How Time Traveling Can Help You Call Your Leads

I’m going to take you on a special journey today to improve your lead calls. With the help of my favorite time machine, the DeLorean from Back To The Future, we’ll visit the ‘future you’ after you’ve become one of the industry’s leading experts on calling real estate leads.

We’re going to examine what’s different about you in the future and bring tomorrow’s experiences back to the present time so you can use them now to get better at converting your lead calls.

Let’s first decide what type of lead to call. For this, we’ll set the scene by looking at a typical lead scenario in real estate known as forced registration.

Tom is browsing online for homes and stumbles across your website. After looking at a few listings, the website asks Tom to register for an account to have access to further properties. Tom creates an account so that he can continue exploring listings, and you get notified that a new lead has registered on your website.

Excitedly, you call Tom and his reaction is a mixture of annoyance and disinterest. He just wanted to look at listings, not talk to any agent. Does this sound familiar?

If this is the first lead you’ve ever called in your career, how would the conversation sound and what would be the likely outcome?

What if you called Tom after having the experience of calling 10 leads before that? How much better would you be?

What would your approach to the call be like after you’ve called 100 leads?

How about if you’ve called 1,000 leads in your career, how different would your conversation be?

Naturally, as you make more calls, you start identifying patterns in your conversations and your brain learns how to process potential outcomes quicker. You start encountering the same objections and improve at handling them. You begin sensing nuances in tonality and become better at predicting intent.

Subconsciously, your brain rewires itself to find more efficient ways to tackle the task, and your ability to book appointments starts improving.

What happens if you’ve been calling for years and you’ve spoken to 10,000 leads – how would you handle Tom differently?

We’re going to fire up the DeLorean to visit some future you’s and find out, let’s go!

0 Leads

It’s present day. You’ve never called an online lead before and don’t know what to expect. You take a deep breath and dial the number.

Well, that didn’t go too well. Let’s examine what happened:

Highlights

1. Lack of Confidence: You completely lacked confidence and were caught off guard when Tom snapped at you.
2. Immediate Retreat: You ran away without attempting to salvage the conversation or provide any value.
3. Ineffective Communication: The conversation ends abruptly without any meaningful engagement or attempt to turn the situation around.

Takeaways

In present day, you have no skills or processes. The only thing you have is an opportunity to get better. You can do this by:

1. Understanding the Basics
   • Familiarize yourself with the listings and the market.
   • Prepare a basic script to guide your conversations.
2. Anticipating Objections
   • Expect leads to be surprised or unresponsive.
   • Practice handling common objections like “I’m just browsing” or “I didn’t expect a call.”
3. Building Confidence
   • Your first calls might be challenging. It’s okay to feel nervous.
   • Focus on being polite, professional, and respectful.

10 Leads

Okay, let’s visit the version of you that’s called 10 leads. Although you’re still nervous and afraid of rejection, you at least know what to expect.

Marginally better but you still got nowhere. The only thing different you did was give him the opportunity to call you back (which he never will).

Highlights

1. Apologized and Acknowledged: You quickly apologized and acknowledged Tom’s frustration, showing empathy.
2. Offered an Out: You offered to not to call again, addressing Tom’s primary concern directly.
3. Maintained Professionalism: You kept a professional tone and left the door open for future contact in a non-intrusive way.
4. Controlled Conversation: You show a measure of control over the conversation and don’t run away like in the previous conversation.

Takeaways

You’ve had the opportunity to taste blood (your own) and although it stings, you know that you have to keep going. This version of you has the following things to think about:

1. Refining Your Approach
   • Begin to personalize your script based on your first conversations.
   • Pay attention to the tone and pace of the lead.
2. Improving Objection Handling
   • Develop responses for common objections based on your initial experiences.
   • Show empathy and understanding when leads express frustration.
3. Staying Professional
   • Maintain a professional tone, even if the lead is difficult.
   • Keep your interactions respectful and courteous.

100 Leads

This version of you is a couple weeks in the future. You now have 100 leads of experience under your belt. Feeling a little bit more accustomed to the process and the conversation, you call Tom and prepare for whatever happens.

Hey now, someone’s getting a little better at this. Not only were you able to defuse the situation, you were able to create a little bit of a relationship with Tom. Let’s see what you did here:

Highlights

1. Acknowledged and Apologized: You immediately acknowledged the Tom’s frustration and apologized, showing empathy.
2. Subtle Probing: You asked subtle, non-intrusive questions to understand the Tom’s motivations and preferences without pushing too hard.
3. Provided Value: You offered to provide valuable information in a manner that respects the Tom’s preference for infrequent communication.
4. Realistic Resistance: Tom remains resistant throughout the conversation, and you carefully address his concerns while respecting boundaries.

Takeaways

You’re beginning to get into a flow state when you call. Every call follows a similar structure and you’re starting to notice how tweaking different parts of the conversation gives you different results. Let’s see what you’re doing:

1. Recognizing Patterns
   • You’re identifying common objections and effective responses.
   • You’re noticing the cues that indicate a lead’s interest or lack thereof.
2. Enhanced Objection Handling
   • You’re anticipating objections and addressing them proactively.
   • You’re using empathy and reassurance to alleviate concerns.
3. Building Rapport
   • You focus on building rapport by showing genuine interest in the lead’s needs.
   • You ask open-ended questions to better understand their motivations.
4. Professional Assurance
   • You speak with more confidence and authority, which helps in establishing trust.
   • You practice active listening to make the lead feel heard and valued.

1,000 Leads

We’ve now dialed the time machine to take us further into the future to meet the version of you that’s been calling leads consistently for a while and you’ve just crossed over the 1,000 lead threshold. You feel pretty comfortable with calling leads and you’re not really phased by rejection. You see no’s as inevitable stepping stones towards the people that want to do business.

Smooth, you did a great job. Your experience shows and you navigated that conversation like a pro. Let’s look at what you did this time:

Highlights

1. Empathy and Respect: You immediately acknowledged the Tom’s frustration and assured him that he won’t be called again.
2. Targeted Questions: You asked subtle, non-intrusive questions that gradually uncovered Tom’s specific interests.
3. Built Trust: You built trust by respecting the Tom’s preferences and offering value without pressure.
4. Offered Relevant Information: You offered to send relevant listings and suggested a casual, no-pressure viewing to help Tom feel more comfortable.
5. Closed for a Meeting: You skillfully suggested a convenient time for a viewing, making it easy for Tom to agree.

Takeaways

You’re much more locked into conversations when you call. They’re no longer intimidating and you find interest and curiosity in learning from each call to build your skills. At this point, you want to encounter tough leads to give you a chance to hone your skills. This is fun, and you’re getting paid for it. At this stage, we can see you exhibiting the following:

1. Deep Understanding of Tonality and Intent
   • You quickly assess the lead’s tone and intent within the first few seconds.
   • You adapt your communication style to match the lead’s personality and preferences.
2. Advanced Objection Handling
   • You handle objections smoothly and confidently.
   • You preemptively address common concerns before the lead voices them.
3. Focused Conversations
   • You keep conversations focused and efficient, addressing the lead’s needs directly.
   • You use strategic pauses and silence to give leads space to think and respond.
4. Building Trust and Credibility
   • You share success stories and examples of satisfied clients to build credibility.
   • You are transparent about the process and any potential challenges.
5. Personalized Follow-Ups
   • You develop personalized follow-up plans based on the lead’s specific situation.
   • You use CRM tools to track interactions and set reminders for follow-ups.

10,000 Leads

At last, we get really brave and set the destination to the far future. We’re in search of the future version of you that’s had 10,000 lead conversations. We can only dream of what wisdom and calm you have now. How would the masterful version of you handle this call with Tom?

You’ll notice that the outcome isn’t noticeably different than the previous conversation. You still ended up being able to book an appointment with Tom to nurture the relationship. The biggest difference between calling 1,000 leads versus 10,000 is what’s going on inside of your head.

Highlights

1. Empathy and Active Listening: You immediately acknowledged the Tom’s frustration and apologized sincerely, showing empathy.
2. Non-Intrusive Assistance: You offered to assist in a non-intrusive way, respecting the Toms browsing intent and need for space.
3. Relevance and Value: You ensured that any future communication is relevant and valuable, offering a monthly update tailored to the Tom’s interests.
4. Probing Questions: You asked targeted questions to uncover the Tom’s specific interests without being pushy, showing genuine interest in helping.
5. Soft Closing: You used a soft closing technique to suggest a casual viewing, emphasizing no pressure and allowing Tom to feel comfortable and in control.
6. Professional Assurance: You maintained a professional and reassuring tone, building trust and making Tom feel valued and respected.

Takeaways

Picking up the phone for you is second nature. You don’t see lead calls as stressful interactions. In fact, you can crank them out while sitting in a hot tub. You have an unwavering confidence that whenever you want to make more money, you just pick up the phone to call leads and it will lead to appointments. The only thing stopping you is whether you have the time or the willingness. You feel in complete control of your financial destiny. We can describe you with the following characteristics:

1. Mastery of Lead Psychology
   • You deeply understand different psychological profiles and how to engage each type.
   • You use emotional intelligence to better read and respond to the lead’s emotional state.
2. Precision Lead Qualification
   • You quickly qualify leads based on key indicators to prioritize high-potential prospects.
   • You have superior time management by focusing efforts on leads with the highest likelihood of conversion, reducing time spent on low-probability leads.
3. Elite Objection Handling
   • You recognize patterns in objections and concerns, allowing for preemptive addressing within the conversation.
   • You speak with total confidence and authority, which helps in reassuring the lead and establishing trust.
4. Advanced Communication Techniques
   • You use storytelling to create emotional connections with leads.
   • You ethically use scarcity and urgency to motivate leads who are close to making a decision.
   • You use empathy and create a connection by genuinely understanding and addressing the lead’s pain points and desires.
5. Strategic Value Proposition
   • You clearly articulate a unique value proposition tailored to different segments of leads.
   • You provide valuable market insights and information to empower the lead’s decision-making process.
6. Systematic Follow-Up And Nurturing
   • You implement automated follow-up systems to ensure no lead falls through the cracks while maintaining a personal touch.
   • You create nurturing campaigns for leads at different stages of the buying cycle, providing them with relevant information and keeping them engaged.
7. Agility and Adaptation
   • You maintain agility to quickly adapt to market changes and evolving client expectations.
   • You continuously experiment with and adopt new techniques and technologies to stay ahead.

What have we learned from all of this?

I believe these types of thought exercises are important because it allows us to zoom out of long timelines and capture insights that may accelerate our growth. By seeing a map of our journey towards the destination, we can avoid dead ends and identify time-saving detours.

First, there is a natural progression of common skillsets and traits that everyone will develop on the path to mastery. In lead calling, mastery comes from a well-tested mindset, the development of soft skills over hard skills, and lots of failure.

Although we are able to jump into the future and see what the future version of you is like, we can only compress time frames to an extent. Practice can not be skipped. The brain needs to develop pathways to perform complicated tasks, and only through repetition can those pathways be strengthened.

Secondly, much of your growth in the initial stages will come from enhancing your conversational skills. However, real results will only manifest when your mind makes permanent space for an unshakeable certainty in yourself and the process. Your brain will see it as natural as the belief that if you jump in the air, gravity will bring you back down.

It is a reminder that mindset is a powerful thing. It is what is stopping you from living your wildest dreams. Good luck out there!