Is door knocking a dead real estate marketing tactic?
Despite what you may think, this strong lead generation strategy is still alive and well in 2024.
And while it might take a second to convince homeowners that you’re not knocking on behalf of a political or religious organization, real estate prospecting has never been easier than with this face-to-face strategy.
If you’re new to the door knocking game or looking for ways to revitalize your tried and true real estate marketing strategy, here are 11 door knocking tips that help you win leads and generate more closes for your real estate business.
11 Tips for Executing a Real Estate Door Knocking Campaign
1. Know where you’re going beforehand
Before you step foot in any old neighborhood, you need to know where you’re going specifically.
Research is key before embarking on your door knocking journey so you’re able to execute the right approach.
Knowing the average home value in the area, amenities, selling history, and safety ratings give you a better feel of the location to know what specific bits of information your prospective clients will want to hear that you can correlate with a home you’re representing.
2. Don’t try to sell on the doorstep
Yes, the point of a door knocking strategy is to sell, but don’t make that primary focus (or painfully obvious).
Instead of thinking of door knocking as another avenue to sell your homes, think of it as a method to sell you as a realtor.
Before you can get a stranger (whose doorway you’re standing on, we should add) to feel inclined to work with you, you need to establish a trustworthy relationship.
Door knocking is a great way to introduce yourself quickly, professionally, and in a conversational manner that isn’t sales-y or pushy (which should reduce some of the fear of door knocking).
Position yourself and your services as a way to add value to or help the prospect’s life by telling them a price point of a listed home, an interesting amenity that’s close by, or another intriguing fact you discovered in your research.
3. Dress the part… comfortably
You might be door knocking off the clock, but that doesn’t mean you should dress like it.
When door knocking for your real estate business, remember to dress professionally yet in a way that keeps you comfortable for all the time you’ll spend on your feet.
Think business-casual while paying attention to the weather to pick the right garments that will keep you warm or cool and classy.
If you’re totally unsure of what to wear, here’s a list of clothing items to avoid and save for another time:
- Activewear
- Dresses or skirts that are too short
- Ripped jeans
- Literal shorts
- Garments with stains
- Clothes that show your midriff
- Tennis shoes and flip flops
- Heels (though super cute, no one wants to get stuck in the grass)
Even while you’re door knocking, your real estate outfit will send a strong first impression. Make sure you wow people with your valuable information and not your clothes.
4. Practice, practice, practice!
Part of the fear with door knocking is not knowing what to say or fretting over awkward conversations. It’s a legitimate fear, but not one that can’t be calmed by practicing beforehand with a door knocking script.
Door knocking scripts are the brief opening statement you will say to homeowners as a way to introduce yourself once they open the door.
These scripts should convey information such as who you are, what you do, and most importantly, why you’re on their doorstep in the first place.
Coming up with your own door knock script puts the ball in your court and allows you to control the conversation. The best part is that they’re only a few sentences and a quick statement, which means you don’t have to speak for long.
Real estate door knocking scripts are generally broken down into three types: a warm opener, cold opener, and no-opener.
A warm opener is a script you’ll use if you’ve listed or recently sold a home in the same neighborhood or surrounding area. A cold opener is the opposite and is a script you’ll use if you’re trying to break into the area.
If no one is home or doesn’t answer the door, a no-opener is a written version of your script – either warm or cold – you will leave on a note along with a pop-by gift (more on this in a later section).
Here’s an example of a warm and cold script to customize and use when door knocking:
- Warm: “Hello, I’m [insert name] and I’m from/with [brokerage name.] I recently [reason for visit]. Are you interested in [your service(s)]?”
- Cold: “Hello, I’m [insert name] and I’m from/with [brokerage name]. I’ve been [reason for visit]. Are you interested in [your service(s)]?”
Before you venture out in the neighborhood to knock on doors, relieve yourself of the pressure by practicing your script several times.
Also remember to leave your contact information for homes that don’t answer so people have a way to reach you.
5. Start with a complimentary icebreaker
Continuing along the lines of scripts, a genuine icebreaker never hurt a conversation, especially when in the form of a compliment!
As you round the corners of your neighborhood and walk up the driveway, observe each house for a compliment you can open with such as a well-manicured lawn, beautiful car, or welcoming porch decor.
A complement will go a long way with the prospects as it makes the conversation about them, which is how it should feel.
This tactic also makes the approach feel friendly and conversational and distract from the sales-y undertone that might be making you feel anxious in the first place.
6. Leave behind door hangers and fliers
Though the point of door knocking is to establish relationships, you should never go empty-handed.
Bring memorable marking materials with you to leave behind at home that don’t have a response or for homeowners that are interested in working with you.
Spend some time customizing door hangers or fliers that show a picture of you, your name, and contact information. Your photo is the most important part as this will make you more memorable in the community.
But, the work doesn’t stop once you’ve left behind your adorable hanger.
Remember to note the homes that didn’t answer and follow up with a postcard or other mail marketing letter to boost engagement with potential clients.
7. Invite homeowners to an upcoming open-house
One of the best ways to increase the success of your door knocking strategy is to plan it around an upcoming opening house.
If you have an open house scheduled for a stunning home you’re listing, pencil in door knocking rounds a few days in advance to spread the word as part of your lead generation tactic.
And, if you really want to entice potential buyers to make an appearance, don’t forget to include the most important part: cookies (or other yummy treats) will be provided!
8. Bring memorable pop-by gifts
There’s never a short supply of realtors in any given area, so how are you supposed to stand out amongst the crowd?
While door knocking is a bold marketing tactic sure to make your face memorable to homeowners, take the memorization a step further by setting yourself apart from the competition with pop-by gifts.
Pop-by gifts are fun treats to leave prospects you interact with to boost your personal brand and become the go-to for all their real estate needs.
Pass out fun items like customized key chains, flower seeds, mugs, door stoppers, or other small items you can leave behind with a cute and cheesy message for another memorable element.
9. Make the conversation quick
One of the underrated door knocking tips for real estate agents is to keep the conversation quick and to the point.
Getting someone to open the door for you is half the battle. Nowadays people are more hesitant than ever to open the door for a stranger.
When someone responds to your knock, it’s important to be highly respectful of the prospect’s time by keeping the conversation short, positive, and entirely on their terms.
You will meet all kinds of people while you’re out door knocking – including those who are prone to huffing and puffing. Remember to never take a less than happy attitude personally and if someone listens to your script but doesn’t seem interested in your services at the moment, end the conversation with a polite thank you and exchange your business card before moving to the next house.
10. Entice with possible neighbors
Other than door knocking, a great lead generation tool for realtors is word of mouth marketing.
When speaking with prospects face to face while out door knocking, dangle the possibility of being able to choose their neighbors by asking if they know of any friends or family that are looking to move to the area.
If they know someone who’s ready to move or sell their home, ask if they would like to share one of your business cards or fliers with their friend or family member to generate interest and acquire referrals.
11. Get comfortable with the word “no”
Like any business, odds are you’re going to get more “no”s than you will “yes”s. And guess what? That’s okay!
Part of setting off a door knocking venture is understanding that you’re about to face a lot of face to face rejection, but that doesn’t mean your efforts won’t pay off down the road.
Some homeowners are not ready at all for a real estate move. Others are entertaining the possibility but you’ve caught them at the wrong time.
Regardless, understand that “no”s don’t mean the same as “never” and find a way to still stay in contact with the homeowners by passing out a flier or business card after asking if they would like one for future needs.
Find Leads Today
Considering door knocking for your real estate business? Find the right leads to target with the help of Cole Information.
Our platform makes the lead-finding process effortless with our database that pulls hundreds (okay, more like thousands) of homeowners in your area within a matter of seconds.
If you’re wanting to know specifics about your area’s homeowners, like, how long they’ve been in the area, the average home value, or turnover rate, you can discover all of this and more through Cole’s Realty Resource to unlock the exact clients to contact first.
Scale your brokerage today by requesting your live demo of our custom-search platform to let Cole Information take the pressure of real estate prospecting off your plate so you can focus on more important aspects of this powerful real estate strategy… like writing your door knocking scripts.
