Stacey Sauls of the Stacey Sauls Group in the Fort Mill market center has been rocking door-knocking with her team since Jan. 1, 2017. With 100 percent of their focus on listings, the lead generation activity has them on track to close $40 million this year.
The Need for Leverage
Licensed in 2012, Sauls was doing it all herself until her KW MAPS Coach helped her realize the artificial ceiling she had placed on her business. “Last year, I sold 100 homes – resulting in just under $23 million in closed volume – all by myself, but I’m not proud of it,” Sauls says. Sure, she was proud of the financials, but her high stress level told a different story. She had hit a ceiling, and if she wanted to grow beyond 100 listings, she needed a team.
“I took Career Visioning and started to hire talent and build my team,” Sauls says.
Once her team was pulled together, they hit the doors.
Why Door-knock?
Initially, Sauls’ newly formed team began door-knocking to grow closer, but they quickly realized that in order to get the most return on their time, they would have to be more strategic.
“We loved being together, but needed to be more intentional,” Sauls recalls. A vision was cast, and a strategy was created.
The Sauls Group’s Door-knocking Strategy
- Know your end goal – The purpose behind Sauls’ door-knocking strategy would be focused solely on landing listings. Experience revealed that a single listing with a satisfied client could yield 12 additional pieces of business, so she set a team goal of one listing per door-knocking session.
- How to receive 12 pieces of business from one listing: It has been shown that a single listing with a satisfied client will yield three referrals within 12 months. Additionally, you have the potential for two buyers from every listing. And, you guessed it, those two buyers will each tell three people to hire you – totaling 12 new potential clients.
- Start in neighborhoods you have a presence in – Next, Sauls decided which price point her team would go after ($450,000) and picked neighborhoods they had a strong presence in. Today, the team door-knocks in three neighborhoods with a collective total of nearly 900 homes – the first is Sauls’ old neighborhood, which she has held top market share in since 2015; the second is where a team member lives; and the third is where the team made three strong sales.
- Claim the neighborhood – They don’t just door-knock; they claim the neighborhood! If people aren’t home, a flier is left behind. Their cars, bearing their logos and contact information, are parked near the community centers, helping to build brand recognition.
- Know your value proposition and leave an item of value with homeowners – After the door opens, Sauls’ team is ready to share their value proposition. Sauls’ bestselling value proposition is the fact that she has the highest price per square foot in the areas she is targeting. She prints market analysis data, highlighting her team’s sales in the area to show homeowners why they should hire her.
- She also uses the Language of Real Estate (LORE). An easy-to-read graph highlighting the market center’s performance in the area, LORE is a perfect item to hand out when door-knocking, especially for newer agents who don’t yet have the production to brag about. “It’s how we gain trust and grow our business,” Sauls says.
- “LORE is especially helpful for new agents that might not yet have the production or price per square foot in the area, so they can highlight the success of their market center,” Sauls encourages. “LORE helps agents show that their market center is selling more houses than any of the competition in the area.”
- Have scripts to beat objections – It’s inevitable that some people won’t be interested in selling right now, but that doesn’t have to end the conversation. Here are a few scripts that Sauls uses to overcome objections.
- “Here are the current sales in your neighborhood. I wanted to let you know what was going on. Have you considered moving?”
- “We are not here soliciting, we are here educating. I’d love to help you learn what your home is currently worth.”
- “I understand you aren’t ready to sell. Do you have a neighbor that might be whom I can speak with? I’d love to help them.”
- Follow up – “The bread and butter [of door-knocking] is in the follow-up,” Sauls emphasizes. “Don’t door-knock if you aren’t going to follow up and be consistent.” Sauls makes sure to send handwritten notes, thanking people for their time when they opened the door. If she gets their name, phone number and email address, she plugs them into her database for follow-up communication and into her pipeline using the Pipeline Tool from the Career Growth Initiative suite.
- Have a consistent schedule – Sauls and her team door-knock once a month or send an item of value if they are unable to go a particular month. “People always want to know what’s in it for them,” Sauls says. “We give them information on how we can make them financially better. That’s what is in it for them!” And, they remind them of this every month.
- Make it fun! – While door-knocking can be intimidating, in a group it can be great fun. Sauls turns it into a game and tells the team, “Behind one of these doors is a $9,000 commission. Who will find it today?”
In addition to door-knocking, core advocates have really helped Sauls’ team amp up their listings. Core advocates are the current and past clients who trust and recommend your services to their friends and family. When referrals come from trusted sources, people are more inclined to follow through. “Your core advocates are where your referral business really grows,” Sauls says. “You have to earn the trust, and from there, people grow into a core advocate for you and your business.”
As business continues to skyrocket for the Stacey Sauls Group, Sauls herself is working diligently to keep her mindset BIG and stay focused on what matters most.
“I take BOLD every year to remind me that anything is possible and I can build a big life for myself and others,” she shares. “I am passionate about changing people’s world. The only boundaries in real estate are the ones you set for yourself.”
Now it’s your turn!
Make your plan, queue up your CGI Pipeline Tool and download our Door-Knocking Toolkit for resources to feed your seller pipeline.
Article originally published Oct. 30th, 2017 by Keller Williams