Why Having Consistent, Daily, Targeted Leads Are Crucial for You, Your Business, and Your Sanity.9/7/2015 Targeted, and daily leads, are the lifeblood of your, and any, business. Without them, you do not have a business. You have a hobby. The profitable and critical skill of daily, targeted, lead generation determines more than just how many potential deals you'll close, but also your frame of mind throughout the day, week, month, and throughout the year. Struggle to keep a steady flow of highly-targeted leads coming into your business, and you'll struggle to keep your spirits up which leads to all sorts of problems like:
And of course, if you never solve this cancerous business problem of not generating enough daily, targeted leads, you will soon close the doors - once and for all. The Problem With How Most Business Professionals Prospect Most professionals, whether in the real estate industry or elsewhere, are still generating leads for their business the same way we did 10-15 years ago by:
While these methods can work, and still do work to "some" degree, let's be honest, these methods are slow and not the best use of your time. There is little-to-no leverage. Not to mention the fact that they force you to spend a lot of time with with people who are not truly targeted leads for your specific business, have no real intention on buying your stuff. One of the areas of the real estate investing business that frustrates my students the most before they join our Inner Circle Team, is the area of prospecting buyers, sellers, and other members. Generally speaking, they do not know:
Plus, how to handle the sheer frustration of dealing with prospects can be like "herding cats." Most real estate investors (or business owners in general, for that matter), go nuts trying to deal with not-so-predictable prospects on a daily basis. That's because prospects are not always honest upfront about their intentions, will gladly waste lots of your time, only for you to later find out they were not really true prospects in the first place. So How Do You Know Who Is a Real Prospect For Your Business And Who Is Not? In your initial contact with with your prospects, you don't always know from the start who is a real prospect from those that are just what we might call affectionately a "tire kicker." That's because most all prospects "look the same" from the start. You begin your contact with a friendly conversation, build a quick friendship, and try to determine if: a. The prospect has a real need for what you offer b. If you have a real solution for your prospect's needs c. If you both can win, if your solution were to be implemented d. If your prospect can actually afford your solution to their problem e. If they are willing to pay for your help f. If they are ready to accept your help now, or in the near future g. If they see you as their only logical solution provider to their problem If your prospects fit all of the above, you've got a real, targeted prospect and a sale is on the way soon. If you do not have all of the above in place, you will see that your prospect will stall, disappear, or worse, waste your time by dragging out the sales process. I remember years ago, when I was a Buyer's agent with Keller Williams Realty in Denver, CO. I was driving around my buyer like a taxi for 3 months, trying to find the perfect house for them. They seemed to have most, if not all of the above criteria I just laid out, which made me feel a transaction closing was close. It wasn't. After 3 months of driving my buyers around to look at houses, it was revealed that he and his wife had lied on their loan application, and we could no longer get financing for them. This was particularly important information at the time I found out, because we had made an offer on a home that was accepted, and we were simply undergoing the process of inspection and getting their loan. The expiration for their allotted time to get financing was about to end, and they were going to lose their earnest money if they did not cancel the offer due to the inability to get financing. While I personally was not a happy camper that they had lied to me, wasted my time and gas while having me drive around the entire city of Denver, I still.. strangely... did not want them to lose their earnest money - $1000. So, I advised them to withdraw their offer and get their money back. Ironically, they continued to insist that the disqualifying information found within their loan application that led to their inability to qualify for financing was untrue. Though we contested the underwriter's opinion, the loan was still denied, and time was running out... fast. Call it pride, or whatever you want, but the buyers continued to insist that they were right, and the underwriter was wrong. The evidence was overwhelmingly against them... So... he lost his money. So What's Your Point, Russ? I'm glad you asked. My point is that in business, in real estate, and in our daily lead generation, there are some things in our control, and... somethings that are not in our control. I Cannot Control, Nor Do I Try To Control For Example, Who Is, Or Who Is Not, A Real Prospect For My Business. I do, however, control what I can control, and that is... my daily activity which are the activities required to produce more and more targeted leads for my business. That - I can control. I control it by:
This - I can control. I recommend you do the same. How to Qualify Your Prospects So You Can Maintain Your Personal Sanity Use systems like:
What you'll find at the end of the day, is that your prospects will appreciate the valuable information that you've provided them with upfront, the fact that you weren't trying to shove useless information down their throats that they neither want or need, and that you are a giver instead of just a taker. Givers are those that give away Goodwill first, without any expectation of getting something back in return. In other words, if you give away a lot of great, useful, and profitable information to your prospects, they will grow to know, like, and trust you and either buy your stuff eventually, or realize that you were not the solution they truly needed. Either way, you win, because you did not waste your valuable and fleeting time. Plus, if you are the solution for your prospects, by the time they actually do talk to you, the conversation is awesome. There is no begging, pleading, or chasing on your part, and the conversation feels like you've known each other for years. I like that. In fact, that is my experience almost every day when I speak to folks about PushButtonInvestor.com. There's never a temptation on my part to beg, plead, or chase anyone. I don't have to. I know that if I lay it all out on the line from the start, my prospect gets a chance to know, like, and trust me, and determine if I have what they want and need... before we speak. So when we do finally speak, it is usually just to answer any lingering questions or doubts they may have and then to either sign them up for our Inner Circle program, or part as friends. Either way, we both win. Sincerely, Russell |
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May 2018
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