All Forum Posts by: Jessica F.

Hi @Kevin Whisler, you are absolutely correct in that some people will argue for anything just to be difficult and I've had a few of those. However, I've also had experiences where once I got over that hurdle with that question, it was almost smooth sailing towards getting their property under contract and sold so maybe that's why I tend to put a little more effort and exercise more patience with some of those people. I guess to each, their own esp if you have several leads and don't want to spend too much time on one deal. 

I've actually had someone tell me (well, they yelled it) that they were not in the white pages and that they were on the DNC list and to take a picture and send them where exactly it was from found. Needless to say, that deal went absolutely nowhere haha. 

Hi @Joe Splitrock I agree with you. Attitude is key and I am very aware of that when talking to client prospects and I definitely do not do that when speaking to my clients because they are already in a vulnerable or irritated state. My issue is not in closing deals (I actually have a pretty good return rate; working on 8 active leads, 3 are under contract, 1 closes in a few days with my very small team) but I was always just curious how other people dealt with being in the similar situation with being asked the question about phone numbers. 

Thank you for explaining it the way I probably should have explained it earlier in my original post. You are right there is more than one way to answer a question sufficiently and not necessarily lie to the prospect. When I talk to my clients, I am very careful about the way I speak to a probate lead vs a foreclosure lead because that emotional (and verbal) response could be the diff between getting that contract or not. 

I totally agree in giving the seller an out. I never force a seller to stay on the phone if they don't want to talk or want to be removed from my calling list. However, I have found once I can get over that "where'd ya get my number?" hump, there is usually an attractive deal on the other end.

I think I read a book on cold calling a while back and it helped but there was no experience better than that hands-on experience when I was in the field making calls and getting cussed out, being hung up on, and the list goes on...

Thanks for your input. Quite helpful :)

@May Emery Hi May, thank you for your response. Like I had mentioned earlier, I do not and would not ever get into an argument or catch an attitude with a prospect because I am well aware that I am inconveniencing them by calling them in the first place. I do find that sometimes people are already annoyed because of a lot of previous calls from other investors and companies or they might think we're telemarketers etc and most of us are overwhelmed with the amount of unsolicited telemarketing calls we receive on a weekly basis.

I do understand their frustration which is why I do approach with caution and yes, I do give them an option to be removed from our call list if they are that annoyed but I often deal with homeowners who are delinquent on their property or may have lost a loved one so their frustration is not even always necessarily tied to me or my calls. It could be the situation they are in at the time. 

Most of the clients I have closed deals with have usually received correspondence from several other investors and I am still able to close deals with them somehow so I don't think it's a matter of getting a newer list per se. It seems the internet is a general consensus of answers when other people have dealt with their own clients and yes, you're right because i'm sure there are several online look-up directories with this information accessible (although I seem to be drawing a blank right now). 

Thanks for your input.

@Guy S. Firstly, I do not ever argue with my prospects. I am well aware that I am disturbing them by calling them in the first place so I always treat those conversations with caution because, you're right, the prospect could already be annoyed from several previous calls and letters to their home, knocks on their door, etc. 

Again, I'm not here to argue with people on here either. I am simply expressing my disdain for the way that some investors think it is ok to come onto a site like BP and be complete a**holes or talk down to other investors because they think they are better than the rest. Some people do not come on here to provide insight or advice, they come to give some condescending answer to make people feel small or ashamed which I detest. 

Back to your response, I do find that someone asking that question is not necessarily an indicator that the lead itself is bad because some people are just genuinely curious which is why I am genuinely curious to hear what other people have done in a similar situation hence why I posted it on here. 

I will try to see about keeping the conversation solely on the property at hand, maybe that can help us to stay focused more on the potential property for sale and less on the nuisance of my calls. Thanks.

@Jay Hinrichs Hi Jay, I am assuming you are talking about the white pages book for the phone directory--I may be wrong but it's the only directory book that I knew/know of. 

As far as their insistence on how I got their number being tied to whether they may actually want to or be looking to sell, I slightly disagree because I have closed deals with those sellers more often than not actually. But if someone is like on the DNC list, which I would not necessarily know off hand sometimes they are more curious is all. 

Thanks for your input.

@Kelly DeWinter I don't think I was burning bridges at all. Like I said, I welcome anyone who has insight to provide but I do not welcome ignorance from anyone. 

I do like your answer on building trust with the client with asking certain questions. After all, they often don't know who I am yet. I will keep this in mind. 

Also, like I mentioned earlier, I don't know one wholesaler who has not told something (regardless of how small or insignificant) that was a "little untrue" to a client. Not to say that the way they went about it was necessarily correct but I certainly didn't go judging them over it like they were some horrible person for not being 100% honest with a prospect (like some people on this site tend to do). 

@Bill B. Again, my post was just informational to get advice on what other people have done. Yes, I have heard the internet used as well but I don't think there is anything wrong with asking a question on a public forum that is supposed to provide help. Some people (not all) only seem to come on this website to berate and judge other people for how they are conducting their own business. But thanks for your input.

@Wayne Brooks @Joseph ODonovan You know I've heard some people say that they use that but then you run the risk of getting all the follow up questions like "Which website?" etc. I guess it depends on the kind of seller you are speaking to and their level of curiosity in how their info was obtained. 

@Jay Hinrichs Hi Jay, thank you for your reply. Whenever I post on BP (or anywhere) for that matter, I never go around expecting people to sugar coat answers to me. However, I don't see anything wrong with asking what other people what they have done who may have been in my situation.

You are absolutely right, wholesaling is essentially a business of half truths and little white lies which is why I do not understand why people feel the need to get on their tiny soapbox judging others for simply asking a question. I don't know one wholesaler who has been in this business a while who hasn't told a seller something that was a "little untrue".

In reference to the homeowners asking their question about how I got their number, some people do not care or even ask but on occasion, I may get someone on the phone who is really persistent about how their phone number (esp if it was maybe unlisted or on DNC list or if they live in a diff state entirely) was obtained. I've heard all kinds of tales on this site (some good, some bad, some hilarious) and I was simply seeing what kind of scenarios other wholesalers have dealt with because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been in this situation. 

@Gregory H. Please enlighten me and show me exactly where I said "I have no desire to be honest with sellers."

Please reference my reply to Bill above.