Prospecting. Whether you love it or love it less, every good real estate agent knows it’s the backbone of our business, which is why it’s so important. 

One of our POWER AGENTS® said recently that he has been trying to call FSBOs but often came across the “I want to save the commission” objection. Sound familiar? It wouldn’t take long before he was ready to give up and call Expired Listings instead because he felt more comfortable talking to them.  

Related reading: How to Communicate to FSBOs that “saving the commission” is a myth. 

Calling Expired Listings is great; we’re all for it. However, calling them at the expense of NOT calling FSBOs could mean turning away leads at a time when they might need you the most. It’s powerful and confidence-boosting to master prospecting to one group of people! Here’s a little coaching advice for you, though – when you reach the point where you feel really comfortable with one group, it’s time to add another group that you are less comfortable with so you can create a breakthrough for yourself and your business.  

The Secret Sauce of Prospecting 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: It’s not about the FSBO; it’s about you. If you can call somebody who doesn’t even like real estate professionals and turn them around because you have the objection-handling skills to do that, you become a champion of real estate agents.  

A whopping 90% of real estate is communication, which is why it’s vital that we learn to do it exceptionally well. So, when you pick up the phone to prospect, particularly to a group you are less comfortable calling, don’t focus on getting the appointment; focus on getting better at listening and communicating.  

How To Respond to Uncommunicative Homeowners 

We know that most FSBOs are resistant to talking to real estate agents, and when you call, they may give short, clipped answers to your questions. Don’t let this fluster you! When you are trying to communicate with someone who is trying to NOT communicate with you, it’s easy to start shutting down and giving up. Instead, just keep asking questions or redirecting the conversation to continue asking open-ended questions. 

Here’s the trick: FSBOs are used to having people call to ask about their homes. They have about 60 seconds of “FSBO script” (thanks to Jacques Feezbeau!) before they forget they are speaking to a real estate agent and settle into a more relaxed conversation about their home. It’s about getting past that first 60 seconds.  

The most important thing to realize when talking to a FSBO who is acting unbecomingly or even rude, it isn’t because they are upset with you because they don’t even know you. It’s because they have a misguided or poor opinion of another real estate agent and assume that you will be just like them. They’re upset with a false judgment or opinion about you based on their past experiences or presumptions. 

It’s important that you give them permission to react this way because when a human being’s perception of real estate agents isn’t positive because of past experiences, we need to admit that if we were in that FSBO’s shoes, we would probably react the same way. It’s our chance to give them a positive experience to start changing that perception. 

A Lesson from Henry Ford and the Kid 

I recently read a story about Henry Ford, and in this story, there was a young kid that kept coming and asking him for things. Henry Ford always said no, but every day, that kid would come and ask again. He was relentless! Finally, Henry Ford gave him what he asked for because he could see that this kid was really committed to getting what he wanted, and he couldn’t say no anymore. Anyone who has ever been a parent to a three-year-old eager for an ice cream knows how tenacious kids can be when they want something, no matter how many times we say no! 

Bring That Kind of Tenacity to Your Prospecting Calls 

As real estate professionals, we need to have that same commitment and tenacity to helping homeowners, despite their attitudes and misconceptions of us and what we do. They think: all agents care about is the commission; they make all this money without doing anything to earn it; they are glorified salespeople, and the homeowner could do a better job themselves. 

If those beliefs were true, everyone would react negatively to real estate agents! However, we know these misconceptions aren’t true, which is why we need to be committed to helping them and correcting those misconceptions. They don’t know what you know. You’ve spent countless hours earning and maintaining your real estate license. You have your finger on the pulse of the industry. You are an expert negotiator and can navigate the complexities of the process. They need you! 

When you call FSBOs, we must help them past all those preconceived notions and misconceptions to get to the real conversation with them. It might not be easy, but when you have the tenacity of a 3-year-old begging for ice cream, you will succeed! 

Learn more about the POWER AGENT® PROGRAM 

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