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Chandler David Smith
A lot of agents hate door-knocking, and I can’t say I blame them.
Getting hit with constant rejection isn’t easy, especially when it happens face to face. But for those willing to power through potential discomfort, door-knocking can really pay off.
Take recent podcast guest Chandler David Smith, for instance.
His first summer as a door-to-door salesman, Smith made $96,000. The next summer, he took home over $140,000.
When I interviewed Smith, I asked how he managed to convert so many cold prospects with hardly any sales experience.
To get his answer, along with additional advice on door-knocking, listen to the podcast below. Or, to get his top three tips on body language, read on.
1. Plan eye contact breaks
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who never looks away? It’s uncomfortable.
When giving a pitch, it’s not uncommon for unnatural body language — like staring — to throw things off.
Many inexperienced door-knockers tend to stare at prospects during their pitch. As you might imagine, this makes for an awkward experience. To ensure that you’re not stuck staring at prospects during that vitally important first impression, have planned breaks in eye contact.
While giving your pitch, look away at certain points. Do this in as natural of a way as possible. For example, when mentioning a house sold down the road, you could plan to look toward it and gesture before bringing your focus back to the prospect.
2. Smile and nod
Want to be more likable instantly? Smile and nod more often.
This is a tactic that public figures often use to build trust with their audience during speeches; it’s one that you can use to do the same with prospects when door-knocking.
By smiling and providing positive nods during interactions with prospects, it encourages them to do the same subconsciously. Once they do, it actually increases the likelihood of them agreeing with what you’re saying. When giving a sales pitch, the impact that this can have on your close is huge!
Here’s another quick tip for working smiles and nods into your pitch: Smile and nod after planned breaks in eye contact. Not only does this make the practice easier to remember, it helps to re-establish trust after looking away.
3. Don’t be a fast talker
Picture the worst salesperson imaginable, someone so unlikable and untrustworthy that they couldn’t sell you a bottle of water in the middle of a scorching desert.
Did you picture a fast talker? I know I did.
Rushing to close isn’t an effective sales strategy, but it’s an approach that way too many door-knockers take. It might seem like speeding through your pitch will make it less likely that you’ll get cut off with an objection, but in Smith’s experience, the opposite is actually true.
By slowing down your pace, prospects will feel less comfortable cutting you off. Plus, when combined with breaks in eye contact, smiles, and nods, speaking in a slower, more controlled manner projects confidence.
Ultimately, to really succeed with door-knocking, you need every second of your pitch to be perfect. You can’t achieve that without plenty of planning and practice.
Making the right tweaks to your pitch now will make it easier (and faster) to perfect.
For more tips on giving a great door-knocking pitch, listen to my podcast interview with Chandler David Smith.
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Pat Hiban sold more than 7,000 homes over the course of his 25-year career in real estate. Now, he dedicates his time to helping others succeed as agents and investors. As host of the Real Estate Rockstars Podcast, Pat interviews real estate experts to explore what works in today’s markets. He also founded Rebus University, an online training platform for real estate agents and sales professionals.
