Real Estate Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2016 · 940 posts · 695 votes
We just started DM in January. We send out between 2-4k postcards a month in the Memphis area to various lists we have created or bought. We receive about 5% of calls from them, but well over half are people who must not ever get direct mail because they say things like:
1. "I ain't selling nothing!" (in an angry tone implying that I am forcing them to sell at gun point)
2. "How much you give me for my house?" Me: "I don't know ma'am; can you give me the street address again" Lady: "you the one who sent me the postcard - you tell me!" (yeah, cause I just sent one computer-generated card to only you...)
3. "I received your card and didn't want to be rude so I'm calling you". (followed by a sweet 30 minute chat about his recently deceased wife. No interested in selling)
Then last week the same elderly lady called me 30+ times in two days (before I blocked her) leaving messages that were either illogical and/or threatening to call her lawyer because my postcard was harassment (I only sent one).
I'm sure I'm not the only one with stories. Anyone else want to share or am I just choosing the crazy ones to mail?
Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2013 · 741 posts · 845 votes
9y
No your not alone. I once had a guy I mailed to call me and tell me he knew what I looked like and that he was going to shoot me with his shotgun if I came driving by his house! He said I drove a white BMW, and was going to shoot me on sight! I for one, do not drive a white BMW and had never even driven by. I just hope some poor unsuspecting BMW driver was not harassed by this guy!!
Investor · Orange County, CA · Member since 2009 · 230 posts · 138 votes
9y
@Elizabeth Wilson I can't help but chuckle because I know exactly how that works. I work for a large mortgage lender that does it's own marketing and it's a given that a large percentage of marketing responses are going to go exactly nowhere. Many of the people that respond are angry, in a bad mood, just curious, or lonely and just want to chat about nothing in particular. You have to wade through all the junk to get to the relatively rare diamond in the rough. Keep plugging away! As long as you keep mailing and answering the phone, you should get something you can work with sooner or later.
Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2013 · 741 posts · 845 votes
9y
No your not alone. I once had a guy I mailed to call me and tell me he knew what I looked like and that he was going to shoot me with his shotgun if I came driving by his house! He said I drove a white BMW, and was going to shoot me on sight! I for one, do not drive a white BMW and had never even driven by. I just hope some poor unsuspecting BMW driver was not harassed by this guy!!
Real Estate Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2016 · 940 posts · 695 votes
9y
@Mark F. and @Stephen Akindona - Thanks guys. That actually does make me feel better. I'm probably just not use to people being so rude for receiving a postcard asking to buy their home. But at least I haven't been threatened to be shot by anyone!
Real Estate Agent · Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2016 · 246 posts · 142 votes
9y
haha thanks for sharing this. I was at a meetup last night and people were going around the table sharing their DM stories. Very entertaining. I have had your second example happen before. Do you have a picture on the DM and do you have to disclose that you're a realtor in TN? Last night our consensus was that a picture helps and sometimes people are turned off by the realtor disclosure. Good luck!
Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2016 · 215 posts · 128 votes
9y
Yes! This is somewhat normal. I consistently get threats and rudeness, but a few good deals out of the bunch. When they call with bad intentions I merely say "excuse me but do you call McDonald's and threaten them when they send you coupons on the mail?" That normally works :)
Real Estate Investor · Irmo, SC · Member since 2012 · 106 posts · 90 votes
9y
I had someone threaten to call the police once. Another caller was going to turn me over to City of Richmond??? Another caller yelled at me for 10 minutes because I addressed my letter to her husband and did not include her name on it. Strange indeed.
Real Estate Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2016 · 940 posts · 695 votes
9y
@Jennifer Slaughter - great ideas. I was planing on sending my pic out during the next round. Just have been cheap so far - doing one color only. I'm not a realtor so don't need to share that. Happy to send you what we used. Nothing special - straight forward.
@Sekelle O. - both of yours were awful but not surprising. Last week a man told me that what I'm doing is ruining his neighborhood. I politely explained that we rehab houses not just buy them cheap to let them deteriorate!
Rental Property Investor · Tucson AZ / Nice FR / Washington DC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
Winner for the week goes to this lady for me:
"This is Ms......, I just received a letter in the mail for my property. For number one this is not my husbands property. Number two it's not for sale. I want to know if he put you up to this. He is dating prostitutes, and I want to know if you know anything about this, because I'm getting all kinds of letters recently from all kinds of agents everywhere..."
I'm not totally sure what prostitutes have to do with any of this, but it sure made me chuckle.
Ps. Trick to dealing with this is just don't answer the phone, ever. Those who want to do deals will leave a nice message, the rest hangup or leave a winner like above.
Real Estate Investor · Memphis, TN · Member since 2016 · 940 posts · 695 votes
9y
@Matthew Maggy - Most of the time there isn't a way to turn the conversation because there never really is a conversation to begin with. However I did just have one completely turn around so it does happen! However there is no way to screen those out. Or at least I don't know of a way.
@Levi T. - That is a very sad and weird one. So sorry! Maybe I'll try your straight to voicemail idea. Thx!
@Matthew Maggy - Most of the time there isn't a way to turn the conversation because there never really is a conversation to begin with. However I did just have one completely turn around so it does happen! However there is no way to screen those out. Or at least I don't know of a way.
@Levi T. - That is a very sad and weird one. So sorry! Maybe I'll try your straight to voicemail idea. Thx!
It works good. The life stress from talking to all these pissed off people that want to dump on someone else is not worth the effort. I have my phone set to send all calls (other than contacts) to voicemail. I get dozens of calls daily. I landed 17 deals this week with zero street or talking to crazy people. It's the way to go!
Welcome to the wonderful world of doing business with the general public!
Yeah - you get all kinds of responses. A pastor of mine once put it this way: In heaven, you meet All Saints, in Purgatory you meet All Souls and this world you meet all sorts.
@Levi T. - That is an awesome number! You doing just DM or something else too?
Thanks. We just DM, we have it down to a science, and use a lot of big data to make it all happen. We did over 3 million dollars in deals in Q1 of this year already. Finding deals is never the problem, keeping up with the volume is. We literally can't raise capital fast enough.