Y'know what I love about this business? That every single thing I do, every day, has the potential to bring 
a client my way. Big things, small things, easy things, hard things... every action I take, whether intentional or not, might just result in a juicy paycheck for me - today... tomorrow... or six months from now.
My business comes in one client at a time. And, frankly, with the average price in my market being around $300,000, I could easily live on the business that passively floats by me. But my point is that I don't need five new prospects a day to keep me happy. Just one a week and I'll be tickled pink.
We real estate agents tend to look at prospecting as a volume proposition. That is - we try to touch as many of our target audience (whether that's a farm, an SOI, FSBOs or expireds) with our message as physically possible in the least amount of time. But with the size of our paychecks, is it really necessary to use this approach? What if, instead of attempting to "touch" a whole bunch of people at once in hopes that you'll win the Numbers Game... you spend an hour a day going out of your way to impress someone?
One warm body at a time...
(So what do I mean by "impress?" Stay tuned...)
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You're right Jennifer, I think a lot of realtors forget that and try to work with large numbers (farming, FSBO's) and often, with little success. I've been working on expired listings and it isn't nearly as successful for me as working with one person at a time. Everything we do plants a seed for business down the road. Have a great day!
Jennifer,
Awe! Come on...Stay tuned? Okay, I suppose we have no choice but to WAIT...I hope you have a beautiful day...and here's to you being "tickled pink"!
Jennifer, I prefer to work with fewer clients as well. Now you have piqued our interested and we will stay tuned.....
I disagree, but a I agree. point is, real estate is a number game. you have to talk to a lot of people to find the ONE seller or buyer
once you have done that, of course this seller or buyer deserves your full attention.
Anne
I think that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to prospecting clients. A thoughtful notion that is well received can make a difference with a potential client.
Rebecca - Absolutely! Of course, just doing a heck of a job for someone can be considered "thoughtful!"
Anne - I'll talk more about this on my follow-up post, but when I play the "numbers game" of sales, I play a bit differently. I figure if I take the time to impress one person at a time, I've just effectively touched everyone that person knows... a whole lot more effectively than if I had bombarded the same number of people with an impersonal sales pitch... but yes, once you have the client... definitely overwhelm them with your wonderfulness!
Shirley - ooooh, the pressure is on! Thanks for staying tuned!
Rebecca - I have a good feeling about today... I'll keep you posted.
Patricia - YEP - you GOT IT!!!
"Touching" in person goes a long way. Much much further than mere snail mail or an e-mail.
Jennifer, Spreading yourself thin is something that I have personally seen and do not like. I love the personal one on one attention that I am able to give any body that comes my way any day.
Hi Jennifer,
Like you I focus on the quality vs quantity. This has paid off by means of more repeats and referral's.I look forward to reading more! :)
Happy Day JA, from one RCHB to another...... lets show all our potential clients that while it is a numbers game, one can significantly increase ones chances of "impressing" someone
Hi Jennifer,
I take as much time as need with those I have contact with. Numbers have never been important, other then ending balance in my checking account.
It is more important, from my point of view, to give your best. That being done and said, the traffic will flow to you based on your reputation.
Hi Jennifer,
I take as much time as need with those I have contact with. Numbers have never been important, other then ending balance in my checking account.
It is more important, from my point of view, to give your best. That being done and said, the traffic will flow to you based on your reputation.
I think a lot of it has to do with where you are. In my area agents are being forced to spread out, even the top producers. There are simply not enough transactions to remain hyper local. For example. In White Plains - city of 60,000 - there were only 2 new listings yesterday. Now there are anywhere from 4-6000 agents (no one is sure of the exact numbers) prospecting my town from other parts of the county where sales are equally slow. So with volume that low - the message has to spread further. It's unfortunate, but its simple math. I am picking several towns. Two are so-called "money towns" where there are a lot of sales and a lot of agnets. Two are in areas where sales have been suppressed by high taxes and not so many agents prospect and one is my home town where every agent and their pet canary have set their sites.
I wish the realtor I ended up using to buy my first home was of your mindset & I am grateful that the realtor I used to buy my very inexpensive vacation property was of your mindset. The vacation property was worth one tenth the value of the home and I got 100 times better service.
Well said & a good reminder of the quality vs quantity of prospects!
Jennifer
Such a great point. I think sometimes agents are so busy finding that one in a hundred that they pass by a good quality lead.
Jennifer... quality is the goal, not volume. You nailed it!!!
Interesting approach. I like the idea of impressing 1 person - I look forward to the rest of the posts
Rick - I'm too shy to aggressively prospect, so the One Person at a Time approach has always worked for me... and I really think it's a much more effective approach.
Glenn - I agree! So many agents/trainers preach the volume concept, but in our business, I really don't think it's necessary.
Kim - I see that SO often!
Angela - Thank you!!
Ruthmarie - your market must be awfully tough - but I still think that the principle applies, maybe even more so. If every single client is so hard to come by, and therefore precious, it seems to make sense to really make an effort to impress someone whenever the opportunity arises... otherwise, you're just another salesperson in a very crowded room.
Hal - Very true! But even brand new agents can impress someone by simply taking a little extra time to do what others won't.
Joe - I love OUR numbers game, don't you?
Suzanne - it really really works, doesn't it?
Mana - I feel so much better about my business when I feel I've made a good impression on the person I just met...
Ellie - as an introvert, I always tend toward emails... but I do find that when I get face2face (or at least voice2voice) with someone, it usually has a better outcome and I actually DO enjoy it more!
Can you see me nodding my head? Of course you can :-)
One warm person at a time. I've never understood the "I have 5000 contacts in my database.." thing. I have people - not contacts.
Kris - Yep, I see you nodding!!! And yeah... them's PEOPLE, people!
It makes sense to focus on one at a time and not to go in 10 different directions unless your team is setup to handle it. One new "real" client a week would work for me.
I couldn't agree more. I'm new to the business and being told I need to collect 10 new business cards per day. I just don't get that method! Quality not quantity definately.
Just ordered your book...two copies...one for me, a realtor of 15 years, and one for my daughter, Courtney, a realtor of 1 year, who is kicking booty!
I'm a big fan of hand-written notes and cards to clients, past clients, sphere of influence, etc. It's that extra special touch that isn't seen any more in these days of gang e-mails, e-cards, etc.
Best of luck to ya...keep up the good work, Jennifer.
Dave Culbertson, Real Living Home Team, Mt. Vernon, OH
Hey Dave! Got your order... I have a question about it which I'll contact you directly about... but THANKS! Going in the mail tomorrow morning.
I love email.