Passive and Active Prospecting in Real Estate
When you become a real estate agent or broker, prospecting becomes a very important activity. As Advantage-Properties.com explains, prospecting is the first step to finding a group or groups of buyers and sellers. There are two types of prospecting that you need to be aware of to be successful.
Passive Prospecting
Passive real estate prospecting is a simple but effective way to reach potential clients. In passive real estate client mining, you employ techniques that do not involve you directly. These techniques can be postcards, flyers, websites and banners.
For instance, you send a postcard to a neighborhood that fits your demographic. You can also link your website to real estate search sites to give you more exposure. In each of these cases, you are not directly involved in advertising. Although, if you are using a website, it is highly recommended that you update it regularly with informational posts and listings.
Active Prospecting
Active prospecting involves a lot more work than passive prospecting. If you engage in active prospecting, you have to schedule and attend events, go door to door, get involved in groups and actively write letters or send emails. When you are actively looking for clients, meet and greets become extremely important, as does your appearance, vehicle and other visible factors. You can also prospect by networking with your fellow agents and brokers.
Combination Prospecting
By combining active and passive forms of client acquisition, you can maximize your efficiency. You could sponsor a charity at an event and then attend the event with the charity you sponsor. The sponsorship is passive because charities often offer advertising space on their booth, and the networking you do while you are there is active.
Both the active and passive forms of client acquisition are effective. Most real estate agents or brokers use a combination of the two in order to reach as many buyers and sellers as possible.