You Calling Me?

You see a piece of commercial real estate you like. You place a call to the name on the sign. You leave a voice mail asking them to call you back. You hear nothing so you call again. Again, you hear nothing. At this point, you are thinking, if they aren’t going to return calls why is their name on the sign? Here are a few pointers that might help increase your chance of getting a call back from a commercial agent/broker:

1. One phone call just won’t cut it. There are many things going on in our day and some of us do not subscribe to the return all calls within 24 hours rule (I do, though I am rare). Make at least 3 calls on 3 different days to show sincere interest in the property;

2. Know something about commercial real estate. When leaving a message, the words you use tells the receiver a great deal about your level of experience in doing commercial transactions. The receiver will combine the information they hear in your voice mail message and then decide whether to return your call. If you know nothing about our industry, learn. Take our Intro course to at least know the basics about commercial real estate.


3. If you are with a residential firm, I suggest that you not leave the name of your firm. Commercial agents/brokers like to deal with people who have a high likelihood of getting a deal closed. Simply leave your name and state that have a client looking for property like the listing at 123 ABC Street;

4. Leave your direct line on the voice mail. It is quite troubling to return a call which goes to a main switchboard. Often the name on a voice mail message is not clearly stated so when we return the call, the receptionist has no idea who we want to speak with;

5. If you actually get into a commercial transaction, do your ½ of the work. The lack of response from commercial agents/brokers often started with doing a deal with a residential agent who either didn’t do their share of the work or the deal didn’t close. Either of those occurances is another nail in the coffin of a commercial agent/broker doing a deal with a residential agent in the future;

6. Be willing to refer your client to a commercial agent/broker you can trust. Getting 20–25% of a closed deal is better than getting 100% deal of an unclosed one. This willingness can also help you build trust and credibility with your clients as you demonstrate your desire to best meet their needs. If you are in the Sacramento, CA area, I will be happy to work with your buyers or sellers of commercial real estate, leaving all of their residential transactions to you!

Go to the Learn section of www.smithreservices.com to see our course package specifically designed for residential agents wanting to learn more about the business of commercial real estate. This knowledge can make the difference between closing the deal or not.

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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_116079_33.html

Occupation: Commercial Real Estate Broker/Trainer

Sheryl is an accomplished industry expert who is highly regarded, knowledgeable, and well connected. She is a past Chairperson of ACRE’s Broker of the Year Awards and former Association of Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) Board member. She is currently an active member of the Rancho Cordova Economic Development Board. She belongs to the CCIM Institute, the NCalCCIM chapter and the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. She also volunteers at events all over the place. In a word, Sheryl is “involved”! With her long-standing passion for numbers and working with people to achieve their goals, Sheryl is perfectly suited to investment real estate sales. She is inspired by the growth and development of the Sacramento Region and plans to remain an active participant in this region’s future. As a commercial real estate broker in the state of California, her transactions include land, office, industrial and retail but its retail that truly captivates her.

http://www.smithreservices.com