Sometimes prospecting is…

I’ve worked in real estate for half my adult life, and I’ve been to more training sessions that I can count on the ABCs (Always Be Closing), on hard sells, on how to deliver the perfect pitch presentation and yet, the more I work in this industry the more I realise that any sales based industry has a whole other level of prospecting for new business that rarely gets spoken about.

Sure, sometimes you’ll go into a presentation cold with nothing to assist you but your materials, your winning smile and your ability to close, but sometimes, just sometimes…

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about patience…

Are you prepared to wait until the time is right for the client, not just for you?

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about being persistent…

I’ve had clients come on board after chasing them for two years (and longer). Do you have a system in place that reminds you to follow up as appropriate with persistence without being annoying?

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about timing…

A simple question, asked at the right time can be an amazing form of prospecting. Recently I touched base (after being persistent and patient for about a year) just to make sure a client’s current property manager had been in touch regarding an upcoming due date. They hadn’t, and the business was mine.

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about perception…

When someone searches for you, or for your industry online, what do they do see? Can they see honest, real testimonials and reviews of your performance? Do they see a website that is both functional and representative of the type of brand you wish to convey?

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about words…

So often, you won’t even hear the most powerful words as they’re spoken when you’re not around well before you’re called in to pitch for the business. They’re the words said from your current clients and customers to their friends and family. It’ll either be the strongest recommendation you can get, or… you know the other alternative.

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… about approaching from a different angle…

After 18 months spent following up (with patience and persistence) one client in a three party relationship, I happened across another who I’d had little personal contact with. It turns out this was the better approach and suddenly, we had new business.

Sometimes prospecting for new business is… unpredictable…

Our company recently got a new client, one of our largest, from an unpredictable referral from someone we dealt with who referred us simply because “we pay our bills on time”. Are you making time to find out the origin of your current clients?

Kirsty Dunphey is the youngest ever Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, author of two books (her latest release is Retired at 27, If I Can do it Anyone Can) and a passionate entrepreneur who started her first business at age 15 and opened her own real estate agency at 21. Now Kirsty does lots of fun things which you can read about here. Her favourite current projects are Elephant Property, a boutique property management agency, Baby Teresa, a baby clothing line that donates an outfit to a baby in need for each one they sell andReallySold, which helps real estate agents stop writing boring, uninteresting ads.