AgentLocator Live Dials and Expert Talk, April 20, 2022
In this Live Dial Session, Beverly is helping Sadia, who just recently started working with online leads.
Her biggest problem?
Going beyond the "I'm just casually browsing/doing research" objection and having meaningful conversations with her leads.
Fast-forward to 33:23 to learn from an insightful roleplay session. In the discussion afterward, Beverly also reveals how she keeps the conversation alive and the best way to end a conversation.
Transcript:
Sadia: 0:03
So, when I call these online leads, especially when they don't know me and I don't know them. So, the gap I'm feeling, and I was, like, doing my self-assessment and everything, so the gap I felt is, I'm not able to sync properly with them. Maybe I'm too conscious because I'm new. Or I don't know, whatever the reason is, I am a kind of friendly person. It's not like I'm very remote, and I don't want to talk. I don't like people. No, I do like, I do like going outside and doing everything. But when I am talking to a stranger, it's very difficult for me to sync with them and come up with something, like, I would say common and start a conversation. I tried to find that, but I have seen that it's not something that comes naturally to me.
Bev: 0:49
You're talking to me, and you've never met me before.
Sadia: 0:53
Well, I know that. I'm not selling anything to you. I know that you are not awful.
Bev: 0:58
You are not selling anything to them either. You're not the product. The home is the product. You are not the product. You are the catalyst that brings their expectation to the opportunity. You are a matchmaker. You are not selling anything.
Sadia: 1:27
Yeah. But they have to trust me to do that part. And how to build that trust?
Bev: 1:32
How they're going to trust you is by caring, is by you asking the questions instead of telling them how the process works, instead of telling them how you're going to sell them. It's asking them the questions and caring about what their expectations are. And the more we ask the questions of what are your future plans? What has to happen for you to be able to make that move? What has to happen to be comfortable to put your home on the market? What has to be comfortable for you to say yes to the house? What has to happen in your life for it to be the right time? So, when we're asking those questions, that's where we're building trust because they feel that you care. But if we're just telling them: Hey, you want a three-bedroom, two-bath house for this price range, you're going to have to be in this location. And those homes just don't exist. So, I can't help you, bye, see you later. Right? But if we're asking instead of telling, it changes the whole perspective. And think about, we have a restaurant, and you ask your server if I've never been to this restaurant before, and I know I'm never coming back, what is the one thing on the menu that you want me to go shout to the world after I leave here? And you know, a server that has tried the food and eaten the food versus the server that tries to sell you the most expensive thing on the menu, right? Which one do you like better?
Sadia: 3:13
Obviously, the one, he is trying to build a relationship. He's thinking about me. He's taking care of me. So, obviously.
Bev: 3:20
What are you hungry for today? Are you hungry for seafood? Beef or pork? Are you looking for a pasta dish or a steak dinner? Because I can tell you what I love. But it might not be what you love. So, when they're asking you the questions, and you're sitting at the table, you're like: Man, I love this restaurant. And only because they've helped you feel important because they help you discover what you didn't realize what you were hungry for. Because when you look at a menu, you're like: Oh, God. When you're really hungry, you're like: Can I just have one of everything? Are you hungry for seafood or meat? I don't know, seafood sounds, seafood? Right? And when we're talking to people that are in a situation of thinking about a move, they're in that same indecisiveness. Most of them, especially Google leads, Facebook leads, they're in an indecisive mode. And it's up to us to peel back the layers of those onions and find out - if all the stars were aligned and everything was perfect, what would that move look like for you? And then you're going to know if it's something that you're going to be able to assist with, now or in the future. And if it's going to be in the future, what can you do in the meantime to earn your business. How would you like me to communicate with you? It's not salesy at all.
Sadia: 4:52
But most of the time, I've noticed that's how it becomes cold.
Bev: 4:57
Okay, so again, give me an example. What's happening to you?
Sadia: 5:03
Okay, so let's say I call a lead. First of all, the online leads, most of the time when I call them, they, because they were not expecting a call from us because they did not ask for a call from us, first of all, all: Who, why you're calling and that type of questions. So, I explain why I'm calling, you were there, blah, blah, blah. And after that: Oh no, I was just casually browsing. Oh, I was just curious. So, these are, most of the time, the sentences I'm hearing from them. And after that, like you said, okay, just try to build a relationship and all that. Okay, so I was talking to one person. That lead I got back in October, November. Okay, I was working. I was just, like, spoke with him, and then we exchanged a few emails. He was looking for pre-construction. I sent him a few projects and like this. And then, one day, he messaged me: No, this market is very volatile. I'm not investing anymore in this market. Okay, now, how should I proceed after that when a person is clearly telling me: I don't want to invest.
Bev: 6:08
I don't blame you because the market is really batshit crazy. So, let me just ask you: What is your plan B? What was the intention of your move? And this might not be the best time for you to make a move. But what I'm here for is to help unpack, right? Is to find out is this truly not the time for you to make the move, or are you just frustrated? Where are you now? How much is your mortgage payment? And where does it make the most amount of sense to invest your dollars every month in a mortgage? It might be where you are right now. Is it the best time for you to cash out, or should you just stay? If there's nothing in the market meeting your expectations, don't move. Don't move.
Sadia: 6:55
So, that's why I, personally, I was thinking if I, like, I don't want to force them. Like I said, relationships are very important. So I said: Okay, well, this is good. How's the market? And then he was asking me even later also, two days ago, he sent me a message: Hey, how's the market? I heard the prices are down now. Can you send me some market watch? Yes, I can do that. But I was just thinking: Okay, how should I start this communication back in a more effective way that I can kind of work with that later? Like, whenever he's ready.
Bev: 7:29
So, you know what, I was just thinking about, you know, you were saying that the market was volatile. And now you're wondering what's going on with the market. Let me just ask you, what is most important to you in making a purchase? And a lot of people are going to say: I just, I want a good deal. Great. Tell me what a good deal is to you. What defines a good deal? Because this is where you start to really get to know about a person. A good deal to him may be: I don't want to pay full price. Okay, well, what's determining the full price? If a home was listed below market value, that's the full price that's below market value. So, explain to me in a little bit more detail what a good deal is for you. Because at the end of the day, what do you want to keep your monthly mortgage payment at? If we can keep your monthly mortgage payment where you want it to be or lower, could that be considered a good deal? Because, in essence, the price that you see out in the market is just an opinion. It's just an opinion. If you want a good deal off of that number or if it's already below market value, it's already a good deal, but you still want more money off of it. I just need to understand what you're thinking. Because that's the reality, right? Is I want a good deal. Well, if you have, let's say, a million-dollar home. I want a good deal. And there are people that have in their mindset: I'm paying 5% less than the price that it's listed at. Well, if it's a $2 million home listed at a million, you still want 5% more off of it? So, if it was listed at 1.5 million, you really want 5% off of it? If it was listed at 2 million, you'd only want 5% off of it on the same home? Do you see where I'm going with that?
We have to ask the questions to find out what's in their head because if we assume that's where we sell because we're trying to put that square peg in the round hole. The square peg in the round hole, it's not going to fit because we're not on the same sheet of music. So, we have to ask the questions to find out what it is that motivates them or, in his perspective, demotivated them. What is it exactly that would denote you making a move? How long have you been in your home? This might be the best time for you to cash out. So, let's look at the facts. Let's look at the numbers instead of just speculating. Because in reality, when we're in a market like we're in right now, well, it's starting to shake out a little bit, but when we're in that constant seller's market with multiple offers, the perception that a person has a) they get caught up in the auction, and they want to win. So, the first inclination is to offer more money. But sometimes, it's not about the money. Sometimes it's about all of the pieces working together that best benefit the seller. So, our job is to give enough information, enough facts, enough data for anybody that we're speaking to, to be able to make an educated decision. It is not our responsibility to tell them what to do or how to do it. It's here's all the information and let's talk about what's the best-case scenario for you. Because sometimes it's not the right time for them to move, as much as we need the money in the bank account. We cannot do anything.
Sadia: 11:20
So, when they say they are casually browsing or they were just curious, after that, what should be our approach?
Bev: 11:27
So what are your plans?
Sadia: 11:29
Okay, so ask clearly: What are your plans? Okay.
Bev: 11:33
Yeah. Do you have future plans? Is it six months, a year, two years out? If you were to make that move, what does that look like? Because when we know the why of the move, we can start to think about and unpack because, believe it or not, all we're really doing is problem-solving. Because every person that's moving has a problem, they don't have a place to go to yet. So, again, like I said, we play matchmaker. So, the more we understand, and I always love to look at us as that doctor or the surgeon. Because the reality is, the only way a surgeon can have a successful surgery is the first point of contact was the nurse practitioner, who took all of the vitals. I'm going to get your blood pressure, your weight, your height. I'm going to know all your vitals so that I can prepare the doctor. When he walks in, all of that stuff is out of his head, and he's focusing on what's the most important thing. And then, when the doctor can make his evaluation, he can then send that person over to the surgeon, that doesn't have to worry about the left leg or the right arm. He knows it's that right hip. He knows exactly what the focal point is, knows exactly what needs to happen. That person doesn't have to go to every single different surgeon. They're going right to the surgeon that can make the difference. So, why our job is to give the information, the facts, the data, to gather that information so that we can make some determinations. So when they're just looking, they're just going to the doctor's, going: What the hell's wrong with me? I don't feel good. I really have no idea what's wrong with me, but help me out here. So, all our job is, is to get the vitals.
Sadia: 13:30
To me, I get the feeling when they say they were just curious, or they were just looking. They're not interested. They're telling me in other ways, like, eff off.
Bev: 13:43
It's not that they are not interested. They're worried you're going to sell to them. And their defenses are up. That's it. As I said, when we walk into a store, and the sales clerk says: Is there anything I can help you with today? No, thank you. I'm good. We don't want to be sold. We want to be free to shop. We want to be free to linger. And what happens when you're at that store when you find something you want to buy? You can't find a damn salesperson anywhere. Like, they're all gone, right?
Sadia: 14:08
But then it's very important for us, also, to make that connection when the leads come in. But then when we are not getting proper, like, communication back from them, and they don't want us to communicate at all, and like you said, defenses are up, and they resist, then there, I lose my hope. Oh, I should not have called.
Bev: 14:29
Next. And as long as we know, and it's getting into a habit of saying the same thing every time. And one of the things that you had mentioned was, you know, they want to know who I am, where I'm from, what's going on. And by the time I get there, then I kind of really can't finish the conversation because they're kind of shut down. There is a point that I recognized very early in the game. I was creating my own objections by talking too much. And that's when I started playing with the simplicity of: Hey. This is Beverly. I saw that you were online looking at homes in Toronto, whatever they came in on. Or if it was a seller lead home evaluation, I saw that you were looking for a value on the home at 123 Main Street. Did you find everything you were looking for? I go right to the point. I don't tell them what website I'm with, what brokerage I'm with, or how many awards I've got. It's - I'm going to address your first name. I'm going to say who I am, why I'm calling, and let you talk.
Sadia: 15:39
Yeah, so that's exactly, because I heard that script previously also in another webinar from you, and that's how I called one of my leads, who was a seller lead. And when I called, and he said: How did you know the address? And I said: Okay, now I have to say that you were on our website, you entered the address there. But these types of questions, when they come in, regardless of how much I prepared the script in advance, sometimes, the script is…
Bev: 16:08
That's why I'm not a fan of scripts.
Sadia: 16:10
And I have to naturally go with them and hold a conversation. And sometimes I feel, like, stupid. I mean, I was ready for something else, and now I have to face something else, which I'm learning all the time when I'm making these calls. Maybe I did not convert yet, but I'm still learning.
Bev: 16:25
Yes. And when people question: How you got my phone number? Why it's so important to know, I call it the anatomy of the lead. When we know what the lead did to get to where they are for us to have their phone number, call them on their shit. You were online looking for a value. You put the address in for a home evaluation. And then if they say: No, I didn't…
Sadia: 16:54
That sounds spooky sometimes. Like, it sounds very spooky. I was seeing what you were doing. I can see.
Bev: 17:00
Everybody's used to it. Yeah, uncle, a big brother is always watching, and everybody in the world that is on the computer, they understand when they're looking for a vacation in the Bahamas, all of the sudden Bahamas are everywhere all over the internet, chasing them all over the place, right? Nobody is a stranger to what's happening in technology.
Sadia: 17:24
So, that's what I was thinking. And even, I was talking to someone in AgentLocator, I think yesterday, and the day before yesterday, with someone in marketing. And I was talking with them about this point also. Do we need to add another step here because when I call my leads, people are, like, surprised. I didn't ask for a call. Where did you get my address from?
Bev: 17:42
That's why we go right to: I saw you were online looking at homes in da-da-da. I saw you were online looking for the evaluation of this home. The only way you're going to get resistance from that is if someone used their name and phone number. So, a lot of times, I do see where spouses go in and put the spouse's phone number. And then you call the spouse, and they're like: No, that's my wife. And sometimes you get caught, right? It's, like, the wife gets caught. It's like, I didn't know she was looking. She was looking for what? Where is she looking, right? It's like: Oh, divorce is coming up, right? But that's really it. Or you can even make it funny if it's, if somebody just blatantly puts in a wrong phone number, and it's a different person's phone number. And they're like: I didn't do that. And I read back, say: I may have a wrong number. Does this happen to be your email address? They're like: No, that's not my email address. I have a wrong number. I'm so sorry. Or that is my email address. How did that happen? One of two ways. And this is why it's so good to know, right? One of two ways. Who did you piss off? Because somebody's using your name in all these websites, and now you're getting all these phone calls.
Or sometimes, in Facebook leads, you know how you can log in with Facebook? Well, I have found that probably the best story that really, like, opened my eyes to this. I call a lady. And she's like: That's my; no, what did she say? I called the lady. And she says: I'm not looking. And I said: Well, is this your email address? She goes: That's my ex-husband's email address. And I said: Let me ask you this. Did you happen to set up his Facebook account years ago, maybe? And she's like: Oh, my God. I said: Well, when he logged in using his Facebook credentials, it auto-filled, and you had your number on his Facebook when you set up his account. She's like: Shit. So, when we know, but I didn't know that until I actually had that conversation. So, the more we know about the people, that's not my number. Have fun with it. Challenge it and say: Oh my Gosh, I am so sorry. Just so I can confirm that I do have a wrong phone number, is this your email address? And then conversation, and just: By the way, do you happen to be maybe looking for a home? I have converted wrong numbers. And I've even had people say: Oh, my Gosh, this is like bait. And then they're like; they believe in, like, the stars align. They're like: I have to use you because this is, like, the weirdest thing that's ever happened. Like, I can't believe. I remember one of the leads that I converted, it was a work phone number. And the guy that had the original cell phone left the company, and the cell phone got handed to another person that was employed in the company. And that; so it wasn't a wrong phone number, but it was the wrong phone number if that makes any sense. And that guy happened to be looking because he just got the job and he was relocating. So, you never know what you're going to get on the other side of the phone.
Sadia: 21:07
I couldn't get anything yet, online leads.
Bev: 21:11
And to your point, every conversation, we are not going to win, which is why I found it funny that you were remembering a lead from October.
Sadia: 21:24
I have my database, everything, in kvCORE. That's what I started using when I joined my brokerage, and I have everything set up in my kvCORE account, my contacts, my sphere, my neighbors, whoever I know the phone number, my colleagues, the students studying with me, everybody I have categorized, I've put different hashtags, and everybody's there. Even if I'm sending them any, like, Happy Sunday type texts, I log it there in kvCORE. But AgentLocator, because I joined recently, I don't have that many leads there yet. Like, it's just like 10-15. So, I have not synced it with kvCORE yet. But these leads I have seen are even more difficult to convert online leads. My contacts, my sphere, because they know who I am, I just need to introduce myself as a realtor. Before, they knew me as an engineer working with a telecommunication company, but now I've introduced myself as a realtor. So, that's a little bit like I am making up their mind, trying to add value whenever any conversation comes for real estate. And I'm lucky to have a few clients from my own sphere and from through my contacts. But online leads, it's like, it's driving me crazy, I'm not able to convert.
Bev: 22:38
So, look at it as when we're building a business, it's just like a table. And a table can only stand with a minimum of three legs. It stands even better with four legs. So, when we're looking at building our business, your sphere and your past clients is one leg of business that can keep that table very wobbly, though, because we can't depend on the growth and scaling of our business by one form of lead generation. Because it's really difficult to scale repeat referral business, right? There's no way to really scale it. So, when we're bringing in Internet leads, that's your second leg of business. So, we're now learning something new. And we're helping to stabilize that table. So, the discomfort of moving into the unknown is what you're feeling. And it's easier for us to say: It's really hard, than it is to say: This is challenging me.
Sadia: 23:50
It is hard and challenging.
Bev: 23:53
So, define to me what is hard?
Sadia: 24:00
So, the conversation itself is difficult to hold. And just as I was telling you before, the first thing is they become defensive right away. The second thing is I need to find something common just to ice break and all that so that we can start a conversation. So, these two things I have found I am not able to sync properly with them, with the online leads. So, I'm paying, but at the end of the day, I did not convert any yet. Even if I put it on Facebook or through AgentLocator, the ad I run by myself or whatever. I don't know, maybe I don't know yet. But my sphere, like you said, is just one way of lead gen. I need more sources. Also, online is one of them. I'm working on my GeoForm and my networking in my own neighborhood and everywhere. That is another. So, I'm trying to come up with at least four to five lead gen systems where I can get all this business, and once it starts rolling, as I said, I'm new. It's not even six months I've been in the business yet.
Bev: 25:01
So, when you say it's difficult, what would it look like if it was easy?
Sadia: 25:10
If they're expecting, not expecting, but at least if they know that they put this information and somebody will call them, and they're ready with that mindset, they're ready to communicate back, it may be a little easier. But they become defensive right away, and they don't want to hold a conversation at all.
Bev: 25:30
When you say they, is that every single lead that you have spoken to?
Sadia: 25:35
No, not every single lead. A few of the leads, they were very nice to me also. The only thing they said, one person, like I was telling you, said: Yeah, you can send me the Market Report and everything. I'm not actively looking to buy and sell. But I appreciate it if you put something together and send it to me. There were people like this also. But when I say they, it means like average, like most of the people. I'm finding, like, 70-80% of people are like that.
Bev: 25:58
So, why are we focusing on they and the difficult when we know there's easy and good conversations?
Sadia: 26:09
But I'm building relationships with them. Absolutely, they're there. I'm sending them a text, call, and email. But obviously, it will take time. They said they're not ready. And like I said, I really, truly believe in building relationships. I don't want to push them. I don't want to force them. One of the people, actually, I was talking to on the phone. And then he said: Yes, we can meet also in person, which was good. I like that.
Bev: 26:39
But they are difficult.
Sadia: 26:43
Yes. The majority of them.
Bev: 26:47
So, is it realistic to expect to have a great conversation with every single lead you get and close every single lead you get?
Sadia: 26:57
No.
Bev: 36:58
What is the expectation?
Sadia: 27:00
My expectation is if I'm able to convert 2-3%, that's it. That's all I'm looking for, definitely.
Bev: 27:07
You said you had like 15 leads, and you got an appointment with somebody to meet with.
Sadia: 27:12
No, no. That is 15 from AgentLocator, I was saying. I put my; before I was putting my own ad on Facebook. I generated my own leads through Facebook and through Google also. Some of them I'm still in contact with. Some of them never replied, never, regardless, but I'm still sending them emails, texts. They're still on my market watch, everything until they tell me to eff off. I'm not, I'm sorry for my language, but I am not.
Bev: 27:41
They're just not ready yet. So, I find this very interesting. I love this conversation. I see Crystal going like this. So, your expectation is less than 3%. But yet the focus is on - they are so difficult.
Sadia: 28:00
I don't want to be negative and focus too much on who's not replying back to me. And I want to look into those people. Absolutely. Like I said, even if I'm able to convert one, that is my listing. And that's all I want. Like, even one out of 10, one out of 15, one out of 20. That's not bad. But even that's not happening yet. That did not happen yet at all through online leads.
Bev: 28:28
Well, when did you start with AgentLocator?
Sadia: 28:31
AgentLocator, I started back, I think in February, but for the month of March, I was away. So, I reduced my budget. And then I increased my budget.
Bev: 28:43
I'm going to ask you a really stupid question. And it's probably going to sound stupid, but it's a funny question. Do you eat leftovers?
Sadia: 28:53
From my kids, yes.
Bev: 28:55
Do you heat it up in the microwave? Or do you just eat it?
Sadia: 29:01
I just eat it.
Bev: 29:03
Yeah, because it's, like, quick, it's easy. Get to it. It's done. We don't have time to marinate. We don't have time to heat the food up. We don't have time to re-cook the food. We're just going to take it for what it is and eat it because we have a microwave mentality. We want it now. So, in the reality of online leads, the biggest piece that of our misconception is we think that we're exchanging our money for closings. Which in the big picture, yes, we are. But our misconception is when we sign up for AgentLocator, we get a lead, we're going to get a closing right now. But what happens is, the reality, we're building our pipeline of business to stop the roller coaster because, in this business, we wake up every day unemployed. We're looking for people to matchmake with. We don't know where they are. We don't know who they are. We wake up every day looking for those people. AgentLocator is delivering higher potential people into our inbox so that we don't have to go out into the grocery store and keep asking: Hey, are you moving tomorrow? Hey, are you moving next month? Hey, are you thinking about a move? Because that would suck, right? So, we're getting delivered people that are looking at what's going on with the market. We just have no idea where they are in the process. So, what happens while we're having these conversations? We are gathering that pipeline because; how long do you plan on being in real estate? How many more years?
Sadia: 30:52
Forever.
Bev: 30:53
Whole life? So, if I'm going to be moving in 2025, would you still want my business? Would you still want to close me in 2025?
Sadia: 31:08
Absolutely.
Bev: 31:09
Absolutely. So, you're winning. You're winning because you're building that pipeline to be able to not wake up every day unemployed because you've got Joe that's closing in, that wants to start looking in September. You've got George, that's looking in December. You've got Bobby Sue that wants to look in August.
Sadia: 31:33
But they don't share this type of information at all. Like, they: Oh, I was just curious. So, that's where I don't have more margin even to update - okay, what exactly they're looking for? Oh, I was just curious.
Bev: 31:45
That's the question. So, do me a favor. I want you to call me. We're going to roleplay. I want to hear; I'm a lead in your dashboard. I want to hear what you are saying to the lead in the dashboard. So, just call me.
Sadia: 31:59
Okay. So, hi, Beverly, how are you?
Bev: 32:03
I'm great. Who is this?
Sadia: 32:07
This is Sadia. And I saw you were on our website. You were looking for a home evaluation of ABC street. Did you get that report?
Bev: 32:16
I did. Yeah.
Sadia: 32:18
I just wanted to ask you. Do you have any further questions about that?
Bev: 32:21
Nope.
Sadia: 32:25
Okay, so here it is. Most of the time, I'm losing this. Because usually, first, I want to ask them if they want to know anything else other than that. But there is the place where I'm losing them. No, no, I was looking. I was curious. And I got it. So, I was thinking of changing that to something else. Maybe like, I don't know.
Crystal: 32:53
You have the ability to send sold listings. So, offer something of value. So, that's fantastic that you were able to find what you're looking for. Would it benefit you to receive regular updates of the homes that are selling on the site?
Sadia: 33:06
Yes, regular updates, I asked. Market Watch, regular updates, newsletter, those types of things I ask if we can put them on that. But nothing more concrete. That's what I meant. So, I was thinking maybe I need some other approach.
Bev: 33:22
Can I call you now?
Sadia: 32:23
Sure.
Bev: 32:24
Ring ring. Ring ring.
Sadia: 33:31
Hello?
Bev: 33:32
Sadia?
Sadia: 33:33
Who is this?
Bev:33:34
This is Beverly. I just wanted a quick check-in. Sadia, I saw that you were online and you were interested in the value of 123 Main Street?
Sadia: 33:42
How do you know this?
Bev: 33:44
Well, you must have been online, or do you know the property? 123 Main Street? Does it sound familiar to you?
Sadia: 33:50
Yeah, but I didn't ask for this call.
Bev: 33:53
Yeah, no, no worries. I don't want to bother you. I just wanted to make sure that you got the information you were looking for. Were you online wondering what the value was of the home?
Sadia: 34:01
Yeah, I was just curious.
Bev: 34:05
Perfect. Not a problem. So, Sadia, you just, you know, do you have any future plans of making a move?
Sadia: 34:09
I don't know yet.
Bev: 34:11
You don't know? Do you own, is this your home? Or is this another home that you were curious on?
Sadia: 34:17
Yeah, my home.
Bev: 34:20
It’s your home? How long have you been here?
Sadia: 34:21
Eight years.
Bev: 34:24
Eight years. So, you probably have some pretty good equity. Huh?
Sadia: 34:29
I was just curious. Just browsing casually.
Bev: 34:32
Yeah, no problem. So, no future plans? You're not thinking about making a move, like ever in the future?
Sadia: 34:38
I don't know about the future, but not at the moment.
Bev: 34:42
All right. So, if you were, just hypothetically, thinking about a move, when would that be in the future? What would the reason be? Why would you move?
Sadia: 34:51
Don't know. Need to ask my wife.
Bev: 34:56
So, what about you, when would you want to move? Because we all know we gotta keep momma happy, so we got to move on her time. But what are your plans? Like, what are you thinking? If you were to make a move, hypothetically?
Sadia: 35:06
No plans yet. But I was curious about how much my home is worth. That's all.
Bev: 35:13
So, do you happen to have a make me move number? If your home was worth a certain amount would it make you move?
Sadia: 35:21
Actually, I never asked this question. So, I don't know how to answer this one. Because whenever I tried to talk to them, like, they will be like this, very less, few sentences, small conversation with very less information.
Bev: 35:34
But I got through it with you. You kept answering my questions.
Sadia: 35:39
Yes. So, there, I need to learn that, that I need to keep them on the phone. Because when they say: I was curious, I was just looking, oh, how do you know this? So, then I was: Uh.
Bev: 35:50
And that's where I go to: That's great. Right? Fine. Do you have any future plans?
Sadia: 35:57
So, when someone is rejecting you, like, right away, how you will keep that energy still? I'm lacking here.
Bev: 36:06
Because I don't care. I'm not attached to the outcome. I don't care where the conversation goes. But I just, I want information. If I'm going to take the time to call you and you're going to be on the other end of the phone, I just need information. Because I need to know what to do with you in my dashboard. Because if you don't want me to ever call you back again, I don't want to call you back again. So, I'm just trying to get to the point of: Tell me to eff off or tell me that I might have future plans. And those conversations, I love role playing with you because you keep it real. And those are real conversations.
Sadia: 36:39
Those are a few answers which I'm always hearing from people. So, that's why I said those, so that I can learn how to overcome that, like, hurdle, like, I'm not able to yet.
Bev: 36:52
It's not an objection. It's just their defenses are up because they don't want to be sold to. So, I can see, we have the ability to see you on Zoom right now. But I can even hear in your voice, every question I asked you, that defense was dropping a little bit more and a little bit more. And then you're laughing, right? You're like: Yeah, I might have a make me move number. I don't even think about that. I don't know. Right?
Sadia: 37:19
I asked somebody like this and he said: I need to ask my wife. Exact that answer I got. And even when I was contacting my sphere, I was calling everybody and introducing myself as realtor. Not too much real estate talk. Just: Hello, hi, how's kids? How's the dog, everything? And then a little bit: Hey, do you know I have started this type. And over there one of my student fellows, he told me, he said: I'm planning to sell, not right now. Because the hardest part is who will convince my wife. He tells me this.
Bev: 37:53
So, you have fun with that conversation then and that's where I went. I'm like: Oh, we got to keep momma happy. We know that's the most important thing, right? And then you're starting to identify with that. And because now they're picturing you as an actual human, and not trying to sell to them. You’re just gathering information.
Sadia: 38:14
Okay, so starting a conversation is one thing. How to wrap up this conversation? How to end? Okay, what we will do, the next step? Like, people are saying: I'm curious, I was just casually browsing.
Bev: 38:26
Sadia, listen. I don't care when you plan on making a move. I just really want to position myself for you to remember me and choose me so that I can run your business. What can I do in the meantime? What are you looking for? What are your expectations? I would love to get your listings. Would it be helpful for you to stay up to date in the market? I can send you sold listings in your area so you can stay up to date with the homes that are selling. Would that be helpful? All we want is the opportunity to earn their business.
Sadia: 39:02
So, is it okay to ask upfront on a very first call: Hey, I want to earn your business.
Bev: 39:07
Yeah, I don't care when you, because honestly, do you really care when they're going to make a move if they choose you?
Sadia: 39:15
I mean, I want them to…
Bev: 39:16
Oh, yeah, you want it now. Of course we don't heat up our food when we eat it. We want it now.
Sadia: 39:22
But the problem is, as the time passes, most of the time, these leads are becoming more cold. Even in the beginning, some of them respond to me back, but then later they stop responding at all, no response at all.
Bev: 39:38
There's a couple of things at play here. Stop telling yourself the story that they are difficult, that you are not a good salesperson, that they're becoming more cold. That's all justification in your mind that you've created to be able to blame not.
Sadia: 40:04
I want to acknowledge that as a problem, learn it and overcome it. So that I can learn it, that's why.
Bev: 40:13
So, what we focus on expands, and where we put our energies, where it flows. Okay? So, if we're thinking nobody's moving, everything's an objection. Everybody does not expect my call. That's the energy that we're projecting in our phone call. So, they're always going to be saying: How did you get my number? What did you call me for? I get it all the time. And this is another restaurant analogy. When people come into our restaurant as a walk in, it is imperative to me, everybody that knows me knows I'm a database junkie, gather data, gather data, because it’s the only thing you have in a service industry. So, when they come up to the hostess stand, I'm like: How many, two? Can I get a phone number? But every single one of our servers, they won't give me their phone number. They always tell me no. And I'm like: So, tell me how you're asking. So, can I have a phone number? No. Right? I don’t even get an opportunity, I’m like: How many? Phone number?
So, it's all in our delivery and it's all in our projection. They're fearful of asking for a phone number. I don't give two shits. I don't care if you give it to me or not, so I have no attachment to the outcome. What's your phone number? If you tell me no, okay, that's fine. Nothing's changing. Right? But if I'm fearful of asking somebody for their phone number, they're going to feel that fear and be like: No, why do you want my number? You want my number because you're up to no good, right? That's what I'm proposing. That's what I'm presenting. So, if I'm thinking that when I'm making phone calls, then they’re going to wonder, like, why I'm calling and how I got their number. That's exactly what you're going to get. So, it's changing that mental thought and saying: These people need me. This market is so crazy that it's my job to educate every single lead that comes into my dashboard. And it sucks for them if they don't want to have a phone conversation with me, because they're probably not going to have a great experience in real estate. Because the number one component that you have, and you said at the beginning of this call, you care, and you love to help people. That's all you need. That's all you need. Everything else is all about them. We ask them the questions, we deliver the results. What kind of home are you looking for? You don't have; I don't care if you are a 25 year veteran in real estate, or if you've never sold the first home, if you care enough to ask the right questions, and help them with the process and be honest with them and say: You know what, I don't know, but I'll find out. That's all people want. Because it doesn't exist in today's society, unfortunately. And it's very easy to be a little bit better than your competition. Because your competition are salespeople.
So, we have to be equipped with asking the right questions. What are the right questions? What's going to help us know how to work with them, or if we can work with them. So, I want to know, what is your current situation? And what are your future plans? How do we get you from current situation to future plan? What does that look like? And what it looks like to you is very different than what it looks like to that. If we ask the right questions, we can start peeling back those layers to be able to ask them: When would you like me to follow up with you? When does it make the most sense for me to touch base with you? You say you want these properties? I'm going to be sending them to you. When do you want me to follow up with you? And you will be amazed when they say: Oh, next week's fine- You're like: What? What the hell am I going to say to you next week, right? Then we got a whole other problem. Like, I don't even know what to call these people. I only know what to say to these people when I call them back.
Sadia: 44:30
I have one more question. So, I was talking to one person and that person said: Can you prepare a CMA for this subject property? And I said: Yes, of course. Sure. And I did it and assigned it to him. And the next day, I called him to do a follow up. Did he get that report and all that. And then he said: Yes, yes. Yes. I love your work. It was very comprehensive. I read through this, this, that, but by the way, why didn't you add this property in the CMA? So, it was something like this. So, I was actually happy that he looked into all these granular details and that he's talking to me about those properties. Also, what was there, what was not there and why it was not there. Okay, I was really happy about that. Now, he said: Okay, but this is just a CMA. So, give me a more accurate number, can you come this weekend to my home? Can you visit the property? I said: Oh, of course, I can come and we can do the assessment and all that. But then he also told me: I have planned down the road, not right now. Maybe four to six months. And then I was thinking, you're thinking four to six months, you want to do an assessment right now, that assessment won't be valid after five, six months. So, I was trying to think, like, whether he wants that.
Crystal: 45:43
Go. Go. You don't not go. You need to go.
Bev: 45:48
Just be completely honest with him. Say: This is what's happening with the market right now. Because what you don't know is your job, again, is to give them the education, give them the tools to make their educated decision. It's not to make them move. It's not to make anything happen other than them being able to make a very educated decision. Because only a fool is going to make a hesitant decision and not have all of the proper equipment, right? You're not going to go on a hike without water. At least I hope you wouldn't, right? So, my job, and I always tell all my leads, my job is not to put a sign in your yard. My job is not to sell you a home. My job is to get you enough information to know exactly what you're looking for and when. So, I never went to a listing appointment with my paperwork, and there are probably people here that would stone me for saying that. But I never went assuming I was getting the listing. I went to interview them to see if I wanted the listing. I didn't care if they chose me or not. I cared if I wanted to choose them because I want to choose who I'm working with. I don't want them to think that they're choosing me. So, when you're going, in my, what we call it B-hag, big, hairy, audacious goal, it's one of those things that it's possible, but it is really, really a challenge. I was in a very small community. I wanted to sell a home on every street. That was my big, hairy, audacious goal. So, with that being said, it was never a waste of time to walk into a property for whatever reason. Because the more homes I was in, the more probability and the more I knew my market. So, don't worry about what he's thinking because he may very well put his home on the market before four to six months if the numbers are calculated properly. He may very well.
Sadia: 48:09
I was thinking maybe he's calling 2-3 listing agents to do the listing presentation.
Bev: 48:15
He might have been.
Sadia: 48:16
And that's why he's saying, you know: I'm not selling right now. I may sell in, like, four to six months, but you can come for that assessment and CMA right now.
Bev: 48:24
And go create that relationship because this is what I'll promise you, the other two agents will never follow up with him. And if you have a good follow-up practice and you care enough to call and follow up, that is what's going to sell.
Crystal: 48:38
And he's likely just preparing his house for sale. That's why he's getting somebody to come in now. He may have small repairs. He may need to clean out and get rid of all the junk. He may need; so, that's how you know, ideally…
Sadia: 48:51
The house is really nice. I prepared the CMA, and I saw the previous listing when he purchased and everything. It's a big, like, more than 2 million property. But the hesitation that he wanted me to come, but he doesn't want to do the business right now.
Bev: 49:08
Here's what's really funny, right? We can only make decisions because we work on logic. Our mind has to figure everything out before we actually execute on anything. And that is our worst enemy because you've now created a story that's not real. You've created your own story.
Sadia: 49:34
I wanted to come prepared for this thing. I was thinking: How can I prepare for this thing?
Bev: 49:40
Your preparation is to go. And shouldn't he be looking at other listing agents? Shouldn't he be completely educated and know he's choosing the right person? It's in his best interest to do so. So, let's not worry about that. Let's worry about our delivery. And let's worry about what, not even worry, it's not even the right word. Let's go do that. Let's hear, and let's help people. And that is what's going to carry you. And find out: What is most important for you? What can I do to earn your business? And I remember, it's funny how, like, one instance always stands out in your life, but calling seller leads. And I remember significantly the one guy. He says: You're like the eightieth agent that's called me. And I said: Okay, that's fine. Because look, I'm not looking to go on the market. This was, like, September. Like: I'm not looking to go on the market until next spring. Can you send me something? I said: Let me ask you this. You sit on like the eightieth agent that called you. How many of those agents did you tell to have send you something? He says: Every one of them. I said: How many of them sent you something? He said a few. And I said: I don't want to be an envelope on your calendar that you're not going to remember. You've said that to everybody. I'm not like every other agent in this market. I want to earn your business. What can I do? Do you know what he said? I have no idea. I said: This is what I'm going to tell you. I'm not sending you anything. I'm going to call you in a couple of months. And I'm going to see if anything's changed. Because I know you don't care about the envelopes, and you don't care about what I'm sending you. You're not even going to look at it because you don't care. And he's like: Yeah, you're right. And I know. I said: I want to be different. I want you to remember me. I don't care if you go on the market tomorrow, spring, or this time next year. I want to be the one that you remember. Do you think you'll remember this conversation? Did you have a conversation like this with any other agent? No. Exactly.
It's all about the confidence and not being attached to the outcome. When we are so attached to getting that listing appointment, we put so much pressure on that because we're so attached to getting that listing that we put all of the energy into the wrong space. Put the energy on caring about that person. Put the energy on delivering and doing what you do best. And let the rest take care of itself. Because when we're going through the process, and we fall in love with the process, that is what's going to bring about the outcome. And it can't be wrong if you're doing what you're meant to be doing. Whether you get it or not, it doesn't change anything. Your bank account, maybe. But if you continue, if you continue to have the conversations, and you continue to show up, and you continue to do it for the right reasons. And not because you're a salesperson, not because you want money in the bank account, but because you care, and you want to help people, the more people that you can get in front of, the more opportunities and the more that you are going to be positioning yourself to have more wins and not have to worry about that one listing appointment.
Sadia: 53:18
Yeah, no, thank you very much.
Crystal: 53:21
It's easier, too, when you think as a lead will take; the average lead takes anywhere from six to 24 months to transact. So, if you always go in knowing that this isn't a now business anyway, we're just going to build a relationship, you're going to be a lot more relaxed on that call. You have no expectations at that time. Everything else is just kind of, if something happens with him, that, it's like a blessing, like a reward.
Bev: 53:45
It's learning to love the process.
Crystal: 53:49
And then even when I was looking at the, or your comments, with why would he want an evaluation now if he wasn't going to buy for four months or sell for four months? I like to always kind of jump into your guys' CRM systems to see what it took to get you on board with AgentLocator. So, why would you have requested a demo two months before you signed up for AgentLocator? So, it's the same thing I can see from when you registered to when you had that demo. And then it was almost, it was just shy of two months before you actually came on board.
Sadia: 54:26
Exactly. And when I interviewed AgentLocator, I was interviewing a lot of other companies.
Crystal: 54:32
So, you are info grabbing and figuring it all out, right? So, it's the same scenario, just different products, right? It's the same idea, right? It's, we all have an expectation, but sometimes we all fall within we can't even meet our own expectations. If anything. A lot of things, actually.
Bev: 54:56
And I see we're a couple of minutes over time, but this is certainly worth going overtime on, if you all have a few more minutes. I see Priyanka. She said: How to handle unresponsive leads? They're online and on and off but never pick up the phone, and through email or text, then the email campaign gets turned off, and then the leads go under the radar. So, yes, this is my belief. When we sit down to call our leads, when we carve that time out, whether it's 10 minutes or an hour, it doesn't matter. Whoever we are meant to communicate with at that time is going to answer the phone or call you back. We cannot make people respond to a text. We cannot make people pick up the phone or we cannot make them respond to an email. But when that time is right, I promise you, there will be a correspondence. When the time is right to have the conversation, it will happen. But what happens is, we don't take the time to make the phone calls consistently, to position ourselves to be at the right place at the right time. So, this industry is great at teaching speed the lead. But they're not so great at driving the fact that consistency is where it's going to make the difference. And yes, the majority of our leads are going to be non-responsive. And to text, what I say to that is, you get a text message when you're in the middle of a webinar. And then your phone rings as soon as you get because you see it come on your phone, right? Like, you see it right in here, my daughter; I just see my daughter sent me a text message. If I have something to do that pops up, I saw the text message on the front of my phone, I mentally responded. I'm going about my next task. And I forget that I didn't physically respond to that text message.
So, it's not the lead's fault that they're not responding. It's just we caught them at a bad time that they didn't want to answer the phone. They didn't want to respond to a text message. Because I promise you, everybody mentally responds to a text message. We just have to be diligent enough to keep it going. And all that means, Priyanka, is the leads that are moving through your dashboard, they are going to be changing in that highest and best use of time in that priority. Because the newer leads are the highest priority because we want to know where they are in the process. Now, if they stop looking at properties and they're completely disengaged, they're not my highest and best use of time to be calling. But you better believe if I don't have a client, and I'm not out with somebody, I'm going deeper in that dashboard. And it's just all about setting yourself up and positioning you to be at the right place at the right time. But if we're not calling our leads, we're never going to be there.
What should be our process for a lead who is in the very initial phase of home buying? Should we meet them and set up the roadmap from finance to buying process? Ask them. What's most important to you in this process? Are you a buyer that wants to have all of the tools and be ready when that time is right? Or do you want to wait a little bit till we get closer to that timeframe? What makes the most sense for you? I just want to earn your business. What can I do to earn your business? So, ask them. It takes all of our guesswork out of it. We don't have to assume anything. We don't have to push anything. Ask them how they would like to go about the process. And if they're a first-time homebuyer and they don't know, just ask them. What scares you the most about moving forward and buying a home? What questions do you have that you may be afraid to ask? And just put it on them.
My call frequency, Priyanka, is when leads come in, that first initial, I like to have it within 24 hours. I'm not a speed the lead with Google or Facebook. So, as long as they're getting called; now, if they're coming in the morning, it should be the same day. But if they're coming in after four or five o'clock, it can be sometime the next day. My goal is six to eight phone attempts within 14 days. And making those six to eight call attempts at different times of the day because people have habits. So, you want to try morning, late morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, later evening. Just every six to eight attempts should never be in the same timeframe because we want to increase our chances of them answering the phone. So, six to eight attempts in the first 14 days, and then after that, it'd be once a week if they're staying actively engaged, so that way it's going to be everybody that's in those filters. So, all the filters that you have, that AgentLocator sets up for you, if you're just in there every day and clearing it out, you should never have to spend more than a half-hour a day in your database, ever. If you maintain consistency and you're staying in touch with your higher opportunity leads, it's not going to take you that long. And the most important thing in this is to practice the four-call rule. I'm sorry, the four-ring rule. After four rings or 23 seconds, hang it up and move to the next because people will call you back. Because they're curious as to who was just calling them, and they didn't connect. So, I hope that was helpful. Do we have anything on Facebook? Did I miss anything? Crystal?
Crystal: 1:00:49
No, there's nothing that popped in on Facebook.
Bev: 1:00:53
Sadia, what was your takeaway today?
Crystal: 1:00:57
You're muted.
Sadia: 1:01:01
Sorry. So, yeah, so the biggest takeaway is - nurture them, build the relationship. Don't look for the transaction right away.
Bev: 1:01:10
Yeah. And always get your mind right. I am not a salesperson. I'm so proud because I'm not a salesperson. I love people. I care about people, and I want to help people. And that's your job.
Sadia: 1:01:27
Yes. Yes. Thank you very much for your advice. Thank you very much for taking me here. And sharing. Being on a journey. I was just venting.
Bev: 1:01:40
If you want to come back on, I would be more than happy to call some of your leads. I know we didn't get to it today. But I'd be more than happy to call some leads. Even Priyanka, if you want to be the next one in the hot seat, we'd love to have you on Wednesday.
Crystal: 1:01:53
Absolutely.
Sadia: 1:01:55
Yeah, learning process. Thank you very much for inviting me here.
Bev: 1:01:59
My pleasure and good luck to you. You have a super day.
Sadia: 1:02:03
Thank you. Bye, everyone.
Crystal: 1:02:04
Bye.