7 Cold Calling Tips for Real Estate Agents

Cold calling is a vital part of any real estate agent’s business, especially in the beginning of your career. If you don’t cold call, you’re missing out on leads that could be some of the best ones for your business. But it can seem like an intimidating prospect, especially if you aren’t used to doing it.

Fortunately, there are some simple tips that will help make cold calling easier and more effective—and they all start with knowing what exactly cold calling is, why it matters to your business model and how best to get started with this essential practice.

Understand your market.

• Know what your market is looking for.
• Know what your competitors are doing.
• Know what your clients are looking for in a real estate agent.

Define your ideal client.

Defining your ideal client is an important step in the process of cold calling. Knowing exactly what you want will allow you to zero in on the right prospects and spend more time with those who are most likely to buy.

• What do I want?
• Who am I selling to?
• Why would they want to work with me?

Develop a script.

On the surface, a script may seem like a tool that will stifle your ability to think on your feet and interact with clients in an organic way. However, having a system in which you can play it off of can actually help you be more spontaneous and have better conversations with potential buyers. The key is to learn how to use this script for its intended purpose: not as a set list of answers or talking points but as an outline for what you want out of each call.

As such, I recommend that you begin by writing down some possible goals for each call (e.g., “get them interested in coming into my office”). Once written down, try answering these questions:

• Why do I want them to come into my office? (e.g., so I can show them properties)
• How does this benefit me? (e.g., if they’re interested in coming into my office, then they may eventually buy something from me)

Now try writing out some responses based on those answers—you might even need more than one response depending on what happens during the conversation! For example: “I’d love to show you around town—let’s meet up at XYZ coffee shop on Friday morning.” Or perhaps “That sounds great! What time works best?”

Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.

Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.

There is no better way to prepare for a cold calling campaign than by practicing and rehearsing. This is true in any field, but especially real estate as it involves so much trust and can be an emotional process for both parties involved.

You should practice with a friend or colleague who isn’t afraid of telling you what they think of your performance (especially if they’re not afraid of hurting your feelings). It’s important that they know the script inside out themselves so they can give helpful feedback on how well it works when delivered by another person, but more importantly they need to know how important it is that this script works!

Another great way to rehearse is to record yourself reading the script out loud (this will also help you notice any typos or areas where there may be awkward phrasing). Listen back carefully for places where there are pauses that last longer than expected or parts where your voice seems hesitant, unsure or uncertain – these are all signs that something needs work!

If someone else isn’t available then practice in front of a mirror until you feel confident enough before moving onto driving around town while reading from the script aloud (and/or practicing while pretending like someone called just asked about their listing).

Use the right tools for the job.

• Use a CRM to manage your contacts.
• Use a call tracking service to measure your cold calling efforts.
• Use a call recording service to help you improve your cold calling skills.
• Use a call routing service to make your cold calling more efficient, so that you can spend more time talking and less time waiting for people to pick up the phone or connect via Skype or FaceTime

Commit to making a certain number of calls per day.

When you’re cold calling for real estate, it’s important to make sure you stay consistent with your efforts. The best way to do this is by tracking your progress using a spreadsheet or app.

You might have heard that it’s bad form (read: rude) to keep hounding people who have already said no to what you’re offering. But the reality is that when it comes to getting a person interested in buying or selling their home, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out again if they’ve already declined once—as long as the second offer makes sense given their current situation and timeline. Your persistence may pay off; after all, people change their minds all the time!

And yes: If a seller has already been approached by multiple agents but still hasn’t made up her mind about who she wants on her team of professionals—or if she wants more information before making any decisions at all—it doesn’t hurt anything (and may actually help!) if another agent reaches out one more time with new information or an updated offer from his/her brokerage firm. This approach can also be useful after speaking with someone briefly over email or phone but not getting them in touch directly with one of your colleagues yet; just send them some additional data points via email along with links to relevant websites so they have everything they need in one place before making any commitments themselves!

Don’t become a robot.

The best real estate agents are able to make a connection with the person on the other side of the phone. You have to be yourself and bring your own personality into the conversation. If you’re not comfortable with your own style, then don’t cold call!

You don’t want to be robotic when making a call—you want people on the other end of that phone line to feel like they’re talking with someone they know (even if they’ve never met). So instead of saying “Hi, my name is” or “Good afternoon/morning,” say something like: “Hi!” or “How’s it going?” Or ask questions about their day, their hobbies and interests, etc.—this shows that you care about them as people rather than just another lead for your company.

Cold calling can be a daunting task. It requires preparation, practice, and thick skin to succeed. But if you follow these several tips, you’ll be on your way to becoming a top-producing real estate agent.