Do you want to feel more confident on the phone and regularly set more listing appointments? Do what every serious prospector does — find a real estate roleplay partner to practice your scripts and objections. Like any relationship, finding the right person makes all the difference. To help you find the right partner, here’s advice from prospectors earning $250,000 a year or more.

Why Roleplay Your Scripts?

If you’re new to real estate or new to prospecting, it’s important to know what script role-playing is and why it’s important. Greg Harrelson, who sells over 600 homes a year, offers a fantastic answer, “In real estate, we call practicing ‘role-playing.'” He further explains, “A real estate agent must roleplay consistently if they are to improve skills. Any coach would tell you there is a direct correlation between hours practiced and income earned.”

Think about script role-playing the way actors and actresses do about getting movie parts. They get the script, practice it, and come prepared to the audition. Like them, every prospecting call you make or door you knock is “an audition” to get “the part”. How good you sound determines whether or not you get the listing.

Like most things, seeing an idea in action is better than just reading about it. Ricky Carruth, an accomplished prospector shows what effective role-playing looks like.

Don’t Do It Alone

If you’re thinking why not just practice your scripts on your own? Isn’t that good enough? It’s far less hassle and less embarrassing.

First, practicing scripts on your own is a great idea. Definitely set time aside to do it. Practicing on your own makes your role-play sessions more effective. You’ll get better faster and stay sharper longer. That’s why top prospectors block time to practice solo at least once a week.

But if you’re concerned about looking bad or feeling embarrassed, isn’t it better you feel this way during a role-play session?

Consider the alternative: how bad will you feel when you stumble for words and a homeowner hangs up or closes the door on you? Ouch! That’s going to hurt your confidence. Damaged egos are a major reason agents give up on prospecting.

On the other side of the spectrum, you’ll find the second reason not to only practice your scripts alone: accountability. It’s scientifically proven when you make your commitments public, to another person or in a group, you’re more likely to follow through.

An interview with master prospector Paula Burlison brings the research to life, “If I have other agents in my mastermind group waiting for me in our Google Hangouts, and I don’t show up, I get a text from them. That’s accountability. You’re going to show up, you’re going to show up more often, and just by doing that you’re going to be more successful.”

Where Do Top Prospectors Go To Find Roleplay Partners?

Once you understand the value of role-playing your scripts regularly, naturally you’re bound to ask, “Where can I find a partner?” A common challenge even skilled prospectors face is finding practice partners. Look no further. Here are the top seven places prospectors go to find roleplay partners in 2018.

1. Real Estate Agents that REALLY Work Facebook Group

This Facebook group is lead by agent Jason Morris, who has sold more than 2,000 homes and been in real estate since 2004. His group has nearly 30,000 members and is very active, with over 10 posts a day. When you post in his group, expect a rapid reply. On top of finding a roleplay partner, you’ll get answers to questions about anything you ask. Jason Morris himself posts his own tips and tricks daily, and also offers free expired and FSBO trainings several times a year.

Jason gives easy-to-implement suggestions to help you build your real estate business. Top notch information that is easy to digest and implement in your day-to-day work. Expect big results when you follow his advice.
– John H.

2. Prospecting Alliance

The Prospecting Alliance is a low-cost accountability program run by Colton Lindsay, an agent who has sold more than 120 homes over the last two years. He offers biweekly personal one-on-one accountability calls, connects you with 3-4 other agents in your own “accountability group”, and will even listen to your recorded prospecting calls and give you feedback on how to improve. However, the Prospecting Alliance Facebook group is private and you must be a paid member to post in it. It’s not clear how many people are in this group, but it would be shocking to discover you couldn’t find a roleplay partner as a member.

Colton Lindsay is the wizard of real estate. He does things I feel no one else is capable of. If you don’t work with Colton, I would say you were allergic to money!
– Connor K.

3. Mike Ferry Coaching Discussion Board

Since 1975 the Mike Ferry Organization (MFO) has coached tens of thousands of agents to become predictable six-figure prospectors. The MFO coaching curriculum heavily emphasizes the use of scripts and role-playing, which makes their discussion board an active place to find reliable and committed roleplay partners. Even though you must be a coaching client to post on the forum, anyone can view the posts, which are often full of requests to find roleplay partners.

4. Lab Coat Agents Facebook Group

This one of the most popular real estate agent groups on Facebook. There are over 80,000 members and 100 posts a day. Although this is not a prospecting-specific group, due to the shear number of members, finding a roleplay partner shouldn’t be hard. Topics range from “what’s your best response/script when you get a Zillow lead” to “need recommendation for a home printer”. Overall the group is comprehensive and offers you access to a huge pool of potential roleplay partners.

Lab Coat Agents is a group of real estate agents, brokers, vendors, speakers, industry insiders, leaders, and experts collaborating together to create the best systems for maximizing lead generation & lead conversion, sharing tips and techniques to grow your business, and discussing the latest tech to help leverage your time. But above all, mindset and culture. We are here to “Explore the science of real estate.”
-Tristan Ahumad

5. Cold Calling Closers Facebook Group

The title of this group says it all. This active group has over 16,000 members and receives several posts a day. The group leader, Frank Driscoll, provides daily accountability with posts like, “What are your plans for today?” and “How did you do today?” Participation by members lives up to the group’s stated purpose of providing, “An environment where ‘Like Minded’ people can mastermind and learn to become Cold Calling Closers.” After joining this group, finding a roleplay partner should be as easy as posting, who wants to roleplay scripts with me?

6. Your Office

Even if your office isn’t full of active hardcore prospectors, you can bet you’ll find agents who are more than happy to relieve their frustrations of working with customers by playing the part for you. This is a good thing. You want the most real experience possible. To get it, ask your broker to make an announcement at the next company sales meeting, send an email out to everyone, or ask if they would be willing to practice with you one-on-one.

In the morning we do a company-wide roleplay session, and we do it every day. It’s crucial. The reason people don’t prospect is because they don’t know what to say when they get on the phone. They have fears, doubts, worries, or questions about how the call will go before they even start dialing. But after role-playing, when I put on my headset, it’s me against the world. It’s awesome.
– Edward Estrada

7. REDX Roleplay System

REDX offers a free live “dial in” roleplay service for all customers who want to practice their Expired and FSBO scripts with a trained partner. Getting started is simple: once you dial in, select the lead type you want to practice, then select the objections difficulty level and you will be connected with a roleplay partner in seconds. Once you’re finished, your practice partner will review your session with you and send you a link to the recording so you can study it.

Their roleplay service is better than I expected and it’s actually very realistic. They gave me a wide variety of objections that are constantly changing. I feel like the REDX roleplay service will really help my assistant become better prepared to make prospecting calls for me.
– Garrett Smith

Final Thoughts: What To Look For In A Roleplay Partner

Now you know where to look to find a real estate roleplay partner, make sure you know how to pick one. Here’s some final tips so you can pick a partner you can trust will help you improve.

Are they Punctual, Prompt, and Precise?

If you’re going to roleplay, it’s no question you need someone who will show up on time and ready to go. Often times, it will be someone who is in the same time zone as you. With that comes an agent with the same goals you have, and who will make the same commitment to success as you do. Having someone who shows up late or misses practice is obviously not as motivated and will not push you to be your best. Do yourself a favor and find agents who want to work.

Are they Candid, Communicative, and Conscientious?

Just like a friend who doesn’t tell you when you have food in your teeth, a roleplay partner without candor is much the same. You need to find someone willing to give you honest and valuable feedback. How far do you think you’ll get with a partner who says, “You did great!” all the time with no constructive criticism? That’s why you need a roleplay partner who tells you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear. You’ll thank them in the long run.

Are they Serious, Sincere and a Salesperson?

Nothing is less effective than role-playing with someone who can’t take it seriously or take on the character of a homeowner. This doesn’t provide a real enough experience to where you can actually practice your scripts. And what’s the purpose of role-playing if it’s not preparing you for the real thing? So find a partner who can put their acting mask on and help you practice overcoming objections.

Are They Dedicated, Devoted, and Distinguished?

To get the most out of role-playing, pick a partner who’s on the same level as you or higher. If you’re trying to become a master at handling expired objections, find a master expired objection handler. If you’re trying to become a master at asking for the appointment, find a partner who’s a master appointment getter. You get the point. Whatever you want to master, find someone who has already mastered it to partner with.

Conclusion

Role-playing is something every serious prospector does regularly. So if you want to feel more confident on the phone and set more listing appointments, do what every serious prospector does — find a roleplay partner where top prospectors find theirs!

If you didn’t see your favorite place to find a roleplay partner, share your favorite place below in the comments.

About REDX

REDX offers real estate professionals a complete all-in-one prospecting platform for generating listing appointments. The platform includes seller leads, a dialer with up to three lines, and a lead management tool for simple follow-up. REDX maintains the position that all agents should be compliant with state and federal telecom laws – learn more here. Call (800) 731-7339 option 1 to learn more about prospecting FSBOs, Expireds, FRBOs, Pre Foreclosures, GeoLeads, and our Power Dialer – or visit www.redx.com