Do you find yourself overwhelmed with your CRM and lead generation?
During coaching sessions with our agents, we’ve been asking: “Where can we support you more in 2023? How can we skill you up? How can we help you to sell more houses?” Because the singular focus of our team is selling houses.
That’s how you make money in real estate. And, invariably, the answer that I continue to get is, “I’m overwhelmed by the CRM,” or “I don’t know where to start with my lead generation.”
It’s normal, and I get it. There’s a lot of tech involved and a lot of systems to learn.
So we developed an appointment-setting checklist to help you sort through the noise and get on track to meet your goals.
The appointment-setting checklist
We’re not just making calls to make calls, and we’re not here to do lazy follow-up like “checking in.”
We’re here to have meaningful conversations with folks that want to transact in real estate.
When you do the little things and make it about the person, not the property, you’ll gain more traction and have a better shot at winning clients.
In order to do that, you need a game plan, because the longer a conversation goes, the higher likelihood you set an appointment. You want to keep people on the phone.
With that in mind, here is your 7-step checklist:
#1—What time block are you utilizing for lead generation?
Is it the 8 to 11 time block, the 4 to 6 time block, or something else? When are you dedicating your time to appointment setting? Because that is the goal of every single one of these calls.
Once you know what time block you’ll be using, and you have that dedicated time set aside in your schedule, the next question is obvious.
#2—Who are you calling?
What’s the first phone number you’ll be dialing? And what type of lead are you focusing on during that time block?
Are you calling your hot leads? Are you calling nurture leads? Are you calling neighbors of a home you just sold? Are you calling expireds or for-sale-by-owners (FSBOs)?
Once you determine what your call sheet looks like and create that call sheet, stick to one type of lead. I wouldn’t be hopping around from calling a hot buyer to an expired listing to a circle dial. Group like-kind prospects together, so you’re in the same mindset on these calls.
#3—How many calls are you going to make?
What’s your goal? What’s the number you’re trying to hit?
Once you know that, put your list together.
Label each call sheet and commit to calling every number in front of you.
#4—What script are you going to use?
What OFQ are you going to use?
OFQ is a Phil Jones formula, which is behind every sales script out there:
- Opening
- Fact
- Question
The opening isn’t going to change from one call to the next: “Hi, It’s Tom here, with RE/MAX. I’m following up with you as promised…”
The facts, on the other hand, will change.
- Rates might be coming down
- Inventory may be down
- There may be a sale on the street
- You might have properties to show a buyer
Those are facts, one of which you’ll insert right after the opening. And it goes without saying that the fact you choose has got to be something of interest to the person you’re calling.
Now for the question:
“Just out of curiosity, when would be a good time to schedule a tour?” or “When would be a good time for us to meet to go over what these homes are selling for and how that might affect the value of your property?”
You’ve got to ask more questions in these scripts. And every single script that’s out there uses an OFQ format.
#5—What voice mail are you dropping?
And are you pre-recording it? Because you’re going to save a lot of time.
These should be value-based. It can sound something like this:
“Hey, it’s Tom Toole, here, with RE/MAX. I’m calling you because there’s a lot of noise out there around the housing market right now. And it’s really hard for consumers to understand what’s actually happening in the marketplace. I’ve got some important data I want to review with you that could impact your next real estate decision. Give me a call back at <phone number>, and we can talk more about how that affects your real estate needs.”
That’s an intentional voicemail. I’d have four or five of these pre-recorded and ready to drop so you’re not leaving the same voicemail over and over and over again.
#6—What’s the follow-up text or follow-up email if you don’t speak to someone?
What data are you putting out there? What information are you sharing? And are you attaching a video to it?
You can take one of the KCM charts from our friends at Keeping Current Matters, explaining why 2008 and 2023 are nowhere near being close to each other.
Include a video and maybe some text copy in the email, and send it out to everyone you don’t connect with on the phone. That’s a heck of a lot better than, “Hey, I just tried calling. When are you ready to move?” That kind of lazy follow-up is what we’re trying to avoid here.
What deliverable are you going to give people that you don’t talk to?
As for the people you do talk to, I would argue that you should send a personalized video, along with your resumé and reviews. Record a message like, “Hey, Nick, thanks so much for taking my call today. I understand that you and Michelle are still trying to figure out what’s going to be the best move for you and your family. And I want you to know that I’m here to be a resource. Here’s my cell, and I’ll make sure to follow up as planned.”
Simple. Easy. Just put the video to it—people love video.
AND When’s the next outreach attempt?
In other words, when is your next follow-up? Are you scheduling that in your CRM? If not, that should definitely be on your to-do list.
And finally…
#7—Did you do all the prep work before you time-blocked?
If you follow this checklist, and you get all those steps ready, you can focus on what matters most—which is the consumer on the other end of the phone. Have real conversations about their needs, meet them where they’re at, show empathy, and ultimately, find the people that want a reliable guide in the current marketplace.
That’s how you prep to win. Now, you’ve got to go implement.
