With today's challenging economy it's important for an agent to realize that deals just don't appear out of thin air. It takes time and clever thinking. Change can be made quickly and easily by asking a lot of questions. We do know that it is a buyer's market out there, but as an agent you cannot simply shy away from asking too many questions of your potential buyers in order to get them qualified. Move beyond fear and be more proactive!
The more you know about your client's needs the more you can help them so ask away. Remember, you are helping and not hindering a buyer by asking these important questions. This is a service that you offer your client to help speed up the process by which they can get their home. Some may worry that another agent that doesn't ask as many questions may scoop a client and make them feel more at ease but if an agent is afraid to ask these questions they will only dig a deeper hole for themselves.
Here are some suggestions to help you with calling potential buyers:
Ask lot of questions to determine the needs of the buyer.
Ask how long the buyer has been looking for that perfect home.
Request their personal information: name, address, phone numbers, and email address.
Ask the buyer their time frame to purchase, do they have real estate to sell, etc...
Make sure the buyers that have been pre-qualified or approved.
Do not give any free information unless they have signed to work with you.
If you run into a potential buyer that is elusive, evasive and not forthcoming, then let them go. If they won't help you then you can't really help them.
Be proactive, ask the questions and show your worth through your services and thus standout from your competition. By doing so will help insure that you will be successful through this difficult time. Hang in there... you can do it!