What is the best prospecting or lead generation method?

Here's the situation, you are a new agent with no contacts or sphere of influence but you have identified 50 people that you want to talk with about the chance of doing business together. What prospecting or lead generation method would be the most effective or efficient?

I say your best bet is to hit the phones.

Make some calls and find out if they want to do business with you.

The best to you.

MitchM

Originally Posted by realtor Here's the situation, you are a new agent with no contacts or sphere of influence but you have identified 50 people that you want to talk with about the chance of doing business together. What prospecting or lead generation method would be the most effective or efficient?

If you've already identified 50 suspects, then you've already generated the leads, so you can cross "lead generation" off your list, at least for this group.

Next, you need to see if you can turn those suspects into prospects. If you want to do marketing, do mail or something else. If you want to do selling, I would recommend that you phone them or visit them in person.

Realtor, I admire your tenacity in voicing your questions here at SalesPractice. I hope everyone's responses have been helpful.

My brain is in a knot trying to put this all together because there are so many people saying that cold calling isn't effective but I don't see a better choice when I already know who I want to sell to.

I don't understand - the replies on your thread say to call - who is it saying not to call or that calling doesn't work? Maybe the people you work with tell you to drop by or mail something or that calling isn't effective - Skip gives stopping by as an option to calling.

When you say you want to know what's effective and not effective my question is: effective in doing what? My answer is: effective in finding out if someone wants me to represent them or not? What's your answer?

Are you afraid to call? That's another question to address. Most everyone is - the next question is: why? Then: how to deal with it or eliminate it.

MitchM

Originally Posted by MitchM I don't understand - the replies on your thread say to call - who is it saying not to call or that calling doesn't work? Maybe the people you work with tell you to drop by or mail something or that calling isn't effective - Skip gives stopping by as an option to calling. When you say you want to know what's effective and not effective my question is: effective in doing what? My answer is: effective in finding out if someone wants me to represent them or not? What's your answer? Are you afraid to call? That's another question to address. Most everyone is - the next question is: why? Then: how to deal with it or eliminate it. MitchM

You and Skip and Houston aren't the ones saying cold calling isn't effective it's other people on other blogs.

Cold calling is an act of frivolity. In today's market, cold calling is the most ineffective lead generation tool out there.

Cold calling is ineffective, inefficient and a waste of time.

Cold calling doesn't work today. It is inefficient and ineffective, and deserves to be retired as a selling technique.

I want to be smart about prospecting and if cold calling isn't the way to go then I want to find out what is.

Mailings are a poor choice for fifty contacts. You could get in the car and drive to see each one but would they be there, would they see you? If you wanted to make sure they'd want to see you and be there you'd have to call so you'd be back to calling.

Are you sure the issue is finding out the best way or is it something else? I met a man over three years ago - we keep in contact - and he's still in the learning stage and getting his internal strength together stage of getting into business with our company and me as his helper.

We email from time to time and talk once in a while. Actually, he began looking at the business I'm in - in a general way - almost twelve years ago. When he emails he's always almost ready and has one more question for me - but he doesn't do much else.

All of that is to suggest that you can either take all the time you need researching until you feel confident you have the best way to begin or begin with something.

Identify any other fears you have - that's important too.

The best to you.

MitchM

I can call that isn't a problem. I don't want to be going the wrong direction if I don't have to and I'm not sure if cold calling is the wrong direction. I want to get a solid yes or no on this if that is possible.

Here's my take: A salesperson can either:

A. Have interaction with a prospect (cold calling, face-to-face cold calling, internet, etc.), or

B. Market and promote (flyers, advertising, public relations, etc.).

They both work for finding new business. Marketing takes longer and is more expensive.

Take your pick, or do several of them like many agents do. But to the best of my knowledge, there are no other options.