Blog / Prospecting
Making the connection by lee Woodward
Prospecting only truly engages once you have connected and earned the trust of people who know you by name and would recognise you if they saw you walking through your local shopping centre.
In the area where I worked, it would sometimes take me 40 minutes to pick up some milk from the local supermarket as every isle was full of great prospects who would say a cheerful hello often followed by, “Lee just a quick question…” You have what I call a ‘real relationship’ with people when they remember things about you, refer to you as ‘their agent’ and ring you regularly for advice.
As is the case with any great career or stand-alone business, your success is founded upon two things – building relationships and providing value. Making the time to build relationships and add value will earn you the professional trust of prospective clients because you are seen to be offering value without looking for something in return. To use an analogy, it’s like doing a good deed, without expecting a reward or even telling anyone about it. Professional trust is the ultimate success and key driver in any prospecting program. It’s the reason people will contact you when it comes time to sell their property. It’s also the reason people will refer you to others. It’s even the reason you are reading this book. Over the years, people have seen me in action in my capacity as a sales trainer and coach and during this time they have come to know me, respect me and trust me.
Let’s take a look at how to make a connection with a classic target market - people going through a divorce. If there’s ever a group that needs to see your depth as a human being, then this is it. People going through a divorce are not interested in real estate. They’re going through the process out of necessity and are therefore looking for someone with whom they can communicate, feel comfortable and who can take care of what they can only regard as a necessary transaction. They want to know you’ve got the emotional intelligence to work with them through a very testing time. You can add value to people in so many different ways. It just requires some lateral thinking on your part in terms of what would connect with that particular person, be it a cookbook or information about the schools or transport in the area they wish to move to.
Whatever it is, just make it something that connects.
Order Lee Woodward’s book “What to say, what to send” at www.realestateacademy.com.au
$49 Plus shipping
← Go back
