Well, after thinking over my business and realizing it is not at the level I want it to be, I am going to start doorknocking.
I found the company the provides this list in my province about 2 weeks ago. For the first week I tried typed letters. I scratched that for yellow hand written like letters within the past week. The letters that I am sending out now provide a 35% response rate for my expired listings list compared to only 10% response rate (even less) for NOD list.
The leads for the past week have not been too good either. Well maybe its because I haven’t given my marketing enough time to come to fruition but I want to take my business up a notch.
My question is, what is the best time to doorknock?
My other question is, what do you doorknockers say right when they open the door for you?
“Only” 10% response from non-sellers? That’s a spectacular response! If you have the money keep doing that and do more of it.
But if you want to do door knocking, copy the professionals. Jehovah’s Witnesses typically knock between 9am and 12pm especially on Saturdays. Grassroots political campaigners and charities typically knock between 4pm and 7pm especially on weekdays.
No one knocks in the early afternoon or late evening.
I haven’t done door knocking for real estate. But I would be inclined to make up a brief survey that qualifies the lead in an unconfrontional way.
Yea about 10% response from that NOD list by that handwritten letter.
I also do a followup written letter 7 days later. Same kind of letter, same kind of personal touch.
I have been doing expired listing mailings for about 6 months now. The first letter I sent out yielded me about 3% response. I changed it and the response came to about 6% response rate. In the past 2 weeks I changed my entire marketing around to strictly yellow hand written letters and the response rate shot up to 30-35% response rate.
I am the impatient type though. I’ve only been doing yellow letters to NOD for about 7-9 days. My followup yellow letters were sent out today.
I’m impatient because even though its 10% response which is good, I’m losing 90% of people that are behind in payments / about to lose their house. I KNOW for a fact a lot of the houses I’d be able to come in and buy if im doorknocking or cold calling.
Losing that huge percentage of sellers is exactly why I’m taking a close look at door knocking too. Even if you only get half the people home you’re still making solid personal contact with 50% of your target audience which more than even your hand-written letters are getting.
I’m just gonna go ahead and doorknock the hell out of these people today.
I looked over my entire NOD list, sifting and sorting the good and the bad and came up with about 20-30 real good prospects that are in default for past 2 months and not listed with an agent.
I think that is what I am going to do from now on every time I get my daily NOD list, check with them with MLS to see if they are listed, check their LTV, find phone number and call.
I guess I will still send these yellow letters as well as doorknock.
Anymore comments to add?
Are there any doorknockers here that have any tips for me for the first 3-5 minutes of contact?
If you’re going to door knock anyway, why don’t you just tape the letters to their doors when they don’t answer? That way you can save the postage for other marketing
You are turning out to be a very resourceful Cannuck.
Thanks for all the advice.
PS. I remember reading the dealmaker archives and saw that mysterious Doug Pretorius posting. That was years ago though and its good to see you persevered through the beginning stages.
Im doing a yellow hand written letter (photocopied with spaces left for names past hte “Dear…” and it also includes a three page thing with my services and testimonials, and a business card. I havea feeling it will do well. Ill let you know how it goes.
Thats what my yellow letter says except instead of your house, I have houses in the area. My experience is that with the former phrase you get a lot of people fishing for full price offers, and with the latter you still get the motivated sellers.
Then it says please find enclosed a small packet about me. Its large title is “How to sell your house as is for a fair price on the date of your choice.” Inside it is basically what all the other one step marketing says, with a third page of testimonials. I adopted this from a course I took (the packet thing). Its main purpose is a credibility pack for when you go and meet with the sellers. People very much tend to believe what they see written, and the presentation is the same every time. People also tend to do what others have done, so the testimonials add credibility to it.
In the folds of the letter is a business card, should they decide to pass it on. Im interested in getting my card out there as much as possible, because as Im sure you know, people tend to hang on to cards while all other marketing gets tossed instantly.
Im doing this because I dont like generic marketing. I dont like sending out flyers that have little or no credibility. Most homeowners arent going to sell their house to a peice of paper with a catchy title and a phone number on it. They want credibility and something concrete. Once I get my website up this will all be linked together in one whole.
Not to sound pretentious, but I am a gaphic design major and understand marketing very well. I may be a noob to real estate but I know how to get to people. This is not going to foreclosures, which I know need the “YOURE SCREWED IF YOU DONT SELL ME YOUR HOUSE NOW!!!X435” pounded in the head. This is going to FSBOs.
Your short “I want to buy YOUR house” works, but its not what I am going for. It depends for every person too, what works and what doesnt.
Edit: And yes I always hand address everythign I send out. Even for stuff pertaining to things beyond real estate. Youd be surprised how many people decide whether to toss an envelope or not based on whether or not the address is typed, NOT whos on it.
