Should i switch from direct mail to contact by phone number?
Wholesaler · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 41 posts · 16 votes
Hi BP,
I'm coming closer and closer to my next wholesale deal i can taste it. I have attained one appointment from a seller through direct mail which ill be hopefully acquiring afterwards but until that time comes I've been wondering why not call homes directly. Might it be too selfish of myself at a time like preforclosure to call and consult a homeowner about purchasing their home to save them from foreclosure?
Thanks in advance for your time.
Hi, my name is __________with I Buy Houses… We are looking for 3 and 4 bedroom homes in your neighborhood…And I was wondering…who do you know that is looking to move out of your area? (No one) Fantastic!
Thank you for taking the time to think about it.. By the way
If they do not want to sell say thank you and hang up
or
If they want to sell
? Cooler ? Heater ? Air Conditioner ?Window ? Landscaping ? Clean-up ? ______
Hi BP,
Might it be too selfish of myself at a time like preforclosure to call and consult a homeowner about purchasing their home to save them from foreclosure?
Thanks in advance for your time.
Everyone is going to view it differently. If they aren't interested they'll let you know but you never know until you call. You may call someone and they think you're god-sent cause you can help them out of their situation.
I've got a question. How would you get a list like that? Secondly depending on the amount of #'s you have you may look into a dialing software. (check your local laws on that as federal laws have recently changed*) I can tell you from 4 years of experience working in a call center it can get pretty tedious. However if you decide to go with it feel free to Pm me. I can help you write up a good script and give you some pointers.
@Michael V. - @Chris K. is right, you will get different answers - from both sides. On homeowner side, you'll get people are are stressed and may be in the denial stage that they could lose their home. Others will be past that and they are looking to unload it. There will be all kinds of reasons for being the predicament they are in - lost job, death of spouse, bad health, other reasons.
On the investor side - many people don't like to make calls. These are not easy to make. The majority of the time you are going to be viewed as "uninvited" and a person who is "picking" on the homeowner. The owners who have finally given up will be more open - but they will be in the minority. You have to develop some serious phone marketing skills. But what a great way to get a deal done quickly when you hit it right.
I had an uncle who did the mail route back before computers. He would start with a letter offering his help. He expected it to be tossed. Then he sent a "newsletter style" piece every two weeks with stories of how he helped others and the situations they were in. He gave a short story of how the people got into the situation, and was able to use quotes for the people he bought from that showed how he helped. Those stories reached these people on a regular schedule and built his name (brand). Eventually a story would connect with the homeowners and when they were ready, the first person they thought of was my uncle. He landed many more deals this way in the 70's and early 80's than others. He retired on rentals in the late 1980's just as the computer and internet came about in a big way.
There are many ways to approach - use what you're most comfortable with and add your own twist.
Cold calling is absolutely outstanding. when you do Call try and call between 9 AM to 11 AM and 3 PM to 5 PM Monday through Friday And make it a requirement.
I wouldn't call and disclose to the prospect that I am aware of their foreclosure. I would call using a generic cold call script something like my name is Michael Quarles with I buy houses, we're looking for three and four bedroom homes in your neighborhood and I was wondering who do you know that's planning on moving. Then go from that conversation. if you need a script let me know I have one generic and I also have a foreclosure script.
Hi, my name is __________with I Buy Houses… We are looking for 3 and 4 bedroom homes in your neighborhood…And I was wondering…who do you know that is looking to move out of your area? (No one) Fantastic!
Thank you for taking the time to think about it.. By the way
If they do not want to sell say thank you and hang up
or
If they want to sell
? Cooler ? Heater ? Air Conditioner ?Window ? Landscaping ? Clean-up ? ______
@Michael Quarles Thank you sir.
@Michael Quarles Thanks for sharing that script!
It doesn't really have to be an either or type thing.
It is about touches and how many people you can reach.
Once you develop some mail pieces you can hit thousands of people with a few minutes setting up a mail drop with whatever service you use.
Even if you sit down and just call people all day long you can do what maybe 200 or so assuming mostly disconnected numbers, voicemail, hangups and a few fast f**k yous before hanging up?
People that I know that have done pretty much everything say door knocking is the best conversion activity they try. But then you take that down to maybe a dozen or so you can do in a day (if people are home).
BTW if you do knock on the door and they aren't ready to sell, but don't chase you down the street with a machete, you should leave them a card and other branded materials and send them follow up mail with the same branding on it.
Personally, we mail letters, make phone calls and door knock. It's amazing when we have sent a letter to someone with no response followed up with a phone call and leave voicemail and then we knock on the door and we get a deal. Each individual is different. Recently we called and left messages. We mailed a couple of letters. Then we decided to go knock on their door. They were not home so we left a note with a hand-written message to call. They called. We bought the house.
Everyone is different. Some like when you approach them (call or door knock) while others prefer to call you when they are ready. So, I would do any and every approach and not do an either/or as @Shaun Reilly said above.
Pull out all stops. Never give up. Persist.
Now, go flip a house.
@Michael Quarles - your enthusiasm is contagious - keep it up - I think you ARE close to your first wholesale deal - just don't give up and keep turning over rocks - you will get to your goal.