This was day three of our month long live series on aged expired listings. On day one we pulled the data from the MLS. On day two we scrubbed it down to the best leads. This session was about what you actually say when you reach out.
Most agents calling expireds ask some version of the same thing: are you ready to relist, can I come take a look, are you interviewing agents. That's a big ask of a stranger whose home just sat on the market and didn't sell. So I don't start there. I ask one different question, and then I spend the rest of the hour on live calls showing how I use it. I've left out every homeowner name, address and number from the calls.
The question: are you still accepting offers?
Here's the whole thing. I ask, "Are you still accepting offers on the property?"
"It's really that that simple and straightforward." That question opens the door to a different conversation. It tells me whether there's still an opportunity with this owner, and from there I can figure out the next best step. Do I have a pocket buyer? A portfolio buyer? An institutional offer that fits?
I pull that thread as far as I can, for as long as I can. Only when there's no other option do I bring up a different solution to their problem. Use it honestly, too. Never claim to have a buyer unless you actually do.
Finding contact info if you're doing it yourself
Once you have your scrubbed list, you need a way to reach the owners. You can do this without paying for any extra tools.
- Check your MLS first. Depending on which MLS you belong to, it may give you access to extra data services that include contact info.
- Use free people search sites. I used one that morning to record a short bonus tutorial, which is now in the new member bonuses in our Skool community.
- Expect some odd cases. In that tutorial, the way an address was formatted didn't match up, so I found the contact data by hand.
I use LeadDeck because it has three premium skip tracing services built in, and I'd rather spend my time on conversations. But you can run this whole process on your own.
Why I keep picking up the phone
Before the calls, I shared a text from an agent who's been in our workshops. She called and texted 10 contacts and got back one that looks really promising. She said she finally picked up the phone.
That's the point. "We need to use the phone to have more conversations because more conversations lead to more contracts and more contracts lead to more closings."
Live calls: getting lines in the water
The goal on every card is simple: get as many lines in the water as I can, then move on. Here's how I work each one:
- Call first. If it goes to voicemail on a cell phone, I tie the voicemail to a text: "when I hang up, I'm going to shoot you a text as well."
- Hide bad numbers. Disconnected numbers get hidden so I don't waste time on them next time.
- Respect the Do Not Call list. I check whether a DNC number is publicly marketed before I call it. If it's not, I send email instead.
- Enhance the skip trace when the data is thin. On one card, that turned up two more mobile numbers and two more emails.
- Send direct mail when I'm not certain. If I'm not sure I have one good number or one good email, three taps sends a mailer.
The curious voicemail for extra numbers
When a number lower on the list might not belong to the owner, I let the context clues shape the voicemail. I say who I'm trying to reach and that I have a question about the property. I tell them it's nothing bad, and ask them to pass along my info or a good number if they know the owner.
This works more often than you'd think. I've had sons, dads and brothers get back to me, because there's usually a reason that extra number is tied to the card. On this stream, one of those calls reached a relative who offered to text me the owner's number.
As I said right after that call, "Genuinely curious. Good reason to call. Asking a better question." If I had called to ask about relisting, it wouldn't have flown.
When the answer is not yet
One owner I reached had pulled the home off the market and put their plans on pause. That's a longer term lead, but it was a friendly and warm conversation, and I asked if I could send some info and confirmed his best email.
After the live, here's what I do with a lead like that:
- Add him to my monthly market update postcard, one of the three direct mail campaigns we use.
- Add him to my CRM. I use BoldTrail.
- Send a personalized video message thanking him for his time and pointing out some options that could help when the timing is right.
I'm not trying to win the listing today. "I just want to be in the consideration set." Or as I put it at the end, "That's all I'm looking for is a chance when the timing is right."
Real humans still win
By the end of a card, the owner has a real voicemail, a real text and a real email from a real person. I use AI many times a day, but "AI is not going to replace getting a real live human being to have a real life conversation."
Email and the follow up nudge
When I'm fairly confident I have a good email, I send it and clear out the bad ones. If there's no reply in 3 days, Gmail nudges me, and I email again. Other agents in our community have gotten replies to those follow ups too.
About 20 minutes into dialing, I had one longer term warm lead and a lot more lines in the water. Some of those will come back later in the day or later in the week as an email, a text or a call back.
Key takeaways
- Don't ask an expired to relist on the first call. Ask if they're still accepting offers on the property.
- The first call is about finding out if an opportunity exists, not winning an appointment.
- You can find contact info for free through your MLS and people search sites.
- Tie every voicemail to a text or an email, and respect the DNC.
- Use a curious voicemail on numbers that might belong to a relative.
- Treat not yet as a long term lead: postcard, CRM and a personal video.
Chapters
- 00:00 Day three: stop asking for the listing
- 02:30 Finding contact info for free
- 04:30 The question: are you still accepting offers?
- 11:30 Back from a break and questions from chat
- 15:30 Why I keep picking up the phone
- 22:30 Live calls start
- 26:30 The curious voicemail for extra numbers
- 31:00 Turning not yet into a long term lead
- 39:00 Sending direct mail when I'm not sure
- 42:30 Real humans still win
- 52:00 Email and the Gmail nudge
- 54:00 Wrapping up