I made my first cold call.

Seriously, after 14 years of being a Realtor I made my first cold call.  Last Thursday and Friday I took a Short Sale Certification class at my market center. In order to pass the class we had to call homeowners that were anywhere from 30-90 days late on their mortgage payments. (Yes we know DNC and the names are scrubbed)

Hands sweating

Making that call was a little nerve wracking, my palms were actually sweating. NO I didn’t want to do it.  It was what we in real estate lingo would say is a cold call. The people we were calling had no idea how we knew they are behind in their payments. Now I have made calls to consumers before but that is when they have initially made contact with me through my IDX search site.

Not my Cup of Tea

Picking up the phone and calling people is not everyone’s cup of tea and that includes me. The last thing I wanted to sound like was an annoying sales person. So mentally I had to prepare myself to not sound that way but to gather the right attitude.

As the 20 of us in the class went around the room, and called 20 separate homeowners we only had one person who was not appreciative when we offered to help them in their unfortunate situation. Interesting only one person said, “Yes, I need your help.”  ALL of them said we could send our business cards. Some volunteered names of folks or neighbors who they knew had lost their jobs. We did not ask this they volunteered the information.

Most people in a financial bind with their mortgages don’t have a clue what to do. In fact once they have lost their job or can’t make a mortgage payment most bury their head in the sand and the clock starts ticking on what we can do to help them out. As professionals we have several options to offer the homeowner.

Attitude Shift

It all started with my attitude changing from thinking about me to focusing on them. I had to take my eyes off myself and my own fears of picking up the phone in order to bring hope to those who are hurting.When you care, the concern will come through your voice and into their heart. The goal is to help them, not get the listing. The goal is to try and prevent the devastation of a foreclosure.

The phone is simply a means to reach out and touch them. No, I’m not advocating “cold calling” but I am trying to step out of my comfort zone and try to reach people who need help. If that means I am uncomfortable then so be it. It won’t be the first or last time I am uncomfortable in a situation.

Photo Credit Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Miamism