I’m going to tell you two stories about two different Realtors.
We’ll call them Realtor A and Realtor B.
Realtor A and B both work in similar markets. They’ve both been in the business for about 10 years and have built solid reputations in their prospective areas.
But both were looking to step up their success. They heard about the Smart Agents books and decided to give them a try. Let’s take a look at how they did.
Realtor A
Realtor A ordered 50 books to start. She mailed them to her seller leads, handed them out at an open house, and sent the rest to the Old Expireds in her neighborhood.
She took down information from open house attendees who expressed interest in her book. A few days later, she followed up with everyone that had received her book.
She landed 2 listings as a result of her efforts, and secured a few leads that weren’t ready to list just yet.
Realtor B
Similarly, Realtor B ordered 50 books, mailed them out to potential leads, handed them out at an open house, and sent the rest to some Old Expireds in his neighborhood.
He didn’t bother taking down information for any open house attendees. He figured if people wanted to call him, they would find his contact info inside the book.
After a couple of weeks with no responses, Realtor B wonders why he hasn’t had any success with the books.
He writes the books off as a waste of time and money and stopped using them.
So what happened?
There is one key difference in these two stories: Realtor A followed up on the books she gave out, and Realtor B didn’t.
The books are an amazing tool that can boost your real estate success and help you appear as an expert in your industry — just ask Keith, who landed a $320,000 listing his first time handing out the books.
Keith follows up about a week after he gives away his book, and then follows up every 14 days to keep in touch with potential clients. Check out his story here.
As I said, the books will help you get a lot of listings. But, they aren’t magical, and won’t do 100% of the work for you. Just like every other marketing technique in real estate, if you don’t follow up, you won’t get listings.
Here at Smart Agents, we’re dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. We want to give you all the tools we can to make our books work for you.
As a member, not only do you receive license to use 14 real estate books as your own, but you also gain access to training strategies on how to use your books to grow your business.
In this blog, I’ll give you just a little taste of how we help our members achieve ultimate success with their books.
How to follow up
Once you hand out your books (you can learn how to do that here), we recommend either of these follow-up methods:
- Calling your leads (or hiring a virtual assistant to do it for you.)
- Stopping by their homes.
As a Realtor, you’re used to calling potential leads and going door to door.
But by giving those leads a book ahead of time, you’ve given them a chance to become familiar with who you are and what services you can offer. You’ve offered them something of value they aren’t likely to throw away.
And although they might not read the book from cover to cover, they’ll recognize your face and name from the front.
Nailing the follow-up call
We can help with that. We offer scripts for every type of seller on our member site, from expireds to inherited and divorce leads.
Let’s take a little look at our script for following up with a FSBO:
Step 1: Make sure you’re talking to the owner.
“Hi, I’m calling about the home for sale. Is this the owner?”
Step 2: Introduce yourself.
“My name is ____. I’m a Realtor here in City Name.
I sent you a book that shows how to sell a home for the most money possible. Did you get the book that I sent you? [Wait for them to say “Yes.”]
Now, just so you understand, I’m not calling you to list your home. My approach is to offer assistance so that if you ever do consider hiring a Realtor, you’ll consider hiring me.
So, I wanted to see if I could offer you free, professional-quality pictures of your home. You can use those pictures to market your home for sale by owner. (Slight Pause)
Do you think that’s something you would be interested in?
(Pause and wait for them to reply.) Most people will reply, “Why would you do that? It sounds like a scam.”
To which you reply, “It’s like when you go to the grocery store and someone offers you free samples. They give you the food samples, whether or not you buy more food from them.
That’s why I’m giving away the pictures. It’s a free sample of what I can do to sell your home. (Slight Pause) Is that something you’d be interested in?
- If they say “Yes,” set up an appointment for the free pictures. Do not continue onto Step 3. (If you do, then you will destroy your credibility.)
- If they say “No,” continue to the next step below.
Step 3: Continue to see if maybe there’s an opening to get the listing today.
“Now, if you could sell your home with a Realtor and they did all the work… and you still NETTED the same amount of money in your pocket… is that something you would consider doing?”
Most will say “Yes.” If so, then continue:
“I know this may sound crazy, but in most cases, a Realtor can sell your home for more money. For example, there was recently a FSBO on the market for $220,000.
After 4 months on the market, they hired a Realtor. The Realtor sold it for $240,000. Even after paying commissions, the seller got an extra $5,000 in their pocket.
I’m not saying this happens every time. But, it happens more often than not. Is that something you’d be interested in?”
If they say “No,” thank them for their time and get off the phone. Remember, next week is a new opportunity. At that point, you can follow up with them! Just keep calling until they list with you or someone else.
The key to a successful follow-up call is offering the homeowner something of value, no strings attached. Gain the seller’s trust, and eventually, they’ll put their trust in you.
Door-knocking for success
When you follow up in person, you’re more likely to actually speak with the homeowner. It’s much easier to ignore or hang up a call than it is to ignore someone standing at your door.
But when you approach, keep the conversation casual and non-confrontational. If you’ve previously dropped off the book in person or met at an open house or other event, chances are, they’ll already recognize you. And if they received a copy of your book, they’ll recognize your face from the cover.
Simply ask if they’ve had a chance to look over your book or if they’re interested in hearing more about what you can offer. At this time, if you haven’t already, you can drop off a packet that includes:
- A cover letter
- We’ve got some samples on the Member Page you can use. Here’s just a few examples:
- Use this chart to compare what you do versus what the average agent will do to market a home.
- Use this sample marketing plan to illustrate what you offer and how you market the homes you list.
- Add testimonials and references from customers and colleagues to this document.
- Our agents use this photo brochure when they mail or drop off a book package to leads. This is a great tool to show how you can advertise the homeowner’s property.
When you door knock, write down any names of sellers who seem particularly interested in selling with you in the future.
You can call these people every few weeks to stay in touch, so when they are ready to list, you’ll likely be the first agent on their mind.
Don’t have time to follow up?
Consider hiring a virtual assistant to take care of your follow-up calls.
It’s not as expensive as you might think! Order a copy of our book, “How to Build a Real Estate Business that Runs Without You" and we’ll show you how you can get an affordable virtual assistant to follow up for you.
Depending on the laws in your state, a virtual assistant may be able to:
- Manage all of your leads.
- Prospect for you.
- Follow up on your leads.
- Handle some of your administrative tasks.
- Put listings into the MLS.
- Help you with your buyer leads.
Following up doesn’t have to be a hassle, and it could be the one thing that changes the future success of your business.
Joe Nickelson is a real estate professional dedicated to helping home buyers and sellers achieve their dreams of owning property, and helping real estate agents stop using the sometimes-vicious tactics that weigh on their consciences. He believes that the Smart Agents books will, quite literally, change people’s lives for the better. Check out his full bio here!
