Five Must-Know Door Knocking Tips

Door-knocking is one of the best ways to generate leads, gather information about your farm, and develop relationships with residents. Door knocking can be very time-consuming but when done properly, can also be very rewarding.

Tip 1: Prepare yourself to be the expert on the neighborhood before you venture out.

Knowing the key statistics, recent sales and general history of the neighborhood will be key. I recommend logging into your MLS and printing out graphs on the last three years of data for:

• the average sales price
• the number of active listings
• the number of sales on a monthly basis
• the list price to sales price ratio

Print out the last 18 months of recent sales and make it a point to be able to speak intelligently about all the active listings in the neighborhood. This exercise should take you about an hour. If you regularly go on tour you should know the active homes intimately. The benefits of going on tour will compound over time.

Tip 2: Prepare a leave-behind.

You will have the opportunity to meet with many residents. However, many homes will be empty when you call. Having a great leave behind will be a great conversation starter for those you talk to and a great marketing piece for those you don’t. It is critically important to have your name, contact information, and any other legally required content on every piece of literature you leave behind.

If you have an active listing in the neighborhood, a property brochure or invitation to a “neighbors only” open house would be the best leave-behind. If you do not have an active listing, I would recommend a Market Update postcard showing recent sales and active listings. Make sure you include a clear reason or call to action to get that homeowner to call you or visit your website.

Tip 3: Create a simple script to start the conversation.

Talking to strangers can be intimidating the first couple of times you do it. It gets easier with practice. One of the key questions I always hear is: “What should I say to the homeowner when they open the door?” Developing and practicing a simple script will go a long way in breaking the ice and developing rapport with your prospect.

Once you have a script, practice with your friends and family.

It is important to memorize the script and use it as a general guideline instead of robotically spitting out the words. Pay close attention to your pacing and allow your prospect time to respond. Remember: the goal is to let your prospect speak as much as possible.

Tip 4: Don't forget to take notes.

Now that you’re out and communicating with the community, keep notes on your conversations. This will help you develop a deep understanding of the homeowners and allow for easier follow-up with every conversation.

Interested in more tips? Check out Chris’s article on Following Up with Leads!

Tip 5: Follow Up With Leads Quickly

When prospects respond to your marketing offer, it is imperative that you follow up and proactively develop a relationship, whether they are a stranger or a member of your sphere of influence. One thing to understand is that how you follow up is not nearly as important as that you follow up. There are many ways to follow up successfully.

Here are a few examples you can easily incorporate into your marketing program.

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