For long-term prospecting success, apply the four disciplines that are common to Agents who consistently achieve their revenue and quality of life goals.

#1 – Set a daily time and place for prospecting

You can’t work your prospecting around your day; you have to work your day around your prospecting. You have to establish the habit and engage in the discipline of prospecting on a daily basis and from a controlled environment where your prospecting tools are available and readily accessible. To paraphrase from the sixties hit Batman, prospecting success is all about “same bat time, same bat channel.”

Knowing that body language comprises 55% of the power of communication, even when communicating by phone, I kept my intensity and focus high by standing up. The headset – which I consider an absolutely essential prospecting tool – enabled me to keep my hands free, so I could gesture or accentuate points as if I was speaking directly to my prospect in person.

When making an investment in a head set don’t get the cheapest one you can find. Spend a few hundred dollars to get one of high quality. Otherwise, you’ll end up with such poor sound quality that your prospect won’t be able to hear you clearly – hardly a formula for prospecting success.

#2 – Fight off distractions

The truth is most Agents welcome distractions that take them away from prospecting obligations. An inbound phone call, a problem transaction, a home inspection question, an incoming e-mail, an Agent who wants to talk, a broken nail, anything will do. It’s called creative avoidance, and Agents generally excel at the art.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a top Agent in your market, distractions never just go away. In fact, the best Agents have even more potential for distraction because of the volume of business, the number of staff people, the number of clients, and the scope of responsibilities they juggle. The difference between prospecting avoidance and prospecting success comes down to the question, what do you do when the distractions hit? Do you postpone prospecting while you put out a fire? Do you decide to make just a few calls to settle the pending issue?  Do you justify not starting your prospecting at the appointed time? If you said yes to any of those questions, you are practicing creative avoidance.

• To fight off distractions, you have to bar their access:
• Turn off your e-mail, so the “you’ve got mail” icon doesn’t tempt you.
• Ask the receptionist to take messages for inbound calls during your prospecting session.
• Turn off your cell phone and pager.
• Put a sign on the door that basically says, “Don’t bother me; I’m prospecting.”
• Tell anyone who asks for a meeting during your prospecting period that you already have an appointment, because you do – working to find a potential prospect.

#3 – Follow the plan

Success boils down to taking the right steps in the proper order.  To get your prospecting steps and order correct, you must have and follow a prospecting plan. You must know who you are going to call and for what reason. The best approach is to set up each day’s prospecting plan a day in advance.

If you wait to put your prospecting plan together at the beginning of your prospecting session, chances are too high that you will talk yourself out of more calls than you make. Your mental process will get in the way of action, causing you to think things like “This person will think I’m calling back too soon…” or “This person won’t buy or sell right now…”

If you establish a plan in advance, you’ll be ready for action, rather than for double guessing. Follow these steps:

1. Do your research, establish your plan, and set up for the next day’s prospecting a day in advance. Before you leave your office for the day, determine the prospecting calls you are going to make on the next day. Assemble everything you will need for the calls and put the information on your desk, so it is ready for your attention as soon as you walk in the door.

2. In the morning, quickly review your calls and your daily goals. A word of caution: Don’t take too long! You could be setting yourself up for creative avoidance.

3. Spend 20 minutes before you make the call practicing scripts, dialogues, and objection-handling techniques. Establish a pre-call routine and create a pattern or plan that you repeat over and over again before each prospecting session or call.

As an analogy, think of how professionals warm up before performances. Whether you’re watching musicians, actors, or athletes, you expect them to be fully prepared and ready to go when their concerts, plays, or games begin. Follow the same rule. Warm up in advance, so that by the time you pick up the phone, practice is over, and you’re ready for the real thing.

4. Review a few affirmations like:

• “I am a great prospector.”
• “When I prospect, people love to talk with me and set appointments with me.”
• “I will generate leads and appointments before I am through today.”

You are now ready to pick up the phone with focus, intensity, and an expectation of success.

#4 – Be faithful to yourself and finish what you start

Stay faithful to your daily objectives by completing all of your prospecting contacts down to the very last one.

When you are running a race, you have to run the whole way.  No one remembers who was ahead at the 80-meter mark of the men’s 100-meter race at the Olympics. The winner has to complete the full circuit before he can claim his medal.

Don’t drop out early; finish what you start.

Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President & CEO of Real Estate Champions.  His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters.  He's the widely published author of Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print.

You can get more information by visiting http://www.realestatechampions.com/.

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Erica Smith   |2009-06-03 14:26:55

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