Skip tracing and cold calling with Batchleads-Expectations?

Question

I've been cold calling daily for several weeks.  I work full time which limits my time to roughly 2 hours a day M-F from 6pm-8pm for calls, 4 hours a day on weekends.  I use Batchleads to pull my lists, skip trace and call with in app dialer.  I'm not using Batchdialer but am open to upgrading.

I'm focusing on tax defaults primarily and stacking with absentee, high equity.  I'll use those same filters and add vacants to get a very targeted list in my selected zips.  I use the treasury site to verify tax status and amount owed.  My lists are usually around 100 properties when I filter heavily.

Data quality is just ok, lots of wrong numbers and DNC numbers getting scrubbed by Batchleads eliminate half my skip traced leads. The people I do get on the phone are tired of wholesalers so it's been challenging. I have a simple intro I start with;

"Hey, is this [Name]? ... Hey [Name], my name's Josh, I'm a local real estate investor here in Detroit — I actually buy properties in the [street/neighborhood] area. The reason I'm reaching out is I came across your property on [Address] and wanted to see if you'd ever considered selling it. Is that something you'd be open to talking about for just a second?"

Most people say no and hang up.  I've dialed over 1000 numbers, I do have 2 sellers I'm actively working with follow-ups.  They are in deep tax default late in the process on a ticking clock, but most of my calls are dead ends.

I'd love to hear what you guys are doing in terms of your cold calling strategy to keep some of your leads on the phone a little longer to justify follow up.

Drew Sygit · Answer

STOP dialing yourself!

It's a pure numbers game that you have to scale for success.

So, either:

1) Hire a VA to do this2) Use an auto-dialer

Travis Goodwin · Answer

Honestly, for working full time and only having a couple hours a day, 1,000 dials with 2 active follow-ups is better progress than you think. I’d focus less on dialing perfection and more on volume plus sounding natural. A lot of owners are burned out on investor calls, so try a simpler approach like, “Hey John, this is Josh—I was calling about the property on Elm Street.” Then pause and let them respond. Also, don’t over-filter your lists too hard—the most targeted lists are often the same ones everyone else is hammering. Keep going, because two tax default leads can turn into a deal fast with strong follow-up.

Travis Goodwin · Answer

Honestly, two active sellers from your first 1,000 dials is not terrible, especially with a small, heavily filtered list. You are doing more right than you probably realize.

I would simplify your opening. By the time you explain that you are a local investor, mention the neighborhood, give the property address, and ask permission to talk, they already know it is a sales call.

I would try something more natural:

“Hey Josh, this is Travis. I know this call is out of the blue, but I was calling about the property on Main Street. Have you thought about doing anything with it?”

Then stop talking and let them answer.

I would also be careful about trying to keep every person on the phone longer. If they truly have no interest, let them go. The opportunity is with the people who hesitate, say maybe later, mention a problem, or give you anything besides a firm no. That is where you slow down, ask questions, and have a real conversation.

Your list may also be too filtered. Stacking can help, but sometimes we filter so heavily that we eliminate people who would have sold for reasons the data could never show us. I would test a larger list with one strong indicator instead of requiring every property to meet several conditions.

Keep calling, keep improving the data, and keep following up with those two sellers. Cold calling is rarely about having one perfect line. It is about finding the few people who have a real problem, listening when you find them, making an offer, and staying in touch.

Igor Ganapolsky · Answer

@Joshua Allgeyer You're already doing the treasury verification step (smart move, kills wasted dials like Carson mentioned). Here's how to expand that into something nobody else is hammering because it requires actual work most wholesalers won't do:

Cross-reference 3 county data sources on the same property before you dial:

1. Tax Collector - tax delinquency + owner of record (you're already here)
2. Code Enforcement - physical distress documented (vacant, tall grass, structural issues)
3. Clerk of Court - probate, liens, legal proceedings

When all three converge on the same property, you've got government-verified data on legal pressure + physical condition + ownership. That's a list that doesn't overlap with the Batchleads tax-default filter everyone else is running.

Cost breakdown: 3 county websites = $0. Skip trace 20 converged names = $2-$3. Compare that to Eugen's $500-$1000/month ads or Chris Seveney's ROI question about your hourly rate when you're dialing 1000 numbers to get 2 active leads.

The real variable isn't your script or your dialer (those matter, Mohab's right about the easy exit and follow-up calls 4-8). The variable is whether you're calling the right person in the first place. County convergence answers that upstream: you're not calling 100 tax defaults hoping 2 are motivated. You're calling 20 properties where 3 government databases confirm legal/financial/physical pressure on the same owner.

Travis's point about "don't over-filter" is right if you're filtering the same way everyone else is. But filtering by convergence (tax + code + court) is a different filter entirely. You'll get fewer names, but every name has 3x the signal.

You're in Detroit? Wayne County has all three data sources online. Try it on your next 100-property list: pull tax defaults, then cross-reference code enforcement violations, then clerk of court for probate/liens. See how many converge. That's your real list.

Mohab Abdelrehim · Answer

The opener is solid but 'is that something you'd be open to talking about for just a second?' is giving them an easy exit. Tax default sellers are already stressed, try acknowledging that directly instead. Something like 'I know you've probably got a lot going on with the property right now. I'm not here to pressure you, just wanted to see if selling might take some of that off your plate.' You're not pitching, you're offering relief. Also at 1000 dials with 2 active leads you're actually not far off normal ratios for tax default lists, the fortune really is in follow-up calls 4 through 8, most people don't make it that far.

Eugen Adrian Popa · Answer

how about just getting more motivated leads? Ads + forms + auto underwriting means you can call as soon as that lead fills out the form. Even if it costs $500-$1000 per month, one closed deal makes up for that by a lot. I've seen wholesalers investing $3000 per month in facebook leads campaigns paying around $45 per lead, with 1-2 conversions, and it was still worth it for them.... That being said, I do have a better way around this.

Rauph Souleimanov · Answer

the follow up point Sara made is the real thing. most people treat a no on the first call as a dead lead but that's usually where the deal actually lives.

the problem is staying consistent on follow up when you're doing this part time with limited hours. that's where automating it changes everything. instead of trying to remember who to call back and when, the sequence just runs. by the time you're back at your desk the follow up has already gone out and you know which ones responded.

also worth looking at a parallel dialer over a predictive if you're solo, easier to manage without a team behind it

Sara Joe · Answer

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of newer callers focus on improving the script when the bigger variable is often list quality and timing.

If you're already stacking tax delinquent, absentee, and high equity, you're probably ahead of many people calling broad lists.

The other thing is that a "no" on the first call doesn't necessarily mean the lead is dead. Some of the best conversations happen after multiple touchpoints when circumstances change.

Curious of the 2 sellers you're actively following up with, did they show motivation on the first call, or did that develop over time?

Joshua Allgeyer · Answer

@Drew Sygit yes sir, Im going with Batchdialer which is an auto dialer.  It will save me a ton of time.  VA will be a next evolution.

I see you're in Royal Oak.  I'm in Highland, love to chat sometime.

Skip tracing and cold calling with Batchleads-Expectations?

Skip tracing and cold calling with Batchleads-Expectations?

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