One of my students has a house under contract. 

It’s a pretty good deal for his market.  $7000 for the house, need $15,000 in rehab.  Retails about $60K.  It’s in a war-zone area, so the potential buyer is a landlord who wants a cheap cashflowing rental.

He put out handwritten marketing signs near the property:

please help!
must sell house in 3 days

handyman special
call now

investor special
home for sell

100 calls in a day was an understatement.  He felt overwhelmed with tire-kickers and people wasting his time.

We talked a little today about how to handle that kind of response. 

Take charge of the conversation.

As we talked, it became clear that he wasn’t in charge of the conversation.  He was nervous on the phone, and people were walking all over him.

After we talked, I gave him some conversational pointers:

  • Don’t just answer their question, listen for their need.
  • Are they first time home buyers?  Can they handle a $15,000 rehab job?  If not, this house likely isn’t for them.

He learned some other phrases and spent the rest of the afternoon returning calls with confidence, not frustration.