There are some important considerations when you are knocking or prospecting near or at active properties.

Prospecting around Other Listings in the Area

If you already have someone’s name and you’re on your second or third knocking round, you can use the following script: “Oh, hey, Sally. It's NAME. I've got another listing in the area. I just want to pass it on to you in case you have any new friends or family who want to live near you. It's always fun to pick your neighbors! I'll just leave this with you if you want to pass it along. Have a great day.”

I have the best success when I keep it as casual as possible. Keep it short and sweet at the door. The goal is to get them to your listing. At the listing, they can see you in action. You can show them what you’re made of. You can show off your marketing, your set up, your sales skills and more. They can see how you set your signs up, how you park your car on the street, how you present the home. They’ll see if your shoes are neatly set at the front door. They’ll see your materials nicely laid out at the kitchen table. They’ll see the showing set up very professionally. Having them see you in action is how you close them on listing with you.  They’ll decide whether they want to sign with you before you have the chance to say anything. Your actions have already spoken volumes for you. 

There are two ways to approach knocking around recently sold properties.  

1. Knocking with a home you just sold.
2. Knocking with area solds - using a ‘Seller Market Script’.

First let’s talk about your personal sale. If you have one, it's important to leverage it as much as you can.

Here’s what you can say: 

“Hey I'm NAME, a local real estate agent. I just helped Mike and Mary over on Main Ave sell their home. Did you notice the sign around the corner?” They’ll say yes or no. Either way, you can respond: “We had so many buyers wanting the home and only one family was able to get it.” Or, you can say, “We had two other families who fell in love with the area and now want to be here.” Follow those statements with this question: “Do you happen to know of anyone else in the neighborhood who’s thinking of selling?” 

You can even add, “How about you guys? Have you thought about selling? What if a buyer walked up tomorrow and offered you what you wanted for your house?” Laugh and smile as you say this. They will often laugh with you if you say it right. If they are interested, this is usually where they get hooked. You’ll know they are interested if they respond with something like, “Well, you know… we were just talking about moving.” When they respond like this, you know you’ve hooked them. You’ve started turning them into your next lead! 
What about what to say when you don’t have a sale? You can leverage area solds by other agents. 

If you do not have a recent sale, use a great sale in the area to start the conversation. Print off other area sales from MLS and use them to let the neighborhood know about the new benchmark price! Use some of the same script you would have used for a personal sale, just mentioning them as area sales instead.  Mention that you know there are more buyers interested in the area. 

Here’s how to approach prospecting around open houses. 

I’ll knock the neighborhood and keep invites casual. If I’m farming the area already, it’s usually not the first visit. I treat it as if I have already met them and don’t say my name again. I’ll say, “Oh, hey, I have another listing in the neighborhood. If you have any friends or family that want to live near you, send them by this weekend. Or maybe you can come check it out for them?”

If I do introduce myself, I still keep it casual. I’ll say, “Hey, I'm Ashley, a local agent. I just want to let you guys know we just listed an area property.  I want to invite you guys to the open house Saturday and Sunday. If you know anybody who might be interested in the neighborhood, please pass on the info.

Or, I might say, “Hey, my name is Ashley and I'm here to invite you to my open house. People often know someone who wants to move into the area so if you've got any friends or family who might be interested, would you pass along my flier? Thanks! Bye.”

I always keep it super short and easy. This really lands with people. It’s a comfortable way to drop by. Tone is very important too. Keep it friendly and casual.  You're either going to turn them on or off. I don't turn people off when I am smiley and casual with my open house drop-by. 

When done right, you’ll establish a good rapport in your farming area and area residents will drop by. The more they come to your opens, the more familiar they become with you. They start to trust you. They won’t avoid you. They’ll see you like an area friend saying hello when you casually drop off material rather than someone after a sale. You’ll still have your professionalism and boundaries, but residents won’t be guarded. You’ve started connecting with them. And that’s the goal of farming! Beyond that, when they’re at your opens, you’ll make a professional impression. They’ll see you in action. Getting people to your listings and opens is what the game is all about. That’s where you have the best chance to convert them to leads. 

When you’re knocking around your open house listings, a fun game to play with prospects is “Pick your neighbors”

It can be fun to challenge them to choose their next neighbors. Community minded homeowners often love this. It gives them a sense of being included in making their community better and helping choose their neighbors. When people live somewhere with a strong sense of community, this is a very successful strategy. People want to have control over who comes into their community. They want to keep the strong sense of community. 

You can say, "Do you have any friends or family members who are thinking about buying a home? Maybe pass my flier along to them if you think they’d be interested in learning more about the property?" You can also ask them to refer your name to anyone who might be thinking about buying in the area.  

As you make your statements, nod your head. This alone promotes a yes out of them if there is one! This is a hidden command. They’ll likely start nodding to match your nod even before they consciously realize it. If they were thinking twice about not telling you, they’ll start to tell you as they’re nodding. They’ll admit that they know someone. At that point, hand them the material to pass along.  

Even if your prospects don’t seem interested in attending your open house, aim to casually get their email. 

Don't disappear right away when someone rejects your open house invite. There’s a back up play you can use. If the rejection is gentle,  you can casually go in for the email.

With a big smile say, “No worries at all. I’m actually setting up an email list that will alert local residents in the area what another home sells for, to keep you in the know. What's your email?” Hand your tablet over. Don’t wait for them to say yes. Assume they are going to give you their email and smile as you hand over the tablet. They’ll usually take your tablet and start writing their email. If someone starts to speak their email to you, make sure you repeat all the letters back to them. If you happen to give them a pen and paper, read the letters back. Say, “Just to confirm, it is A.s.h.l.e.y@x y z .com correct?” It’s a fatal error not to confirm handwritten contact information. Getting back to your office and being unable to read whether they wrote an i or an l is a horrible feeling. 

If they don’t give you their email, smile and wish them a great day. Remember, to always leave on a positive note. 

Here’s how to approach Expired Listings

Do your homework and research the listing on MLS before you approach these properties. Find out what it listed for and how long it was on the market. As I mentioned earlier in the course, in Module 4,  expired listings can be your hottest leads! You already know these people want to sell their home! They wanted to sell their home but, for whatever reason, couldn't. Expired listings are a gold mine. To get the listing, research and overcome the reasons it didn’t sell the first time. 

Chances are the homeowner’s desire to sell hasn’t changed. You just need to overcome the previous listing’s pitfalls for them. Was it marketed correctly? Was their agent active enough to get the word out? 

Visit the listing right away when it expires. When you get in front of an expired listing, say, “I noticed that your listing expired this morning. I have some ideas about how you can still get a successful offer. Would you be interested in hearing them?” Before you get to the door, have all the ideas you prepared and researched clear in your mind. Be ready to explain them with confidence. If you are likable and professional at the door, there’s a good chance they’ll hear your ideas. When done well, you’ll soon be booking a time for a listing appointment! Follow all of the Agent Renovation accounts:

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