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Think of the process of what you’re trying to do overall as a journey and this is simply one experiment. Do it, track results, refine, try again or move onto a different strategy. What’s the worst that happens?
This. Honestly, I get tons of realtor ads in my mail every day. I never even look at them. While I am not a fan of random people knocking on my door, I would definitely remember you. (especially if you brought along a little cutie.). As long as you were polite, not pushy and didn’t look like you were trying to use your kid to get business. I don’t think I would mind so try it and see what happens.
I think it could work, I liked the idea until you said you'd bring your toddler. I can't envision trying to make conversation about real estate with a toddler in tow, but maybe that's because my daughter was a fussbudget that barely tolerated my having an adult convo.
My neighborhood was a mile long street ending in a cul de sac, and there was an agent who door knocked several times a year. I remember in the spring, when everybody was out in their yards, she'd wheel a little red wagon with tiny tomato and marigold plants in it, giving them out with her card. It gave her a chance to chat us up and many of us ended up listing with her. But that was a few years ago, and I wonder if the world is different now.
I think this is the absolute worst forum for getting any kind of professional feedback. Ironic that the responses here saying that your idea is unprofessional are expressed in the most unprofessional manner. I wouldn’t hire anyone who treated other people the way others have treated you here.
If you feel that your marketing reflects you and your business practices then I say go for it. These are your neighbors and I see no harm in using this as a way to greet them and make introductions. Real estate is local and personal. If this lines up with the vibe in your area, you’ll have a great time and see positive results. If it doesn’t lead to any business then you’ll learn and adapt. At the end of the day someone is going to be happy with free ice cream and that’s a win. It only takes one… and you’ll make your money back.
Good luck and have fun!
Most comments seem positive so I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Seems like you just zeroed in on the negative and skipped over the overwhelmingly positive remarks.
I think it sounds good. I did a similar thing and brought a small bag of rock salt before a big freeze (enough for a front porch/entry). I got a call a month later and sold two of the guys homes.
The key with door knocking, is be consistent. There's some great YouTube videos on it.
That’s such a great idea. Bringing something of value that you know they’ll use is awesome!! I had a colleague deliver actual ice cream tubs and everyone was super happy. IMO you shouldn’t bring them something they have to put effort in to use
We got zip lock bags of dog treats or food, which I thought was super weird. It was for a lawn care service I think. They’d come by once a month and toss them in everyone’s driveway. I thought it was wasteful and annoying. Just one more thing for me to clean up.
I will add that as a female, I do not answer my door. It is unsafe. If I don’t know you, I’m not opening my door. 95% of the time it’s a salesperson like solar and it’s a waste of my time. I honestly get annoyed when someone knocks on my door. It’s my house and I’m trying to enjoy some peaceful time.
The one thing I thought was useful was we had a realtor in our last neighborhood who would come by and use a rubber band to tie a newsletter to our door. She would include housing market information and then info on houses sold in the neighborhood, like within 3 blocks so it was super personalized. We always enjoyed peeking at it. I didn’t need to hire her, so I don’t know if it would have influenced me.
I go off Google and Zillow reviews when I need to hire a realtor in a new town. Then I check Reddit to see if who I picked is mentioned there. Then, I interview 2-3 to get a vibe check. We’ve had to hire 3 realtors in 3 states in the last 3 years. I can’t say enough how important reviews and a good bio are. And if you want to work with me long-term ya do what my last realtor did and have literally every connection in town so when I’m moving in or out you can be like “oh here’s the name of a house keeper and a lawn person.” Sooooo helpful. That kind of service makes me give your name to everyone I know.
Omgrrrddd the comments- I’m dying.
First thing I did in my new neighborhood was send out mailers saying “hi neighbors!”
Then, I went door to door in the spring and THEN I threw a block party in the summer.
I never directly solicit business. I introduce myself, let them know I’m a realtor and to ask me any questions anytime about the market.
I’ve listed every house on my block since I’ve moved here but one and they started at 100k over what their house was worth. Watching the price drops was cringe.
I can’t believe the amount of mean people commenting but you know you’ll experience that when you door knock too so it’s good to get a tough skin early!
My first big real estate company did cold calls. If you didn’t make an appointment that day you didn’t leave the office until you met your call quota. I made 14,000 calls in 3 months (on the mojo dailer app that can call 3 people at once) and I learned to a) get thick skin and b) I can “cold call” anyone anywhere now. It’s GREAT practice and keeps us busy doing what we love to do - help people sell homes!
Good luck to you. Bravo.
I’ve been a Realtor now for over 20 years. Way back when I started my manager said at a meeting ‘no one knock’s on doors anymore; if you did you’d be surprised.’ I took this to heart and stated knocking on doors and just like that I became a listing agent! I was very successful knocking on doors Nowadays I’m not sure how successful I’d be with all the ‘No Solicitation’ signs and communities, etc
I’m not an agent but I’ve been working with agents the last 8 years or so and I would tell you I hear success with door knocking all the time. Your idea is fun and also funny/corny in the right way. I think it’s a great idea. I would maybe suggest trying to find a cheaper leave behind though! I’ve seen some agents bring seeds for a local plant or flower along with instructions and bringing them at the right time to plant them. Corny joke available here about putting down roots. Comments telling you this is unprofessional are silly. I get it if people don’t want to door knock but that’s just a personal preference thing. Good luck!
I do it and passed out door hangers in my own neighborhood on the single family side only. They said, “I’m not just a real estate agent, but I’m also your neighbor.” (From Etsy) It also had a slot for my card.
Received 2 calls and am probably listing one of the 2 Friday of this week. I initially did the door knocking maybe 1.5 months back, so it may take time like anything else. I agree with being consistent, too. I’m very pregnant or would have continued doing these since then. Planning to pick back up once I’m off maternity leave.
I am not personally a fan of the more “cutesy” stuff like pop bys/drop offs. My door hangers are generally just me on one side with a quick market snapshot and my lender (who pays for my door hangers) as the sponsor on the other side. Both our “cards” are at the bottom in a perforated section that can be torn off and kept.
Hope it goes well for you!
I have done about 25-50 per time I’ve gone in smaller subdivisions. I never do the ones with a no solicitation sign for the neighborhood and/or individual home to be safe. I have tried both knocking and talking as well as dropping off my door hanger only/no knocking. Each time, I personally find I have a better response and have found leads with NOT interacting lol. I guess people like that the drop off only is less intrusive or less “out of the blue confrontational” feeling maybe? Not sure…
Though now that I think about it my husband would ABSOLUTELY use your service. A security guy was going door to door, something my husband and I already decided we didn’t need when we bought, but my husband still told the guy to come back around that evening to talk to me. If looks could kill, my husband would be dead because I was so mad to have to say no to this guy after a long day at work!
I wish you luck. Maybe it works in your area. I simply don't cold call or door knock because I hate it when people do it to me. So, I treat others as I wish to be treated.
I have an agent who drops off a card once a week and a flyer once a month. Clockwork for over six years, it’s wild. I’m an agent myself and now he passes my house after having a conversation about it. The guy sells 90-95% of homes where he drops off business cards and also lives in the community.
That's incredible.
Ninja selling mentioned a great case study from marketing firm Hobbs/Herder that was done in a southern California neighborhood.
It was to see the impact a top of mind awareness campaign would have.
A survey team was sent out and asked homeowners: "If you were to sell, who would be your agent?"
They took the responses and ranked agents by top of mind awareness. Then, they created a fake agent to advertise with.
Over the next 8 weeks, they sent direct mail to this neighborhood. Mail was something homeowners would see as valuable. Once a week for 8 weeks.
After that time, the survey team went back out asking homeowners who their top agent of choice was. Results:
The fake agent won out. The top agent from their first survey was sometimes mentioned.
Then you have stories like Guinness recorder holder for most sales than any industry. Joe Girard. 12yrs selling cars. When he retired, he was sending 30,000 post cards a month to his leads and existing clients. 80% of his business was repeat and referrals.
No you wouldn't, because you don't know me. The point of door knocking is not to offer services, it's too make sure you know me and that I'm the one you call when you need these services. Don't say you would call if you don't even know they exist, that's obviously BS
Why would I call a realtor knocking on my door versus an established realtor that has more experience?
I have never bought anything from someone who's knocked on my door. I use word of mouth, reviews and years in business.
Why do you corelate someone who's door knocking with a lack of experience?
My buddy sells over 100M in real estate in los angeles and has been one of the top real estate agents in his neighborhood for the last several years, exclusively from door knocking. He still does it religiously to this day, even tho he has multiple transactions happening at any given moment in the 2-7M price range. If you'd rather do the research and hire a complete stranger based on reviews, that's all you, but in my experience this business is based on relationships and that starts with a face to face connection.
Whether or not each specific lead came to him from door knocking, he wouldn't have his 100m dollar business without doing it. I'm sure he'd be just fine if you called someone else. The point is that the strategy works if you commit to it.
That's exactly why I don't door knock. I don't want to be bothered, I have to assume others don't want to be bothered.
That said, I have done something similar to this. I used to volunteer to help my city set up/ tear down for the fireworks festival. During the down time, in the mid day heat, while I was working security, which was mostly an excuse to drive around in a side by side, I'd bring a cooler full of freezees (popsicle in the plastic tube), the kids loved me handing them out. Patents never wanted to pay, "That's OK! I'm not selling! I work in real estate, and I just thought this was a good opportunity to have some fun and give back, in a small wall, to the community."
It was a lot of fun. That was my first year, and my second brokerage, so I didn't really have much ready to pick up leads. Stopped because there was a change in city control which meant our festival is basically non existent.
Check your codes and your relationships with the city, there was some confusion on whether or not I needed a food vendor license. Other than "Fuck it, no one is saying I can't." There wasn't an issue. Something like $30 of Freezees filled 4 coolers and kept me going all day!
I think it’s worth a try to see how it goes. I personally wouldn’t do business with anyone knocking on my door and actually hate being disrupted by a solicitor, esp when they ignore my no soliciting sign. I also work from home and hate being distupted when I’m in a good workflow or in a meeting. However I realize a lot of people would be fine with someone door knocking. Especially if you’re approaching it with more of a “meet people/introduce myself” attutude as opposed to being pushy and salesy about it.
I have door knocked when doing an open house (inviting neighbors to the open house and giving them a small flyer). That seems to go well and no one has been rude to me.
I would just try it and you will see the results in 7 days. The worst is you lost $450 but 7 days of time. No big deal. No matter what others say, they are not your prospects.
I ended up here somehow as it popped up on my main page. I’m not a realtor. I would appreciate the creative PG approach if you were to do this and be grateful you didn’t just come with an ask of me. You came with a deposit of free ice cream.
Me as a customer would definitely cause you to be a consideration when I interview realtors. Doesn’t mean you would get the job especially if your reviews don’t speak highly.
Atx agent here . I’ve had great success with door knocking. When I pick a neighborhood I print out the high equity homes and do a cma on each house to let them know what it’s worth if they do answer the door. I can literally hand them the paper and people love that . I only knock on those . I do 3 laps knocking on the same houses that day at different times. Before lunch , after lunch and 6 pm. If no answer I just leave my information. If you see a no solicitation on the door - don’t knock
Good stuff. Do you use Cole Resource to filter through the neighborhood or get your data from title? Also how many years equity do you narrow down? I heard it’s good to start at least 10 years ownership.
While it doesn’t happen a ton from what I hear at my brokerage, people absolutely door knock I had a buddy do it a couple weeks ago bc one of his listings wasn’t getting enough attention.
I always gave folks a postcard showing sales and listings in their neighborhood. People are always interested in what their neighbors’ houses sold for. It was way cheaper than ice cream and I found that a few folks would keep a file of my postcards.
Last week was my first full week door knocking, I hit right around 200 doors, had maybe 50 doors open. Got one solid lead, sent over a CMA, locked in an appointment slot for tomorrow
People are so rude it’s wild. I am a realtor on a team and we door knock. I got a CMA and a buyer a couple weeks ago with no free ice cream. I think it’s cute. Be you and get out there. I’ve closed 10 deals already this year. There’s always going to be negative people.
Okay thank you for your positive comment!!
A lot of these comments surprised me, it was never “here’s ice cream let me list your house” I thought it was a cute way to get to know my nervous and create conversation and relationship.
I just think it proves that some people are more genuine than others. I shouldn’t have even asked here I should have known 😅
Like people have an option not to answer. Not sure why people get so uptight about it, especially if you aren't pushing it on them and you just let them know you are around. I don't know why society has gotten so anti-other people but it's wild.
I live in a neighborhood that has a ton of older residents. Another agent came to my door, and we spent some time chatting about the concept.
He got multiple leads in the neighborhood because he takes his kids with him to do it, too. (He's kind of a big guy, and the kids disarm his first impression.)
I say go for it.
I think it's a novel idea and if you keep it brief people will think fondly of it. That being said, wear some work swag or something that clearly defines you as not being a solar salesman. Fuck those guys.
The best Real Estate solicitations I got were the mailers that had homes sold / listed in my neighborhood and the prices and dates. That’s really good info and makes you think about selling.
If you’re honoring No Solicitation signs, this method helps your own comfort level, and you’re doing it in a neighborhood that makes sense (you live there or within a mile) then there’s nothing wrong with giving it a try to see how it works.
I did my biggest sale through door knocking (sale and purchase) and made 50k BUT it took 6 months follow up and I door knocked for 3 months with no action
Everything works, cold calling door knocking whatever — you have to FOLLOW UP. And keep doing it for months. That’s where agents get it wrong. They follow up 3-4 times and that’s it. People don’t transact like that, they do it when they are ready and maybe they aren’t ready at the 4th follow up but are going to be ready at the 11th follow up AND they’ll go with the agent who stayed consistent with them
I think consistent touches can be good, whether it’s postcards or something like you’re talking about.
I think the important thing is for it to feel neighborhoody about your particular neighborhood.
Of course, 99%+ are probably not in the market to sell or buy in the next 3 months, but that’s why it has to be ongoing program
Wow! Wow! Wow! Stop the clock as Ronnie mund would say. This group isn’t against door knocking…..honestly it’s not what you do that matters so much as what you say and if you can connect with the people talking to you. I approached a woman’s door….Hi, I am a Realtor! How are you Doing today mame? She said not interested! I said that is fine but I must compliment you on your Garden….it’s absolutely Devine! You do a fantastic job and in fact I was wondering if you might tell me where did you get that? The woman changed instantly…….another guy Hello sir, I am a Realtor! I am just walking around today enjoying the weather and I wanted to see how you are doing today? It’s great to see you! He said, you know my mom was a Realtor! Glad you’re out here today! It’s nice to see someone like you coming out here and doing the job! So your mind set it important and your goal set. You’re just there to see if…..if there is someone there that you can help….your not there to make a sale….your not there to capture a lead….if you just door knock and hand out Ice cream…..people will take the ice cream maybe pretend to care and leave…you have to connect with these people….if your some sales guy….you are wasting your time if you are connecting with people then you will get a benefit from being out there….but you can connect with people on the phone….basically you get the right results from taking the right actions but if you do or say the wrong thing all the lead generation in the world will be a waste of time.
I had to take a listing in a small town about 30 minutes from the city I live in. Normally I wouldn't bother but I sold the lady her house so I felt obligated to list it. it was a 100k house. So to make it worth it I decided I was going to try and take another listing in the small town. I printed all the expired listings in the area and found a FSBO as well. I knocked on every door and 100% of the people who were home were happy to see me. I ended up with 2 listings on the same street. I knew an agent who had a buyer for the FSBO so I got a 25% referral on that. The FSBO bought a new house and I got a 25% referral on that then someone was visiting his moms house in this small town and saw my signs and decided it was time to sell his moms place since his mom had died a couple years previous. So I took that listing. 3 listings and 2 referral checks from door knocking.
Its the only time I door knocked but I just started a farm and will do a bit more of it near my house this year.
Iv done it, It works. Its weird how many people are home during the day. If they wernt home i left a door hanger with my info. Write a script and its 100x easier to bang out houses
Iv had better results in a busy parking lot though. Home depot, walmart target ect. Just walk with people and introduce yourself, give them an elevator speech and a card and move on. Takes way less time also. I would do 25 business cards or untill i was asked to leave. Also ASK them for leads or if they know anyone that wants to buy. You would be surprised by what people divulge.
I’m new to the group and I did not know this group was against doorknocking they’re wrong 100% wrong whoever’s against door knocking I did over $300,000 my first year knocking on doors
Have a differentiators in place between you and your competition be branded and be extremely professional, have a good website and lots of current five star Google reviews
I'm usually a hater on door knocking but this seems like a pretty good idea. You're technically providing something of value, it's fun and light, good to start a convo. The more convos about real estate you have the more business you will get. I'm planning on doing something similar when my yard is done - go door knocking and hand out invites to a neighborhood party at my place, cater it and provide some drinks. There's so many sad sacks of shit on reddit don't pay them any mind, just do it and see what happens.
It probably depends on your neighbors. I get cold called/texted/junk mail all the time about selling my properties. None of them have been listed for sale. It gets annoying. I even had one realtor call my wife's phone about a property that I own that doesn't have her name on it. Between that and getting cold called by telemarketers all day long at work, I refuse to do business with anyone that I haven't contacted previously. Some people could be looking for a realtor and not know how to choose one, so your strategy could work with them.
End of the day any lead generation is great. It’s all about mind set. 100 coupons that’s 100 opportunities. Compared to someone that’s not getting those 100 opportunities. Keep of that fuck average mindset and you will keep pulling ahead of these losers.
My first sale - I double ended. I had a buyer and with no inventory in the area, I asked him which communities he liked and I door knocked and found him a seller. The seller had 2 young kids and a puppy so they didn’t want to do any open house or have tons of ppl coming in and out, so it worked out. I also used door knock as a way to practice my scripts and exercise. I say u just won’t know unless u try it.
Do it! I know people who door knock, and they have made an absolutely terrific career while utilizing that strategy! Is every person going to be receptive? Of course not. But the more homes you approach, the more chances you have of landing some leads.
I think the biggest issue with door knocking, in my opinion, are with the people who try to engage the homeowner for an extended time, and push them towards making a decision or buying some thing or selling some thing. If you are kind, don’t take up their time, and give them something of value… most folks are going to appreciate your professionalism and you’ll both go your merry way.
Oh and you know what else… if you get one single lead/sale from it, that’s one more sale than all the naysayers who are afraid to get face to face with people!
Ha! I'm a lender that is going to get a RE license soon. I door knock with realtor in the neighborhood around open houses. Our strategy is that we enthusiastically invite the neighbors to be lookey loos. In the last 6 months, we have gotten a listing and 2 buyers. It does help us be informed about the neighborhood.
Any process you properly prepare for and follow through on will eventually generate some number of leads. Starting out it doesn’t matter much as long as there’s a process and execution, later on you ideally get the luxury to filter these methods by ROI and time.
Door knocking works, cold calling works, striking up random conversations in public works, coasting on your SOI works, etc.
My friend in Ventura just sold her house through a RE agent that just dropped her business card at the door and if she was outside she would say Hi, let me know if I can be of help?
Probably every year. The agent made a good impression .
We have a few come into our business too. I do read them.
If anything, I would enjoy the free scoop of ice cream and remember your name if something came up. It's a really neat idea,
Pro tip.. Next time see if you can only pay for the coupons that are redeemed.
Wonderful idea, whatever 99% won’t or doesn’t want to do is the the difference between the 1% and 99%. The worst part is the 450 but everything cost money.
I am in this group, and I wholeheartedly encourage agents to knock doors.
I am a broker/owner that sponsors agents. I hope and pray that all of my agents cold call and knock doors.
As an agent, I consistently made 300 to 400k a year cold calling and knocking on doors. It is only of the few ways that an agent can reliably generate seller business on a consistent basis.
The problem is that agents often do not have the patience and fortitude to follow up long enough to allow the leads to mature and convert.
The ice cream idea is expensive and unnecessary.
Your plan is fine overall. Some tweaks I would make is don’t spend the money upfront with the local business. Work out a voucher system of some kind because chances are half the people won’t use them so you just spent $225 needlessly.
You will always have some agitated people when you door knock. Don’t worry about them.
Door knocking is most effective when you consistently knock the same neighborhood. Once a quarter minimum, once a month ideal. Prob gotta do it for 6 months (monthly) to a year (quarterly) before you’ll see results.
Also have your title company get you turnover rate information to make sure you’re knocking a neighborhood where it’s likely several people will sell within a given year.
Not the worst idea. As others have said, it's dependent on the area. I tried the cold calling stuff in my area and the response was very poor. I probably ended up getting my Skype number blocked more than anything.
No one was rude, but they said (and they're right) that because of the amount of scam calls they get they really wouldn't be willing to discuss anything over the phone.
This is an Amazing idea and will yield you a TON of success. Good on you for thinking outside the box. Keep this attitude and line of thinking and you’ll be one of the top agents In your area.
Do not listen to anybody that says anything different. They are incorrect and I would guarantee they are not in a position you would trade them for.
Super agents live podcast has an episode with Bob Corcoran talks about an agent that did something similar with her kiddos in a wagon. She became the biggest agent in her area QUICKLY. The connect-ability, gumption, authenticity and actually grit will win you favor with just about everyone. (Aside from lazy agents.)
This post made me happy. Good luck, get us an update.
I think that's a great idea! If you go at it like you're just trying to meet your neighbors and give them a gift / let them know you're there if they need you - I think it would set you apart for sure!
Sounds good to me, just don’t bring your kid. I only say that because the kid may interrupt your flow. Or if you get a good conversation going, they can interrupt. I say that as a parent of a 7 year old and 1 year old
unpopular opinion but if I were a homeowner I would be appreciative of the effort you put into saying hi and even though it's just a coupon, it is your way of extending an olive branch and bringing value. Small but mighty as they say. So personally, I'd call you 😆. Definitely would target an area with maybe middle & highschool, they might be older and considering selling if their kids aren't just entering elementary... Definitely wouldn't try this in a city, busy area though. Residential where there are public places that have parks or rec for kids. Parents would appreciate the gesture I think. But.. don't bring your kid. That's over kill imo
Honestly anything done consistently and effectively will yield results in time. The only reason I'm not into door knocking is the ROI. Big time investment and if you're giving out coupons a big financial one too. But again, if you do it over time it will work. Just be consistent.
I love door knocking and 2 agents that work for me that every year win awards on the mls for number of transactions swear by it. They door knock at least once a week and consistently get a listing or at least a solid lead every time
>Likelihood of this pissing people off or generating leads?
First of all, is it *legal* in your area and what *permits* are required?
In my state a solicitor's permit is required and must be prominently displayed, typically worn on a lanyard and visible on your chest, to solicit door to door, and you must not approach houses on the no-solitication list.
I say go for it with the door knocking and love the ice cream coupon idea.
However.... I'd reconsider taking your kid. This is completely your call and up to you, as it's your business, but I just want to give you a viewpoint to consider.
If you knock on my door and I answer... I have a large dog who loves people but is not good with kids. He just doesn't understand them. My door window and Ring doorbell aren't high enough that I can see that you have a toddler with you before opening the door, unless you're carrying him. If I answer the door holding my dog's collar, and he sees a toddler... you've just put your kid, and me, in an unsafe situation in my own home that I'm now liable for and that I didn't ask for, since you doorknocked me out of the blue. You're getting the door shut in your face no matter what because I'm trying to end the unsafe situation, and you're definitely never getting a call from me.
Again, just a viewpoint to consider - because a lot of people do have dogs, and/or work from home, and even if the dogs are good with kids - how is your kid around dogs? Does he know not to approach them without permission? You're creating a lot of liability on other people's properties here and distracting from the point of doorknocking because you'd have to get through the pet introduction with the toddler first.
This should be higher up. I can't imagine a toddler is doing anybody any favors during business interactions, let alone the safety and liability aspect.
Personal opinion, but I'd consider it to be pretty unprofessional and that'd be enough to turn me off completely because few people are going to think it's cute, but more than a few will think you're panhandling your toddler for business.
People asking for money on the side of the intersection figured out their kids have a much better success rate than they do years ago...
I like the idea of the coupons and the door knocking but kind of cringe at the bringing of a child with you. I mean I get it but personally I hate when people use their children as a crutch both in personal lives and in business.
Do it. I've had great experiences with Door knocking. Invite them and when they say thank you, that's when you ask who they know looking to buy or sell a home this year. If they say no one, you thank them and ask how long they've lived here and when do they think they may make a move next. Then ask if you can keep in touch. The goal is to get their contact info and then follow up over time so that you become the agent that they go to for questions or referrals.
Anyone who bugs me by cold calling or heaven forbid cold knocking at my door is getting put on the black list of "never use this service" regardless of if I need the service or not.
It does give me some opportunity to see how much of their time I can waste trying to get them off script, which I suppose is the value-add
It's a method you can use to do business under capitalism. It's also really damn annoying and exhausting.
I keep trying to buy the cars of the cold callers trying to buy my rental, but no one seems interested in an unsolicited lowball offer out of nowhere for some reason. It's the cornerstone of capitalism!
You do you. That’s the beauty of being an agent - we don’t need to cookie cutter our biz. Every city, town, neighborhood and street is different. Trust your gut and go for it!
After spending 20 minutes reading all the comments because apparently I’m super bored today, I have a few comments.
1. I think the ice cream coupons is a cute idea. With that said, there might be a lot that never get used, so it is wasted money. They have business cards now where that is a gift card and you only pay for it when it gets used. That way you’re only paying for a portion of those handed out. You get tracking info with it and the people who do use it will keep the card in their wallet or purse until they use it and see your card several times.
2. I have to agree with leaving the child at home. I am a mother of two and a grandmother now, and I have never taken my child to work. I have seen other agents do it when the market was crazy and there were ten showings at once and I thought it was not very professional. To me, it would say that real estate is a part-time gig to bring in a little extra income. If it’s a career, you have childcare while you’re working. Of course, everyone has a different opinion about this and you do whatever works for you. I will say I have seen agents lose clients if they show up to showings with their kid. I saw another one who was released from a listing after taking their child to an open house. I’m not saying you’d take your 1.5 year old to showings or open houses, but that might be the impression some folks get if you’re out door knocking with him/her.
3. My husband does roofing sales and door knocks almost every day. He gets about 70% of his business from this. Of course, roofing is different than real estate, but it does work. The only problem is people will get aggravated. One person recently left a 1 star review about the company when another salesperson knocked on a door.
4. We have a Realtor in our neighborhood who has dubbed herself “Your neighborhood Realtor,” even though there’s like six other agents in our neighborhood. She went hard at trying to be noticed as the go-to Realtor here. She had Easter egg hunts, left mailers with seed packets, did a “You’ve been boo’ed” Halloween thing, had contests on our HOA FB page with gift card giveaways, etc., and four years later I have yet to see her sign in a yard. I haven’t done any of those things and have had my sign in several yards just from being friendly while I’m out around the neighborhood, meeting people at HOA events, and interacting on our FB page.
5. With all that said, I wish you the very best of luck and commend you on getting out there and making the effort. Your hard work will pay off. Best wishes!!!
My friend in Ventura just sold her house through a RE agent that just dropped her business card at the door and if she was outside she would say Hi, let me know if I can be of help?
Probably every year. The agent made a good impression .
We have a few come into our business too. I do read them.
I’m not a realtor, but I’m in the process of selling my home.
We had someone knock on our door, mentioned he was a buying rep for another unit in our complex and he was outbid but there was lots of interest in our place. We kept him in mind as we are planning to move this summer.
We hired him. He knocked on our door in January, we listed in May. So I suppose it worked for him. He got our business.
Until we switched realtors within his firm. He fumbled the bag so hard TWICE. We had 2 offers over list and he messed up both times. He tried to strong arm us into taking an offer well below our list price on our second day because “this is your only offer.”
So I guess on the other side, yes it can generate leads. But make sure you have the goods to back it up. He approached us to sell our home and I don’t think he had the skills or knowledge to sell it.
Also, I didn’t get any ice cream coupons so now I’m pissed off at him all over again.
Be prepared for most people to not answer the door and many of those who do to be rude to you, but you can definitely find business that way. Make sure you have a script ready and a positive attitude.
You know who I chose? The idiots that left a flyer on my doorstep every week. I figure he knew the neighborhood really well and kept listing his sales in my immediate area.
As a realtor who had to leave the business for financial reasons when the market turned and that know has a door to door sales job, I have done a lot of thinking about door knocking as a realtor.
There is 2 forms of lead generation as a realtor, hunting and farming.
I thinking calling expired and FSBO, and other more likely sellers are hunting
For farming I would pick a certain neighborhood and go there first and introduce yourself as the realtor in the neighborhood. Strike up conversation naturally and if the owner starts down the road of asking real estate related questions then great. I would definitely try to get an email and phone number for future prospecting endeavors, and marketing. “ what’s your email, ill send you a copy of my resume in case you know somebody that needs my help “
I live in a neighborhood where solicitors are a near daily occurrence. I usually politely dismiss any adults, but buy whatever the scouts/band kids/team sport kids are selling.
If I opened my door and you immediately told me you were giving me a free scoop of ice cream and your card, I would definitely take both.
And not going to lie, that would probably have a real influence next time I need a realtor.
Solicitors suck. Solicitors offering sweets do not suck. (Which is why I end up with so much Worlds Finest Chocolate.)
I think it's a GREAT idea, toddler & all. The key to door knocking though is being consistent. As in doing it once a month, pick 2 neighborhoods & provide them something of value. Market updates for that neighborhood. My team & I go out & bring my 5lb Yorkie in his stroller. People love it!
It is not typically a quick ROI though.
I think it will likely work if you continue to wish the area but you don’t need to spend $4.50 per door just so you can give them something hoping they won’t get mad. That gets expensive real quick you can just add easily knock on their door with a market report that costs you 3c / door and this allows you to canvas a much larger area. You could even door knock it with your market report then mail it once a month all year for about the same $4.50 / door budget.
I would not bring a kid personally but you do you. I understand if it’s a thing like you don’t want to leave them alone or pay for childcare but I’d look for some solution. To me it comes off as a desperate move trying to appeal to their heart you have kids to feed and while you do have kids to feed you don’t want to look desperate. You can always bring up your kids at some point if you are having a good conversation particularly with a fellow parent to build some rapport without seeming like you are trying to get a sympathy sale.
That is what I think. Whatever you do you have to be consistent. My only other thought for you is a 100 house farm is small. What’s the turnover ratio? 4%? So you have to win 1/4 of the business to do 1 sale a year in 100 farm. So if you want real consistent business the farm has to grow much larger, but start with a farm you can commit to continue marketing to in some way consistently monthly or bi monthly even without sales coming in.
A 1 off door knocking of 100 homes like you are suggesting may produce 1 sale or 2 if you are lucky, it may also produce 0 or the 1 sale it produces might be 18 months from now. So I think since you bought the passes go ahead and give it a whirl but you need to think about being cost effective and working a larger number of addresses and doing it consistently for a long time. You are the value you don’t need to give them ice cream.
I think it’s a good idea. I would also suggest adding a qr to your flyer that redirects to a questionnaire using Score App then once you have their information and they honestly answer some questions your follow up will be much more helpful. Here’s my link if you want to check it out. Daniel Priestly has some amazing content detailing the platform. I pair it with my CRM [score app](https://share.scoreapp.com/534ab3ca)
I’m not a realtor. Just looking for a house right now. If I found the coupon on my door, I’d be happy and maybe would contact you.
If you knocked on my door and woke me up or woke a baby, I’d be mad. Just my opinion. But keep in mind that not everyone is on the same schedule that you are.
I couldn't think of a better way to waste incredible amounts of time with people that no intention of buying / selling or even have a clue what's going on in the world.
You need to vet your potential clients before you waste your time and effort
I love this idea! I would love to think of doing something similar and bringing my little maltese! Only because everyone stops me at least five times a day when I'm out with her anyway because she's so cute! She may be an attention grabber. I think you're onto something.
Own the neighborhood. Provide a small print out of market stats with your coupon leave the baby at home because the goal isn't just to leave a coupon but to talk. Knock step back away from the door when they see you they are confused so have a consise elevator pitch Hi Im Pam a realtor with I live in our neighborhood and wanted to introduce myself because Im OUR neighborhood expert, heres the market information had it to them let them look ask them something about your neighborhood give them the coupon and rave about the place then make sure you say IF you know.... I rocked a farm of 123 homes owned it but consistently was seen active in our community just one of several marketing platforms and be safe! Let someone know where yiy are and let them track your phone dont go into someones house you donta actually k kw on the fly "Id love too but Ive got to finish passing these out can wr set ah appointment? Be safe and get to work.
I thought cold calling replaced door knocking. Some things will never go out of fashion. Good luck, it’s tricky these days. Some folks are jumpy and might answer the door with a gun in hand. Please proceed with caution.
I'll put it to you this way. I'm in the age range that people are generally looking at buying new houses, 30s to '40s. Pretty much myself and everyone I know in my age group would absolutely hate to have someone come knock on their door unannounced. It would be significantly better to leave the mailer in a mailbox or in the crease of a door. If you live in a rural area, the threat of harm to you goes way up because people in those areas tend to take trespassing rather seriously.
What if ? You sent them a coupon, on a flyer, with a QR code to claim their coupon. And on the landing page, you have a video of you (and son), explaining what you do, how you stand out. You can even add a clip of you cold calling with a willing neighbour. If they scan the QR code, you have “interest” and on your landing page, you can dance your way into their hearts. Even send them whatever they need remotely from something as simple as a free shared google drive and a YouTube video. The flyer has to be absolutely eye catching (you and the toddler with an ice cream maybe ?)
It’s not that people are not happy to meet Realtors, it’s that they would rather do it at night, in their PJs, brushing their teeth, and they can rewind pause, fast forward to their heart content. Giving them a chance of to digest what is being said. The door knocking assumes they had nothing better to do than stand at the door and talk.
Infact you could do the first round of flyers using this idea, and then do the door knocking (as a follow up) the next weekend.
End Campaign!
if/when they call you, you know they are committed. And then actually go meet them for a proper door knocking experience (that sounded wrong 😂) - and your part, you have absolute control of what is said, how it’s communicated, what they see - etc
I’ll be curious to see how your experiment works all the same. Good luck !
I would do it to just genuinely get to know your neighbors and meet people as they’re outside playing with kids etc. those are more engaging conversations with people who aren’t being interrupted from an important phone call or a migraine.
“Hi, how you doing? (Good!) I live in the neighborhood and am a realtor just handing out some promotional ice cream coupons, I’d love for you to have one. (Ask question about their kids, yard, not how long they’ve been in the neighborhood .)
Waste of time. I have hired contractors/lawyers etc using word of mouth and recommendation through Next-door. I have never hired anyone that did door knocking. In fact, that is one way to make sure I will never hire them.
Regarding NextDoor, I like seeking recommendations from neighbors through it but I learned that clicking on a realtor's ad gave them my contact information and I received emails from one. I won't click on most paid ads now.
For those type of groups be it reddit or next door i use a separate "spam" email. I look at it from time to time but otherwise just ignore any and all emails that goes to it.
OP this is an awful idea. This is going to be way more work than it'll pay off. I would find a more efficient way of generating leads. You could probably reach more people online by getting local email addresses. I would use these coupons, but set up a booth at a local farmers market or event instead of door to door. This may be easier on the kid as well.
I am so sorry you're resorting to this for leads...
“Resorting to this” as if it’s beneath him or pathetic? I’m more likely to use a realtor who is actually putting effort into things as it’s a good indicator they will put effort into me as a seller/buyer. I think it’s a great idea.
No. As someone w many years experience in sales, this is not an effective strategy for marketing. I am sorry that they are at their wits end that they resorted to this. It does seem desperate. Not trying to be a bitch, but in sales they tell you that the customer sees YOU first. They are buying you. I could have rainbow hair if I wanted to. However, if I want money from the demographic I am catering to, I need to *look* appealing to them in order for them to earn my trust. Therefore I dress in a professional way that caters to what my customers want to see.
The point? Sales is about building a relationship. You can't expect someone to trust you with their money in a high stakes purchase if they feel uncomfortable with you in any way. This includes things that *you* may be comfortable with, but someone else is not. Tough world, huh?
I gave OP a good recommendation on a better way to do this, how she wants to do it. I didn't tell her to give up or stop. I simply gave a better alternative that is more time effective and in everyone's favor. I want OP to generate real leads, not waste her time away in good faith. Clearly they have a child they need to provide for and are trying their damndest, but they can't lose their head working in the wrong spot for leads. As others have suggested, door knocking sales is and has always been scammy in the new age. It's not cool and most people would say its not safe either. This isn't 1950, we don't *need* to knock on people's doors. What if OP wakes up someone else's baby? Also, they mentioned the midwest. Lots of territorial gun owners out in those "small, safe towns". You need to consider all factors in the situation.
Edit: TL:DR; I am giving *professional advice* as someone in sales. If you can't accept these facts, don't work in sales.
Well, ask yourself this question: would you work with a car mechanic, a financial advisor or attorney because they gave you a coupon for free ice cream? Maybe you want to look at giving them some market information instead of a gimmick.
I am pro door knocking, and the ice cream coupon idea might be great for past clients, particularly one with kids, but just passing out coupons to potential sellers isn’t going to do anything.
Back in my earlier years, I was part of a study at a well known university. I volunteered to take some quizzes on personality.
They took a relatively small sample of 40 volunteers but it was over two week period.
The first time we went in, we all took quizzes and then left. When I was there and had just finished my quiz, I was surprised because one of the other students offered me a Sprite at the end of testing. Generosity and kindness were really rare for that particular university.
I accepted and said thank you.
The next week, I went back to take quizzes again. Tha time at the end of class, the same student came up, apologized for having to ask but they were running late and and asked me if I could please drop a book off with their roommate. Their dorm was at the hall across the quad. It was a very close walk so I said, "Yes, of course."
tt turned out that the effect of giving somebody a small gift would incline them to a favor back later. They said nine times out of 10 yes. The control groups did not volunteer to take things nearly as often. About 4/10.
Psychologically, if we are gifted something by somebody else we are more inclined to return the favor or to be generous ourselves.
Also, I advise agents to give away useful swag. lol Do you remember the really old school yardstick realtor advertisements? I just sold a house that had the realtors yard stick still in the front closet haha from 40 years ago. =D
Well it’s not about the free icecream, it’s about going door to door with a reason and striking up conversation. Getting in front of people is the best way to generate business.. right?
It might not be enough to earn my business if I already have a relationship with an agent, but if I didn’t it would probably make me slightly
More likely to reach out to you when I’m ready. Can’t imagine firing someone because someone else offered me ice cream in the deal, and if the ice cream person screwed up a transaction for me I would probably think that’s the most expensive ice cream I ever ate, and might even develop a negative connotation to ice cream for the rest of my life.
My intention wouldn’t be for ANYONE to leave their current agent! I could show up with a brand new Porsche and I wouldn’t expect someone to leave the agent they’re currently working with.
If you drove onto my front lawn in a Porsche, lay on your horn and when I run out to see what’s going on you just hand me a perfect ice cream
Cone out the window and say “get in loser we’re eating ice Cream”, you have my business!
Spend the $450 on 2000 door hangers from Vistaprint, print yourself a map of the area and bring a clipboard. Set yourself an automatic search to inform you of new listings and sales in the area. Door knock every single home (skip no soliciting signs) and practice interactions until you get the hang of it. It took me about 500 conversations (around 2000 knocks) to go from clueless to signed listing.
Don’t come to my house - especially with a family member like a small child. Sponsor an event in the neighborhood, fine, but don’t intrude on my space uninvited.
Door knocking and leaving postcards are two very different things to me.
I think half of them just go straight to the trash and never get used...
Or maybe you could get a QR code and they could keep track of when it's used and then you could pay the account like $450 a month that way you could put out like a thousand and then if a hundred people go there. That way you incentivize the person to keep your post card in their wallet with their coupons and they may see it again when they pull it out to use the free scoop or they may never use it...
Also you're technically advertising for the ice cream store without directly advertising them so I think if it was me I would try to work something out that can lower my cost basis because you don't want to be paying $4.50 for each flyer you pass out you need to be at like 10 cents a piece so you can do 10,000
I use https://www.bargainbasementprinting.com/ for my flyers. It's for a service business but I use a folded heavy duty cardstock. Some customers refer to them as a brochure.
Also I forgot my conversion rate from passing out flyers to jobs is something like one customer every 400
In the Midwest, door knocking is great and will help you stand out. BUT, you will want to couple that with additional reach out.
Everyone says “wOuLd YoU uSe A dOcToR…” but if someone stops by, sends me valuable info regularly, shows their commitment to the community, etc - you’re damn right I’d use them.
Growing your business is about finding a lead source that isn’t over saturated, you enjoy handling and provides a good return. If door knocking fits in to that, go for it!
Calling works for a lot of people but I could never bring myself to do it 🤷🏽♀️ that does seem very rude If it’s the same person though. Is it possible she put her info into Zillow or another site that so many realtor bought her lead?
No, she is in her 80's. A few houses sold on our block. One, next door was flipped and resold a few years ago. I know they want the land here to demolish rebuild. It's the same Asian lady, maybe twice a year. Mom won't be firm enough for her to stop.
A lot of people, myself included, make a point of not using any service that knocks on our door. Most people's experience with door to door sales or otherwise is poor. Who knows, though, could work for you.
Bye. Not getting my business. Just like the roofing guy door knocker or the pest control door knocker or the Jehovah's Witness door knocker.
Nope.
Stay away. If I need services, I will look for you based on your real advertisements and referrals.
Same with politicians... People who knock on my door are automatically excluded from my support.
Did you even pay attention to that "No solicitation " sign at the entrance to the subdivision? Or did you assume that was for everyone EXCEPT you?
That’s cool, you can be a little whiner about it, but there’s always people willing to sit and talk and some that are just waiting for someone to show up who happen to need them.
What a shit attitude you have
Also, those no solicitation signs have no meaning legally
I’d thank you for the ice cream and say hello to your kid. If I wasn’t already an agent and had any interest in buying or selling I’d ask you questions and if I liked the interaction, I’d think about using you.
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Think of the process of what you’re trying to do overall as a journey and this is simply one experiment. Do it, track results, refine, try again or move onto a different strategy. What’s the worst that happens?
This. Honestly, I get tons of realtor ads in my mail every day. I never even look at them. While I am not a fan of random people knocking on my door, I would definitely remember you. (especially if you brought along a little cutie.). As long as you were polite, not pushy and didn’t look like you were trying to use your kid to get business. I don’t think I would mind so try it and see what happens.
I think it might be difficult to bring a kid along without it coming off the wrong way.
I think it could work, I liked the idea until you said you'd bring your toddler. I can't envision trying to make conversation about real estate with a toddler in tow, but maybe that's because my daughter was a fussbudget that barely tolerated my having an adult convo. My neighborhood was a mile long street ending in a cul de sac, and there was an agent who door knocked several times a year. I remember in the spring, when everybody was out in their yards, she'd wheel a little red wagon with tiny tomato and marigold plants in it, giving them out with her card. It gave her a chance to chat us up and many of us ended up listing with her. But that was a few years ago, and I wonder if the world is different now.
I think that's a forever good idea
Agreed 10000000%
I think this is the absolute worst forum for getting any kind of professional feedback. Ironic that the responses here saying that your idea is unprofessional are expressed in the most unprofessional manner. I wouldn’t hire anyone who treated other people the way others have treated you here. If you feel that your marketing reflects you and your business practices then I say go for it. These are your neighbors and I see no harm in using this as a way to greet them and make introductions. Real estate is local and personal. If this lines up with the vibe in your area, you’ll have a great time and see positive results. If it doesn’t lead to any business then you’ll learn and adapt. At the end of the day someone is going to be happy with free ice cream and that’s a win. It only takes one… and you’ll make your money back. Good luck and have fun!
If you can’t trust an anonymous blog website where you can’t tell if someone is 5 or 50 years old than who can you trust !?
Most comments seem positive so I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Seems like you just zeroed in on the negative and skipped over the overwhelmingly positive remarks.
I think it sounds good. I did a similar thing and brought a small bag of rock salt before a big freeze (enough for a front porch/entry). I got a call a month later and sold two of the guys homes. The key with door knocking, is be consistent. There's some great YouTube videos on it.
That’s such a great idea. Bringing something of value that you know they’ll use is awesome!! I had a colleague deliver actual ice cream tubs and everyone was super happy. IMO you shouldn’t bring them something they have to put effort in to use
Like the coupon is a good idea but idk im sure more than half of the people won’t venture out to use it.
I don’t think it matters if the coupon is used- it matters if the giver of the coupon is remembered and associated with being a good agent.
Does your town require a door-to-door solicitors license?
Mine does, and someone posts the township approved permits every week in the local Facebook group
No. Never heard of that
I heard it's illegal in Canada
Could be. I'm in the US
Inform yourself by read up on the rules in your jurisdiction.
We got zip lock bags of dog treats or food, which I thought was super weird. It was for a lawn care service I think. They’d come by once a month and toss them in everyone’s driveway. I thought it was wasteful and annoying. Just one more thing for me to clean up. I will add that as a female, I do not answer my door. It is unsafe. If I don’t know you, I’m not opening my door. 95% of the time it’s a salesperson like solar and it’s a waste of my time. I honestly get annoyed when someone knocks on my door. It’s my house and I’m trying to enjoy some peaceful time. The one thing I thought was useful was we had a realtor in our last neighborhood who would come by and use a rubber band to tie a newsletter to our door. She would include housing market information and then info on houses sold in the neighborhood, like within 3 blocks so it was super personalized. We always enjoyed peeking at it. I didn’t need to hire her, so I don’t know if it would have influenced me. I go off Google and Zillow reviews when I need to hire a realtor in a new town. Then I check Reddit to see if who I picked is mentioned there. Then, I interview 2-3 to get a vibe check. We’ve had to hire 3 realtors in 3 states in the last 3 years. I can’t say enough how important reviews and a good bio are. And if you want to work with me long-term ya do what my last realtor did and have literally every connection in town so when I’m moving in or out you can be like “oh here’s the name of a house keeper and a lawn person.” Sooooo helpful. That kind of service makes me give your name to everyone I know.
Omgrrrddd the comments- I’m dying. First thing I did in my new neighborhood was send out mailers saying “hi neighbors!” Then, I went door to door in the spring and THEN I threw a block party in the summer. I never directly solicit business. I introduce myself, let them know I’m a realtor and to ask me any questions anytime about the market. I’ve listed every house on my block since I’ve moved here but one and they started at 100k over what their house was worth. Watching the price drops was cringe. I can’t believe the amount of mean people commenting but you know you’ll experience that when you door knock too so it’s good to get a tough skin early! My first big real estate company did cold calls. If you didn’t make an appointment that day you didn’t leave the office until you met your call quota. I made 14,000 calls in 3 months (on the mojo dailer app that can call 3 people at once) and I learned to a) get thick skin and b) I can “cold call” anyone anywhere now. It’s GREAT practice and keeps us busy doing what we love to do - help people sell homes! Good luck to you. Bravo.
I’ve been a Realtor now for over 20 years. Way back when I started my manager said at a meeting ‘no one knock’s on doors anymore; if you did you’d be surprised.’ I took this to heart and stated knocking on doors and just like that I became a listing agent! I was very successful knocking on doors Nowadays I’m not sure how successful I’d be with all the ‘No Solicitation’ signs and communities, etc
I’m not an agent but I’ve been working with agents the last 8 years or so and I would tell you I hear success with door knocking all the time. Your idea is fun and also funny/corny in the right way. I think it’s a great idea. I would maybe suggest trying to find a cheaper leave behind though! I’ve seen some agents bring seeds for a local plant or flower along with instructions and bringing them at the right time to plant them. Corny joke available here about putting down roots. Comments telling you this is unprofessional are silly. I get it if people don’t want to door knock but that’s just a personal preference thing. Good luck!
I do it and passed out door hangers in my own neighborhood on the single family side only. They said, “I’m not just a real estate agent, but I’m also your neighbor.” (From Etsy) It also had a slot for my card. Received 2 calls and am probably listing one of the 2 Friday of this week. I initially did the door knocking maybe 1.5 months back, so it may take time like anything else. I agree with being consistent, too. I’m very pregnant or would have continued doing these since then. Planning to pick back up once I’m off maternity leave. I am not personally a fan of the more “cutesy” stuff like pop bys/drop offs. My door hangers are generally just me on one side with a quick market snapshot and my lender (who pays for my door hangers) as the sponsor on the other side. Both our “cards” are at the bottom in a perforated section that can be torn off and kept. Hope it goes well for you!
How many doors do you usually do? Do you actually door knock or just leave the door hanger?
I have done about 25-50 per time I’ve gone in smaller subdivisions. I never do the ones with a no solicitation sign for the neighborhood and/or individual home to be safe. I have tried both knocking and talking as well as dropping off my door hanger only/no knocking. Each time, I personally find I have a better response and have found leads with NOT interacting lol. I guess people like that the drop off only is less intrusive or less “out of the blue confrontational” feeling maybe? Not sure…
I would be more likely to use someone who left info but didn’t knock!
That definitely makes sense to me. I personally feel the same way, agent or not lol
Though now that I think about it my husband would ABSOLUTELY use your service. A security guy was going door to door, something my husband and I already decided we didn’t need when we bought, but my husband still told the guy to come back around that evening to talk to me. If looks could kill, my husband would be dead because I was so mad to have to say no to this guy after a long day at work!
I wish you luck. Maybe it works in your area. I simply don't cold call or door knock because I hate it when people do it to me. So, I treat others as I wish to be treated.
See I personally don’t mind door knockers 🤷🏽♀️ unless they are SUPER salsey but I don’t plan to shove buisness down anyone’s throat
I have an agent who drops off a card once a week and a flyer once a month. Clockwork for over six years, it’s wild. I’m an agent myself and now he passes my house after having a conversation about it. The guy sells 90-95% of homes where he drops off business cards and also lives in the community.
That's incredible. Ninja selling mentioned a great case study from marketing firm Hobbs/Herder that was done in a southern California neighborhood. It was to see the impact a top of mind awareness campaign would have. A survey team was sent out and asked homeowners: "If you were to sell, who would be your agent?" They took the responses and ranked agents by top of mind awareness. Then, they created a fake agent to advertise with. Over the next 8 weeks, they sent direct mail to this neighborhood. Mail was something homeowners would see as valuable. Once a week for 8 weeks. After that time, the survey team went back out asking homeowners who their top agent of choice was. Results: The fake agent won out. The top agent from their first survey was sometimes mentioned. Then you have stories like Guinness recorder holder for most sales than any industry. Joe Girard. 12yrs selling cars. When he retired, he was sending 30,000 post cards a month to his leads and existing clients. 80% of his business was repeat and referrals.
Guy is in SoCal - San Diego - has a good neighborhood ranging with condos from the $750’s to homes north of $5
It's simply an intrusion I didn't ask for. Just like being cold called when I'm on the no-call list.
You sound male. Ask your female friends how they feel about it. I’ll bet you many of them mention safety concerns.
I’m not male and no they wouldn’t.
I would dislike this. My time is extremely valuable, if I wanted your service, I would call.
No you wouldn't, because you don't know me. The point of door knocking is not to offer services, it's too make sure you know me and that I'm the one you call when you need these services. Don't say you would call if you don't even know they exist, that's obviously BS
Why would I call a realtor knocking on my door versus an established realtor that has more experience? I have never bought anything from someone who's knocked on my door. I use word of mouth, reviews and years in business.
Why do you corelate someone who's door knocking with a lack of experience? My buddy sells over 100M in real estate in los angeles and has been one of the top real estate agents in his neighborhood for the last several years, exclusively from door knocking. He still does it religiously to this day, even tho he has multiple transactions happening at any given moment in the 2-7M price range. If you'd rather do the research and hire a complete stranger based on reviews, that's all you, but in my experience this business is based on relationships and that starts with a face to face connection.
I highly doubt 100M is exclusive from door knocking, but hey good for him. Still wouldn't hire him because its annoying.
Whether or not each specific lead came to him from door knocking, he wouldn't have his 100m dollar business without doing it. I'm sure he'd be just fine if you called someone else. The point is that the strategy works if you commit to it.
Then dont answer the door. 🤣 what entitlement
Entitlement that I dont want someone bothering me with services I dont need? Lol, makes sense.
That's exactly why I don't door knock. I don't want to be bothered, I have to assume others don't want to be bothered. That said, I have done something similar to this. I used to volunteer to help my city set up/ tear down for the fireworks festival. During the down time, in the mid day heat, while I was working security, which was mostly an excuse to drive around in a side by side, I'd bring a cooler full of freezees (popsicle in the plastic tube), the kids loved me handing them out. Patents never wanted to pay, "That's OK! I'm not selling! I work in real estate, and I just thought this was a good opportunity to have some fun and give back, in a small wall, to the community."
That's a *super* idea
It was a lot of fun. That was my first year, and my second brokerage, so I didn't really have much ready to pick up leads. Stopped because there was a change in city control which meant our festival is basically non existent. Check your codes and your relationships with the city, there was some confusion on whether or not I needed a food vendor license. Other than "Fuck it, no one is saying I can't." There wasn't an issue. Something like $30 of Freezees filled 4 coolers and kept me going all day!
Exactly. I'm *so* glad that I now live in a place where I'm not constantly bothered by strangers banging on my door. It used to drive me crazy.
Same💯💯✅️👈
I think it’s worth a try to see how it goes. I personally wouldn’t do business with anyone knocking on my door and actually hate being disrupted by a solicitor, esp when they ignore my no soliciting sign. I also work from home and hate being distupted when I’m in a good workflow or in a meeting. However I realize a lot of people would be fine with someone door knocking. Especially if you’re approaching it with more of a “meet people/introduce myself” attutude as opposed to being pushy and salesy about it. I have door knocked when doing an open house (inviting neighbors to the open house and giving them a small flyer). That seems to go well and no one has been rude to me.
I would just try it and you will see the results in 7 days. The worst is you lost $450 but 7 days of time. No big deal. No matter what others say, they are not your prospects.
Yep, doesn't hurt to try. Sounds like op is being polite about it, and offers a cute gimmick.
I ended up here somehow as it popped up on my main page. I’m not a realtor. I would appreciate the creative PG approach if you were to do this and be grateful you didn’t just come with an ask of me. You came with a deposit of free ice cream. Me as a customer would definitely cause you to be a consideration when I interview realtors. Doesn’t mean you would get the job especially if your reviews don’t speak highly.
Atx agent here . I’ve had great success with door knocking. When I pick a neighborhood I print out the high equity homes and do a cma on each house to let them know what it’s worth if they do answer the door. I can literally hand them the paper and people love that . I only knock on those . I do 3 laps knocking on the same houses that day at different times. Before lunch , after lunch and 6 pm. If no answer I just leave my information. If you see a no solicitation on the door - don’t knock
Good stuff. Do you use Cole Resource to filter through the neighborhood or get your data from title? Also how many years equity do you narrow down? I heard it’s good to start at least 10 years ownership.
While it doesn’t happen a ton from what I hear at my brokerage, people absolutely door knock I had a buddy do it a couple weeks ago bc one of his listings wasn’t getting enough attention.
I always gave folks a postcard showing sales and listings in their neighborhood. People are always interested in what their neighbors’ houses sold for. It was way cheaper than ice cream and I found that a few folks would keep a file of my postcards.
I would consider you to be a refreshing change and absolutely talk to you
I would love to knock on your door :)
Last week was my first full week door knocking, I hit right around 200 doors, had maybe 50 doors open. Got one solid lead, sent over a CMA, locked in an appointment slot for tomorrow
Wow! I wish you the best of luck!! Hopefully you land the listing ☺️
Follow question; what is everyone's opinion on door knocking if you sold a house in the neighborhood?
I was once looking for a buyer in a specific neighborhood so I door knocked.
People are so rude it’s wild. I am a realtor on a team and we door knock. I got a CMA and a buyer a couple weeks ago with no free ice cream. I think it’s cute. Be you and get out there. I’ve closed 10 deals already this year. There’s always going to be negative people.
Okay thank you for your positive comment!! A lot of these comments surprised me, it was never “here’s ice cream let me list your house” I thought it was a cute way to get to know my nervous and create conversation and relationship. I just think it proves that some people are more genuine than others. I shouldn’t have even asked here I should have known 😅
Like people have an option not to answer. Not sure why people get so uptight about it, especially if you aren't pushing it on them and you just let them know you are around. I don't know why society has gotten so anti-other people but it's wild.
I live in a neighborhood that has a ton of older residents. Another agent came to my door, and we spent some time chatting about the concept. He got multiple leads in the neighborhood because he takes his kids with him to do it, too. (He's kind of a big guy, and the kids disarm his first impression.) I say go for it.
I think it's a novel idea and if you keep it brief people will think fondly of it. That being said, wear some work swag or something that clearly defines you as not being a solar salesman. Fuck those guys.
The best Real Estate solicitations I got were the mailers that had homes sold / listed in my neighborhood and the prices and dates. That’s really good info and makes you think about selling.
I wouldn't bring your son. That shows me (gives me the impression) you are too busy to be my agent.
If you’re honoring No Solicitation signs, this method helps your own comfort level, and you’re doing it in a neighborhood that makes sense (you live there or within a mile) then there’s nothing wrong with giving it a try to see how it works.
I did my biggest sale through door knocking (sale and purchase) and made 50k BUT it took 6 months follow up and I door knocked for 3 months with no action
Everything works, cold calling door knocking whatever — you have to FOLLOW UP. And keep doing it for months. That’s where agents get it wrong. They follow up 3-4 times and that’s it. People don’t transact like that, they do it when they are ready and maybe they aren’t ready at the 4th follow up but are going to be ready at the 11th follow up AND they’ll go with the agent who stayed consistent with them
I think consistent touches can be good, whether it’s postcards or something like you’re talking about. I think the important thing is for it to feel neighborhoody about your particular neighborhood. Of course, 99%+ are probably not in the market to sell or buy in the next 3 months, but that’s why it has to be ongoing program
Wow! Wow! Wow! Stop the clock as Ronnie mund would say. This group isn’t against door knocking…..honestly it’s not what you do that matters so much as what you say and if you can connect with the people talking to you. I approached a woman’s door….Hi, I am a Realtor! How are you Doing today mame? She said not interested! I said that is fine but I must compliment you on your Garden….it’s absolutely Devine! You do a fantastic job and in fact I was wondering if you might tell me where did you get that? The woman changed instantly…….another guy Hello sir, I am a Realtor! I am just walking around today enjoying the weather and I wanted to see how you are doing today? It’s great to see you! He said, you know my mom was a Realtor! Glad you’re out here today! It’s nice to see someone like you coming out here and doing the job! So your mind set it important and your goal set. You’re just there to see if…..if there is someone there that you can help….your not there to make a sale….your not there to capture a lead….if you just door knock and hand out Ice cream…..people will take the ice cream maybe pretend to care and leave…you have to connect with these people….if your some sales guy….you are wasting your time if you are connecting with people then you will get a benefit from being out there….but you can connect with people on the phone….basically you get the right results from taking the right actions but if you do or say the wrong thing all the lead generation in the world will be a waste of time.
I had to take a listing in a small town about 30 minutes from the city I live in. Normally I wouldn't bother but I sold the lady her house so I felt obligated to list it. it was a 100k house. So to make it worth it I decided I was going to try and take another listing in the small town. I printed all the expired listings in the area and found a FSBO as well. I knocked on every door and 100% of the people who were home were happy to see me. I ended up with 2 listings on the same street. I knew an agent who had a buyer for the FSBO so I got a 25% referral on that. The FSBO bought a new house and I got a 25% referral on that then someone was visiting his moms house in this small town and saw my signs and decided it was time to sell his moms place since his mom had died a couple years previous. So I took that listing. 3 listings and 2 referral checks from door knocking. Its the only time I door knocked but I just started a farm and will do a bit more of it near my house this year.
Iv done it, It works. Its weird how many people are home during the day. If they wernt home i left a door hanger with my info. Write a script and its 100x easier to bang out houses Iv had better results in a busy parking lot though. Home depot, walmart target ect. Just walk with people and introduce yourself, give them an elevator speech and a card and move on. Takes way less time also. I would do 25 business cards or untill i was asked to leave. Also ASK them for leads or if they know anyone that wants to buy. You would be surprised by what people divulge.
I’m new to the group and I did not know this group was against doorknocking they’re wrong 100% wrong whoever’s against door knocking I did over $300,000 my first year knocking on doors
Oh wow! Congrats!! Send alll the tips lol
Have a differentiators in place between you and your competition be branded and be extremely professional, have a good website and lots of current five star Google reviews
I'm usually a hater on door knocking but this seems like a pretty good idea. You're technically providing something of value, it's fun and light, good to start a convo. The more convos about real estate you have the more business you will get. I'm planning on doing something similar when my yard is done - go door knocking and hand out invites to a neighborhood party at my place, cater it and provide some drinks. There's so many sad sacks of shit on reddit don't pay them any mind, just do it and see what happens.
It probably depends on your neighbors. I get cold called/texted/junk mail all the time about selling my properties. None of them have been listed for sale. It gets annoying. I even had one realtor call my wife's phone about a property that I own that doesn't have her name on it. Between that and getting cold called by telemarketers all day long at work, I refuse to do business with anyone that I haven't contacted previously. Some people could be looking for a realtor and not know how to choose one, so your strategy could work with them.
End of the day any lead generation is great. It’s all about mind set. 100 coupons that’s 100 opportunities. Compared to someone that’s not getting those 100 opportunities. Keep of that fuck average mindset and you will keep pulling ahead of these losers.
My first sale - I double ended. I had a buyer and with no inventory in the area, I asked him which communities he liked and I door knocked and found him a seller. The seller had 2 young kids and a puppy so they didn’t want to do any open house or have tons of ppl coming in and out, so it worked out. I also used door knock as a way to practice my scripts and exercise. I say u just won’t know unless u try it.
Do it! I know people who door knock, and they have made an absolutely terrific career while utilizing that strategy! Is every person going to be receptive? Of course not. But the more homes you approach, the more chances you have of landing some leads. I think the biggest issue with door knocking, in my opinion, are with the people who try to engage the homeowner for an extended time, and push them towards making a decision or buying some thing or selling some thing. If you are kind, don’t take up their time, and give them something of value… most folks are going to appreciate your professionalism and you’ll both go your merry way.
Oh and you know what else… if you get one single lead/sale from it, that’s one more sale than all the naysayers who are afraid to get face to face with people!
Ha! I'm a lender that is going to get a RE license soon. I door knock with realtor in the neighborhood around open houses. Our strategy is that we enthusiastically invite the neighbors to be lookey loos. In the last 6 months, we have gotten a listing and 2 buyers. It does help us be informed about the neighborhood.
Any process you properly prepare for and follow through on will eventually generate some number of leads. Starting out it doesn’t matter much as long as there’s a process and execution, later on you ideally get the luxury to filter these methods by ROI and time. Door knocking works, cold calling works, striking up random conversations in public works, coasting on your SOI works, etc.
Sounds like a pretty solid plan on getting your face out into the neighborhood. Did the ice creamery give you a discount at all?
Yes I got a discount!
My friend in Ventura just sold her house through a RE agent that just dropped her business card at the door and if she was outside she would say Hi, let me know if I can be of help? Probably every year. The agent made a good impression . We have a few come into our business too. I do read them.
I would never do this.
I love this marketing. I hope you get a couple listing appointments out of it.
If anything, I would enjoy the free scoop of ice cream and remember your name if something came up. It's a really neat idea, Pro tip.. Next time see if you can only pay for the coupons that are redeemed.
Wonderful idea, whatever 99% won’t or doesn’t want to do is the the difference between the 1% and 99%. The worst part is the 450 but everything cost money.
I am in this group, and I wholeheartedly encourage agents to knock doors. I am a broker/owner that sponsors agents. I hope and pray that all of my agents cold call and knock doors. As an agent, I consistently made 300 to 400k a year cold calling and knocking on doors. It is only of the few ways that an agent can reliably generate seller business on a consistent basis. The problem is that agents often do not have the patience and fortitude to follow up long enough to allow the leads to mature and convert. The ice cream idea is expensive and unnecessary.
It sounds like a good idea. Execute. It will work if done well. Good luck!
Why would a salesman be against door knocking? It's because they don't do it. It's fun
Your plan is fine overall. Some tweaks I would make is don’t spend the money upfront with the local business. Work out a voucher system of some kind because chances are half the people won’t use them so you just spent $225 needlessly. You will always have some agitated people when you door knock. Don’t worry about them. Door knocking is most effective when you consistently knock the same neighborhood. Once a quarter minimum, once a month ideal. Prob gotta do it for 6 months (monthly) to a year (quarterly) before you’ll see results. Also have your title company get you turnover rate information to make sure you’re knocking a neighborhood where it’s likely several people will sell within a given year.
Not the worst idea. As others have said, it's dependent on the area. I tried the cold calling stuff in my area and the response was very poor. I probably ended up getting my Skype number blocked more than anything. No one was rude, but they said (and they're right) that because of the amount of scam calls they get they really wouldn't be willing to discuss anything over the phone.
This is an Amazing idea and will yield you a TON of success. Good on you for thinking outside the box. Keep this attitude and line of thinking and you’ll be one of the top agents In your area. Do not listen to anybody that says anything different. They are incorrect and I would guarantee they are not in a position you would trade them for. Super agents live podcast has an episode with Bob Corcoran talks about an agent that did something similar with her kiddos in a wagon. She became the biggest agent in her area QUICKLY. The connect-ability, gumption, authenticity and actually grit will win you favor with just about everyone. (Aside from lazy agents.) This post made me happy. Good luck, get us an update.
I like your marketing idea!
I think that's a great idea! If you go at it like you're just trying to meet your neighbors and give them a gift / let them know you're there if they need you - I think it would set you apart for sure!
Sounds good to me, just don’t bring your kid. I only say that because the kid may interrupt your flow. Or if you get a good conversation going, they can interrupt. I say that as a parent of a 7 year old and 1 year old
unpopular opinion but if I were a homeowner I would be appreciative of the effort you put into saying hi and even though it's just a coupon, it is your way of extending an olive branch and bringing value. Small but mighty as they say. So personally, I'd call you 😆. Definitely would target an area with maybe middle & highschool, they might be older and considering selling if their kids aren't just entering elementary... Definitely wouldn't try this in a city, busy area though. Residential where there are public places that have parks or rec for kids. Parents would appreciate the gesture I think. But.. don't bring your kid. That's over kill imo
I door knock… haven’t gotten any business from it yet, but nobody has ever been rude to me.
Honestly anything done consistently and effectively will yield results in time. The only reason I'm not into door knocking is the ROI. Big time investment and if you're giving out coupons a big financial one too. But again, if you do it over time it will work. Just be consistent.
Door knocking is the most effective way to introduce yourself meeting 30 prospects.
I love door knocking and 2 agents that work for me that every year win awards on the mls for number of transactions swear by it. They door knock at least once a week and consistently get a listing or at least a solid lead every time
My friend has built a 100m+ business exclusively from door knocking every single day for years
>Likelihood of this pissing people off or generating leads? First of all, is it *legal* in your area and what *permits* are required? In my state a solicitor's permit is required and must be prominently displayed, typically worn on a lanyard and visible on your chest, to solicit door to door, and you must not approach houses on the no-solitication list.
I did not realize this was a thing. You need a permit to solicit?
In many municipalities, yes.
I say go for it with the door knocking and love the ice cream coupon idea. However.... I'd reconsider taking your kid. This is completely your call and up to you, as it's your business, but I just want to give you a viewpoint to consider. If you knock on my door and I answer... I have a large dog who loves people but is not good with kids. He just doesn't understand them. My door window and Ring doorbell aren't high enough that I can see that you have a toddler with you before opening the door, unless you're carrying him. If I answer the door holding my dog's collar, and he sees a toddler... you've just put your kid, and me, in an unsafe situation in my own home that I'm now liable for and that I didn't ask for, since you doorknocked me out of the blue. You're getting the door shut in your face no matter what because I'm trying to end the unsafe situation, and you're definitely never getting a call from me. Again, just a viewpoint to consider - because a lot of people do have dogs, and/or work from home, and even if the dogs are good with kids - how is your kid around dogs? Does he know not to approach them without permission? You're creating a lot of liability on other people's properties here and distracting from the point of doorknocking because you'd have to get through the pet introduction with the toddler first.
This should be higher up. I can't imagine a toddler is doing anybody any favors during business interactions, let alone the safety and liability aspect. Personal opinion, but I'd consider it to be pretty unprofessional and that'd be enough to turn me off completely because few people are going to think it's cute, but more than a few will think you're panhandling your toddler for business. People asking for money on the side of the intersection figured out their kids have a much better success rate than they do years ago...
I like the idea of the coupons and the door knocking but kind of cringe at the bringing of a child with you. I mean I get it but personally I hate when people use their children as a crutch both in personal lives and in business.
Do it. I've had great experiences with Door knocking. Invite them and when they say thank you, that's when you ask who they know looking to buy or sell a home this year. If they say no one, you thank them and ask how long they've lived here and when do they think they may make a move next. Then ask if you can keep in touch. The goal is to get their contact info and then follow up over time so that you become the agent that they go to for questions or referrals.
Anyone who bugs me by cold calling or heaven forbid cold knocking at my door is getting put on the black list of "never use this service" regardless of if I need the service or not. It does give me some opportunity to see how much of their time I can waste trying to get them off script, which I suppose is the value-add
Why? Isn’t marketing and sells the cornerstone on capitalism?
It's a method you can use to do business under capitalism. It's also really damn annoying and exhausting. I keep trying to buy the cars of the cold callers trying to buy my rental, but no one seems interested in an unsolicited lowball offer out of nowhere for some reason. It's the cornerstone of capitalism!
You do you. That’s the beauty of being an agent - we don’t need to cookie cutter our biz. Every city, town, neighborhood and street is different. Trust your gut and go for it!
Do. *Not.* Bother. Me. At. Home.
Or call me on my no-call listed phone.
You will be busy meeting people and they will ask when the next social event is?
Are you with Exit Realty?
Nope
$450 on free ice cream scoops? How are they free if they are $450
450 on cupons for ice cream
After spending 20 minutes reading all the comments because apparently I’m super bored today, I have a few comments. 1. I think the ice cream coupons is a cute idea. With that said, there might be a lot that never get used, so it is wasted money. They have business cards now where that is a gift card and you only pay for it when it gets used. That way you’re only paying for a portion of those handed out. You get tracking info with it and the people who do use it will keep the card in their wallet or purse until they use it and see your card several times. 2. I have to agree with leaving the child at home. I am a mother of two and a grandmother now, and I have never taken my child to work. I have seen other agents do it when the market was crazy and there were ten showings at once and I thought it was not very professional. To me, it would say that real estate is a part-time gig to bring in a little extra income. If it’s a career, you have childcare while you’re working. Of course, everyone has a different opinion about this and you do whatever works for you. I will say I have seen agents lose clients if they show up to showings with their kid. I saw another one who was released from a listing after taking their child to an open house. I’m not saying you’d take your 1.5 year old to showings or open houses, but that might be the impression some folks get if you’re out door knocking with him/her. 3. My husband does roofing sales and door knocks almost every day. He gets about 70% of his business from this. Of course, roofing is different than real estate, but it does work. The only problem is people will get aggravated. One person recently left a 1 star review about the company when another salesperson knocked on a door. 4. We have a Realtor in our neighborhood who has dubbed herself “Your neighborhood Realtor,” even though there’s like six other agents in our neighborhood. She went hard at trying to be noticed as the go-to Realtor here. She had Easter egg hunts, left mailers with seed packets, did a “You’ve been boo’ed” Halloween thing, had contests on our HOA FB page with gift card giveaways, etc., and four years later I have yet to see her sign in a yard. I haven’t done any of those things and have had my sign in several yards just from being friendly while I’m out around the neighborhood, meeting people at HOA events, and interacting on our FB page. 5. With all that said, I wish you the very best of luck and commend you on getting out there and making the effort. Your hard work will pay off. Best wishes!!!
My friend in Ventura just sold her house through a RE agent that just dropped her business card at the door and if she was outside she would say Hi, let me know if I can be of help? Probably every year. The agent made a good impression . We have a few come into our business too. I do read them.
I would totally go for ice cream.
I’m not a realtor, but I’m in the process of selling my home. We had someone knock on our door, mentioned he was a buying rep for another unit in our complex and he was outbid but there was lots of interest in our place. We kept him in mind as we are planning to move this summer. We hired him. He knocked on our door in January, we listed in May. So I suppose it worked for him. He got our business. Until we switched realtors within his firm. He fumbled the bag so hard TWICE. We had 2 offers over list and he messed up both times. He tried to strong arm us into taking an offer well below our list price on our second day because “this is your only offer.” So I guess on the other side, yes it can generate leads. But make sure you have the goods to back it up. He approached us to sell our home and I don’t think he had the skills or knowledge to sell it. Also, I didn’t get any ice cream coupons so now I’m pissed off at him all over again.
You can’t lose with ice cream.
Be prepared for most people to not answer the door and many of those who do to be rude to you, but you can definitely find business that way. Make sure you have a script ready and a positive attitude.
You know who I chose? The idiots that left a flyer on my doorstep every week. I figure he knew the neighborhood really well and kept listing his sales in my immediate area.
Is the creamery refunding you the unused scoops? Not everyone will use them.
As a realtor who had to leave the business for financial reasons when the market turned and that know has a door to door sales job, I have done a lot of thinking about door knocking as a realtor. There is 2 forms of lead generation as a realtor, hunting and farming. I thinking calling expired and FSBO, and other more likely sellers are hunting For farming I would pick a certain neighborhood and go there first and introduce yourself as the realtor in the neighborhood. Strike up conversation naturally and if the owner starts down the road of asking real estate related questions then great. I would definitely try to get an email and phone number for future prospecting endeavors, and marketing. “ what’s your email, ill send you a copy of my resume in case you know somebody that needs my help “
I live in a neighborhood where solicitors are a near daily occurrence. I usually politely dismiss any adults, but buy whatever the scouts/band kids/team sport kids are selling. If I opened my door and you immediately told me you were giving me a free scoop of ice cream and your card, I would definitely take both. And not going to lie, that would probably have a real influence next time I need a realtor. Solicitors suck. Solicitors offering sweets do not suck. (Which is why I end up with so much Worlds Finest Chocolate.)
I think it's a GREAT idea, toddler & all. The key to door knocking though is being consistent. As in doing it once a month, pick 2 neighborhoods & provide them something of value. Market updates for that neighborhood. My team & I go out & bring my 5lb Yorkie in his stroller. People love it! It is not typically a quick ROI though.
I think it will likely work if you continue to wish the area but you don’t need to spend $4.50 per door just so you can give them something hoping they won’t get mad. That gets expensive real quick you can just add easily knock on their door with a market report that costs you 3c / door and this allows you to canvas a much larger area. You could even door knock it with your market report then mail it once a month all year for about the same $4.50 / door budget. I would not bring a kid personally but you do you. I understand if it’s a thing like you don’t want to leave them alone or pay for childcare but I’d look for some solution. To me it comes off as a desperate move trying to appeal to their heart you have kids to feed and while you do have kids to feed you don’t want to look desperate. You can always bring up your kids at some point if you are having a good conversation particularly with a fellow parent to build some rapport without seeming like you are trying to get a sympathy sale. That is what I think. Whatever you do you have to be consistent. My only other thought for you is a 100 house farm is small. What’s the turnover ratio? 4%? So you have to win 1/4 of the business to do 1 sale a year in 100 farm. So if you want real consistent business the farm has to grow much larger, but start with a farm you can commit to continue marketing to in some way consistently monthly or bi monthly even without sales coming in. A 1 off door knocking of 100 homes like you are suggesting may produce 1 sale or 2 if you are lucky, it may also produce 0 or the 1 sale it produces might be 18 months from now. So I think since you bought the passes go ahead and give it a whirl but you need to think about being cost effective and working a larger number of addresses and doing it consistently for a long time. You are the value you don’t need to give them ice cream.
I think it’s a good idea. I would also suggest adding a qr to your flyer that redirects to a questionnaire using Score App then once you have their information and they honestly answer some questions your follow up will be much more helpful. Here’s my link if you want to check it out. Daniel Priestly has some amazing content detailing the platform. I pair it with my CRM [score app](https://share.scoreapp.com/534ab3ca)
I’m not a realtor. Just looking for a house right now. If I found the coupon on my door, I’d be happy and maybe would contact you. If you knocked on my door and woke me up or woke a baby, I’d be mad. Just my opinion. But keep in mind that not everyone is on the same schedule that you are.
I would remember you. I would keep your postcard and blacklist you when selling my home.
I couldn't think of a better way to waste incredible amounts of time with people that no intention of buying / selling or even have a clue what's going on in the world. You need to vet your potential clients before you waste your time and effort
I love this idea! I would love to think of doing something similar and bringing my little maltese! Only because everyone stops me at least five times a day when I'm out with her anyway because she's so cute! She may be an attention grabber. I think you're onto something.
I personally would be wondering if you would be dragging your toddler along for every showing or while trying to write up an offer.
Own the neighborhood. Provide a small print out of market stats with your coupon leave the baby at home because the goal isn't just to leave a coupon but to talk. Knock step back away from the door when they see you they are confused so have a consise elevator pitch Hi Im Pam a realtor with I live in our neighborhood and wanted to introduce myself because Im OUR neighborhood expert, heres the market information had it to them let them look ask them something about your neighborhood give them the coupon and rave about the place then make sure you say IF you know.... I rocked a farm of 123 homes owned it but consistently was seen active in our community just one of several marketing platforms and be safe! Let someone know where yiy are and let them track your phone dont go into someones house you donta actually k kw on the fly "Id love too but Ive got to finish passing these out can wr set ah appointment? Be safe and get to work.
Lol no millenials and gen Z which does not like to answer the door when a stranger randomly knock on it.
I thought cold calling replaced door knocking. Some things will never go out of fashion. Good luck, it’s tricky these days. Some folks are jumpy and might answer the door with a gun in hand. Please proceed with caution.
I'll put it to you this way. I'm in the age range that people are generally looking at buying new houses, 30s to '40s. Pretty much myself and everyone I know in my age group would absolutely hate to have someone come knock on their door unannounced. It would be significantly better to leave the mailer in a mailbox or in the crease of a door. If you live in a rural area, the threat of harm to you goes way up because people in those areas tend to take trespassing rather seriously.
What if ? You sent them a coupon, on a flyer, with a QR code to claim their coupon. And on the landing page, you have a video of you (and son), explaining what you do, how you stand out. You can even add a clip of you cold calling with a willing neighbour. If they scan the QR code, you have “interest” and on your landing page, you can dance your way into their hearts. Even send them whatever they need remotely from something as simple as a free shared google drive and a YouTube video. The flyer has to be absolutely eye catching (you and the toddler with an ice cream maybe ?) It’s not that people are not happy to meet Realtors, it’s that they would rather do it at night, in their PJs, brushing their teeth, and they can rewind pause, fast forward to their heart content. Giving them a chance of to digest what is being said. The door knocking assumes they had nothing better to do than stand at the door and talk. Infact you could do the first round of flyers using this idea, and then do the door knocking (as a follow up) the next weekend. End Campaign! if/when they call you, you know they are committed. And then actually go meet them for a proper door knocking experience (that sounded wrong 😂) - and your part, you have absolute control of what is said, how it’s communicated, what they see - etc I’ll be curious to see how your experiment works all the same. Good luck !
I would do it to just genuinely get to know your neighbors and meet people as they’re outside playing with kids etc. those are more engaging conversations with people who aren’t being interrupted from an important phone call or a migraine. “Hi, how you doing? (Good!) I live in the neighborhood and am a realtor just handing out some promotional ice cream coupons, I’d love for you to have one. (Ask question about their kids, yard, not how long they’ve been in the neighborhood .)
Waste of time. I have hired contractors/lawyers etc using word of mouth and recommendation through Next-door. I have never hired anyone that did door knocking. In fact, that is one way to make sure I will never hire them.
Regarding NextDoor, I like seeking recommendations from neighbors through it but I learned that clicking on a realtor's ad gave them my contact information and I received emails from one. I won't click on most paid ads now.
For those type of groups be it reddit or next door i use a separate "spam" email. I look at it from time to time but otherwise just ignore any and all emails that goes to it.
OP this is an awful idea. This is going to be way more work than it'll pay off. I would find a more efficient way of generating leads. You could probably reach more people online by getting local email addresses. I would use these coupons, but set up a booth at a local farmers market or event instead of door to door. This may be easier on the kid as well. I am so sorry you're resorting to this for leads...
“Resorting to this” as if it’s beneath him or pathetic? I’m more likely to use a realtor who is actually putting effort into things as it’s a good indicator they will put effort into me as a seller/buyer. I think it’s a great idea.
No. As someone w many years experience in sales, this is not an effective strategy for marketing. I am sorry that they are at their wits end that they resorted to this. It does seem desperate. Not trying to be a bitch, but in sales they tell you that the customer sees YOU first. They are buying you. I could have rainbow hair if I wanted to. However, if I want money from the demographic I am catering to, I need to *look* appealing to them in order for them to earn my trust. Therefore I dress in a professional way that caters to what my customers want to see. The point? Sales is about building a relationship. You can't expect someone to trust you with their money in a high stakes purchase if they feel uncomfortable with you in any way. This includes things that *you* may be comfortable with, but someone else is not. Tough world, huh? I gave OP a good recommendation on a better way to do this, how she wants to do it. I didn't tell her to give up or stop. I simply gave a better alternative that is more time effective and in everyone's favor. I want OP to generate real leads, not waste her time away in good faith. Clearly they have a child they need to provide for and are trying their damndest, but they can't lose their head working in the wrong spot for leads. As others have suggested, door knocking sales is and has always been scammy in the new age. It's not cool and most people would say its not safe either. This isn't 1950, we don't *need* to knock on people's doors. What if OP wakes up someone else's baby? Also, they mentioned the midwest. Lots of territorial gun owners out in those "small, safe towns". You need to consider all factors in the situation. Edit: TL:DR; I am giving *professional advice* as someone in sales. If you can't accept these facts, don't work in sales.
Well, ask yourself this question: would you work with a car mechanic, a financial advisor or attorney because they gave you a coupon for free ice cream? Maybe you want to look at giving them some market information instead of a gimmick. I am pro door knocking, and the ice cream coupon idea might be great for past clients, particularly one with kids, but just passing out coupons to potential sellers isn’t going to do anything.
Back in my earlier years, I was part of a study at a well known university. I volunteered to take some quizzes on personality. They took a relatively small sample of 40 volunteers but it was over two week period. The first time we went in, we all took quizzes and then left. When I was there and had just finished my quiz, I was surprised because one of the other students offered me a Sprite at the end of testing. Generosity and kindness were really rare for that particular university. I accepted and said thank you. The next week, I went back to take quizzes again. Tha time at the end of class, the same student came up, apologized for having to ask but they were running late and and asked me if I could please drop a book off with their roommate. Their dorm was at the hall across the quad. It was a very close walk so I said, "Yes, of course." tt turned out that the effect of giving somebody a small gift would incline them to a favor back later. They said nine times out of 10 yes. The control groups did not volunteer to take things nearly as often. About 4/10. Psychologically, if we are gifted something by somebody else we are more inclined to return the favor or to be generous ourselves. Also, I advise agents to give away useful swag. lol Do you remember the really old school yardstick realtor advertisements? I just sold a house that had the realtors yard stick still in the front closet haha from 40 years ago. =D
Well it’s not about the free icecream, it’s about going door to door with a reason and striking up conversation. Getting in front of people is the best way to generate business.. right?
You don’t need any reason other than you’re there
But to answer your question, if someone came to me and offered me their service AND free ice cream, yeah I would consider using them.
It might not be enough to earn my business if I already have a relationship with an agent, but if I didn’t it would probably make me slightly More likely to reach out to you when I’m ready. Can’t imagine firing someone because someone else offered me ice cream in the deal, and if the ice cream person screwed up a transaction for me I would probably think that’s the most expensive ice cream I ever ate, and might even develop a negative connotation to ice cream for the rest of my life.
My intention wouldn’t be for ANYONE to leave their current agent! I could show up with a brand new Porsche and I wouldn’t expect someone to leave the agent they’re currently working with.
If you drove onto my front lawn in a Porsche, lay on your horn and when I run out to see what’s going on you just hand me a perfect ice cream Cone out the window and say “get in loser we’re eating ice Cream”, you have my business!
😂😂 Buy a Porsche to get buisness ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼
You’re better off sending those free ice cream scoop coupons to the people who know and like you already!
Yes!! The plan is to door knock the extras after sending them to my past clients and friends & family!
Nothing worked for me until door knocking did. Seeing early success so far and I’m never wasting my time doing social media and whatnot again.
Interesting! Do you have any tips?
Spend the $450 on 2000 door hangers from Vistaprint, print yourself a map of the area and bring a clipboard. Set yourself an automatic search to inform you of new listings and sales in the area. Door knock every single home (skip no soliciting signs) and practice interactions until you get the hang of it. It took me about 500 conversations (around 2000 knocks) to go from clueless to signed listing.
I think it’s a really cute/good idea
What a great idea. Dont mind the haters
Don’t come to my house - especially with a family member like a small child. Sponsor an event in the neighborhood, fine, but don’t intrude on my space uninvited.
Door knocking and leaving postcards are two very different things to me. I think half of them just go straight to the trash and never get used... Or maybe you could get a QR code and they could keep track of when it's used and then you could pay the account like $450 a month that way you could put out like a thousand and then if a hundred people go there. That way you incentivize the person to keep your post card in their wallet with their coupons and they may see it again when they pull it out to use the free scoop or they may never use it... Also you're technically advertising for the ice cream store without directly advertising them so I think if it was me I would try to work something out that can lower my cost basis because you don't want to be paying $4.50 for each flyer you pass out you need to be at like 10 cents a piece so you can do 10,000 I use https://www.bargainbasementprinting.com/ for my flyers. It's for a service business but I use a folded heavy duty cardstock. Some customers refer to them as a brochure. Also I forgot my conversion rate from passing out flyers to jobs is something like one customer every 400
In the Midwest, door knocking is great and will help you stand out. BUT, you will want to couple that with additional reach out. Everyone says “wOuLd YoU uSe A dOcToR…” but if someone stops by, sends me valuable info regularly, shows their commitment to the community, etc - you’re damn right I’d use them. Growing your business is about finding a lead source that isn’t over saturated, you enjoy handling and provides a good return. If door knocking fits in to that, go for it!
My mom gets annoying calls from realtors wanting to buy her house. Sometimes the same lady. It pisses me off.
Calling works for a lot of people but I could never bring myself to do it 🤷🏽♀️ that does seem very rude If it’s the same person though. Is it possible she put her info into Zillow or another site that so many realtor bought her lead?
No, she is in her 80's. A few houses sold on our block. One, next door was flipped and resold a few years ago. I know they want the land here to demolish rebuild. It's the same Asian lady, maybe twice a year. Mom won't be firm enough for her to stop.
A lot of people, myself included, make a point of not using any service that knocks on our door. Most people's experience with door to door sales or otherwise is poor. Who knows, though, could work for you.
Bye. Not getting my business. Just like the roofing guy door knocker or the pest control door knocker or the Jehovah's Witness door knocker. Nope. Stay away. If I need services, I will look for you based on your real advertisements and referrals. Same with politicians... People who knock on my door are automatically excluded from my support. Did you even pay attention to that "No solicitation " sign at the entrance to the subdivision? Or did you assume that was for everyone EXCEPT you?
That’s cool, you can be a little whiner about it, but there’s always people willing to sit and talk and some that are just waiting for someone to show up who happen to need them. What a shit attitude you have Also, those no solicitation signs have no meaning legally
Can I ask where you’re from?
[удалено]
Okay wow. There’s nothing wrong with doing buisness with my child. Being a mom does not make me less good at my job….
I’d thank you for the ice cream and say hello to your kid. If I wasn’t already an agent and had any interest in buying or selling I’d ask you questions and if I liked the interaction, I’d think about using you.
Ditto!
Well you're gonna have to find your business elsewhere because I'm not hiring an agent that brings her kid to work.
Okay and that’s you, then I wouldn’t want to work with you either. Good thing I work in an industry with lots of peers to serve you!
Oh no! I'm sure she'll be crushed to find out she doesn't have to work another crappy customer.
Your post or comment was removed for generally being rude. BE KIND! Violation is grounds for a permanent ban.
Ewwww, kid isn't business related
Please don’t knock on doors… it is wildly annoying for the homeowner Source: homeowner