I would think if the person is a buyer agent, they would simply appreciate the leads and commission share; however, most agents I have used for phone calls suck. They don't follow up, they grow bored, they take shortcuts, get depressed, get cranky, start using drugs, etc.

You need someone experienced with phone skills -- the type of person who can maintain the same upbeat attitude after the fifthieth call. What you need, and it is hard to find, is someone licensed who found out they like the real estate business but don't like selling.

I used a person like this with great results. I paid her $10 an hour plus $250 for every closing.

I use a split system now between me and my assistance. We are both on the same wave length, so she knows how I like to handle calls.

It is an overlooked aspect of conversion, now that email is so popular. I think it is vital to have a phone strategy, and not be afraid to fund it as necessary.

Russell, it could be a FANTASTIC idea for you BUT, you must remember one thing that I've had a hard time getting over.  You clients are not being loyal to YOU they are being loyal to the service ideals you represent.  If you build your entire real estate existance on "No one can do it better than I can" or "My clients will only work with me", then you are doomed to failure to grow.  Well, not failure to grow, but you have an upper limit.  You can only work so many listings and the number of buyers you can work with is only a fraction of that...so lots will be slipping through the cracks.

It's not an easy concept to accept.  But you CAN bring someone along and train them to act on your behalf as you would and only then can you truly GROW your business...otherwise, all you have is a job.  Job in regards to you having to be there day in and day out or you don't get paid.

Hmmmm....for me, the phone call is the first step in establishing a rapport with a possible future client.

I simply ask them, "How can I help?" and that usually opens up an honest conversation between us. I take notes as quickly as I can regarding their particular real estate needs.

The most important point for the phone call is to establish rapport and to get a handle on their needs at this time.

I can't imagine having a buyer's agent handle it for me because I have a hard time letting someone represent me when we are at the beginning of the real estate relationship.

Just ask them lots of questions.  Qualify them over the phone.  You can do that yourself.  Most people like to talk and answer questions.  It will become second nature to you in a short time.  Keep a buyer questionaire next to youe phone with the same list of questions you would ask them in person.

Russell

No one can represent you better then yourself. Be honest, be knowledgable ask a lot of quetions, most imporatant  hear them. I always get to the point.

Regards

Jon

Russell, don't take anything personally and realize that sales is always a numbers game. Just get on the phone and qualify your prospects as best as you can and you'll likely gain a good percentage as clients just by being yourself and caring about helping them.

Mark, how can I find out more about the buyer questionaire you are talking about?  Did you get it from a website or make it up yourself?

Thanks,

Lora

Great Post.  I just hired an agent today to do just that.  With the additional prospects generated by my site, I have found I have been unable to respond to every single inquiry within an hour - my personal benchmark.  As far as commission goes, I'm going to offer them a 50% split on company generated leads versus the usual 70%.

The buyer questionaire I use is a hybrid between every buyer questionaire I have ever seen.  Lora, in my opinion, it doesn't have be lengthy, but certainly have enough depth to provide an overall profile of the buyer including timeframe, needs, wants, must-haves, children's ages, beds, baths, garage, land, proximity to a good pizza joint, Red Sox on cable, and of course price.

Dan

Russell when I started calling prospects I didn’t have a great conversion rate and would ask myself what went wrong with that call? It didn’t take to many calls before I had developed a system of questions that forced them to start talking. This is the exact same thing that you do when you are eye to eye with them. Keeping in mind that the purpose of your call is to help them you will help you come across as someone that is concerned. They will open up and tell you what they want and you will start the process of developing the relationship that will ultimately result in a client. When I was younger and tried to water ski, I fell a lot of times but I didn’t look for an alternative, I just kept falling until I learned how it was done. This is the same thing, keep trying and you will develop the right questions and dialog to engage your prospects. Don’t start looking for someone to do it for you until you have mastered it and don’t have time to do it yourself. A few weeks ago Lonn posted a great script for this project. I am sure he would provide it to you or you can search his recent post and find it on this site. You should also go to your broker and ask him to help you with this. That is part of his job and I am sure he would be willing to help. All too often agents don’t ask for help and the broker can’t help unless he knows what it is you need help with. I can tell you one thing, once you master a good phone interview you will find that you will get more people into the office and close more deals. It is a vital part of this business and should only be farmed out when there are too many leads for you to work in the manner you want them worked.  Good luck.

Jon you said it best "No one can represent you better than yourself"

And mike DRUGS? Who are you hiring? or are you just that hard to get along with? - lol

Russell, No is just an answer..Ask a different question and you'll get a yes.. Ask lots of open ended questions. Keep them talking and become good at it yourself before hiring someone to do it. That way you'll know if they are good at the job.. Good Luck..

The fact that you are making contact with them will score some points.  Ask the same questions that you would ask in person.  Then follow up with answers or listings they might be interested in.

I'm not busy enough to hire an assistant, so when I get to that point I may pose the same question to you.  My wife and I have an excellent work relationship going, she finds the loan programs best suited to our clients and I do the house hunting.

Realtor, Columbus Ga

We have an assistant that is on a sliding commission scale. The more she does the more she earns. It is a great business building for her and when she is ready, and we are, she will move into that buyer agent roll. Until then, she is licensed, happy to be a part of our team and learning a lot.