I was reading an article by Blanche Evans the other day, Editor of Realty Times, that made an excellent point on how New Agents can get more business right away.

Here's what she said, "… my advice is the same as it is to any new agent -- phone, phone, phone. There's no better marketing plan than calling every person you know. Start with your former colleagues, people in your neighborhood, family, friends, acquaintances, and people you know from any group. What are your outside interests? Whether you skydive or garden, there are people you know who would love to do business with you."

I couldn't agree with Blanche more.

A lot of times as New Agents, the feeling is that we shouldn't tell people what we're doing, for fear of being perceived as the "over the top," pushy salesperson who's always trying to sell a home.

And while I completely understand where people are coming from, I see the opposite happen more times than not: No one knowing about an Agent's new career, let alone how they might be able to help.

And that's a shame too, because most friends and family truly do have your best interests in mind.

They might not be able to buy a home from you today, but they certainly can help in getting the word out to other people they know … which can be a real lifesaver for Realtors just starting out in their new career.

So with Blanche's advice in mind, let's take a look at some steps for making that "phone, phone, phone" strategy work.

Step #1: Create a "Hit List" of friends and family

As Blanche mentioned earlier, these are people you know or have run into at various points in your life -- Past colleagues, common interest groups, etc.

Sometimes Agents ask how extensive this list should be in terms of the number of people, and how far back should they go. After all, are we talking about people you've met or worked with from 5 years ago, 10 years ago … what's the deal?

Well, I recommend people start with an 18 to 24 month window, and write down any friends or colleagues they've had a relationship with over the past 1.5 to 2 years.

Obviously family members are excluded from this criteria since presumably, you've known them longer than that. But for people you met in the Garden Club or from a past Professional Association, I'd say 2 years is the maximum amount of time where I'd feel comfortable calling up someone to let them know what I'm doing.

(So rest assured, no breaking out that High School Yearbook just yet.)

And as far as an ideal number of people is concerned, that really depends on what you did before your new career.

If you are a former Pharmaceutical Salesperson who met a bunch of new people all the time, then your list will probably be larger than a "stay at home" Mom who was busy raising a family.

But don't worry, whether your list is 5 people or 50, just focus on the folks who you think would be interested in helping you out, and we'll take it from there.

Step #2: Schedule some time in the day and start making your calls

Ideally, you'd like to knock out your calls in the shortest time possible, but with so many other things going on, that might not be feasible.

Try starting off with an hour a day, say between 8:30 and 9:30 am if you're calling people at work, or 8 and 9 pm for family or calling folks at home.

You figure about 10 calls per hour, about half of which you'll need to leave a message, and that should get you through the list at a pretty fast clip.

In terms of the exact conversation itself, that really does depend on how well you know this person, when was the last time you talked, and things like that. So a hard and fast "script" is nearly impossible for me to provide. However, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Re-introduce yourself, tell them where you know them from, and see if they have a minute to talk.

• Let them know that things have really been busy lately and you're sorry that it's taken so long to catch up.

• Ask what's been going on in their life since the last time you spoke.

• Listen for ways where you might be able to help them.

• Tell them a little bit about what you've been doing, and how you've taken up a career in real estate.

• Do not ask if they know of someone who is ready to buy or sell a home. (The assumption is that you haven't talked to this person in awhile, and asking for a favor like that right off the bat would lead them to mistake your intentions.)

• Do ask if they wouldn't mind being included in your online newsletter, where they can get "tips and tricks for buying and selling their home." (Don't worry if you don't have an online newsletter yet, we'll talk about this during my next article.)

• Thank them for their time and promise to keep in touch.

Step #3: Input those names into an electronic database (Microsoft Access, Excel, ACT! or Goldmine)

This last step is important, because as you begin meeting more people, you'll need to have a trusted storage spot to keep everything organized. Believe me, you might not be able to imagine this now, but in a few short months you'll have more contacts than you'll know what to do with, and having an electronic storage facility is absolutely vital.

Needless to say, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to getting more business right away. If you'd like a free report on "3 Easy Ways New Agents Can Get More Business," just email info@agitoconsulting.com (Subject: 3 Easy Ways to Get More Business), and we'll send it out right away.

But in the meantime, remember that being a New Agent doesn't mean you have to start completely from scratch. So get out there and "re-connect" with people you've met in the past, and see if that doesn't turn into new business faster than you think.

Published: September 11, 2007

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.