Why is there always a debate somewhere over whether our methods of doing business are active or passive? I noticed a recent post by Borino (whom I completely respect) stating that direct mail CAN be active OR passive, depending on the ability to "capture" the prospect.

Can't a targeted website, billboard, or ANY kind of marketing material be so targeted as to have a greater likelyhood of "capturing" the prospect?

I think the ongoing debate is a moot point! Whichever method you prefer, IF IT WORKS FOR YOU, keep doing it. While I can't personally call (more like I won't) 100 prospects a day looking for business, I still do it some to my intended target market.

A business owner recently said "If I paid you 150k a year, BUT you had to prospect by phone for four hours a day, you would do it gladly". My response was, "No I wouldn't, because I would never APPLY for a job as a telemarketer!

Just food for thought!

Hmmm, interesting topic.

I think I'd telemarket for 150k a year

As far as "passive" marketing goes, I like the aspect of people eventually calling and emailing me because they have seen/heard about me and think I'm the "expert" they can trust.

This is a lot higher of a conversion for me in turing a prospect into a client.

By cold-calling or door-knocking to random people, I think it seems more pushy and/or desperate for some reason. But some people are good at that and have a lot of success doing it.

Not desperate. Try more agressive. Try more hungry. Try more persistent. (All secrets to success in sales if you study it as your craft)
Why not do both. Active and Passive. There are enough hours in the day you know. I don't want to cold call 100 contacts per day either.....I just want the money. In 2009 I made $300k active prospecting and $200k passively. For. 2010 my plan is to increase both by $100k each. DO BOTH you banker will LOVE you!

Ultimately you have to find what works best for you. You run your own business and no 2 Realtors run their business exactly alike. Some Agents prefer flyers and some prefer open houses. If you are consistently generating leads in one way, then you may want to explore that area further.

The key is to leverage your time and money. Open houses take your time where flyers don't use up your time but cost money.

If you are getting good results, then stick with it.

lucky, do you have a website???

I believe the difference between active and passive prospecting has a lot to do with what your audience wants. Almost all my prospecting is "passive" but I don't apologize for it. I create something people want, put it out there, and let them come to me. Thus, my closing ratios, if you want to call it that are much higher than with pursuit-oriented prospecting because I'm not disrupting someone with my message. They want what I have, so they seek me out which gives me tremendous credibility with them from the start.

I believe that today's consumer is exceedingly tired of being pursued and responds much more positively to attraction-based marketing. And, because I'm not an aggressive salesperson, it's a far better fit for my personality.