The Call You're Avoiding Could Be Your Next Listing

By Troy Davis

With over 22 years of proven success in real estate, Troy has established himself as a top leader in Butte County, California.

If you’re a real estate agent and the thought of picking up the phone to prospect makes your stomach turn, I get it. Cold calling, door knocking, talking with someone you’ve never met. It’s not the reason most of us got into this business.

The agents who prospect consistently are the ones who always have business. And the ones who avoid it? They’re typically the ones asking, “Where’s my next deal coming from?”

So if you want more listings, it’s time to stop hesitating and start dialing. And I want to give you a few tips that have worked for me to make prospecting feel less awkward and more like a real conversation.

Start the call by being helpful, not salesy. When I call a new lead, someone I’ve never spoken to before, I keep it simple. I let them know I got their contact information or their message about selling property in the area, and then I ask one question: “How can I help you?” That’s it. I let them lead with the answers, and I listen. I take notes.

The goal is to leave the person with value, not a pitch. You’re not trying to close anyone on the first call. You’re trying to connect.

The best value-first opener is just making the call. This past week alone, I can think of five different leads who said the same thing to me: “I’ve called several Realtors and nobody ever called me back. You’re the first person who actually answered or returned my call.” That’s how low the bar is right now. Showing up, being present, returning those calls, answering those calls, that alone shows tremendous value to a potential client. You don’t need a perfect script. You need to pick up the phone.

Listen more than you talk. I say this all the time: God gave you two ears and one mouth. Use them accordingly. When I’m talking with a potential seller, I personally use an intake sheet. I listen to their concerns, their questions, what’s going on in their situation. Then I go through my own list of questions when I follow up. The key is that those questions are internalized. I’ve asked them so many times. So when I ask them again, it comes across as a natural conversation, not an interrogation.

Be genuinely interested in helping them. Nobody wants to talk to a robot. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being read a script off a screen. The agents who do well on prospecting calls are the ones who are actually curious about the person on the other end of the line. Be interested in them. Ask real questions. And when you have your own list of go-to questions memorized, you can focus on the person instead of fumbling through what to say next.

So, if you’re not making prospecting calls, you’re leaving listings on the table. And if the discomfort is what’s holding you back, that’s exactly what these tips are designed to fix. It doesn’t have to feel forced. It just has to happen.

If you’d like some help preparing scripts or going over what would work for you when engaging potential clients, give me a call. I’m always happy to help. And if you want, I’d be happy to share my seller information sheet. It’s been one of the most valuable tools throughout my career. Call me at 530-570-1630, email me at troy@troydavisrealestate.com, or visit careers.actionrealtyca.com.