Top Producer.

Lucky,

He made 100 contacts per day minimum and mailed to his sphere.

How many hours does he allow for the 100 contacts?

How big is his sphere?

How much time does he allow for lead follow up/sphere
calls?

Thank's,

Hunter.

Lucky,

You mentioned that your assistant works
30 hours a week for you, I'm curiouse
to know how she fills her time.


This might be impossible for you to answer, but how much
more effective is door knocking than telephone
cold calls based on your experience of doing both?



Question 3: I said....if I do not have an appointment I am done usually by 3:30.

The Mike Ferry plan stipulates that if you do not have an appoinment you continue to prospect till 6pm, ie. 3:00 - 6:00. You follow a lot of his thinking, not sure why you are not doing the full plan as layed out by him.

Mikes basic plan envolves approximately 3 hours morning prospecting,
1 hour of follow up after lunch and a second 3 hour prospecting session
in the late afternoon. Total phone time would be 7 hours.


Either way I'm enjoying reading this entire thread for
the second time.


Thank's,


Hunter.

Very good point. I'm the ONLY broker in an office with 30+ active agents that makes cold calls regularly. I guess a vast majority of the people out there are really afraid of rejection.

I'm not afraid of rejection otherwise I'd never submit an offer to purchase or go on a listing appointment.

I don't like annoying people, that's all. I treat people the same way I wish to be treated, so since I loathe and despise cold calls to my home or random people knocking on my door to see if I want some service or product they offer, I don't do it to others.

That's it - plain and simple. Nothing to do with fear, everything to do with my interpretation respecting someone's boundaries. I have more productive ways to spend my days.

1) My Assistant is constantly busy and sometimes after about 1 or 2 pm, if it is a slow day she goes home early...she likes that.
I do nothing but prospect, lead follow up, offers, listing appointments, return calls and delegate. She does everything else and I proof it including my CMA's

2) Door knocking is very effective compared to phones. I stopped doing it because I don't feel I can do it consistently enough due to weather changes and time driving to and from the areas. Very effective especially when you leave material behind. I would say twice as effective at least.

3)I rarely do not have an appointment and on the rare occasion when I don't....I like to go home or to the gym or shopping! LOL! It's a nice break to not have an appointment. Plus, because I do my prospecting before 1 pm usually, I rarely find the desire to do more. Lead follow up is my weakness because many cannot be reached other than in the evenings and I hate working evenings more than I have to. (Ie; appointments to list, show, of negotiate contracts)

He prospected 3 hours per day minimum.

1 Hour per day lead follow up.

Sphere of 200 or so.

Perky; I am sure you are right....some people feel being called or contacted at the door annoying but many do not really mind. Trust me I have encountered many annoyed ones and I simply create my own additional DNC. But many also like to know about the market and tell me they appreciate the call and even offer help by referring me to someone that wants to sell.

It's a good thing most agents do not like the concept otherwise more would be doing it and it wouldn't be as effective or profitable.

Good luck on your systems

Lucky,


2) Door knocking is very effective compared to phones. I stopped doing it because I don't feel I can do it consistently enough due to weather changes and time driving to and from the areas. Very effective especially when you leave material behind. I would say twice as effective at least.

I REVIEWED MY OWN PERSONAL NUMBERS GOING BACK TO 1993 AND THE ABOVE
STATEMENT IS THE SAME CONCLUSION I CAME TO. The only difference is
I stand a higher chance of slipping on the ice and landing on my
head than you or being kidnapped by a lonely house wife.


Example:

Your 100 phone contacts would equal my 50 face to face
contacts in annual production results.


Last year I made my quota in the first 8 months of the year,
I experimented for two months by going out and visiting my
best past clients who refer me business, the result for me were
not very good. I enjoyed the visits a lot but they took a lot
of time. Might pay of in the future years, will see.


Thank your for answering my questions,
much appreciated.

Hunter.

Lucky, yes, with the amount of volume you do I am sure you do encounter many folks who don't mind.

What's wonderful about real estate is there is so much room for everyone to do real estate their own way, in a way that does not make them uncomfortable or "icky." Being an extremely private person, I have an aversion for invading someone else's privacy. And I live in an area where most homes are in private communities with strict rules about soliciting - they value their privacy too.

If I were to door knock, if I were to find anyone home (primarily a vacation home market where the owners live several hours away) they would probably call security to have me booted immediately from the community! Then I would be on someone's #%&$ list...yay...

I know you said way back in the beginning that you do not have much of a web presence - and that's where the majority of my business comes from.

My whole philosophy is pretty much based on doing things for customers the way I would want them done if I were a customer...when I need a service I do not wait for the service to come to me; I go looking for it....therefore, as a realtor I want to be easily found (and I am.)

I try not to be negative about other methods that I personally do not like except when people get kind of high and mighty and turn their noses up or try to put down those who do things differently.

I resent the implication that I and others who don't cold call are "afraid". Others have, in the past, accused agents who don't cold call / door knock "lazy."

It's not true....it's just DIFFERENT. And I attract customers who are attracted to my approach to real estate. What's wrong with that? Nothing.

Yes, I am glad that not many other agents in my area understand the internet.

I been lurking this thread for a long time. Perky, what will you do in 5 or 10 years when more and more agents start using the internet as well to generate leads in your area. Your market share will be sliced. With the idea of cold calling or door knocking your only going to help your business if you implement it. I want to be able to be good with cold calling, door knocking, internet lead generating, getting referrals and so and so on. This way I'm sure to survive this competitive industry.

Nobody knows what the business is going to be like in 5 or 10 years. But rest assured, the day I have to rely on annoying people at home with phone calls is the day I escrow my license.

My business has turned the corner into massive compeditiveness 5-10 years ago. web pages, blogging, flyers, advertising, benches etc.....everyone is getting creative finding ways of waiting for business to come to them. Unfortunately, I have a family to support and there are not many carreers out there that will pay me this kind of money.

In ten years I hope to be living off my kids. LOL (just kidding.)

We all do what we have to do to get by. I'm an evolver - lol...I never intended to sell real estate, but look at me, I'm pretty good at it...I never intended to make money doing web design...and even though I'm not the greatest web designer, I've been pretty good at making money with that too...

I think it's pretty cool Lucky that you are so tenacious and very good at what you do. I personally do not think it will be so easy to do cold calling in the future. I honestly believe that privacy laws are going to make it more difficult.

You are right - real estate is about the only career that allows many people - esp. people like me who only graduated high school and had 1 year of college...and only service industry work experience....to make a lot of money.

It is hard work - amazingly stressful and yet strangely satisfying at the same time. Since I am not the sole breadwinner at this point in time for my family, I can afford to be more picky about my methods.

Should my husband not have work, things may change....I like adapting. I'm a survivor - I will survive no matter what, but I will not do something that I loathe if there is something enjoyable to do instead....

Nobody knows what the business is going to be like in 5 or 10 years. But rest assured, the day I have to rely on annoying people at home with phone calls is the day I escrow my license.


Perky,

A retired broker who was in the industry for 40 years
told me that in the 1960's and 1970's an agent had to
sell 50 homes just to make an average income. They
has no MLS, Fax machines or Computers. He said they did
this volume by just doing the basic's, calling people
and open houses. He told me how much they made for each
sale but I cant remember, like $500 bucks or something,
he said to survive those days they all sold in VOLUME.

The basics of loosing weight, getting in shape,raising a
child have not changed, neither has sales.

My client sells fertilizer to farmers, he puts 50,000km
on his car a year driving around visiting farmers, he does
not sit on his computer.

My friend is vp of sales for a major sporting goods manafacturer,
his sales staff has to go and see the owners of sporting good
stores everyday.

An old girlfriend sold pet food for a huge American company, she had to visit pet stores all day long and e-mail her activities into head office at the end of
each day, she said it was very tiring.


The above mentioned sales people earn above average incomes.


PERKY, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, WHY DO THESE LARGE CORPORATION
PAY THESE SALES REPS VERY WELL TO GO AND SEE THERE CLIENTS?



Hunter.