You can bet I'm an advocate of you doing research before calling on agents, especially if you're a stranger to them. Your first impression is too important. And besides, if the list of agents that meets your criteria is limited, you can't afford the luxury of blowing your first impression.
So how do you research agents? There are a couple handy resources. I recommend you begin with your Escrow Officer, and for two reasons. First, your escrow officer should be a rich source of agent referrals. They should be referring at least an agent every month to you who are dissatisfied with their current lender.
Secondly, they have access to data. Since they work with agents, and quite a few for that matter, they have data that can help you identify agents who meet your criteria. If you ask your escrow officer for help and they give you an excuse like, "We don't have that information," or "That's confidential, we can't pass it along," here's my advice - find a new escrow officer.
Another valuable resource is the agent's website. Reading it will give you firsthand knowledge about the agent and if you want to see it's traffic rankings use Alexa (
www.alexa.com). It will give you an instant snapshot if the site has any traffic.
Finally, another favorite resource can be the receptionist. However, I suggest you visit in person, instead of trying to extract information over the phone. It's more difficult for the receptionist to get rid of a warm body then it is to get rid of a telephone call. Ok, I know that's bad humor, so what I really mean is, let your warmth and sincerity convince the receptionist that you're a true professional and you could use their help identifying which agents in their office meet your criteria.
Remember, the receptionist is the ears and eyes of the office. They hear and see everything. And sometimes, they'll share intimate details that can help you make the best first impression. Better yet, they'll stop agents walking by the front desk as you're chatting, and give you a warm introduction that beats the heck out of a cold call.
So before you market again to any agents, define your target and research which ones you want to establish long-term relationships. Because it's not about developing relationships with many agents, it's about developing relationships with the right ones.
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