Here’s where ‘traditional selling’ still works

I was shocked to see our local election results. The candidate I expected to be a front-runner didn’t place high enough to secure one of the three available spots. When I asked a local politico for their thoughts he said, “more face-time, not Facebook is what they needed”.

Being seen in your market is the first step in opening potential sales opportunities.

Yet increasingly nearly everything that once depended on a personal touch to close a sale has been commoditized and put online for shoppers to peruse at their convenience. While having an excellent online presence (like our Online Dominance websites) is important, there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned face-to-face sales.

Experienced salespeople know this. In fact, nearly 70% of salespeople from a variety of industries said their best tools for generating sales were still face-to-face meetings and prospecting on the phone. They also know that the more prospects you contact the more sales you close.

In my early days as a life insurance agent, an older salesman told me “get out there and be seen!”. I took his advice to heart and went prospecting door-to-door in select neighborhoods for several Saturdays. What was the first sale? To get them to like and trust me. The second was to get a future appointment to meet. It worked. In fact, there are still a few reverse mortgage originators who still canvas neighborhoods. 

Here are just a few ‘old school’ sales ideas you may want to try in your efforts to generate more leads in today’s challenging market. I invite you to add your own tips in the comment section as well.

1. Research homes with 60+ homeowners and lower LTVs and then canvas those homeowners in the same neighborhood. Make the introduction. Leave a card. Ask for something small like they watch your video and get an agreement for a call back in a week.
2. Speak anywhere anyone will have you. Senior events, gatherings of financial professionals, or local fairs where older homeowners are likely to congregate are just a few ideas.
3. Advertise recurring webinars for homeowners and their adult children. Get your content approved and then invite new and previous potential borrowers to attend. You could even send periodic emails using a CRM such as our Sales Engine with workflow automation.
4. Send a thank you card to everyone you met face-to-face, even if they didn’t agree to a future appointment. Gratitude opens doors and receiving a surprise card in the mail shows the homeowner or professional that you’re a step above typical salespeople. These are extremely inexpensive leads once you close a loan!

While more older homeowners are online, nothing still impresses like a genuine old-fashioned face-to-face encounter. And while technology and digital advertising may help they’re no substitute for a personal approach.