Not all REALTORS® love cold calling, but most of those that are successful in the business have learned to do so effectively while making it an integral part of their daily prospecting. Dedicating a portion of your day to cold calling will ensure that you stay sharp on market trends and connected with the owners in your region. There is no better way to keep a pulse on landowner perspectives than by talking with landowners on a regular basis.

A few things to remember before picking up the phone:

• Plan what you want from the call. Is your goal to get a meeting and/or listing, submit an unsolicited offer, confirm contact info, etc.?
• Empathize, put yourself in their shoes. What type of land are you calling on and what type of owner are they? What is important to them? You will have a higher success rate if you are able to speak to a landowner about activity in the market and/or topics that are relevant to them.
• Preparation will lead to confidence. Know the market and data – but, don’t be afraid to tell an owner you don’t know something in response to a question. It is better to let them know you will research it and get back to them, than to guess and get it wrong. This will help to establish trust with the owner while simultaneously giving you a reason to follow up.
• Enthusiasm is contagious. Nobody wants to have a depressing conversation. You should be excited about what you do. But also, try to mirror the pace and tone of the person you are speaking with. This doesn’t mean copying them, but rather speaking to them how they are speaking to you.
• Personalize your approach. We are better when we are being ourselves. This could mean adjusting any cold calling script to play to your individual strengths.

Below is an example cold call prospecting script for land professionals along with a few variations depending on the nature of the conversation.

Introduction

Good evening/afternoon, this is (name) with (company/firm). May I speak with (owner’s name), the owner of the (land asset) located in (name of city/area)?

The reason for my call is:

Approach 1 (We have buyers)

We have been active in the market and are in contact with several motivated buyers looking for property similar to yours. Would you be interested in considering an offer if one of these prospects would like to submit on your property?

(Wait for response)

• If they are receptive – Great, it would be helpful to meet and discuss your goals in more detail so that we are able to guide the prospects toward a deal structure that best achieves your desired outcome. What is your availability in the next few days?
• If they are moderately receptive – I understand this is a big decision and you haven’t had the chance to think about it. At a minimum, could we schedule a quick meeting in the next few days to discuss the market and any specific goals that you have regarding your property?
• If they are not interested – I appreciate the consideration. Would you like to be kept apprised of market data and see similar properties that we are bringing to market? Is there a reasonable time frame for me to follow up and see if things have changed, perhaps 12 months?

Closing - Going forward, is this the best number to reach you? Would you prefer email? Thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Approach 2 (Recent sale)

We recently sold (name or location of property you recently sold) at a price of (price/acre or another applicable unit) which represented a record value in the market (Alternative - Or use another data point – like the number of offers, quickness of the process, etc. – that may be a motivating factor for another owner) and was shown substantial buyer interest.

Have you considered listing your property to take advantage of the current demand and strong values?

(wait for response)

• If they are receptive – Great, it would be helpful to meet and discuss your goals, as well as tour the property so that we may provide you with our estimate of value. What is your availability in the next few days?
• If they are moderately receptive – I understand this is a big decision and you haven’t had the chance to think about it. At a minimum, could we schedule a quick meeting in the next few days to discuss the market and any specific goals that you have regarding your property?
• If they are not interested – I appreciate the consideration. Would you like to be kept apprised of market data and see similar properties that we are bringing to market? Is there a reasonable time frame for me to follow up and see if things have changed, perhaps 12 months?

Closing - Going forward, is this the best number to reach you? Would you prefer email? Thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Approach 3 (General)

We are active in (your region, specific location of the land, specific land type, etc.) and are reaching out to owners to learn about their goals and so we are able to speak generally about each asset in the market. Do you have a few moments to discuss your property or is there a better time to speak?

(wait for response)

• If they are receptive – (Start asking questions.) Given how strong the values are at this time, have you considered selling? Would it be helpful to your estate planning if we were to provide a broker’s price opinion? Have you considered purchasing more land to increase the scale of your operation? How is everything going with your operation? Would you like us to send you information about activity to keep you informed about market trends? (have several potential questions to ask based on the type of property, specific market trends, and type of ownership).
• If they are moderately receptive – (get to the point) I understand you are busy. I wanted to quickly understand if you have considering selling, buying or are simply holding at this time…. Any information we could provide or questions about the market we could answer to assist you with your planning?
• If they are not interested – (ask to follow up with questions via email. If they don’t want to talk and won’t give you their email, MOVE ON.)

Closing - Going forward, is this the best number to reach you? Would you prefer email? Thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you again.

Through the practice of cold calling, you will become more comfortable and capable at gauging the conversation and guiding it in the direction you would like it to go. The bottom line is to pick up the phone and remember, an imperfect cold call is far better than no cold call. Happy calling!

About the author: Matt Davis is a real estate broker with Cushman & Wakefield. He is based in San Diego, CA, and assists clients with the disposition and acquisition of investment grade agricultural and transitional land assets. He is also founding member of the company’s Land Advisory Group and Agribusiness Solutions Team. Matt is a member of RLI and has served on their Future Leaders Committee.