Direct Mail & Seller Meetings Age or Female Gender Response Bias?

Question

I'm an experienced engineer, RE agent and investor. I've been sending direct mail - postcards, yellow letters - and have yet to get a property under an off-market contract after 10+ owner / seller meetings. (Sure, I'm the common factor and may need to revise my letters or discussions. I'm a white female in her 30's in Central New Jersey.)

80%+ of the lenders, wholesalers, investors and flippers I meet are men. 70%+ of the RE agents I meet are women. I'm trying to determine if I need to partner with a man to advance my investing business.

What has your experience been with perceived age or gender bias when negotiating with an owner / seller?

- When negotiating to see the property (on the phone)?

- When negotiating to get a signed contract, including the property's price / cash offer?

• Do you think a female voice responding to direct mail letters gets more or less offers to come visit the property / continue the conversation?
• In person, Do you think an older man (50's-60's, properly groomed) generally commands more respect and trust than a young 'hustler' man (20's-30's)? 
• At the same cash offer price, do you think the older or younger man gets the deal?
• In person, do you think a 30's woman or a 30's man is more likely to be taken seriously and ultimately trusted to close the deal by the seller? Why?
• What have your actual experiences been as wholesalers and investors? What age/gender bias exists with some sellers, influencing your negotiations?

Natalie Schanne · Answer

@Alina T. - Thank you for your thoughts!

I also received this advice from wise female Bigger Pockets members.

"I actually think woman are better on cold calls and in letters. I have newbies make cold calls for us and they have all been men. They have a far lower response rate than if I make cold calls. I think people aren't threatened by women as much."

"If anything being a woman is an advantage with probates. There is no reason that should hold you back in any niche."

Pratik P. · Answer

In my honest opinion, I think you may be putting too much weight on the gender thing.

Sellers like to work with people who

1. Know what they are talking about (confidence and experience)

2. Are trustworthy and honest

3. Are friendly and look out for both parties' interests

4. Will do what they say they will do

If you think you should be getting more appointments/contracts, I would really revise your marketing, how you're talking to sellers on the phone and how you interact with them on appointments.

Also, keep in mind that you're going to have callers that are naturally rude/disrespectful people. Not much you can do other than end the call and move to the next lead.

Alina Trigub · Answer

@Natalie Vane

Speaking from personal experience, I didn't experience any gender bias in response to direct mail.  People calling back were courteous even though my offers to them were much lower than they expected. My experience is limited as I'm relatively new, but so far so good. Connect with me if you would like to connect offline.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

@Natalie Vane   well let me see I have owned 3 RE brokerages that were all 7 0 to 80% female

the top producing agents in our markets are female mainly a few males but mostly female.

When I was active in buying distressed assets  ( guess you can call it wholesaling)  I only worked NOD's... and my specialty was to buy them 1 to 3 days before the sale. .( we had plenty of cash we killed the no cash folks that tried to assign contracts etc.. )

so I had 3 teams all mixed one male one female.. they went to the door together.. WE NEVER sent mailers or called.. we only door knocked..

The guys were there to make sure the girls were safe.. the girls were the rock stars the buys were just so so.. I don't think they could have done 20% as good as my gals...

so for us complete opposite of what your talking about.

But then again I was backing them.. and they sold hard on who I was and my stature in the industry.. and that is important as well.. When you can cut a 50k check the day before they are going to lose the house that seperates the players from the wanna bees

Robert Wilson · Answer

I think if you're worried about age/gender bias... you're just doing it wrong.Are you mirror matching the seller?Are you projecting confidence?Do you know your market?What are your scripts to set appointments?What are your scripts to get an asking price? How many times do you ask for the seller's price?What are your scripts when you present offers?How often do you follow up?Did you know the average real estate deal happens after 5-6 contacts?How often are you following up?Stop worrying about things you can't control... and focus on what you can.

Teresa DelaMater · Answer

@Jay Hinrichs, that's encouraging to hear!

Pratik P. · Answer

@Rae Remer I believe people have answered the question truthfully. Personality, experience and knowledge are some of the most important factors in any business. Gender bias is insignificant and definitely not a reason to partner with someone.

Jay also shared his experience which would actually point towards an advantage for females. Not that it should stop anyone from succeeding.

Alina Trigub · Answer

@Natalie Vane

Thanks for sharing feedback you received from an experience female investor! It sounds great!

@Robert Wilson

I love your list of questions! Forces me to do more homework and prepare better for the calls! Thank you!

Direct Mail & Seller Meetings Age or Female Gender Response Bias?

Most Popular Reply