First Time Cold-calling

[Jonathan Boyd]

So I've read some forum post about cold-calling, but being new to this I wanted some help. There's a house in my neighborhood (I see it every time I drive out) that has been empty for the last year. It's in a decent neighborhood, and the house looks like a nice place. After some research, I found the owner bought the place in 2010, but it's been empty for over a year. (Yard is kept and and the house isn't run down.) More research revealed owner is elderly and currently lives in a retirement village about 50 miles away. Being new to this, I want to ensure proper etiquette. How do you approach a cold-call, much less someone who appears to have no intention to live in it and has not made moves to rent it? Any input? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Kenneth Reimer]

@Jonathan Boyd Jonathan, I would be very simple in my approach. I would be honest in my intentions, but iterate that what you do can be beneficial to the owner if both of your incentives match up. Try your best to uncover their situation, find out what problems they have, and close them if the solutions that you have to offer will solve their problems. I would definitely follow your cold call up with a handwritten note thanking them for their time, summarizing what you guys spoke about, and reiterating what you do that might be able to help them.

Also, don't go to deep into the cold call. Find out a little bit about their situation, and ask if they would be willing to meet you to talk about it. People will invariably provide much more information about their situation to someone in person that they can make judgments about perceived threats  on than a stranger over the phone. Make sure you mention things about yourself to show the owner that you're human, maybe where you live or a common neighbor that you both know. If you can find common ground, the owner will feel much more comfortable with you.

Hope this helps Jonathan; let me know if you have any other questions!

Kenny Reimer