Circle
prospecting
is
still
a
proven
and
effective
way
to
find
real
estate
clients.
The
beauty
of
incorporating
circle
prospecting
into
your
overall
lead
generation
strategy
is
that
you
can
customize
it
to
fit
your
budget,
time
and
preferred
communication
methods.
Traditionally,
agents
circle
prospect
on
the
phone,
calling
neighbors
of
their

just
sold
or

just
listed
properties.
However,
you
can
choose
to
add
door-knocking,
mailers
and/or
emails
for
a
more
comprehensive
approach.

We’ve
listed
ten
simple
tips
to
master
circle
prospecting.
These
will
help
you
keep
your
real
estate
lead
pipeline
full
and
withstand
industry
changes.

What
is
circle
prospecting?
In
its
simplest
form,
circle
prospecting
means
contacting
homeowners
in
a
radius
(or
circle)
around
one
of
your
listings
or
recent
sales
to
ask
if
they
or
anyone
they
know
is
looking
to
buy
or
sell
their
home.

1.
Create
a
solid
follow-up
system

Circle
prospecting
is
a
long
game
and
a
numbers
game,
but
the
real
money
is
in
the
follow-up.
Most
of
the
homeowners
you
talk
to
will
not
be
looking
to
relocate
tomorrow.
However,
they
may
be
thinking
about
moving
in
the
next
six
to
12
months.

Staying
in
touch
and
keeping
top
of
mind
with
all
your
leads
is
the
key
to
getting
the
listing
appointment
when
the
time
is
right
for
them.
Schedule
your
lead
follow-up
time
in
your
calendar.
For
most
agents,
one
hour
per
day
or
five
hours
per
week
is
enough
time
to
stay
consistent
in
your
follow-up.
Block
that
time
off
in
advance
to
make
sure
it
doesn’t
get
missed.

Tool
to
use

A
solid
follow-up
system
needs
to
be
simple,
easy
to
implement
and
consistent.
Your
best
bet
is
to
use
an
automated
system.
If
your
CRM
has
its
own
lead
follow-up
tool,
I’d
start
there.
If
not,
check
out
Zurple’s
intelligent
lead
nurture
system,
which
provides
over
200
automated
texts
and
emails
to
keep
in
touch
with
your
leads.
Zurple’s
automated
lead
nurturing
tools
will
ensure
that
when
a
homeowner
is
ready
to
make
a
move,
they’ll
remember
you
and
reach
out.

Related
articles

Tracking
down
phone
numbers
and
email
addresses
for
homeowners
can
be
extremely
tedious
and
time-consuming.
There
are
a
few
options
for
leveraging
this
task:
pay
a
virtual
assistant
to
pull
the
data
for
you
or
subscribe
to
a
service
that
provides
all
the
information
you’ll
need.

Tool
to
use

REDX
offers
a
program
specifically
for
circle
prospecting,
called
GeoLeads.
This
program
lets
you
draw
a
circle
on
a
map
and
find
contact
information
for
sellers
in
that
area.
You’ll
get
access
to
2,500
leads,
email
addresses
and
market
data
trends
each
month.
If
you
want
to
make
circle
prospecting
part
of
your
lead
generation
plan
but
don’t
have
the
time
to
research
phone
numbers
yourself,
REDX
is
a
great
option.

3.
Build
relationships

Beyond
generating
leads,
a
significant
goal
of
circle
prospecting
is
to
build
and
nurture
relationships
in
your
community.
No
one
likes
the
feeling
of
being
sold
to.
Instead
of
approaching
homeowners
with
the
intention
of
selling
their
house
immediately,
focus
on
building
relationships.
Sometimes
agents
feel
nervous
about
calling
or
door-knocking.
While
that’s
completely
normal
and
understandable,
a
mindset
shift
is
the
answer.

Remember
that
the
people
you’re
talking
to
are
just
people.
They’re
not
leads,
prospects,
buyers
or
sellers
—
just
regular
people
living
their
lives.
And
they
may
have
a
life
event
in
the
future
that
will
cause
them
to
want
or
need
to
relocate.
Lead
your
conversations
with
humanity.
Doing
so
will
make
a
greater
impact
while
also
giving
you
confidence
in
your
approach.

When
you
truly
detach
from
the
outcome
and
focus
simply
on
helping
people
with
their
needs
on
their
unique
timelines
(not
yours),
the
people
you’re
talking
to
will
pick
up
on
that
energy
and
respond
well
to
it.
Put
the
person
above
the
transaction
and
trust
that
when
you
build
strong
relationships,
business
will
come.

4.
Be
patient
and
inquisitive,
not
sales-y

Focus
each
conversation
on
asking
questions,
rather
than
trying
to
sell
yourself.
The
goal
is
to
find
out
exactly
what
their
situation
is,
what
their
needs
are
and
what
their
ultimate
motivation
is.
Only
then
will
you
be
able
to
serve
them
well.
Some
great
questions
to
ask
are:

• 
  “What
  do
  you
  love
  about
  living
  here?”
• 
  “If
  you
  were
  to
  move
  someday,
  where
  would
  you
  go?”
• 
  “Is
  there
  a
  certain
  price
  that
  would
  motivate
  you
  to
  sell?”
• 
  “Who
  in
  the
  neighborhood
  might
  be
  thinking
  about
  selling?”

Circle
prospecting
is
a
lead
generation
strategy
that
requires
an
abundance
of
patience.
The
general
public
is
still
quite
wary
of
real
estate
agents,
especially
when
you
are
cold
calling,
so
approaching
each
person
with
patience
is
key.
This
way,
no
one
feels
rushed
or
pressured.
They
will
feel
like
you
really
care
about
getting
to
know
them
and
their
unique
needs.

Related
articles

5.
Offer
valuable
information

Offer
homeowners
something
they
will
find
valuable
(hint:
they
don’t
care
how
much
money
you
made
last
year
or
what
car
you
now
drive).
Here
are
some
ideas
of
actual
value
you
can
offer
when
circle
prospecting:

• Hyperlocal
  market
  data
  specific
  to
  their
  neighborhood,
  including
  details
  about
  recent
  sales,
  the
  number
  of
  offers
  each
  listing
  received
  and
  the
  speed
  at
  which
  the
  homes
  sold
• An
  in-person
  equity
  analysis
  (a
  different
  way
  of
  saying
  
  a
  comparative
  market
  analysis
  or
  CMA)
• A
  guide
  to
  the
  highest
  return
  on
  various
  home
  improvements
• Upcoming
  local
  community
  events
• Local
  charity
  drives
  and
  volunteer
  opportunities
  (host
  your
  own
  charity
  drive!)
• National
  trends.
  While
  these
  may
  not
  be
  particularly
  relevant,
  most
  people
  find
  them
  interesting
  and
  like
  to
  feel
  informed
  about
  the
  overall
  real
  estate
  market.

Tool
to
use

NAR’s
research
account
on
Instagram
is
a
fabulous
resource
for
sharing
interesting,
relevant
information
easily
on
your
own
social
media
accounts.
You
can
also
download
the
infographics
and
use
them
in
print
marketing
materials
or
email.

6.
Vary
your
outreach
methods
(more
touches
=
higher
likelihood
they’ll
remember
you)

When
you
hear
the
term
“circle
prospecting,”
you
probably
think
of
cold
calling.
That’s
certainly
a
proven,
efficient
and
affordable
method
of
communication.
Yet
I’d
recommend
a
varied
approach.
It
might
be
awkward
to
call
the
same
person
all
the
time,
especially
if
they’re
a
stranger
and
haven’t
expressed
any
interest
in
working
with
you
yet.

However,
if
you
call
them,
then
email
them,
then
later
send
a
postcard
or
letter
in
the
mail,
followed
by
a
pop-by
at
their
home
where
you
offer
an
item
of
value,
it
will
feel
far
more
organic.
The
more
often
a
person
hears
from
you,
the
more
they
feel
like
they
know
you.
These
many
touch
points
will
increase
the
likelihood
that
they’ll
reach
out
to
you
when
they
have
a
real
estate
need.

7.
Lead
with
a
specific
reason
for
reaching
out

While
cold
calling
strangers
just
to
introduce
yourself
may
work
for
some
agents,
I
much
prefer
reaching
out
to
homeowners
for
a
specific,
interesting
and
time-sensitive
reason.
Otherwise,
it’s
easy
to
sound
too
sales-y.
Some
excellent
reasons
to
call,
text,
email,
mail
or
door-knock
are:

• 
  Just
  listed:
  “We
  just
  listed
  your
  neighbor’s
  house
  for
  sale!
  Any
  chance
  one
  of
  your
  friends
  or
  family
  members
  would
  be
  interested
  in
  living
  here?”
• 
  Just
  sold:
  “We
  just
  sold
  your
  neighbor’s
  house
  for
  (sale
  price)!
  We
  actually
  had
  (number)
  of
  offers,
  which
  means
  many
  qualified
  buyers
  are
  still
  looking
  in
  this
  area.”
• 
  Open
  house
  neighbor
  preview:
  “We
  are
  hosting
  an
  open
  house
  this
  weekend,
  and
  we’re
  doing
  a
  special
  neighbors-only
  preview
  the
  hour
  before
  the
  public
  event.
  I
  hope
  you
  will
  be
  able
  to
  stop
  by!”

Plan
ahead
of
time
who
you’re
going
to
call
and
what
your
purpose
for
the
call
will
be.
Keep
track
of
this
in
a
spreadsheet
or
in
your
CRM
to
ensure
you
aren’t
calling
the
same
people
with
the
same
message
more
than
once.

Related
article

8.
Don’t
call
people
on
the
“do
not
call”
list

This
should
go
without
saying,
but
we
need
to
say
it
anyway.
Do
not
call
people
listed
on
the
Do-Not-Call
list.
In
1991,
the
U.S.
Congress
passed
the
Telephone
Consumer
Protection
Act
(TCPA)
to
restrict
sales
calls
and
the
use
of
robo-dialers
and
recordings.
This
led
to
the
creation
of
the

Do-Not-Call
(DNC)
Registry.

Door
knocking
is
usually
safe
unless
there’s
a
“no
soliciting”
sign
on
the
door,
although
to
protect
yourself
further,
you
can
always
call
your
municipality
and
request
a
solicitor’s
permit
for
the
day.
Direct
mail
is
fair
game,
too,
unless
someone
specifically
asks
you
to
stop
mailing
to
them.

Tool
to
use

If
you
plan
to
do
cold
calling
as
part
of
your
circle
prospecting,
check
the
database
yourself
or
forgo
this
tedious
task
and
purchase
contact
information
lists
that
have
been
scrubbed
for
you.
Vulcan7
is
one
of
the
more
robust
search
tools
available
and
will
help
ensure
you’re
staying
compliant.
Simply
search
your
geographic
area
and
the
type
of
homeowner
you’re
interested
in
contacting,
and
Vulcan7
will
produce
a
list
complete
with
phone
numbers
to
call.

9.
Practice
your
conversations
and
responses

Confidence
comes
from
practice.
Yes,
most
agents
cringe
at
the
idea
of
practice
and
role
play,
yet
it
makes
a
world
of
difference
in
your
confidence
level
when
you
know
what
you’re
going
to
say.
Practice
by
yourself
in
the
car,
in
the
mirror
and
with
your
fellow
agents
in
your
office.
The
higher
your
confidence
level,
the
easier
it’ll
be
to
build
trust
with
the
people
you’re
prospecting.

Practicing
what
you’re
going
to
say
initially
is
helpful,
but
you’ll
also
want
to
consider
your
responses
to
common
questions
and
objections.
What
will
you
say
when
someone
responds
to
your
circle
prospecting
efforts
and
strikes
up
a
conversation
with
you?
Here
are
some
common
questions
or
objections
you
may
hear:

• How’s
  the
  market? 
• How
  many
  homes
  have
  you
  sold
  in
  this
  area
  (definitely
  practice
  this
  one,
  especially
  if
  you
  haven’t
  sold
  much
  there)
• Interest
  rates
  are
  way
  too
  high
  —
  it’s
  not
  worth
  it
  for
  me
  to
  sell
  now

Decide
what
your
response
will
be,
then
brainstorm
with
your
fellow
agents
and
determine
the
best
response
for
the
situation.
You’ll
not
only
feel
more
prepared
—
you’ll
also
hone
your
ability
to
think
quickly
on
your
feet.

Tool
to
use

There’s
a
book
for
this!
Check
out
this
book,

“Exactly
What
to
Say:
For
Real
Estate
Agents”
by
Phil
M
Jones,
Chris
Smith
and
Jimmy
Mackin.
It’s
full
of
practical,
easy
to
learn
phrases
and
questions
designed
specifically
for
our
industry.

10.
Keep
it
simple
and
casual

Stay
calm,
keep
your
conversation
starters
simple
and
maintain
a
casual
attitude.
Imagine
a
stereotypical
sweaty
salesperson
fumbling
over
their
words.
Avoid
coming
across
as
that
type
of
person
by
following
our
tips
and
strategies
shared
here.

Don’t
overcomplicate
what
you’re
going
to
say
when
you’re
circle
prospecting
—
prepare
a
sentence
or
two,
and
let
the
conversation
flow
naturally.
If
the
other
person
is
responding
and
engaging
with
you,
that’s
a
win!

When
in
doubt,
ask
another
question.
Whoever
talks
the
most
during
an
interaction
generally
feels
like
they
have
won
the
conversation;
that
should
always
be
your
prospect,
not
you.
Dig
deep
with
intentional
questions.

8
effective
circle
prospecting
conversations

Scripted
conversations
are
powerful
tools
to
help
you
feel
prepared
for
circle
prospecting
and
for
handling
objections
—
but
it’s
a
delicate
balance
between
being
prepared
and
sounding
natural.
Use
these
convo
starters
as
jumping-off
points
to
generate
interest
and
demonstrate
your
expertise
and
value.
Be
sure
to
adapt
them
to
fit
your
style
and
market.

Script
1:
Just
sold
announcement

Script
2:

Script
2:
Market
update
pitch

Script
4:
Neighborhood
expert
pitch

Script
5:
Neighborhood
home
valuation
offer

Script
6:
Expired
listing
approach

Related
articles

Script
7:
Community
event
invitation

Script
8:
Referral
request

The
full
picture

Circle
prospecting
is
a
useful
strategy
for
expanding
your
network
and
establishing
yourself
as
the
local
expert
in
a
particular
area.
It’s
a
long
game,
yet
many
agents
have
found
success
with
it.
Use
these
tips
consistently
and
you’ll
reap
the
results.