Sharran Srivatsaa told me something about the top 1% of agents that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
Srivatsaa, who is now CEO of Acquisition.com and is one of the GOATs of real estate conversion and sales, recently did an interview where he laid out the clearest explanation I’ve ever heard for why some agents consistently outperform everyone else.
It comes down to one thing: the top 1% focus on the people already in front of them instead of constantly chasing new ones.
The 1% Focus on the People in Front of Them
The top 1% work the database they already have. They build a mature pipeline where something can pop in December just as easily as it can in the spring.
Meanwhile, the other 99% are constantly chasing new business.
If you’re constantly chasing new people instead of following up with people already in front of you, you’re going to run a business that gets very frustrating. There will be high turnover, and you will burn through people like they’re disposable.
These are real people. These are human beings with big life decisions to make, and they’re going to make them at their pace, for their own reasons.
So today, I’m going to share some data from a Harvard Business Review study. Forget 90 days or the rest of the year for a second. Just focus on what you’re going to do between now and the 4th of July. Use these stats to:
- Build your schedule
- Figure out your cadence of follow up
- Understand how you want to run your day
Hack #1: Persistence
The most important thing is persistence. The Harvard Business Review data shows that when you get to six or more attempts, you have a 90% chance of making contact.
Which means you’ve given yourself a real shot at having a conversation.
Most agents aren’t even getting themselves into a position to follow up.
So here’s the question: are you 10-sixing your leads? We use this framework internally all the time. Here’s what it looks like in practice:
- Call each lead 10 times
- Text each lead 6 times
Yes, it’s a lot. But that one decision alone is going to change your conversion.
The data shows 30% of leads don’t even get a call in the first place, and most agents quit after the very first attempt. The conversion rate jumps significantly the further you go.
Just by committing to this, you’re already going to be more persistent than the majority of people you’re competing against.
Hack #2: Response Time
Response time is the one that drives me nuts. You get an inbound lead. You get an alert on your website that someone is looking at a property or curious about home values, and you plan to call them later in the afternoon.
The Harvard Business Review data shows a 400% decrease in the odds of qualifying and connecting with someone after just five minutes. Not hours. Five minutes.
Availability can be the best ability. I’ve seen it work so many times when you call people right away. Honestly, when I’m in a meeting, and I can’t call someone back immediately, I have a panic attack because I know what the data says.
Be available. Call people back right away. You’re increasing your chances by 400% just by not waiting an extra five minutes.
Stop arguing with this and just implement it.
Hack #3: Plan Your Week Around the Data
This one is especially important right now with summer coming up and a lot of people heading into vacation mode. More power to you. Take time off. Time off will help you. But plan your days and your week accordingly.
Here’s what the data says about the best days to make contact: There’s a 49% difference in time to make contact between Tuesday and Thursday.
- Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to make contact. You’re booking appointments for the weekend and later in the week.
- Monday is tough. Consumers are just getting their week started.
- Tuesday, they’re getting into flow. There’s a substantial jump when you get to Wednesday and Thursday.
So plan two big lead gen days on Wednesday and Thursday. Do morning calls and evening calls, because the data also tells us the best times of day to reach people:
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. is one of the two best windows
- 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. is the other
A lot of agents say they’re going to make their lead gen calls in the middle of the day. You’re setting yourself up to fail. There’s a 164% difference between calling at 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. versus 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Book your mornings, make calls from 8 to 11, then get back on the phones from 4 to 6 p.m. That’s the schedule.
Stop Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
When you’re doing your summer planning, get specific about what days you’re working.
If you’re taking a long weekend, great. Maybe you’re in the office Monday morning and you peace out Thursday night after your lead gen calls. Whatever it looks like for you, make sure the days you’re working are the days you actually have a shot at reaching people.
This is about planning. Make calls during the windows when people actually pick up. Take this data, use it, and separate yourself from everyone else just by working the people already in your database.
Maybe you weren’t calling at the right times. Maybe you were reaching out when people were busy. It doesn’t really matter why it wasn’t working before.
Make these changes now, based on data and proven processes, and you’re going to be shocked at the results you see.
