Every weekday, I spend one hour making 100 phone calls. I call it my Hour of Power. I select a group of people I want to contact. The group may consist of the people I work with on the Macomb County Voice (a community blog we created). It may be the top selling real estate agents I know through Star Power. It may be people I sold houses for or those I sold houses to. I tell everyone in the office that my Hour of Power is about to commence, and they know not to disturb me. Then, I shut myself in my office and start dialing.

If someone answers, I deliver my energetic greeting, ask them how they're doing, and perhaps mention one of the details I've recorded in my contact management program -- maybe it's their anniversary or one of their children's birthdays. If nobody answers, I move on to my next call. If I get the answering machine, I leave a message. I may even sing "Happy Birthday," wish the person a happy St. Patrick's Day, or say something goofy right off the top of my head that I think will make them smile. What you say isn't all that important, but it can't be about selling -- NO SELLING. The Hour of Power is about connecting on a personal level. It's about leveraging the power of the rule of 250 -- that each person knows at least 250 other people they can tell about you.

When you're doing your Hour of Power, you cannot be interrupted. Make sure anyone who may be tempted to interrupt you knows not to. If you call someone and leave a message and that person calls back, someone in your office should answer the call and take a message. NO interruptions. You can call the person back later, after the hour is up. Your goal is to make it through your list of 100 people, and you have only 60 minutes to do it.

I strongly recommend that you implement the Hour of Power strategy, regardless of what you sell. If you make 100 calls a day, five or six days a week, I can almost guarantee that you will begin to see a dramatic boost in sales in a relatively short period of time. When you are ready to take the leap and implement your own Hour of Power, keep the following important points in mind:

• Keep a log sheet, so you have a record of the number of calls you actually placed.

• Strive to achieve the goal of 100 calls a day. When I coach people, I have them turn in their call logs to me at the end of every week. Making the bare minimum of 25 calls a day delivers some benefit, but the truly successful salespeople are those who do closer to 100 calls a day.

• What you say when you call is not all that important. What is important is that you make the call and establish contact. Leaving a voicemail message counts as contact.

• Do not sell. The Hour of Power is about building relationships.

• Do not get into a lengthy conversation. You have an average of 36 seconds per call.

• Limit yourself to five or six days to avoid burnout.

The single most important thing about the Hour of Power is that you do it. Keep a log and hold yourself accountable or team up with another salesperson you know and hold one another accountable. No matter what you are selling, you get pearls called "referrals" when you make these calls.

Published: June 5, 2007

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Ralph R. Roberts, CRS, GRI is an award-winning and internationally recognized real estate agent, author, coach, and speaker. Throughout his career, Ralph has proven his commitment to helping other real estate and sales professionals build upon their past and present success, grow and expand their businesses, and provide a rich and rewarding future for themselves, their customers, their employees, and their families. As president and CEO of Ralph Roberts Realty, Ralph has personally helped thousands of consumers realize their dream of homeownership. While selling over 10,000 homes (and buying and selling over 3,000 investment properties) throughout his 30-year career, Ralph has made the time to mentor and coach hundreds of professionals in real estate, sales, and a host of other fields. Ralph is a recognized authority on Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud; Residential Real Estate; Personal Salesmanship; Sales Force and Office Management, Motivation, Design, and Team Building; and Foreclosure Self-Defense and Loan Modification, fields in which he has demonstrated his commitment to preserving the American Dream of Homeownership. Ralph's numerous websites, blogs, seminars, and speaking engagements engage, entertain, and educate both consumers and professionals. Ralph is also an accomplished author with several successful titles to his credit, including: Power Teams: The Complete Guide to Building and Managing a Winning Real Estate Agent Team Financing Real Estate Investments For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing (John Wiley & Sons) Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Protect Yourself from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud: Preserving the American Dream of Homeownership (Kaplan) Foreclosure Investing For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Foreclosure Myths: 77 Secrets to Saving Thousands on Distressed Properties (John Wiley & Sons) Advanced Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) Flipping Houses For Dummies 52 Weeks of Sales Success (John Wiley & Sons) Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman (John Wiley & Sons) Cross-Cultural Selling For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons) To learn more about Ralph, visit AboutRalph.com, check out his daily insights on real estate and mortgage fraud prevention at FlippingFrenzy.com, or visit his latest blog dedicated to helping distressed homeowners fight foreclosure, KeepMyHouse.com. You can reach Ralph at or by calling (586) 751-0000.