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3 Excuses to Avoid Sales Calls – And Why They’re Not Valid

June 22 2012

Let’s face it, most people hate making sales calls. Unfortunately, they can be a helpful – arguably necessary – tactic for real estate agents. Particularly in this challenging market, we need to be doing everything we can to generate leads; and cold calls (or lukewarm calls), whether you enjoy them or not, are a potential source of leads.

If you’re like me, when you don’t want to do something, you can come up with a dozen reasons why the dreaded task is a bad idea. Chances are, you’ve come up with the excuses to avoid sales calls that I’m going to list below. Now, don’t hate me, but I’m going to explain why these excuses are bogus and you should pick up the phone.

First, a Script
Victor Lund, RE Technology CEO, provides a helpful script for cold and warm calls. Lund says, “In today’s market, everyone knows a neighbor that is planning a move in the future. Call your friends and past clients. Be clear with them that you are looking for business.” Here is his script:

‘Hi Janet, how are you? Listen, you know that I sell real estate, and I just wanted to touch base with you to learn if you know anyone who might be thinking of selling their house. Don’t worry; I will not mention that you sent me their way unless you suggest that I do. Just looking to drum up some business.’

So, now that you even have a script, what are the excuses you’ll come up with in order not to use it?

Excuse #1: “I’m annoying the people I call.”
This is not necessarily so. You have valuable information and services to provide to them, don’t you? Even if they’re not looking to buy or sell right now, you can help give them an update on current market conditions, offer to give them a valuation of their home, talk about recent sales in their neighborhood, etc. A CMA can be a very helpful tool for this.

By demonstrating your value now, you’ll be the first person they call when they’re ready to make their next real estate transaction.

Excuse #2: “They won’t talk to me.”
Well that’s simply not true. While you may get many people who don’t want to talk to you, you will occasionally find someone who does. And, believe it or not, rejection gets easier with time and practice.

Excuse #3: “I just plain don’t like sales calls.”
I can’t argue that. The sad truth, however, is that it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make them. I don’t like cleaning my bathroom, but I like mold even less – you don’t like sales calls, but I bet you like losing business even less.

When I’m trying to force myself to do something unpleasant, I think: “What’s the worst that can happen?” So, what’s the worst that can happen on a sales call? Is the person on the other end of the line going to reach through and strangle you? Are they going to cause injury to your family? Are they going to burn your home to the ground? All kidding aside, the only thing that can get hurt is your pride – and that won’t last more than 5 minutes.

You may never be able to completely eliminate the need for sales calls, but there are things you can do to generate leads elsewhere. These include:

Recommended Reading
Need some more inspiration? Here are a few articles that should get you going.