Real estate agents’ prospecting is a critical part of building your real estate business. Unfortunately, many real estate agents fall short of success in prospecting. Why? There are many reasons. To get the best results from this real estate activity, you must avoid the common pitfalls. Then, you can focus on making the right moves to increase your customer base using the best-prospecting methods and techniques.
What Make Real Estate Prospecting Fail?
Recognizing the potential problems you may come up against in real estate prospecting is the first step to avoiding them. The following are some of the most common issues and how to overcome them.
Lack of Knowledge about Prospecting
Many real estate agents fail at prospecting because they simply do not know how to do it. They do not know the steps to take, the mindset required, or the habits they need to develop. Of course, the best way to overcome this problem is by learning. You can take real estate online courses to gain insight and get step-by-step instructions.
Not Taking Responsibility
When you have trouble connecting with prospects, you may find yourself playing the victim. “Poor me!” you say as you wait for a miracle to happen. Instead of taking responsibility for your results, you make excuses and ask for pity. The answer to this pitfall is simple. Hold yourself accountable for learning about prospecting and acting on what you learn.
Having the Wrong Concept of Motivation
Often people have trouble understanding what motivation is and where it comes from. Rather than doing the things that build motivation, they sit idle, waiting for it to go to them. Again, the answer is to learn about the genuine concept of motivation and put it to work in your prospecting.
Not Managing Time Adequately
You may have heard a real estate agent say, “I don’t have enough time for prospecting.” In fact, you may have said it yourself at some point. Yet, the truth is that everyone has the same 24 hours every day. Fortunately, you can learn time management techniques to get the most out of every hour you spend on your real estate business. Taking real estate training courses that cover time management and time blocking is an excellent first step.
Wasting Time Waiting for Others
When you spend too much time waiting for other people to do what you need them to do, that time is wasted. Your company, friends, family, or even neighbors can delay you when you decide to kill time as you wait. Instead, put every minute to some good use until those other people complete whatever they need to do.
Engaging in Fake Prospecting
As a realtor, you likely know you should make time for real estate prospecting. Sometimes, you might tell yourself you are going to work on it. Just telling yourself that may make you feel better. However, it does not get the job done. So, keep your focus! Whenever you say you will work on prospecting, make sure you do exactly that.
Negativity
Assuming the worst usually brings the worst. Therefore, expect to be successful in prospecting, and you will likely have better results.
Being Stuck in Presentation Mode
When you connect with leads, the worst thing you can do is stay stuck in presentation mode. This is the mindset that you are there to do all the talking. Of course, you want them to know who you are and why they should choose you. Yet, a better approach to prospecting is to show yourself worthy of their time by listening to them and helping them solve their problems.
Lacking a Sales Story
There’s a story behind who you are as a realtor, the services you offer, and how you can benefit your customers. However, before you can tell this story, you have to know what it is. So, learn to develop your story through real estate courses and practice.
Being Reactive
Being reactive means addressing issues only when you have no other choice. Instead, be proactive, taking care of every aspect of your prospecting tasks before they become urgent. Use your calendar and reminder apps to stay on top of whatever you need to do.
Lack of Professionalism
Unless you establish yourself as a professional, no one will ever take you seriously. When you learn how to become a real estate agent, your real estate courses should cover what you need to know about professionalism. They should teach you how to present a professional image and the behavior of a true professional.
Not Having the Right Perspective on Independence
Being too dependent on others can prevent you from succeeding in prospecting. Likewise, if you don’t embrace interdependence, you do not take advantage of the opportunities to work with and learn from others. Be independent enough to reach your own goals but remember that interdependence will make your work more efficient.
Poorly Targeted Customer Selection
If you want to get customers, you need to select the right prospects to pursue. Customer selection may not be an easy task when first learning real estate. However, as you learn realtor skills through online courses, you can develop the skills to target the right customers.
Being a Prisoner of Hope
Hope can be a wonderful thing in some situations. However, if you do nothing but hope, you can’t expect to get the results you want. So, instead of hoping and waiting, act.
Failing to Take Massive Action
Half-heartedly doing your real estate prospecting will not help you bring in customers. However, if you take Massive Action, you maximize your chances of reaching and drawing in a larger audience.
You can learn more about avoiding these pitfalls and take Massive Action in the Roadmap to Success Prospecting course. Remember, prospecting is one of the most critical realtor skills. Once you master it, you will be on your way to success!