Who hates ringing Gumtree landlords? I am not a big fan of them, as Gumtree landlords tend to have properties towards the lower end of the food chain. However, I know some of you do make those callls, so I wanted to share my thoughts on the matter. If your Gumtree telephone calls aren't working, the problem is probably you. Now, I am no fan of
cold calling and believe there are more effective ways to get more business.
However, if you are the sort of letting agent does cold calling, but doesn't get the results .. here some thoughts
I believe it's your beliefs about cold calling that can make you ineffective, not making the cold call itself.
Here are 5 beliefs that people making cold calls get so wrong..
I believe it's your beliefs about cold calling that can make you ineffective, not making the cold call itself.
Here are 5 beliefs that people making cold calls get so wrong..
1. 'I'm bothering people
Assuming that you're actually selling something of value, you are
actually doing your landlords a favour by calling their attention to the
availability and importance of what you're offering. They may need somebody
(like you) to get this issue on their radar... ie if they don’t find a tenant
in two weeks, they will have an empty property with no rent coming in
2. Landlords will not want to speak with me.
That's simply not true. While some landlords may not want to speak
with you at a given moment, there are always people who want to have a
conversation about something that matters, with somebody who can make a
difference.
3. They probably already have a agent.
So what? Your job is to find out if you can serve them better than their
current agent--and, if not, to confirm the fact that they made a good decision
in the first place. What's important is that the landlord gets what he or she
needs ... right?
4. No one wants to speak with a letting agent.
Actually, whether or not a landlord is engageable is a matter of timing.
You can increase the landlord’s likely interest by timing your calls to
match changes in the customer's circumstances .. so instead of calling them
straight away like most agents, why not wait for week or two until you ring
them.
Why, well they wont want t pay an
agent the day it comes on the market .. they don’t need an agent .. they are cocksure
of themselves they will find a tenant so wont have to pay agents like you. They
might be getting a bit desperate. Most agents give up after one phone call ..
they are lazy
5. I hate cold calling.
If so, no wonder you find cold calling difficult! This is a
perfect example of self-fulfilling prophesy.
At the very least, work on feeling neutral (at least) about this
necessary task.(again I think there are better ways but as this is blog about all methods t get landlords, I felt it only right to put my thoughts down on this sometime necessary
What next then?
If you're going to cold call, there are certain facts that trump the beliefs that are holding you back. These facts are:- You will pick up the phone and dial the number on Gumtree
- You will either reach your landlord or you will not.
- If you reach your landlord, you will say something and they will say something.
What's the worse that could happen?
You get the sack, dont get another job, house gets repo'd and the Mrs leaves you, you'd be the pariah of the County, the kids go into Foster care, and you end up on the streets?
No, I didnt think so .. the worst you will get is no thank you or bugger off. Not end of the world stuff is it? This the reality of the situation, so you'd might as well learn as much
as you can about cold calling and hone your skills to do it more
effectively. Forget about those silly beliefs, stop complaining about what you can't
change ... and start making the calls you must make in order to become more
successful.... and for those of you who think this is a detour from my normal pull marketing techniques as opposed to the push marketing techniques, here is an idea....
Is there another way of looking the Cold Call?
This is where every agent goes wrong with cold calling gumtree landlords. If they dont get the market appraisal the number goes in the bin. NO..NO .. NO .. that piece of paper is worth thousands .. you wouldnt throw a £1000 note in the bin, would you?If you don't get the market appraisal at the end of the call, why not ask them if you could send them a monthly property market report on the rental market in your part of town. Tell them every landlord gets one, but as you are Gumtree landlord, your paths haven't crossed in the past. Every landlord in town has one of these reports sent to him/her every month, where the property hotspots are, the best yields, the best deals .. you wouldn't want them to miss out ....... somethin' for nuffin? Yes please Mr/Mrs Letting Agent ... and as all of my posts say ... its all about building relationships with potential landlords .. see the cold call as way not to get business today (and fail most of the time).. but as way to start building a relationship for the future
Before, I go, the dog had an argument with a bramble bush last night .. here he is all bandaged up .. bless him.
