Investor · Nationwide · Member since 2024 · 129 posts · 21 votes
For anyone using a call center or cold-calling team for real estate leads:
Are your lists usually prioritized before the callers begin dialing?
Or does the team just start with row one and work through the file?
I ask because caller time is not free — whether it is a VA, in-house caller, or outsourced call center.
A list can have thousands of records, but not all records are equal.
Some may have strong motivation signals but weak contactability.
Some may have good phone data but questionable owner matches.
Some may need research before dialing.
Some may look good on the surface but are likely to waste caller time.
For those running outbound campaigns, what information do you wish your callers had before they started?
Do you organize by motivation, equity, property type, phone quality, owner match, prior campaign results, or something else?
I’m curious whether most investors are giving their call teams a true call plan, or just a spreadsheet.
@Chris Arnold I think most investors and real estate agents simply hand their cold calling team a spreadsheet but it is often not well organized or prioritized. I am currently in the process of hiring a cold caller. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to help maximize their productivity and success?
Great question, Janice. If I were hiring a cold caller today, I’d focus on a few things:
1. Give them a prioritized list—not just a spreadsheet. Not every record deserves the same amount of attention. If possible, organize the list so they’re starting with the records that have the strongest indicators and the highest confidence in the contact information.
2. Set clear expectations for dispositions. Make it easy for them to record outcomes like wrong number, no answer, left voicemail, spoke with owner, not interested, follow-up needed, etc. Those outcomes become incredibly valuable over time for improving future outreach.
3. Measure quality, not just quantity. Calls per hour matter, but meaningful conversations and follow-up opportunities are much better indicators of success than simply maximizing dials.
4. Build a consistent follow-up process. Many opportunities come after multiple attempts, so having a structured cadence is just as important as the initial call.
I’d also spend some time with the caller during the first week listening to calls and asking where they feel they’re wasting time. Sometimes a small improvement in list organization or workflow can have a much bigger impact than simply asking them to make more calls.
Best of luck with the hiring process! I’d be interested to hear what kind of workflow you end up using.