Is door knocking a valuable use of time?

[Ryan Craig]

Hello BP, So I am newly licensed and am just curious as to how effective door knocking and cold calling truly are? I do not plan on buying fsbo or any other list just picking neighborhoods and walking them and calling them. Does this method really work?

[Bill Gulley]

Last post today, I'll give you a short story.

Long time ago, I was a younger new insurance agent, had an agency in a small town with Met Life, they just opened property and casualty insurance in the Southeastern part of the country. I looked for an advantage and got the rate classification code for a large development just outside of the city limits, that meant I could rate homeowners policies at a lower rate;

I went through that neighborhood door knocking, I only said I was with Met, that we now had homeowners coverage and only wanted the opportunity to talk to them some other time, that I was only making appointments. Oh h3ll no, people want a quote, then and there, I said no, I was only taking appointments, I couldn't just stop and work with them now, they had to make an appointment! I made them beg!!!!!!

So, your message as to what you're doing is the key, not the sizzle but how I was in a position to save them money.

I made appointments, about 2 hours apart, from early mornings to late evenings. On about the 4th day, I made the appointments.

Over the next week, I wrote more business than any agent in the southeastern region of the country, cities like Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock or anything east of the big muddy south of Atlanta, all out of one small town housing development. Yes, insurance companies love awards, free trips, conventions and super salesman awards, which I won, all from freaking door knocking!!!!!

So, all you techie aged kids out there, good luck with your eyes glued to some computer screen trying to find deals, you really don't have a clue! RE is personal, it's between you and the homeowner, face to face, not over some freaking internet site!

Hell, I sold life insurance to a life insurance agent with another company!

It's a face to face business! Even off the MLS, you can meet sellers and find out what their problems are, after that you solve the problem.

I'll challenge anyone, I mean anyone, that thinks they are going to find one off deals off some buyers list or any internet site or any of the full of crap marketing systems investors buy to me door knocking, walking and talking in an area, I will absolutely have better leads, better deals and appointments to act on than you will any freaking day with the other junk you try to do.  I've picked up more deals in cafes my accident, walking and taking with what I did than most everyone on here trying to mail yellow letters or clicking on internet.

 The problem is the time you're growing up in, where you believe everything is just a click away,  most of you still don't get it, real estate is local and it is personal.

So, I'd suggest, when you're actually willing to work and get off you fat back sides, to get your tail out from behind a computer screen, off the couch and get some decent shoes on and walk and talk, Learn how to meet people face to face, knock doors, strike up a conversation at the café about what you do.

Introverted people rarely succeed in RE, never have, never will. So, strap on a pair of brass ones and get your tail end out there!  :)