Business and Referrals.

So, how could you let the people you know and the people you meet know that you'll "take great care of their business" as opposed to you just "need their business?"

And, no, the answer probably isn't telling them "I'll take great care of your business, I promise!"

Thoughts?

Wanna GET referrals without ASKING for them?
Join us starting on September 13th (that's Monday!) for the six week
Prospecting with Soul Workshop!

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