Whether you have huge volumes of leads or you have just a few dribbling in, it is essential to make to maximize each one to find out if there is a real opportunity or just somone who will waste your time.  Even with online marketing in real estate people still want the help of speaking to a professional that will help them with their goals.  Understanding their needs before you ever pick up the phone will lead to more appointments coming through your door.

For many a real estate professional the phone is the “necessary evil” in the game.  The evil mainly comes from the rejection that is faced, which is only alleviated by moments of glory when someone agrees to an appointment. 

The key to having more success (and fun) in real estate is to ensure that you have more moments of glory and face less rejection.  Focusing on four simple steps on each call will make your calls easier and will have more appointments coming to meet with you every day. 

Control the call 

Too many times real estate agents start selling on the phone because that is the training they received.  When you start selling your future customer turns off their ears because they are conditioned to ignore sales people.  They have one thousand other things to do on their plate and you aren’t helping get that stuff done when you start telling them about your service or awards.  

From those very first moments on the call, it is essential to make all of the information about them and their needs.  To make it about them you need to control the call quickly with questions, but they need to be the right questions. 

Ask Yes and No Questions 

It is important to build some rapport with your prospect in the first 1-2 minutes of the phone call.  Building rapport does not mean asking about their family or trying to find something in common.  Leave those techniques for when you meet with them in person, your goal is to get them to come to your office.  

Your first two questions need to be slam dunk questions where you get a “Yes” and your third question needs to receive a “No” answer so you can transition them into seeing how you can help.   The questions don’t need to be complicated, in fact the simpler the better.  

Acknowledge what they say 

This is essential to building quick rapport.  Don’t just blitz through three questions and figure you are going to get the appointment.  Take the time to acknowledge what they say when they are answering your questions and use it to transition into your next question. 

An easy example in real estate is : 

Your Question: “Is this going to be your first purchase?”

Prospect: “Yes my wife and I want to buy a home”

You: “That’s great that you and your wife are looking to purchase a home.  Had you had a chance to learn about first time buyer programs?”

 This small acknowledgement of what they said makes it easy for you to get in your next question, getting closer to the close. 

Don’t use the word “appointment” 

Avoiding the word “appointment” is one of the top ways to actually start booking more “appointments”.  The word appointment conjures up too many bad thoughts like the Dentist or your Accountant at tax time.  Make your offer to meet easy and you will get them to agree.  

Instead of asking for an appointment, ask them “I would be happy to take some time to learn more about your goals and at the same time see how we can help with those”. 

Skipping steps is not an option.  Each one is essential to building rapport and getting closer to getting them to say “Yes” to meeting with you.

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