S1 E2: How To Crack The Code As A New Agent Prospecting Expired Listings

Noel (00:00):
Hi, I’m Noel with Today’s Brew, where top producing real estate agents share their tips on taking more listings, making more money, and having fun doing it. On today’s episode, we welcome Anna Newman from Seattle, Washington. Hi Anna.

Anna Newman (00:21):
Hi Noel. Thanks for having me.

Noel (00:22):
Thanks for joining us today. How are you?

Anna Newman (00:25):
I’m great.

Noel (00:25):
Well, I’ve heard that you’re making some big moves in the real estate world, and we are all interested to hear how you’re doing it.

Anna Newman (00:32):
I was previously a licensed real estate agent in California, and I did pretty well right from the start. I kind of always felt like I was lucky. And then coming into Washington, it was right before COVID, and I didn’t really know anybody or the area or anything. And I actually took that first year off and didn’t do anything in real estate. And then I came across somebody and I asked to join the team, Marv Nicholson. I joined Marv Nicholson Group’s team and the last year, it just kind of started and it started coming in and it kind of felt lucky in the beginning as well.

Noel (01:05):
It’s always nice to have the support of a team to guide you. And you felt it was a fairly easy transition moving in from California into Seattle?

Anna Newman (01:13):
Yeah, actually, I found it to be very scary. So coming into a new area and real estate being actually way different in California than Washington, not knowing the area or not knowing anybody, I really felt like I needed support from somebody that knew what they were doing and I got that by joining a team.

Noel (01:30):
Okay. And did the team offer you leads or did you get lead generation from somewhere else? Are you using a dialer?

Anna Newman (01:39):
So I use a dialer, and I do get leads from the team, which is amazing because that’s the hardest thing is to get leads. However, in the beginning, I found that some of those leads were more people that were curious about selling their home, and so I was setting all these appointments and I was going on all these appointments, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. They weren’t listing with anybody else, but they weren’t listing with me. And so it wasn’t until I started going on Espresso and watching Jackie and Jim, but I kind of felt like I cracked the code and that was I needed to call expireds and cancels.

Noel (02:13):
Okay. So is that your main source now is calling expireds?

Anna Newman (02:19):
That is absolutely what I’m focusing on right now in my business. I’m still working on that future business and building that relationship with those curious people, but I found that in order to not feel lucky in real estate, that I actually did something to get the business, something that was measurable was calling expireds and cancels.

Noel (02:40):
Okay. So I want to touch base on both of those. The expireds, I’m curious about what the business is out in Washington. Are you seeing more expireds or did that not slow down for you at all?

Anna Newman (02:53):
Yeah, so that was something that we weren’t seeing. So this is actually a really new way of thinking for me. It just kind of has happened over the last few weeks that I kind of realized that was what I needed to do to get those kind of appointments that are ready to list now. And I’ve actually already got some within the first week of calling them. And so that’s kind of exciting. I don’t know what the outcome is for me yet of how many appointments versus how many I actually get signed and how may I get sold, but we are seeing a lot more days on market here in Seattle, Washington, and we are seeing a lot more expireds and cancels and we’re even starting to see for sale by owners which are interested in listing with us, which they were not before because they were having no problem selling their properties on their own.

Noel (03:34):
Absolutely. I see the same thing here. So what’s your goal for the year?

Anna Newman (03:42):
So, I am a mom and part of the reason why I’m in real estate is that I like to spend time with my kids and be involved with them and my family. So my goal for the year is about two deals a month, which I’m definitely on track more than that, but I guess it’s not really that high of a goal for some people.

Noel (04:03):
That’s a great goal. That’s 24 deals a year, and I think you give a lot of people a lot of hope that they’re newer in the business to have two deals a month and one year in.

Anna Newman (04:14):
Yeah, it was pretty exciting because we cap in … Our year starts different times, so mine started in May, and I was actually able to cap at 27 days with my new cap.

Noel (04:25):
So two deals a month. You’ve already capped. How far are you from hitting your goal for 24?

Anna Newman (04:34):
Yeah, so my new year kind of starts in May, so I’m only a few months into it, but I’m definitely on track.

Noel (04:41):
Tell us about your schedule. What do you do when you get up in the morning? Give us the anatomy of your day. Are there certain things that you do specifically every single day?

Anna Newman (04:52):
Yes. I’m definitely believe in a schedule and being consistent. So I get up in the morning and I start planning out my calls a little bit to my expires and canceleds. I want to start them from eight to nine and then from about nine to 10 I work on my other types of leads that I talk to and I’m prospecting with and building relationships with them.

(05:14):
Honestly, I spend pretty much until about 11:30 just calling people, just on the phone.

Noel (05:20):
That’s awesome. How many contacts do you hit? What’s your goal?

Anna Newman (05:24):
My goal is to do at least 50 to 60 calls before 10:00 AM. That’s how many calls I make, but I don’t really have a goal for how many people I actually talk to. I think my numbers are actually pretty high because I feel like I talk to about 10 people in that timeframe and it’s actually kind of shocking because we purchase all of these leads that come into our system, and I get to talk to a lot of them, but they expireds and canceleds actually do answer the phones at a higher rate than I would’ve thought they would’ve answered.

Noel (05:58):
That’s great news. I’ve personally have gotten stuff from expireds, from Espresso as well, so it’s a great system. It works. If you put in the time, which it sounds like you’re definitely doing, how do you keep your mindset strong? I mean especially if you’re working mom too, how do you stay motivated on days that you just simply don’t want to prospect?

Anna Newman (06:22):
I feel like it’s accountability with my team as well and having them there. We also role-play, I am like a team leader on our team, so I am role-playing at least four times a week for an hour each time, but everybody on our team is kind of required to do it about two hours a week or two different times. So I think that helps you stay accountable. And also the meetings and just talking to the other team members and them being motivated and everybody motivating each other.

Noel (06:51):
Do you use scripts or have a coach, or?

Anna Newman (06:55):
Yeah, so I definitely use scripts. I think scripts are very important and it’s kind of interesting because in the beginning that was something that I never thought that I would do. I think it is important to own your script and since I kind of told you that the cancelleds and expireds are new for me, I feel like I don’t totally own those scripts yet, and I’m definitely working on that. Every time I get off the call I’m like, “Oh, I should have said this,” or “Why didn’t you say that?” But you just get better with each call. But I think owning your script and knowing it is really important.

Noel (07:24):
How do you follow up with people that you don’t go on an appointment with right away, that you just want to nurture? What’s a meaningful way for you to keep in touch with them?

Anna Newman (07:33):
Yeah. For me, I feel like it’s really important to know their motivation and they can kind of help you keep in touch with them. So knowing their timeline and why they want to move and finding reasons to communicate with them that way can help you have reasons to call them and follow up with them.

Noel (07:45):
Perfect. What do you think your goal will be for next year?

Anna Newman (07:50):
Well, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be doubling my goal next year.

Noel (07:53):
Well, it sounds like you’re motivated enough to do it and get it done. That’s great. So in five years, you’ll be at a hundred transactions?

Anna Newman (08:02):
I don’t know. Maybe if I have people that I’m mentoring down below me that I can kind of help, but there is that balance for me of my life and my time, which is very valuable to me as well.

Noel (08:13):
If there was one piece of advice that you could offer newer agents that maybe aren’t having the same momentum that you’re experiencing, what would that be?

Anna Newman (08:25):
Consistent in whatever you choose to do and just keep doing it.

Noel (08:30):
Okay. If we want to reach out to you, how do we do that? How do we send referrals to you?

Anna Newman (08:36):
Yeah, you could email me, you can call me on my phone number. My phone number is (916)-960-6660. That would be a great way. I’m on Facebook, Anna Newman, I’m on Instagram, annanewmanrealtor. Those would be great ways to reach out to me.

Noel (08:52):
Out to me. Well, I’m excited for you and to see where your business goes. And once you get your kids off of school for the new year, you’ll probably be revving up those calls even more.

Anna Newman (09:02):
Yeah, for sure. The kids definitely slow you down. I have to bribe them. “Be good for these four hours and I’ll take you to the park.”

Noel (09:10):
Well, it sounds like you’re a great mama and a great realtor, and I wish you lots of success.

Anna Newman (09:16):
Thank you, Noel. I really appreciate being here, and I wish you the same.

Noel (09:19):
Thank you very much. Have a great day.

Anna Newman (09:22):
You too.

Noel (09:22):
Bye.

Anna Newman (09:23):
Bye.