Tag: time management

Every time you fail to pick up the phone, the gap between you and your goals widens. Real estate coach, Tom Ferry, said this (and he’s not alone). Ask any coach or top prospector and they’ll say something similar. So why do real estate agents regularly resist prospecting and cold calling when they know it generates listings? The common answer: phone fear.

If fear is your default feeling to “dialing for dollars,” then let these remedies resolve your phobias so you can narrow the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

6 Remedies For Anxious Agents With Phone Fear

Remedy 1: Ask Why You Are Really Afraid Of The Phone
Remedy 2: Move From Pain to Power
Remedy 3: Let Money Motivate You
Remedy 4: Visualize Your Value
Remedy 5: Create the Right Environment
Remedy 6: Practice Makes Perfect

Remedy 1: Ask Why You Are Really Afraid Of The Phone

In Feel The Fear… And Do It Anyway, author Susan Jeffers says, “It doesn’t matter where your fears come from. What matters is that you take action to develop trust in yourself and choose to change for the better.”

Jeffers explains some fear is instinctual, healthy, and exists to keep us alert to trouble. The rest of our fears (those holding us back from growth) are destructive and can be blamed on your conditioning.

So the next time you’re afraid of a prospecting call ask yourself, “Why am I really afraid of calling?” You might discover your fears aren’t instinctual, but a learned behavior that you can easily un-learn.

Rather than focusing on the fear and allowing it to stop you from prospecting or cold calling, you can shift your focus away from fear with these three words: I’ll handle it.

Keep this phrase in mind on every call, and it will slowly (but surely) boost your trust in yourself and allow you to prospect with higher degrees of confidence.

Remedy 2: Move From Pain to Power

Phone fear causes many real estate agents to feel a looming void of helplessness, depression, and paralysis. But if most agents feel this fear, how do so many still make money cold calling and prospecting, despite the dread? Is fear itself really the problem?

In her book, Susan Jeffers provides an answer that might surprise you. She explains, “The real issue has nothing to do with the fear itself, but rather how we hold the fear.”  

The underlying principle of “how you hold fear” comes from a branch of psychology called dialectics (pronounced: die-a-leck-ticks), which involves developing new skills to manage painful emotions.

Practicing dialectics for real estate teaches you how to hold your fears with power versus holding them with pain. It elevates your perspective on pain and empowers you to choose how you react to phone fear.

The more responsibility you take over your perception of fear, the more you can ask, “Is this the condition I truly feared?” Next time you reach for the phone, keep this question in mind, and watch your fear shift from pain to power as you control your fears of prospecting.

Remedy 3: Let Money Motivate You

Mark Twain once said, “The timid person yearns for full value and asks for a tenth; the bold person strikes for double value, and compromises at par.” Let that quote sink in, then imagine your bank account 60, 90, and 120 days from now…

With that number in mind, how many appointments, listings, and closings will you need to turn the impossible into the inevitable? Seems like a lot, right?

Well, if you don’t have a specific plan to connect your calls to commissions, it’s easy to let phone fear paralyze you from “doing your dials.”  Even if money isn’t your main motivator, the experiences, comfort, and time with family that money buys, will be.

Since your motivations lie with something that money helps you achieve, what you want and why you want it is going to be your best money motivator. Once you’re clear on your “why,” the next step is mastering the “how.”

Whether you call it “cold calling” or “prospecting,” it’s a simple science that predictably makes money. Get good leads, a good dialer, a good script, and a good schedule.

However, just because it’s a simple process doesn’t mean it’s any easier to pick up the phone. So as a remedy to reluctance, the clearer you are on your motivation for money, the stronger this remedy will work to improve upon your fears and anxieties.

Remedy 4: Visualize Your Values

Real estate agents who list and last know their “money motivators” and keep visual reminders of their goals, dreams, and values front and center when cold calling. Stacking this remedy with the previous one delivers maximum results.

This is how Expireds master, Paula Burlison, dials daily. She keeps her vision board of goals and dreams in her line of sight. When she encounters negative people radiating negative emotions, she looks at her board for a reminder of what she’s working towards, and keeps going.

Listing machine, Edward Estrada, keeps a Who I Am card close by wherever he prospects. On the card are reminders like, “I’m a great person. I’ve got a positive mindset. I’m helpful. I’m grateful. I’m here for myself. I know who I am.” Whenever he’s having a bad day or is on a difficult call, he reads the card to reboot his attitude and refocus on his prospecting.

Your goals, dreams, and values power your mindset and motivation. Keep them in front of you so you can push past your phone fears and remember why prospecting is the path to your prosperity.

Remedy 5: Create the Right Environment

Prospecting in the right environment can diminish phone fears. One of the best solutions is to create a dedicated space (or room) just for prospecting. A space dedicated to prospecting trains your mind to know when it’s time to prospect.

Think about a dedicated space like an empowering costume or uniform. When you put it on, how does it feel? Because like astronauts, pilots, or race car drivers “suit up” and buckle in, stepping into your own “command center” will help you turn nervous energy into positive productivity.

Top prospectors who follow a “dedicated-desk” approach keep a computer, phone, and notepad at their desk, along with a vision board or goal list. That’s it. They keep their prospecting space clear of other distracting “stuff,” and the only thing on their screen is their leads.

Now, if your head isn’t clear, it doesn’t matter how dedicated your workspace is. If you bring in trash, your session is going to stink. That means cultivating a healthy “mental environment” is also essential to make this remedy work.

The concept is simple. Nix the negative news, people, pop culture, and other mental junk food from your life. Instead, create a bubble of self-improvement by immersing yourself in real-estate-centric audiobooks and podcasts to keep your mind out of the gutter.

If followed, this two-part remedy will radically reduce your phone fears and cold calling concerns by “dialing in” the right physical and mental environments.

Remedy 6: Practice Makes Perfect

The best remedy to overcome your phone fear and cold calling anxiety is practice. It’s the “get your hands dirty, say the wrong things, and fall on your face” style of practice. Nothing else beats fear like preparation and experience.

Now you have two options (and you can try both):

The first is “safe mode.” In safe mode, you find script practice partners who roleplay the lead types you prospect. There are literally hundreds of agents everyday looking for someone to practice with.

If you’re going to take this first option, avoid working with only one partner. Top prospectors rotate between three to five different partners so they don’t get accustomed to one personality type. They also recommend 30 minutes of practice before a call session. This warms you up and prepares you for objections.

The second option is “live-fire mode.” This is where you learn on the job. You load your leads, get your scripts, and dial. Your mental model should be “get through the script” rather than “I fail if I don’t get an appointment.” Recording your calls and reviewing them later (with a coach) will help you turn up the accuracy on your live-fire practice.

Although there’s no way to 100% predict what will happen during a prospecting session, when you show up prepared, you show up to win! It may sound cliché, but practice really does make perfect.

Swallow The Pill

The ultimate remedy to your phone fear and cold calling anxiety comes down to one thing: get comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s possible. Most top real estate agents have confronted these fears and discovered everything they ever wanted was on the other side of courage.

Prospecting may never become your favorite thing to do, but top prospectors agree – every time you pick up the phone, you narrow the gap between where you are and where you want to be!

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

Are you hoping for a consistent, predictable business during the next market downturn? It’s what every real estate agent wants for their business, but do you know how to prepare for it? Use these tips to help plan for the future, and avoid an unpredictable business dependent on market changes. Keep reading to discover how to come out on top when the market hits rock bottom.

10 Real Estate Tips For Consistent Listings In A Changing Market

1. Go And Get It
2. Aim For The Bullseye
3. Time Management Is Money Management
4. Find A Lead Stack That Works For You
5. Hit The Ground Running
6. Get Your Mind Right
7. Know What To Say
8. Don’t Break The Bank
9. Pick The Low Hanging Fruit
10. Don’t Give Up

1. Go And Get It

First thing’s first: if you want consistent business, you have to go and get it. Josh draws an important distinction between the dependent “lazy” agents who sit around and wait for clients to come to them, and the independent “prospecting” agents who actively seek out new clients and never have to worry about an empty pipeline.

When the market slows down, the dependent agents are left wondering why they aren’t getting any new business, and usually end up leaving the industry. The proactive “prospecting agents” see the declining market as a challenge, and use it as an opportunity to take on all the listings that other agents leave behind.

During the last market downturn, Josh recalls, “Lazy agents were leaving the business, and the agent count on the real estate boards were going down. It actually benefited Realtors like myself who were out there working hard, and competition went down.”

Like Josh, agents who continuously prospect through rough markets don’t have to worry about tough competition (or an empty pipeline).

So even when the market takes a turn, you can keep your business running by prospecting, door-knocking, calling your sphere of influence, and doing everything else a dependent agent doesn’t do. Not only will you have a consistent income, but like Josh says, you’ll pick up what the competition leaves behind.

2. Aim For The Bullseye

Even though you may not be able to control the market, you can control how you navigate it. Josh recommends goals as a great way to “keep you moving.” Without goals in place, road blocks, frustration, and poor results are inevitable.

If you want more listings, consistent cash, and peace of mind, you’ve got to know what you’re aiming at if you’re going to hit the bullseye.

Start by looking at what you’ve achieved so far. How many homes did you sell last month? How about last year? How often did you call your sphere of influence to ask if they’re ready to buy or sell? Or how many times did you get on the phone to prospect? Start with the basics to set clear, attainable goals, then build on what you’ve already done.

If you already have goals set, are they broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks? If you don’t have goals, grab a notepad and write some down. Knowing you can set and achieve goals will have a great impact on your income and act as a defense against a declining market.

3. Time Management is Money Management

According to Josh, successful and unsuccessful prospectors have one thing in common: they both desire a consistent and predictable income. Where they differ is in their ability to manage time and stick to a daily routine.

In order to hit his 180 transactions a year (no matter the market conditions), a prospecting routine in Josh’s business is a must. 

Like every successful prospector knows, if you don’t set specific times to prospect, you’re going to find excuses to avoid doing it.

In Josh’s experience, “The best time to prospect is in the morning and late afternoon into the evening.” Get out your planner, Google calendar, or daily to-do list, and prioritize how you’ll earn a predictable income (even in an unpredictable market).

With a clear routine and the motivation to follow through you’ll never worry about where your next listing will come from.

4. Find A Lead Stack That Works For You

With prospecting prioritized in your daily schedule, you’ll have to figure out exactly what to prospect. Calling the right leads at the right times can boost your contact rate and the amount of listings you’ll take.

Josh’s lead stack starts with For-Sale-By-Owners, then Expireds, then potential buyers, and finally, he circles back to call past clients.

With a routine-based lead stack in place, Josh not only knows what works best for his business, but he also knows how he can reach more homeowners and set more appointments no matter the market conditions.

Although Josh has a routine that works for him, your schedule might be different. Some agents prefer calling early in the morning before any other agent gets on the phone, and others prefer starting with unique lead types.

The important thing to note here is that there isn’t one “perfect” way to create a successful schedule. Try out a few different schedules and lead stacks to determine what works best for you and your market. It’s one of the nicest things about having your own real estate business – you get to set it up, then change it exactly how you want to.

5. Hit The Ground Running

Even with a great schedule and lead stack, hopping on the phone and starting your calls is often the hardest part. Whether it’s at the beginning of your real estate career or at the beginning of each prospecting session, call reluctance is real.

In the book “The 5 Second Rule,” author Mel Robbins says that when you want to start something new, you have to act within five seconds or your brain will turn against the idea. This means you don’t have time to think about potential prospecting problems when you hop on the phone. If you hesitate, you’ll never do it.

Josh recalls getting a list of FSBOs to call from his broker with the instructions to just “get to it!” No script. No advice. No time. Just, “Do it.” Even with such little guidance, his drive to be successful (especially in the face of poor market conditions) was what pushed him to do something so unfamiliar.

His first few listing appointments failed. But “getting beat up” over the phone is what led him to become a successful, experienced, and confident prospector with a consistent, predictable, and reliable business.

Just like coal requires years of heat and pressure to become a diamond, agents require heat and pressure of their own to come out on top as “diamond” prospectors.

6. Get Your Mind Right

Whether you’re optimizing your schedule or overcoming your fear of calling, growing pains are inevitable. So what can you do to make them more tolerable? What’s the best way to get out of bed every morning with the motivation to prospect?

Even though the answer might be easy, the execution is where people usually get choked up. Ready for it?…

The key to staying motivated is getting your mind in the right place. As you’ve likely heard before, mindset is everything in a real estate career, and you’re unlikely to survive with a negative one, especially in a declining market.

In the beginning, what kept Josh going was his positive learning mindset. “I kept a positive attitude and just kept thinking in my head, ‘Hey, I’m learning.'” To him, all the bad phone calls and awkward pauses were the stepping stones to a bulletproof career.

A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor, and easy prospecting never made a top-producing agent. Resist the urge to let a negative call, person, or market lead to a negative mindset and train yourself to turn every bad phone call into a positive learning opportunity for a better future.

7. Know What To Say

Even though there’s a learning curve for every aspect of prospecting, there are just as many ways to cut the learning curve in half, and the right scripts are one of the most effective. 

Knowing what to say on the phone will increase your confidence, which in turn will increase your listing appointments. In time, this cycle will ultimately give you the paycheck you want (and need), independent of market conditions.

Do a Google search for “real estate scripts” and you’ll get a ton of results (74 million to be exact!) Results like this can seem overwhelming. Which is the best one? You’ll just have to try a few, adapt them to your own style, and stick to the ones that give you the most success.

For Josh, a soft approach tends to work best. He focuses on asking the right questions, and his only goal is to get the appointment.

In this training, you’ll discover how top prospectors start every call by asking the right questions, the formula they use to overcome any objection, and how they set appointments even after being rejected.

8. Don’t Break The Bank

You might be thinking to yourself, “Okay, this is great advice… but how much is all this prospecting going to cost me, especially if the market changes?” It all comes down to how you invest your money (and your time). Don’t break the bank!

Too many real estate agents get discouraged because they think spending money on flyers, mailers, ads, and billboards will help them stay afloat. These might work for a few listings, but in a declining market, they’re unlikely to pull you ahead (especially when you’re already on a tight budget).

If cost is an issue for you, consider investing in lead sources and prospecting tools that bring consistent value over time. Just like investing in stocks, investing in prospecting tools will promote long-term stability in a potentially unstable market. 

In the beginning, Josh purchased REDX FSBO leads as his only lead source. He couldn’t afford much more than that, so he invested in something that could create consistency in his business. “It was so easy to just get the leads and go rock and roll with them,” says Josh.

Now that he’s consistently prospecting Expired and FSBO leads, Josh says “REDX pays for itself by at least a factor of 10 every month.” Starting small and bringing in different lead types over time will be the safety net you need no matter which direction the market turns.

9. Pick The Low Hanging Fruit

As you discover which lead types work best for you, you’ll learn that sometimes people don’t answer or just aren’t ready to sell their homes. But don’t count these leads out quite yet! If you want truly consistent listings, lead follow-up is essential.

As you start to optimize your prospecting strategies for any market, integrate a solid follow-up strategy to tie up the loose ends. Agents who don’t follow up with people lose out on way too many listings.

Agents who do follow up find that “NO”s become “YES”s since leads change their minds all the time. If someone says, “We’re not ready to sell quite yet,” make a note to follow up with them in a few weeks. Otherwise, when they are ready to sell, another agent will snatch up the listing.

And if you’re worried about “being annoying” – don’t! It’s easy to assume your calls are starting to annoy people and skip follow-up calls altogether. But Josh recommends avoiding this mindset by focusing on the potential earnings. “I know it’s a lot of calls… but in my mind it’s $5000.”

10. Don’t Give Up

Even after our most magical money-making moments, it‘s easy to become discouraged and unmotivated on those “I just don’t want to” days. 

No one has time for those days, especially when you have prospecting goals to achieve. You could have the best prospecting system in the world and still want to throw in the towel when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

When Josh has one of those days or gets off a bad call feeling discouraged, he turns up the jams, gets out of the office for a few minutes, and calls up a friend who pumps him up. “We bounce ideas off each other and give pump up talks,” says Josh.

Sometimes we can’t pump ourselves up on our own, and that’s okay. Having people, places, and practices in place to help when things get tough will hold you accountable and remind you of your ultimate goals. Just find someone (a co-worker, a good friend, a parent, or your dog) to remind you of your goals and who won’t let you quit.

Get It And Keep It

All of these tips add up to one thing: a successful and consistent real estate business. If implemented, you’re going to be a lot more confident, make more efficient prospecting calls, and get more listings (even in an ever-changing market.)

So the next time you see headlines about the market crashing, you’ll be safe and sound knowing you implemented a system that’s safeguarded against the unexpected.

“If you’re persistent, you’ll get it. If you’re consistent, you’ll keep it.”

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

What does the money real estate agents spend on top-tier coaching actually buy? It’s not tips, tricks, or hacks, but rather the creation of highly effective habits (and systems) proven to improve your income by hundreds of thousands of dollars. This article is based on a conversation with Tony Smith, a real estate agent and coach with the Mike Ferry Organization who trains dozens of real estate agents every year to develop these core habits.

11 Core Habits For Real Estate Agents Who Prospect

Habit 1: Don’t Invent Excuses
Habit 2: Get Good At Handling Objections
Habit 3: Expose Yourself To Rejection
Habit 4: Be Accountable
Habit 5: Listen To Your Calls
Habit 6: Get Business – Don’t Wait For It
Habit 7: Avoid Unnecessary Distractions
Habit 8: Count Your “Wins”
Habit 9: Don’t Overcomplicate It!
Habit 10: Use A Simple Script
Habit 11: Do The Work

1. Don’t Invent Excuses

We all know what we’re supposed to do to be successful. Sometimes, however, the hardest part is finding the drive to actually do it. According to Tony Smith (real estate coach), one of the hardest things for real estate agents to actually do is to get on the phone and prospect.

Tony can ask any agent, “Do you think you should generate leads in your business?” And 100% of them will answer, “Yes, of course!” When he follows up with, “How do you do it?” they’ll give the usual answer, “Well… open houses, mailers, flyers, door knocking, and prospecting.”

But when he asks how much lead generation they actually do, they admit they often have a hard time getting around to it.

They know they’re supposed to prospect to be successful in their business, they just don’t. But the top-producing real estate agents don’t find excuses to avoid success. They know what it takes to reach their goals, and they don’t stop until they do.

2. Get Good At Handling Objections

Top prospectors know every objection in the book. From, “We’re going to wait to list our home,” all the way to, “Let me talk to my wife.” These objections aren’t new and, as a prospector, you’re likely to hear them almost every day.

The only thing separating good agents from great agents is the habit of pushing for a “yes” when most agents settle for a “no” and move on to the next lead after an objection.

As you know, a good habit takes time to develop. Maneuvering through tough objections and overcoming rejection takes time too. But Tony says exposing yourself to the pain and discomfort is the best (if not the only) way to overcome rejection and become a successful prospector.

So how can you effectively expose yourself to rejection while putting the nerves and fear behind you?

3. Expose Yourself To Rejection

Exposure therapy is one common approach to help people reduce their fears. If you have “phone phobia,” then this method is for you. Schedule a Saturday prospecting session and call 100 people with a single goal: face rejection.

To encounter the maximum rejection in the least amount of time, Tony offers this nine word sentence to expedite your rejection therapy: “Do you want to sell your house, or not?” In 100 calls you’ll receive every type of rejection imaginable.

Tony says, “Somebody will yell at you. Somebody will hang up. Somebody will lie. Somebody will cheat. Somebody will do all these things. But you’ll be exposed to everything that’s ever going to happen to you all in one prospecting session.”

What happens when you experience every type of rejection in one sitting? Tony says if you try it, you’ll see how it’s not as hard as most agents thinks it is. With all that exposure to rejection, you’ll become more resilient, develop strategies to turn them around, and kiss your fears goodbye.

4. Improvement Through Accountability

Hitting the snooze button on prospecting for a day is a lot easier when you don’t have someone holding you accountable. But which one really sounds better? Five more minutes of sleep? Or  thousands of dollars to pay for the things you want and need?

As Tony Smith puts it, “My single biggest job as a coach is to get the truth out about what you want to accomplish, then hold you accountable to it. And it all starts with confrontation.”

A good coach (or accountability partner) will confront you about your goals, figure out what it will take to achieve them, then offer direct feedback to help you become better.

Ask any successful real estate coaching client and they’ll tell you the same thing: they didn’t get to the top by themselves. They needed other people to hold them accountable and discourage them from quitting (and failing).

5. Listen To Your Calls

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said, “Wow, I’m looking good today,” then saw yourself in a picture and thought, “Wow, I actually look terrible”? Tony says, “That’s the difference between a recorded document and what our brain tells us. A recorded document is real.”

It’s common for real estate agents to get off a prospecting call and think, “I nailed my script, pushed past objections, but I still didn’t get the listing appointment!” Odds are, if you listen to a recording of the call, you’ll realize where you missed an opportunity.

Call recordings offer immediate learning opportunities because you can hear where your call went wrong and how to improve.

As Tony puts it, “The only way we can get better is to expose ourselves.” Expose yourself to your mistakes (and weaknesses) to become more productive in less time!

Recording your calls is easy. Visit your phone’s app store and search for “call recorder,” or find a dialer with one built in. Just be sure to follow your state’s call recording laws.

6. Go Get Business Instead Of Waiting For It

A great way to keep your “money momentum” moving in the right direction is by remembering the connection between prospecting and profit.

Tony describes agents (many of whom are new to the industry) who believe selling real estate is a matter of “market and wait.” These agents think they can spend money on fliers, billboards, bench ads, and commercials, then sit back and watch the commision checks roll in.

This “wait and see” strategy might help sell one or two properties a year, but is $1,000 a month really enough to live off? Instead of waiting for commissions, the habit of going out and working for it is simply the best strategy.

Prospectors who “list and last” understand, in order to keep commissions coming, you have to get on the phone and dial. The most successful agents prospect every day (some multiple times a day) and stick to a solid routine.

7. Avoid Unnecessary Distractions

In our age of social media, email, and video games, distractions have become easier and easier to come by. All it takes is a quick glance at a text or tweet and all of a sudden you’re hours into what could’ve been a productive prospecting session.

Tony calls these creative avoidance behaviors. “People get really creative with how they avoid the work they know they should be doing,” Tony says. “And even more creative with how we justify our avoidance after it’s all done.”

Relate your prospecting sessions to your car’s gas mileage. You’re going to get the best miles per gallon cruising on the freeway, and the least when you’re driving through the city.

Why is this? It’s all about the stop and go.

The more often you stop, the more energy you spend to get going again. The same idea applies to prospecting. If you stop every ten minutes to check your email, you’re going to waste energy getting back up to speed.

Fortifying your focus is not hard. There are three simple layers you can tinker with to improve your focus: your digital space, your physical space, and your telephone technology.

Starting with your digital space, productivity experts like Tony recommend installing apps and browser plugins to limit your access to sites like Gmail or Facebook during your prospecting sessions.

Next, a prospecting space separate from the rest of your business is a common solution to securing your physical space.

This dedicated space trains your mind for “game time” the same way stepping onto football field or tennis court does for athletes. It also trains the people around you to respect your focus when they see you in this space.

Finally, your telephone technology can have a significant positive impact on your focus. For example, a dialer not only dials for you, but turns prospecting into a game. Like a game, a dialer provides a steady flow of “opponents,” keeping your attention on the leads you loaded.

8. Count Your “Wins”

Have you ever had a disastrous prospecting session? Every prospector has, and they can be a real drain on your motivation (if you let it). This is why making a game out of prospecting is a great way to feel like you’re always winning, even if you don’t get the listing appointment!

Tony’s favorite is “Prospecting Bingo.”

Normally getting hung up on or yelled at doesn’t feel “valuable.” But prospecting is a numbers game, and by playing it as a game you can feel rewarded (instead of punished) by assigning value to the actions and outcomes.

For instance, when you “get hung up on” – mark that square! Achieve “30 consecutive minutes of talk time” – mark that square! Overcome an objection and… mark that square!

You can set up your bingo card however you like. Sooner or later, you’ll score an appointment! But teaching yourself each adversity along the way works to your advantage.

Tony calls this “counting your wins,” because the gap between paychecks can feel large, but when the time in between feels like a win, it doesn’t have to be! And if you want more than the feeling of winning your “BINGO” game, you can even attach a small reward for completing your card that day.

9. Don’t Overcomplicate It!

Most agents agree: having a system is better than no system at all. But be careful not to overcomplicate things! Because if you become too focused on developing the perfect system, you can distract yourself from actually prospecting. It won’t matter how amazing your system is if you’re not actually dialing and making your contacts.

Real world example: Tony recalls working with an agent who had over 25 years’ real estate experience. But as tenured as she was, she had a difficult time making her calls and contacts, and her income was suffering.

When Tony asked to see her system, she pointed out all of the ways she sorted (and resorted) her leads into various categories. Tony saw this over-organization and told her, “You’re still not making your contacts. If you’re not calling them, then what’s the point?”

He challenged her to delete her whole system, and she did! With a fresh start she was able to work through her contacts, simplify her organization, and start making money again.

10. Use A Simple Script

As we just learned, complexity is the enemy of income. Simplicity is the solution, and choosing a simple script is the perfect solution for many real estate agents. A simple script keeps your listing conversations from random ramblings (a common reason appointments don’t get set).  

The simplest scripts boil the conversation down to one question: “When would you like to sell your property?” That’s it. Do your opening line, then find a simple way to work in this simple question.

Tony says they’ll either say, “Never, tomorrow, or next year.” Based on their answer you’ll know where to go next with the conversation. This one-line script skips all the fluff and keeps your call to the point.

So maybe it’s time to skip the “20 questions” and try a simple script. And if you don’t choose the script in this post, there are other free proven scripts to keep your conversations clear and concise.  

11. Do The Work

If you’re looking for a magic marketing trick, script, or tool to suddenly and forever make real estate easy, you’ll be searching for a very long time. Everlasting real estate agents work hard to develop their skills, and as Tony Robbins puts it, “Repetition is the mother of skill.”

If you prospect with the mindset of nailing million dollar listing appointments on the first or second call, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. More importantly, you’re not focused on building the underlying asset you should be – learning how to show up and play the long game.

Real estate coaches like Tony see agents get fired up after buying a cool new tool or hiring a mentor with the unmet expectation that they will be slingshotted to success. What they don’t understand is that they need to put in effort to make their tools work.

Tony says to keep your expectations in line because if you don’t, you’ll quit. Unrealistic expectations kill more real estate careers than any other factor or force in the industry.

Time To Get It!

You’ve read the habits… now which ones are you going to develop?

Success starts with small, daily actions to improve what you already have. You’ll see your income grow as you focus on your growing skills and solidifying newer, better habits.

After all, how do you expect to earn what you’re worth if you routine is full of distractions? Wishing for things to be different won’t win you what you want.

As John C. Maxwell said, “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

The value of habit-driven action can’t be understated. The things you do every hour of every day determine your success.

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

Top-performing real estate agents who use REDX agree: calling Expired Leads using a skiptrace service like REDX is one of the most effective ways to find, list, and sell properties. But with so many other agents also calling Expireds, what sets top performers apart from the rest? It all comes down to using the right script. Keep reading to see which Expired Lead scripts top agents prefer and how to use them in your business to convert leads into appointments like a pro.

10 Golden Expired Scripts

Script 1: The Classic Expireds Script – from Mike Ferry
Script 2: New Agent Speed To Success Script – from Josh Gossard
Script 3: An Expired Script for the Empathetic Approach – from Borino Real Estate Coaching
Script 4: A Short, Sweet Script For Teams – from Jeff Glover
Script 5: The Official Script Guide – from REDX
Bonus: Overcome Expired Objections Webinar
Script 6: The “Dependable Agent” Script – from Keller Williams Realty
Script 7: Expired Scripts for Five Agent Styles – from Fit Small Business
Script 8: A Script for Relationship Builders – from Ricky Carruth
Script 9: Scripts for The Perfect Voicemail – from TheRealEstateTrainer.com
Script 10: The Sleuth Script For Expired Listings – from Jim Remley
BONUS: REDX Ultimate Script Bundle

Re-List and Be the Hero

If you think using a script feels forced or makes you sound unnatural, don’t worry. With enough practice, you can make any of these top 10 expired scripts your own, while positioning yourself as the homeowner’s hero.

But first, take a moment and put yourself in the shoes of an Expired Lead. You’ve already tried to sell with an agent (maybe more than once), but your home still hasn’t sold.

You’re probably discouraged, frustrated, and thinking to yourself, “My home didn’t sell… now what?!” or “Why should I trust any more real estate agents?”

Having empathy for homeowners is the first step toward positioning yourself as their hero. With this important concept in mind, you’re ready to implement these proven scripts into your prospecting sessions. They’ll help you know what questions to ask and how to navigate common objections so you can be significantly more confident on the phone.

1. The Classic Expireds Script – from Mike Ferry

Let’s start off with a classic! This script comes from one of the biggest names in real estate coaching, Mike Ferry.

His expireds script has helped slingshot thousands of agents to successful, long-term careers in real estate. You can’t go wrong with this one.

This simple, to-the-point script keeps you focused on one thing: getting qualified listing appointments. What more could you want?

And for more script training, make sure to check out this webinar on how to “Get Listings From People Who Say, ‘No!'” from the master himself.

2. New Agent Speed To Success Script – from Josh Gossard

Next, we’ve got a script from Josh Gossard (a solo agent from Maryland) who found success when he was still pretty new to real estate. But you wouldn’t think so after seeing his results.

He sold 48 homes last year (by himself), and continues to dominate his market! His expired script, along with his dedicated prospecting schedule, skyrocketed his career.

Josh is proof that the right script will help you speed through the “listing learning curve” that slows down most other agents.

Expired Listings empowered Josh to establish himself in the industry and create a steady source of business. In this podcast with Pat Hiban, he shares exactly what he says on the phone to get listing appointments. Implement his words, methods, and tips to maximize your time on the phone.

3. An Expired Script for the Empathetic Approach – from Borino Real Estate Coaching

Think about it: sellers face an emotional tug-of-war from the minute they decide to sell. Add in low-ball offers, failed inspections, or buyer financing fall throughs, and the process can start to feel like a drag through the mud. So when their listing expires and agents start calling them, you can imagine what it must be like.

Their frustrations may be justified. But how can you get through to them so they know you’re not like the rest, you’re on their side, and (of course) that you’re the best agent for the job?

With over 20 years of real estate experience, Borino is often referred to as the “Expired Guru.” With his direct, no-pressure style, he has a smooth and uncomplicated expired script that could be just right for you.

See how Borino uses this script to empathize with homeowners, set himself apart from other “hungry” agents, and get appointments over the phone in under two minutes.

4. A Short, Sweet Script For Teams – from Jeff Glover

In 2005, Jeff Glover embarked on his mission to reinvent real estate sales training. Since then, Jeff and his team have developed a prospecting system that produces over 1,000 home sales a year.

A sizable chunk of their sales come from expired listings, and this expired script is what they use to get appointments (with Jeff himself using it to take over 100 listings each year!)

This script will help you discover homeowner objections in advance. The theory goes – if you can predict objections, you can prevent rejection.

According to Jeff, “The sale is won or lost depending on how well you handle their objections.” So check out his objection handlers script as well! Paired with his proven expired script, Jeff’s objection handlers will help you find real (and consistent) results.

5. The Official Script Guide – from REDX

After extensive research, REDX has stitched together some of the most powerful prospecting scripts (not already mentioned in this article) into this 34-page eBook. So no matter your skill level, there’s something in this script book for you.

It starts with a simple script focused on how to begin your calls, followed by language proven to increase your connection rate by as much as 25%. Then, on page seven, you’ll find an expired script crafted from dozens of suggestions from top listing agents. This script picks up where others fall short.

Don’t forget to check out pages 19-25 for an even deeper dive into overcoming common objections, along with five vital elements to help you understand why these scripts work and how to adapt them to your own call style.

Bonus: Overcome Expired Objections Webinar

Watch this training to discover how top prospectors start every prospecting call to ensure a good contact, the formula they use to overcome any objection, and how they set appointments even after being rejected. Watch and learn as expert prospector Deric Lipski sets a listing appointment on a live call – even after being rejected five times!

6. The “Dependable Agent” Script – from Keller Williams Realty

One of the biggest real estate franchises in the United States, Keller Williams, offers these scripts to their agents.

You can decide for yourself, but these scripts might be one of the reasons KW consistently ranks at the top of the industry for sales volume and units sold. If you did the research, you’d find thousands of success stories based on these expired scripts.

Beyond expireds, they’ve got scripts for voicemails, overcoming objections, general prospecting tips and tricks, qualifying scripts, and much more.

These scripts will help you position yourself as the dependable, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and results-oriented professional they need, even if they’re angry and frustrated.

7. Expired Scripts for Five Agent Styles – from Fit Small Business

This next set of scripts comes from Fit Small Business, and they’re not messing around.

After deep market research, they’ve found five expired listing scripts that really work. The article shows you how to get listing appointments quickly, provides modular elements you can use to create your own scripts, and includes tips on how to get your foot in the door.

Best of all, these scripts offer five unique prospecting styles: the casual approach, the empathetic expert, the harder sell, the neighborhood expert, and the outstanding agent.

With so many options, you’re bound to find one that perfectly fits your style and situation.

8. A Script for Relationship Builders – from Ricky Carruth

Expert prospector, Ricky Carruth, has built an incredibly successful business based on this core value: create strong relationships and serve others.

He believes building relationships with people is more important than the transaction, which in turn brings in a lot of listings.

In this video, Ricky talks about how important it is to say exactly the right thing. More importantly, he tells you how to say it.

He believes how you say something to a potential client will go a lot further than exactly what you say. He dives into his favorite (simple) script that he’s perfected over years of trial and error. According to Ricky, this script works for any lead type or prospect.

9. Scripts for The Perfect Voicemail – from TheRealEstateTrainer.com

Next up, here’s a little bit of everything. TheRealEstateTrainer.com, created by Brian Icenhower, is loaded with principles and tactics to attract hundreds of agents simply because they produce actual results.

His expired listing scripts include what to say when homeowners answer, but also how to leave the perfect voicemail so people will actually call you back (which is key if you want more listings).

On this page, you’ll also find a video of Brian with three other agents, all talking out their favorite scripts, techniques, and what works best for them on a prospecting call. Don’t miss out on their expert advice!

10. The Sleuth Script For Expired Listings – from Jim Remley

Within two years of obtaining his real estate license, Jim Remley was listed in the top one percent of Realtors® nationwide. And you don’t become a top prospector that fast with poor scripts.

In his expired script, Jim offers a different approach. His strategy focuses on timing key questions to uncover the real reasons a property failed to sell. This way, homeowners discover for themselves exactly what could have been done to sell their home, but wasn’t.

That’s where you come in. With questions like, “Was a sign used to advertise your home?” and, “Was a home protection plan offered?” Jim’s marketing plan is a no-brainer if you want to position yourself as the homeowner’s hero.

The Opportunity In Front Of You

Now what? You’ve got the scripts – so what are you going to do with them? These scripts will help lead you to a more successful and sustainable business. But it won’t happen overnight OR by simply reading over them.

If you want these scripts to do anything for your business, you’ve got to start practicing now. As you do, they’ll naturally become yours as you integrate your own style and tone. Leave those “Uhhh”s behind you and control each conversation with confidence and charisma!

As author Brodi Ashton puts it, “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” In other words – heroes are made, not born.

So what are you waiting for? Choose to be the Expired Listings hero that sellers need, and practice your expired scripts today.

BONUS: REDX Ultimate Script Bundle

Choosing the right script can be a daunting task. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to find a good fit for your personality and prospecting style. To make things easier, we’ve compiled some of the top script resources from leading industry coaches and experts (including some amazing Expired scripts!)

Click below to download the REDX Ultimate Script Bundle and find one that works for you!

About REDX

REDX is an all-in-one lead data and prospecting platform that helps agents connect with qualified buyers and sellers. The platform includes a skiptrace service for seller leads, a dialer with up to three lines, social media tools, and a lead management system that simplifies first contact and follow up.

Click here to watch a demo, or call (800) 731-7339 ext. 1 to learn more about skiptrace products for Expireds, FSBOs, GeoLeads, FRBOs, Pre Foreclosures, our Power Dialer and Social Media Tools for paid ads and content creation.

REDX maintains the position that all agents should be compliant with state and federal telecom laws – learn more here.

New Year’s Resolutions fail without planning. In this article, we’ll share common reasons why resolutions fail and how to pick back up and keep going towards the future you really want.

5 Reasons Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Fail and How to Avoid Failing Again

1. You’re biting off more than you can chew
2. You’re not setting milestones
3. You’re not tracking progress
4. You don’t have a compelling purpose
5. You’re not writing them down

Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail?

We’re a few weeks away the new year. Are you going to keep your resolutions or will they be a thing of the past? Because if you’re like the 90.8% of Americans who give up before they achieve their resolutions, here’s some help and hope you can use to recommit to your resolutions. Let’s look at five glaringly obvious and common reasons.

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Smart real estate agents understand that building and broadcasting trust is how you win listings and close sales. Door knocking is arguably the fastest and lowest cost path to building trust and finding listings. Because there isn’t “one way” to be successful at door knocking, this article offers you 29 ways to earn trust with homeowners, build confidence in your approach, and establish a continuous pipeline of sales regardless of how long you’ve been a real estate agent.
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A lot of agents get duped into busying themselves with administrative tasks so they feel like they are working.  However, just because you’re running around your office doesn’t mean you’re productively building your business.

As Henry David Thoreau said, “It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?

Use your time to generate new business and close more homes.

 How much income do you want to earn this year?  Everything you do as a listing agent should reflect the goals you’ve set for your business.  Tracking your numbers will give you insight to key performance indicators that align your actions with your goals. (more…)

You can accomplish anything with hard work – or so they say.  You can succeed in your business, list more homes than you can handle, or master any skill… if you just work hard.

Although, simply working harder isn’t always enough.  No, you need the right resources, the right strategy, and the right goals.  You need to work smarter, not harder.

How though?

By studying top producers who are where you want to be, and doing exactly what they did to get there. Let’s take a look at their top seven prospecting ideas. (more…)