Take 5
My Unstoppable Phone Prospecting Strategy
With Phil Sexton, team leader for The Sibbach Team
eXp Realty, Scottsdale, AZ
TRT: 3 minutes 48 Seconds
Video Transcription


Phil Sexton directly addresses Camera:  Who picks up their phone nowadays? I developed a method that gets potential buyers or sellers to answer my call almost every time.

I’m Phil Sexton, team leader for The Sibbach Team at eXp Realty. Let’s take five minutes to talk about getting through to leads and prospects. The biggest mistake I see real estate professionals make is not trying enough times to get in touch with people. No one answers their phone the first time you call them. Think about it, when you see a strange number, do you answer your phone? 

What happens is this: A lead comes in and an agent calls that person. The potential client doesn’t pick up, so the agent leaves a message, adds them to a database for email auto drips and when they don’t convert the lead, they complain that they are wasting money on that lead source.

I developed what I call the Single-Triple-Single method of calling and texting. Now, I only use this method on higher quality leads that come in…those that include names and contact information.

Here’s how it works. When I get a lead, I call the number. If they don’t pick up, I don’t leave a voicemail. I move on to the triple. The triple is three text messages in a row. The first text message is simply the person’s name with a question mark. The second text message is an introduction: This is Phil Sexton with the Sibbach Team at eXp Realty. The third text message explains why I’m reaching out to them. In that message, I dangle a carrot. 
	
What do I mean by dangle a carrot? That means that I make that third text personal and offer up something that they will want to act on quickly. Here’s an example of the third text: I got your email from our website saying that you’re looking at properties in North Scottsdale up to $800,000. I’m looking at an unlisted home right now that our team has coming to the market. It’s at $850,000, four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Are you in town?

I let that sit for a bit to see if they’ll respond back. A lot of times, they do. Text is easy, right? Then, I call again. That’s the last “single.” If they don’t answer, I leave a message. Something like: Hey, it’s 10 am, my guess is you’re probably at work. I’m going to try to catch you on your lunch break. I’ll call back at 12:30pm. I’d like to have a quick conversation about your timing. 

They key is then to call back at 12:30. At that point, most people will pick up the phone. But I also take some steps after that phone call to entice them if they don’t pick up. One thing I may do is text them and say, “I’m going to be in Desert Ridge this afternoon at 3:30 pm to look at the property I told you about. If you want to meet there, here is the address. If not, I’ll take a quick video of it and show you to see if it’s your style.”

Then, I’ll shoot the video, making sure I first film myself waving and saying hello. I’ll choose one feature of the house, such as a kitchen, pan around. I’ll address them directly, with their name, and on the video, I’ll say something like: Is this your style? Are you OK with a big island and double oven? Let me know. Thanks!”

I’m making personal contact and trying to build a relationship. I want the lead to feel familiar with me, which makes them more likely to work with me. All these conversations are touchpoints that allow the lead to get to know me.

They key is to keep trying, make it personal and conversational and keep your contacts short. And, if they get back to me and say they’re just looking, I respect that and stop contacting them. 

I find that by the third call, they are picking up the phone. Try it and you’ll find your lead conversion will skyrocket.