DM call received. How to win trust of doubtful sellers?

[Christoph Krekeler]

Received two calls back after sending letters to owners of distressed properties. Both were interested in talking about the opportunity but ‘still unsure’ of selling. When I followed up with a call 3 weeks after the initial calls both owners had ‘not yet put enough thoughts’ into selling. How can I approach another follow up call without coming over as bothersome? How can I get them to show me the property and continue the discussion?

[Jeff Copeland]

1. Be trustworthy.

2. Be persistent. 

3. Don't be pushy.

4. View your role as providing them information with which to make an informed decision. Not every property is one you can (or will) want to buy, not every problem is one you can solve, and not every prospect is ready to sell right now. But every prospect will appreciate you telling them something like:

"I obviously can't buy everything I see, and you may not even be ready to sell right now. But what I can do is give you some information with which to make an informed decision when the time is right for you. I'd love to meet you, take a look at the property, and then take some time to do a little research and get back to you with the following information:

• Current as-is retail market value
• Estimated cost of repairs
• After-repair value
• How much you can expect in a quick cash sale (30 days or less)
• How much you can expect if you list it with a realtor (2-6 months or more)

Once you have that information, you can figure out what approach works best for you, and when. If I can help you and buy the house, great! If not, then I'll connect you with someone who can help do what's best for you, when the time is right for you."

There's obviously a balancing act between aggressively closing the deal, versus slowly building trust and rapport. This approach helps to build trust, and often results to them coming back to you months later (when the time is right, or after they got burned by some other shady operator). 

Some of the best deals I've acquired happened months or years after that initial contact.