Real estate canvassing: how to make a good impression

A property practitioner’s job is never done. It is an ongoing process of putting your best foot forward and building rapport with homeowners and sellers. Once you learn the art of canvassing, your pathway to success will become smoother and lined with prospective clients. Read on to discover these door-to-door marketing tips to put you in good stead for your next sale. 

First impressions count: start on the right foot 

When canvassing for clients, it’s up to you to make sure they are satisfied with the information they are hearing and will return to your incredible services. This also ensures that the client spreads great business referrals by word of mouth, depending on what you promised to help them achieve with your expertise. 

Lay the foundation for an easy professional relationship 

Making your client feel appreciated and valued is one of the key components before you launch into your pitch to retain their business. It’s crucial to play into tried and tested effective strategies in order to build credibility and a trusting relationship. When you approach a potential client, do so in a professional manner, while still retaining the warmth of human connection. Make sure you are dressed appropriately, well-groomed and confident in your dialogue. These may seem like insignificant things but will stand out and make your client feel more comfortable trusting you. 

Some tips to get ahead in the canvassing game include: 

• Having good body language and eye contact
• Respect people’s boundaries and their willingness to engage with you
• Create a memorable marketing tool such as a card or flyer with a discount

Prepare and stay informed of real estate knowledge

When engaging with a prospective buyer, it is important that you have all the information they could possibly need on hand. Keep records on all the properties you are promoting and have files dedicated to explaining what sets them apart. Some information you should always know offhand may include: 

• Size of property (square footage, number of rooms/bathrooms, etc.) 
• Parking garage or number of bays 
• Home security system availability 
• Wi-Fi included 
• Number of air conditioners, fans or heaters
• Access to nearby amenities 
• Safety of neighbourhood 
• Monthly rental/bond repayments 

Well-informed property practitioners can easily switch their clients onto a different property once they gauge their interest has dwindled in another. This lets your clients know that you have listened to them and are attuned to what they are looking for. Personalised attention like this can lead to guaranteed future business and a pending sale. 

Tailor your canvassing techniques and get results 

Spend time getting to know your clients and what they require from your services. What looks like a one-size-fits-all situation might not be the case in every instance. Stand out from the competition and prioritise your client’s time and individual requests. By tailor-making property offers for them, you can be assured they will choose you time and time again. Being a successful salesperson means reading your client’s “needs” lists and predicting their “wants”. 

Tailor your success by implementing the following: 

• Have a script prepared that covers a broad spectrum of property topics
• Familiarise yourself with the areas you will cover
• Partner with local businesses to cross-promote each other’s company and widen your network
• Have a business card ready to hand out at community events.

Elevator pitch for real estate: you only have one shot 

Let your clients know that your goal is to provide them with a quality service, value for money, and the promise of a property deal of a lifetime. Advertise your expertise in neighbourhood outreach strategies by using social media and the power of influencer marketing to your advantage. Identify a popular influencer in the area you practise in and engage their help in showcasing various properties on offer. Whether you reach your target audience by collaborating on posts, hosting open show days or marketing your listings online, you can capture an audience that appreciates your digital marketing presence. By using technology to your advantage, you can build a database of clients who refer to your page first when in need of your services. 

Use real estate knowledge as a tool: show off your unique skills 

Whether you are selling your services to a potential buyer, someone who is looking to list their house or a tenant who is looking for the ideal place to rent, it’s important that you know how to present the property solution to their problems. Use your insight to show your confidence when speaking on subject matters such as the homeowners association, body corporate rules, home loan repayments or lease agreements. Every bit of insider trade jargon you can use while speaking to your clients can help them feel more inclined to trust what you are saying as a professional. 

Remember, a large part of prospecting in real estate is networking and creating a community of clients. Look at your potential to use local market insights for canvassing as a tremendous advantage, especially when cold calling in real estate. Every interaction is an opportunity to create a personalised lead and should be treated as such. 

Skip the stress of knocking on doors

Technology can do the heavy lifting when it comes to your canvassing efforts. Prop Data’s Canvassing Module uses data intelligence integrated from Lightstone to help you canvass homeowners based on their propensity to sell using AI modelling and Lightstone’s enriched data sets collected over many years. With data-driven models in place, you can secure POPIA-compliant mandates.