Cold calling and cold door knocking during COVID
Pre COVID it was already a challange to get someone to agree to a meeting over the phone or walking in to a business and asking for a decision maker to discuss their plans for the future.

Now that businesses are opening back up what are some ways to get back into the swing of cold calling for meetings and more importantly doing cold door knocks and simultaneously make people feel comfortable?
[{"id": "frcped6", "text": "Just had this conversation with a co-broker yesterday.  No question - you need to present yourself so you are respecting distancing, masking, etc.  The people you are approaching may have extreme concerns and precautions, or maybe they don't care at all.  In other words, wear your mask and keep your distance until you mutually determine how to proceed.  \n\n\nThe other issue will be who will allow random door knockers in their property.   Keeping the above mentioned practice in mind, I  still expect there to be difficult times ahead for door to door cold calling, which is the most effective marketing tool IMHO.  Those who truly despise us walking in their door will have the excuse they need to keep us out.", "replies": [{"id": "frcqrc9", "text": "Since the shutdown I haven't even attempted a cold door knock but suspect the covid excuse to get people out will be out in full force.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcpyqk", "text": "Cold door knocking in the current situation  sounds like a good way to get and spread the virus lol", "replies": [{"id": "frcqm4c", "text": "I totally agree but that's kind of a big part of my job. Im in texas and, politics aside, disagree with some of the ways we've been going about re opening but its inevitable at this point. The goal of the post was to hear ideas on ways to go above and beyond to make potential customers / current relationships feel safe.", "replies": [{"id": "frd29x8", "text": "I\u2019ve been really annoyed with everyone coming to the office and telling them off.  We have 25% staff in the office and don\u2019t need guests. \n\nCall or send an email like everyone else.", "replies": [{"id": "frd767q", "text": "Not every building / business has listed phone numbers or emails.", "replies": [{"id": "frd7j2v", "text": "You can buy that data. Costar/RCA at bare minimum, then assessor, etc. \n\n\nIt\u2019s out there chief.  Put on your Sherlock hat.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "frgkxi0", "text": "^Agreed.  OP definitely shy away from any in-person interaction as it\u2019ll only piss a prospect off that you\u2019re getting close to them", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcsky7", "text": "This pandemic has been especially challenging for me to gain new business as I am mainly a face to face person. \n\nIt sounds crazy but I am more comfortable getting lunch and coffee with prospects than cold calling. Which has been terrible now that all I do is cold call.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcumsp", "text": "DO not knock on someone's door. Home owners will be offended. My home has 4 signs do not solicit. Those tried and left fliers I contacted the City Hall enforcement as they are required to wear a SOLICITATION PERMIT badge or facing $300 fines.  Often City calls the broker.  I know one agent was fired for not observing caution.", "replies": [{"id": "frcvxxt", "text": "Not knocking on home doors. These are business to business cold calls.", "replies": [{"id": "frcws93", "text": "Don't understand why residential ppl comment in a commercial thread. It's apples and oranges.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcuov2", "text": "Get a 3D printed hand/fist and attach it to an 8' dowel and use that as your knocker/doorbell ringer. Make that a bit of a schtick and bring humor to disarm the absurdity of going door to door during a global freaking pandemic.", "replies": [{"id": "frcw2d0", "text": "This is actually a hilarious idea. I've also thought about getting a shoulder holster for hand sanitizer.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcx53l", "text": "Why go after tenants when you can go after landlords. Figure out who took a ppp loan in your area. Build a list of those landlords. Talk to them now in the event those companies cannot pay off the loan, see about getting a listing agreement now so when the tenant cannot pay the rent you are on speed dial. \n\nBut yeah, county club and golf course are closed. Figure out ways to network on LinkedIn or other niche news site. \n\nOld ways are dead, you will be too. Time to be reborn. \n\nAlso, call all the old brokers and get a list of their top clients. See if they can make soft introductions.", "replies": [{"id": "frdv5ge", "text": "Which old broker is going to give a list of their top clients away?", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "frcxg1q", "text": "As the recipient of frequent cold calls, do a proper introduction of yourself. I don\u2019t know if they teach this in some seminar but I get soo many calls that go: \n\n\u201cHey Firstname! It\u2019s Ace! How ya doin\u2019?\u201d \n\nMe: *frantically trying to remember who Ace is*\nThen saying \u201csorry you cut out, who is this?\u201d To buy me time to keep thinking \n\nThem: \u201cAce! How\u2019s it going?\u201d \n\nMe: \u201cI\u2019m sorry, can you jog my memory of how I know you?\u201d  I have to be polite because I\u2019m an attorney and don\u2019t always remember all my clients \n\nThem: \u201cYeah! I wanted to see if your property at XYZ is for sale, we buy blah blah blah. Did all your tenants pay last month or are you looking g to unload?\u201d\n\nMe: \u201cLook Ace. That\u2019s rude as hell to call me out of the blue, act like we know each other, then ask me personal questions.\u201d\n\nAce: \u201cI\u2019m sorry! I thought my associate told you I\u2019d call. But now that I have you on the phone, what\u2019s the most important thing to you when buying or selling a property?\u201d\n\nMe: \u201cDon\u2019t call me again\u201d. Click.", "replies": [{"id": "frd70mz", "text": "Starting out with deception is probably the WORST way to cold call. I usually get right to the point and say my name, my company and that I'm an investor and broker and I'm looking to buy properties in the area. \n\nIm curious, as someone who gets cold called, what would be an effective way to start the call / open someone up?", "replies": [{"id": "fre6kbv", "text": "Honestly for me as someone who receives a shitton of cold calls. There is no effective way to get to me. I have a quick canned response to be polite and end the call. I then add your number to a contact I have in my phone with a custom silent ring tone called \u201cannoying cold callers\u201d and I never pick up your call again.", "replies": [{"id": "frf27r5", "text": "This is brilliant. Love it. Wonder if I have ever cold called you being from Seattle haha.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "frg7x0g", "text": "You need specifics. The ones that annoy me the most are the ones that are clearly just calling owners all over the country hoping to find senile grandma selling at 1950s prices. \n\nI\u2019m currently under contract to a cold caller. He initially contacted me via polite email with specifics that he owned the apartment complex down the street on XYZ Road and was looking to scale up to save in management fees. This told me 3 things: he can get financing, he\u2019s actually sincerely interested in my particular apartments instead of looking for senile grandma, and his name and company which I can then google to see legitimacy. \n\nI told him we weren\u2019t selling at the time, and he wrote back politely asking me to keep him in mind.  He then called about 6 months later, made a proper introduction and again said he owned the apartments down the street, and was looking to make a cash offer. I had googled him and found that he worked for a private equity firm who indeed was investing in my area. I had already told my agent I was thinking of selling so I knew a good price was $X. This individual offered us 95% of that purchase price, but since I had found the buyer i am paying 1.5% in agent fees instead of 5%.  \n\nBasically, if you are cold calling people all over just throwing your fishing pole in every pond...don\u2019t call. It\u2019s annoying and we can tell you really aren\u2019t seriously going to want to pay an appropriate price. But if you have narrowed it down to a specific market and actually want to close on a property, there are ways to express that. That will differentiate you. \n\nBut I can\u2019t tell you how many calls I get promising the moon. \u201cWe have put over $1B in assets under contract and are willing to pay 20% premium for your property because we believe *checks notes* Portland is the next up and coming city\u201d.  A. I noticed you said \u201cunder contract\u201d not \u201cclosed\u201d and B. Saying you are a Portland local while twanging away with your TX accent is suspect.", "replies": [{"id": "frgc64r", "text": "Thanks for the advice. I only target my local territory which is about 80 million sqft. This means I sit in front of all the data for their building, have it pulled up in google maps, and have probably been down the street to windshield it at some point.\n\nAlthough sometimes I may not have someone in mind right away to purchase the property I do have a pocket full of users and investors I could show it to and the only time I fool around with low ball offers are buildings listed for a long time and are overpriced. \n\nAdmittedly I absolutly hate cold calling but since I work for a family business without deep resources or data it's one of the only ways to stir up business.", "replies": [{"id": "frhr69y", "text": "Good luck. I do wish you well, but I hate getting calls from people like you that don\u2019t have an actual purchaser in mind. You have to understand from our POV we get hundreds of these a year and it\u2019s a true inconvenience.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}, {"id": "frkes44", "text": "I wish you luck but as someone who receives those calls I want to politely hang up on you ask fast as I can. \n\nMy first question is, \u201care you personally interested in buying this or do you have a specific prequalified buyer who would like to look?\u201d When they say no, I say I appreciate their time and don\u2019t want to waste their time or mine and I am not interested and not looking for seller representation.", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "fre6kvg", "text": "Seriously. So. Much. This.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fre6b2y", "text": "Cold calling is one thing. It is annoying but you do you. \n\nDO NOT COLD DOOR KNOCK DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. SERIOUSLY.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]