Phone Skills For New Agents

• Outbound Calls
• Inbound Calls
• Ongoing Calls
• Tonality

Do you dread the idea of making phone calls? 

You’re not alone. Many real estate agents struggle to execute a good phone call. Having effective phone skills is essential for real estate agents, as phone calls are one of the first ways you connect with your potential clients. But what are ‘good’ phone skills, and how can you execute a great phone call?

Our session, ‘Phone Skills for New Agents’ at Bayut Academy, answers these questions while taking a deep dive into the fundamentals of this crucial skill. 

Inbound Versus Outbound Calls 

Real estate agents typically deal with two types of calling – inbound and outbound calls. Here’s how they differ: 

Inbound Calls	Outbound Calls
Inbound calls are the calls you receive from a potential client, i.e. when a client is reaching out to you. For example, a phone lead from Bayut or dubizzle reaching out to you.	An outbound call is one initiated by an agent to a client. Outbound calls are typically made to prospective clients and focus on sales and lead generation.

Improving Your Outbound Calls 

Many agents see outbound calling as rejection-heavy, repetitive and unproductive. Conversely, clients see a poorly executed phone call as shady, unwanted, dishonest and intrusive. 

So, what is a ‘good’ phone call?

Here are some of the key traits a well-executed phone call showcases to a caller: 

• Honest/Open: You’re transparent to the client and 100% genuine. Being honest also means admitting to not knowing an answer to their question or being able to meet their needs right away. 
• Straightforward: You cut to the chase, cutting out all the fluff and meeting client needs immediately.
• Helpful: You’re the definition of helpful – you answer all questions and guide a client to their ideal property.
• Prepared: You have done your homework – you’re well-informed about the property market, the listings in your inventory and all laws and regulations – and are prepared to answer any questions thrown your way.
• Business-like: You’re a professional at all stages. You address clients professionally and you jot down details of conversations to assist your memory
• Linked To An Opportunity: You’re often looking for opportunities to offer value to your clients – be it by sharing information about the market, or talking about the other properties in your inventory. 

Is there a formula for a good outbound call? 

Following scripts can sound robotic. Instead, we recommend considering the following ‘formula’ when making outbound calls:

PREPARATION  + INTRODUCTION + DEALING WITH OBJECTIONS.

Let’s discuss this formula in detail: 

1. Preparation

Before you answer phone calls, you must be prepared. 

What does preparation mean in this context? 

It is your mental approach or understanding of yourself, your perception of phone calls, and what you offer to the other party.

Do you see yourself as a real estate expert? 

Do you see calls as a menial task, or do you see them as a lead-generating activity? 

Instead of thinking of it as an impersonal numbers game, think of calls as a task involving a strategy that plays a vital role in your career. This example of a growth mindset is a great starting point before you even begin your calls. 

Then, base your offering on what the client has enquired about. This means understanding their requirements, whether they want information about the real estate market and processes or more property options. Are they first-time homebuyers looking for someone to hold their hand through their property journey, or are they investors looking for data about the market’s performance? 

Finally, think about how you want to be regarded by the people you talk to. You want them to see you as a professional, someone who knows the ins and outs of the industry. 

Calling is much easier when you’re relaxed, focused and free of distractions. Here are some things you can do to prepare yourself before a call: 

• Standing up. Many agents admit to sounding more professional, alert and confident standing than sitting or leaning back against a chair.
• Gathering Your Tools: Bring your laptop, data and all the tools you need to be best prepared to answer client questions.
• Taking Breaks: You don’t need to pick up one call after the other; take ample breaks after each call to re-energise and collect your thoughts.
• Managing Interruptions: Ensure that all the distractions around you are in check – mute your phone and alert colleagues that you are in an outbound call block and not to be disturbed.
• Having personal goals and aims: Consider your goals before you pick up the phone. It could be arranging a meeting with this potential client, setting up a viewing, or just building rapport with them.

2. Introduction

Grab a client’s attention by using their name – Then, introduce yourself and state the purpose of your call. 

Here’s what a conversation would look like if you don’t introduce yourself right away: 

Agent: Hello
Client: Hello
Agent: Hello Patrick, how are you today?
Client: Who is this?
Agent: This is Joanne from XYZ Properties.
Client: Okay?
Agent: Have you heard about the new project by Emaar in The Valley?
Client: Not interested.

In this scenario, you’ve already lost the client by starting with a poor (or no) introduction. 

What does a good introduction sound like? For the scenario above, your response could be:  “Hello, Patrick, this is Joanna from XYZ Properties. The reason I’m calling is that you inquired about information on the new project by Emaar in The Valley. So tell me, what exactly are you looking for?”

Why does this work?: 

 You’ve grabbed their attention by using their name, you’ve professionally introduced yourself, and you’ve told them why you are calling. You have avoided rookie mistakes such as asking, “Is this a good time to talk, which usually results in a “no.”. 

3. Dealing With Objections

Once you’ve introduced yourself and informed your client of the reason for your call, there’s a chance they may object to continuing the conversation. Common objections during an outbound call include: 

• Not interested
• Send the brochure
• Call me back later.

When dealing with objections, we recommend following the APAC framework: 

1. Acknowledge 
2. Probe
3. Address and Isolate
4. CLOSE 

Objection 1: I’m not interested

This objection usually comes early in the property search journey. You can respond by acknowledging this. Here’s a great response if your client says they’re not interested. 

“I understand. I see that you inquired about the XYZ project in November. Did you go ahead with that, or have you decided not to buy property at all?”

Objection 2: Send me the brochure

If your client cuts your conversation short by asking you to send them a brochure, here’s what you can say: 

“I understand a lot of people ask for the brochure. However, they are notoriously difficult to decipher. Before sending the brochure, I would really like to understand your requirements.”

Objection 3: Call me back later

If your client cuts you off by asking to call later, here’s a response you can try: 

“I get you were not expecting my call. Would you prefer I call you at 4 pm or tomorrow at 10 am?”

 Objection 4: Bad Experience

If your customer mentions that they’ve had a bad real estate experience, and seem hesitant to work with you, here’s what you can say: 

“I’m sorry to hear that. Tell me what happened…”

To understand dealing with real estate objections in detail, check out our session Help! I am new to sales.

Improving Your Inbound Calls 

Inbound calls are the calls you receive from a lead. Leads who’ve got your number from Bayut, or referrals reaching out to you are examples of inbound calls. 

Here are the basics to nailing a good conversation, when a client calls you:

1. Introduction

Now that you have prepped for your call, it’s time to introduce yourself to your client after they answer the phone. 

Here’s a refresher on introducing yourself on a phone call: 

1. Mention who you are and which agency you work for 
2. Ask how you can assist your caller.

Hello, I am Jason from ABC Real Estate. How can I help you?

You have 3-5 seconds to grab your caller’s interest. In this time frame, you should: 

• Be the expert 
• Be the person who cares

How can you give off these traits? By:

Bayut

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• Using the right tonality

A great way to improve your introduction and nail your tonality is to practise roleplaying with your colleagues or mentor. Practice can go a long way in helping you get used to introducing yourself confidently!

2. Questioning 

How do you ask ‘good’ questions, or questions that uncover important information? 

To understand this, let’s compare two questions: “Can I have the reference number?” versus “Tell me, what exactly are you looking for?”

The first question is an example of a ‘closed question’ – the answer is either a yes or a no, or a one-word answer that cannot lead to further discussion. 

The second question is an example of an ‘open question’ that can encourage a conversation about what your client’s dream home looks like and how you can help them. 

Here’s a framework for asking questions based on what you want to learn about them: 

1. Understand what is essential to your client: 

• What exactly are you looking for?
• What do you really value?
• What do you really want from an agent? 

2.  Drill down to the specifics:

• Is it essential to be close to public transportation?
• Do you have any preferences on which floor you want to be on? 

3. Check in on the customer’s feelings:

• “Tell me, how are you feeling?”
• What concerns do you have?

4. Be prepared for pushback:

• What is stopping you from moving forward?
• How should we progress?
• What specifically are you waiting for? 

Wondering what questions you should NOT be asking? Here are a few examples: 

• Too many questions on the first call, since this can come off as interrogative
• Leading questions. For example, “Don’t you think Omniyat is a better developer?”
• Closed questions, especially along the lines of, didn’t you….? (Which implies I think you should have)

3.  Fair and Neutral

As a real estate agent, be as fair and neutral as possible while offering your services. Property seekers are looking for guidance from an expert, so be honest about the real estate market. 

For example, once your client shares their budget, be honest about the type of property they can buy for that price range. Rather than attempting to pitch properties in your inventory, ask them about their requirements and talk about locations that fit their needs. 

4. Listen and Interpret

• Listen to understand your customer’s needs fully. Remember, you’re the expert!
• Constantly affirm, to ensure that you’ve really understood what your client wants.

5. Inform and educate.

Think beyond getting an appointment or sale. Your goal should be establishing yourself as an expert, so you should focus on sharing valuable information and building trust. 

6. The Next Step

Here’s the part where you get your clients involved – asking them what they want the next step to be. 

• Involve the client in the discussion and decision to move forward to the next step.
• Ask them how they would find it most helpful to move matters forward.

7. Keep In Touch

• Take note of what you’ve accomplished in each call. While saving your client’s contact information, add all the details you’ve noted from the call
• You have a responsibility for all the relationships that you start. Many clients who put faith in you at the beginning of the relationship expect and appreciate you staying in touch. For follow-ups, use a calendar to set reminders for your subsequent follow-up. 

Defining Your Demographics

A strong list starts with the right demographics. Use your current clients and the project you are promoting as a starting point. 

Beyond Pitching Your Inventory

In the past, realtors were advised to pitch as many properties in their inventories as possible. This is not the case anymore. Today, a good phone call would involve focusing on your prospect’s wants and needs, and selling the benefits of an appointment. 

But why meet your client face to face? The benefits are as follows: 

• Offer Free Knowledge: It is an opportunity to educate your client on anything they need to know about real estate.
• Have No Strings Attached: You may not be the right fit for your client, so you should clarify that there is no commitment beyond a meeting. Don’t say things like “bring your chequebook” in your first phone call.
• Benefit Both Parties: You’re not just a buyer or seller’s agent; you’ll host an honest and open discussion. In addition, having a meeting could generate future referrals. 

Key Points

• Your prospects are focused on their problems or priorities. 
• You can’t close a sale with a call. 
• Climb the ladder. Aim for the next step and not the final one – your goal is to get more appointments.
• Learn to recognise a likely ‘no’ and move on.

Ongoing Calls

After you have initiated the first conversations with your clients (be it through an inbound or outbound call), you will be having ongoing discussions about their property journeys. These phone calls are called ongoing calls. 

Ongoing calls are an excellent opportunity to understand your clients better. You can ask them questions to gather information about your leads, to evaluate whether they’re ready, willing and able to buy or sell. 

We’d recommend using our Lead Qualification checklist during ongoing calls:

• Location: How much do they know about the location they are interested in, and check if they’d be interested in other communities.
• Reason: Are they first-time homebuyers; are they buying for capital growth; are they upsizing or downsizing, etc?

• Preference: Ask them about specific preferences, such as vastu compliance, location preferences, open or closed kitchens, etc.
• Budget: Find out how much they are willing to spend and advise them on the current market values.
• Timeline: How soon are they looking to move, and how long have they been looking?
• Viewing: It is advised to move clients towards a close by outlining a clear next step (second viewing, arranging an inspection, etc.).

Asking these questions can help you assist your client better: 

• Why are they buying property within your chosen location? 

Think ROI, capital gain, investment, or self-use?

• What do they value the most? 

Is it safety, location, prestige, location, or growth? 

• Do they have any specific preferences?

Like Vastu compliance, expat communities, and proximity to places of worship

• What is important to them 

Is it the price, location, surrounding areas, or commute  

• What may be the most common challenges or objections they could have? 

Think Mortgage qualification, price points, noise levels, accessibility, size or quality.

Tonality

Your voice is a tool. It is the way your voice sounds when you speak. 

The tone you speak is the make or break for salespeople. You subconsciously do it when you speak to the people around you. 

A tone is the: 

• Pace: how fast you speak
• Intonation: the variations in pitch in your voice
• Emphasis: the stress given to a word or words when speaking 
• Pauses:  temporary stops while speaking
• Pronunciation: making the sound of (a word or part of a word) in the correct or a specific way.

There are four types of tonality: 

1. Absolute certainty
2. “I care about you”
3. “I really want to know you”
4. Scarcity

ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY

The absolute certainty tone conveys your absolute confidence in what you’re saying. 

To get this tonality right: 

• Pronounce all the vocals correctly. Speak from your diaphragm, and avoid mumbling
• Transfer an emotion, in this case, your certainty about the solution you are offering

I CARE ABOUT YOU

The I care about you tonality requires sounding upbeat and enthusiastic when talking. Your objective is to connect with the client on a deeper level, by empathising with them. 

Think about a mother concerned about her child – that’s the essence of this tonality. Here’s an example of an agent using this tonality: 

Client: Well, I really like the house, but it’s a bit overpriced since I have to do the maintenance.

Agent: I completely understand and agree with you that this townhouse might seem a bit overpriced. However, I am in talks with the owner so he can complete part of the repairs before the transfer. How does that sound?

I REALLY WANT TO KNOW YOU

The I really want to know you tonality conveys curiosity to the client – that you would like to get acquainted with them. This tone also requires an upbeat and enthusiastic tone, to encourage further conversation.  Let’s look at a scenario where the agent leverages this tone:

Agent: Okay, Patrick, tell me, what exactly are you looking for?

Client: I am looking for a 3-bedroom townhouse in Dubailand. I am currently renting, and my lease finishes nine months from now, so I would like to move to a new house around that time to avoid paying extra.

Client: And what brought you to the decision to buy a property?

Agent: I was born and raised in Dubai, and my family has always been renting. So after a discussion I had with my husband we decided that we will continue staying in Dubai for the following years so …..

SCARCITY 

The tone of scarcity involves creating a degree of urgency to increase your client’s chances of agreeing with you. 

There are three forms of scarcity: 

1. Verbal scarcity: This is when you’re stating scarcity, to convey logic. For example, “This is the last cluster in Arabian Ranches 3”
2. Tonal scarcity: Lowering the tone of your voice right above a whisper, which highly intensifies the client’s sense of scarcity
3. Informational scarcity: Explaining that even the information itself is in short supply. If you can’t use this, stick to using tonal scarcity. For example, “This is the last cluster in Arabian Ranches 3, and there are 1000 EOI already for 355 townhouses. However, our company has reserved 20 units for the next 48 hours only for our clients, but people don’t know that”

When you’re on a call with a client, talk as you do with your friends. Your tone should exude your enthusiasm and that you really care about their needs. 

Getting your tone right requires practice, so get talking! Decide which situations require what tonality. 

*Source: The Way Of The Wolf: Straight Line Selling, by Jordan Belfort, 2017.

Consistent practice is the best way to step up your phone skills. Try role-playing real estate scenarios with your colleagues to get used to phone conversations. 

You can also check out the differences between a good versus poor call with our Calls from the Vault series, where we recreate real calls by agents in the UAE. Learn about introducing yourself, getting the right tonality and asking questions to get a conversation going by listening to these phone calls.

Learn more ways to elevate your real estate skills with our library of resources on our Content Corner. You can also register for our workshops at Bayut Academy, where our training team is dedicated to helping you reach your goals and take your career to the next level.