Open House Prospecting Plan

Prospecting in real estate should always be systematic and planned. Open Houses, a comprehensive prospecting system, is a great example. With both active and passive prospecting activities, open houses expose our listings and reach both buyers and sellers.
For open houses to reach their greatest prospecting potential, follow these simple steps:

Two Weeks before the Open House

• Choose a house to hold open
• Mail invitation post cards to 50 neighbors
• List the open house on the multiple listing service and on other real estate pages
• Order a short open house newspaper advertisement or facebook pay per click ad

The Week before the Open House

• Place an Open Sunday sign rider on the sign
• Place an event on Facebook and invite local friends
• Prepare flier for open house
• Call prior open house attendees inviting them
• Call twenty neighbors inviting them

The Day of the Open House

• Place at least six open house signs
• Request every visitor sign in by using an inexpesive raffle

These simple to follow steps will create an open house system that will generate many buyer and seller leads. Including the buyer prospect in future open house invitation calls insure more interest to your open houses and will create lucritive relationships with buyers.

Open Houses Create Successful Prospecting Opportunities

If Prospecting is the lifeblood of a real estate agent's career, then open houses are the blood cells themselves. No other single activity gives more opportunities to prospect for new customers than the open house.

Frequently, real estate agents try open houses and then give up doing them because they quickly learn that open houses don't work. Though this will sound contradictory to my initial statement, they're right. Open houses don't usually work ... by themselves. Most of the time an agent plans an open house by placing an announcement on the local mls, an Open Sunday sign, places a directional sign or two and lets it rip. If this is your idea of an open house, let me save you some time, GIVE UP!

Open houses offer many proepsecting opportunities that need to be used to not just increase attendance to the open house but to also prospect for other buyers and sellers.

- Think about your sellers. They're looking for the BEST price for their home. Brining in more buyers may bring more than one offer but at least the highest possible offer.

- Think about the neighbors. They're watching the for sale sign in your seller's yard. They are considering selling but haven't found a real estate agent yet. They're waiting to see your efforts.

- Think about other buyers. Often buyers visit open houses long before they're ready to buy.

Prospecting for these groups will increase your customer base dramatically. Having success using open houses takes a systematic approach with a variety of open house invitation and follow up activities.

8 Quick Tips How to Successfully Tell 20

CONTACTING PERSON TO PERSON TIPS:
When doing Tell 20, or asking homeowners if you can put signs on their property for open
houses, or walking your farm area:

• Wear your name tag at all times
• Dress professionally.
  
• State your name clearly and clearly state COLDWELL BANKER UNITED, REALTORS.
  
• Give a specific purpose to your visit.
  
• Be confident, positive and enthusiastic.
  
• Always graciously thank people for their time even if they turn you down.
  
• DON’T walk across lawns.
  
• Stand back a little way from the front door, you’ll seem less threatening.
  
• Have something to give people, even if you are just asking to place a sign. Hand them an open house flier, business card, brochure, newsletter.
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Six Steps to Increase the Success of Open Houses

Follow Up is a vital component if you want to have a successful business. Many of the customers you come in contact with at open houses won’t be ready to buy or sell right now. If left alone, most of the people you meet will work with someone else to meet their real estate needs if you do not remain fresh on their minds and show that you understand their needs and can meet them. Follow up so when they are ready to make a move, they’ll choose you!
Use a contact management system – Whether it is on paper or electronic, a contact management system should include not just contact information like phone number, email address, and physical address, but also a contact log that shows date of contacts, conversation notes, interests, and other information that will help the customer reach their goals.

Listen to others – There are many sales coaches and trainers that have exceptional dialogues that can help you determine what to say when you contact potential customers. Taking the opportunity to learn from others can save a lot of time. Listen to the greats: Tom Hopkins, David Knox, Floyd Wickman, or others make following up easier.

Plan follow up time – To maximize your success and reach income goals, plan your follow up phone call and email times. Do not allow other activities encroach on this time. Follow up phone calling is a true income producing activity. Keep the time sacred on your calendar by treating it like an appointment.

Ignore success – Many agents make calls until they get an appointment. I disagree with that approach. Make a certain amount of calls each time you call or call for a predetermined amount of time no matter how successful you are.

Use a call flow chart – Every call you make should follow essentially the same pattern.
Start by establishing rapport or reconnect. Use the information you gathered from previous conversations to re-engage the customer.

Probe for more information by asking questions. Your questions will depend on the answers you receive from previous questions. Take a lot of notes!
Close for an appointment. Whether a buyer or seller prospect you’ll need to meet in person at some point.

Set the stage for the next contact. Whether you plan to meet in person or just agree to the next follow up conversation, let the customer know what they can expect from you.

Much like all prospecting activities follow up phone calls will begin to produce results over time. Occasionally you’ll get lucky and successfully close for an appointment your first call. Often, it will take multiple contacts to gain the level of trusted advisor. Be prepared to go the distance so you can close more business through a consistent regimen of follow up phone calling.

Open Houses Work

Don't take my word for it. Take a SUCCESSful Weichert Realtor professional's word for it. Interested in learning how to make open houses work to sell your listings and help create new business? Call today 281-208-1700 Weichert Works!

Open House Invitation Call

Neighbors appreciate being invited to open houses. Many attend to get an idea of home values in the neighborhood. Others come to find a good agent. Take a few minutes to make invitation calls encouraging neighbors to attend the open hous. This calls shows a messge left on a neighbor's answering machine.