When you think about it, there’s nothing difficult about picking up the phone and calling a few people. Right? It’s easy to do… and also easier not to do. And that’s the danger. So why do we have this reluctancy to picking up the phone and making a call? Why is it so easy for us to not make those calls? I talk with a lot of successful agents on a regular basis. And if I had to boil down what makes those people so successful, it’s not that they’re all insanely innovative and breaking new ground. It’s not that they figured out some marketing “hack” no one else knows. It’s not dumb luck. It’s one simple, common trait – they’re doing the work. They make the calls and contact the people and have the discipline to do it over and over and over even though it is not what they want to do nor is it glamorous but it is the key to their success. It goes back to one of my favorite quotes: “Do the thing, have the power.” –Emerson. Having the discipline to take consistent action is really what separates the winners from the also-rans in this business.
Today I’m sharing three ways to overcome that resistance to making your calls so you can start booking more appointments… consistently!
1. Get Prepared In Advance - I’m sure you’ve had this happen… You wake up with the best of intentions to make your calls. But before you actually begin, something comes up. Or you “remember” a more urgent task you should be doing (which, in reality, is just an excuse). Or you simply avoid it because you don’t feel like it. And over time, this failure to make your calls is absolutely killing your productivity. It undercuts your potential. It’s the biggest reason why agents ride that rich/poor rollercoaster and fail to create any predictability in their businesses. This often happens because you didn’t prepare ahead of time. A productive prospecting session begins the night before. You need to get everything prepared so there can be no distractions and no excuses to get started the next morning. The night before, be sure to gain clarity on things like: Who am I going to call? What’s the outcome I want to achieve? What scripts do I need to achieve those objectives? Answer these three questions at the end of each day, get everything ready, and you’re much more likely to follow through on your appointment setting calls the next day.
2. Get Yourself Charged Up - Half-hearted prospecting is not successful prospecting. Even if you’re not “feelin’ it” when the time comes to start making your calls, you need to know how to get yourself to a peak state. And it’s more than just mental. In fact, I think it starts with physicality. A great way to get that energy up is to move your body. Jump on a mini trampoline, do some jumping jacks or whatever it takes to get your blood flowing. Then comes the mental part of it… your affirmations and strategic questions to put yourself in a winning mindset. “I’m a lean, mean, appointment-setting machine!” “What do I love about my clients?” “What do I love about setting appointments?” Do this regularly and I guarantee you’ll have more productive call sessions and build some serious “appointment setting” momentum.
3. Share Your Results? - What’s your first response to the suggestion that you should actually publish the results of your prospecting sessions to the public? I suspect many agents will feel like, “I don’t want to do that. It makes me look desperate or like I’m a telemarketer.” Do you feel that way? Because if so, here’s my response: You’re looking at it all wrong, and your whole mindset around prospecting might be off base. Remember this: You’re not calling people to “sell” them something. You’re calling to check in, catch up, build rapport, answer questions, and inform people of market happenings. You’re calling because you care, and because that’s what trusted advisors do. Once you start thinking about it from that perspective, it becomes a no-brainer to follow up each session by sharing what you achieved on social media.
Imagine a post that says something along these lines in your Instagram Stories: “Just had 10 conversations with past clients and sphere… Keeping them informed on what’s going on in the market. Every day I do this to keep my clients informed. That’s what it’s all about!” Maybe you even sprinkle in some stats, like this: “70 calls made, 6 great conversations, 2 potential buyers and one homeowner considering putting their home on the market. Can’t wait to help them move on to the next exciting stage of their lives!” Not only does that show people that you care, but it informs people that you’re active and you have a system for finding buyers and getting first jump on listings… basically establishing that you’re the go-to “knowledge broker” for your market. A consumer who sees that every day in your Stories will definitely be impressed, and you’ll gain top-of-mind awareness in the process. So start doing it!
I am hoping these help build in some accountability for your prospecting sessions and make it easier for you to pick up that phone consistently and book more appointments! Let me know which one(s) you’ll start doing in the comments below!
Strength and courage,
Wade
