Why Bradford Bateman picked up the phone after $38,000 of postcards got 2 calls

Bradford Bateman00:00

So my first year in the business, I spent $38,000 on farming and postcards. My phone rang twice from a $38,000 investment. So after I basically threw away $38,000, I found phone prospecting, and my return on investment really couldn’t be beat from that. And as long as you’re feeding your prospecting every day, success is inevitable and you will find it. If you jump into this with both feet, and if you commit to three hours of prospecting every day, within your first month, you should take a minimum of one listing. I can almost guarantee that.

Aaron Wittenstein00:56

Hey, what’s going on everybody? It’s me, it’s Aaron Wittenstein, and I would like to welcome you all to Vulcan7 Roadmap. This is where we meet agents and today brokers across the country to help learn how to generate business and how to take additional, just a lot of listings a week, is what this comes down to.

01:14So this is a name, when I saw it come across my list, I’m like, man, I haven’t talked to this guy in a long time. Bradford Bateman, how are you doing, my friend?

Bradford Bateman01:23

I’m excellent, thank you. Happy to be here. Thank you for the invite.

Aaron Wittenstein01:26

So, all right, so here’s the thing. This is gonna be a little bit different than we normally do here.

01:31Bradford is a broker. He’s a broker. He manages, how many agents did you say?

Bradford Bateman01:36

About 160 total.

Aaron Wittenstein01:39

So you did have hair before this thing started, before-

01:44So, and like I said, based on the conversation that we have, he instills a lead gen culture within his agents because he formerly… You know what? I’m talking too much. I’m gonna let you go ahead and talk.

Bradford Bateman02:02

Yeah. So phone prospecting and cold calling has always been my main source of business, so I try to instill that into my agents as well.

02:13I still think that some of the resources on Facebook, like lead gen scripts and objections, is a great resource for the agent. And scripts and internalizing those scripts and making them your own is the best way to go about driving the business. And of course, listings. You’re always gonna lead if you have the listings.

Aaron Wittenstein02:41

Exactly. Exactly. And so let me ask you this. So you were a prospector yourself, right?

Bradford Bateman02:46

Yes, sir.

Aaron Wittenstein02:47

And you prospected for a long time, correct? Okay. So how can I put this? With us prospectors, we instill in ourselves to be able to pick up the phone every day, to be able to make the phone calls, do the three hours, to take the beatings that it takes.

03:05I mean, I sat on the phone today for three hours and I got two people. Okay. For all of our managing brokers out there, how do you instill the same work ethic that we have and the concepts in them? ‘Cause that’s a lot, 160, that’s a lot of people.

Bradford Bateman03:22

Sure. Sure. So I kinda speak of where I came from, right?

03:28So my first year in the business, I spent $38,000 on farming and postcards. My phone rang twice from a $38,000 investment. Both times were for sale by owners that basically invited me over. They already had a prospective buyer in mind, and they were just looking for my free evaluation of the property. So after I basically threw away $38,000, I found phone prospecting and my return on investment really couldn’t be beat from that.

04:00And as long as I stayed consistent, because I think that everybody will agree that success is always found in consistency, make those phone calls every day, stay committed, time block, and as long as you’re feeding your prospecting every day, success is inevitable and you will find it. And as long as you can commit to that, hopefully three hours every single day, like you just mentioned, then you’re gonna start to build listing inventory and everything else will fall into place from there.

Aaron Wittenstein04:35

Okay. So I wanna do a different role play with you. I have an idea here, okay?

Bradford Bateman04:39

Sure.

Aaron Wittenstein04:40

I’m an agent, okay? And I’m struggling right now. All right? And I walk into your office and I’m like, “Bradford, I gotta tell you, man, I just spent $38,000 on postcards, and I’m doing my social media advertising, I’m doing my Facebook.

04:55I don’t have a big database since I’ve only been here for a couple of years. And I need to get some business because I’m just… I don’t know, I don’t know what to do.”

Bradford Bateman05:04

Sure. Well, Aaron, it sounds like you’re doing a lot of marketing. Let me ask you, what are you doing for prospecting?

Aaron Wittenstein05:13

What do you mean?

Bradford Bateman05:16

So prospecting’s a little bit different. Marketing, right, you pay money, you put something out there, and you wait for your phone to ring. Prospecting, you go out there and you hunt for your business. You make cold calls. You might do some circle prospecting, call around a just sold, or you may do some cold calling to some terminateds and expireds.

05:38The terminateds and expireds were my personal favorite because they’ve already expressed that they have a real estate need. They’ve already expressed that they need an agent to assist them with the sale. It’s just unfortunate that the agent that they hired wasn’t the right one to get the job done for them.

05:55So let’s talk about that. Have you done any of that at all, incorporated that into your business model?

Aaron Wittenstein06:01

No. I mean, I don’t like it when people call me, you know? So it’s like, I don’t wanna bother people, you know? ‘Cause I heard that so many people are calling, you know?

06:14So…

Bradford Bateman06:15

Yeah. Well, let me ask you this. If you had put your house on the market, Aaron, and you wanted it sold, let’s say within 30 days, and six months goes by and you’ve had agents through your house, and at the end of the day, you just didn’t sell, but you still need to get that house sold.

06:33If I could come over and show you in a matter of 15 minutes, maybe 30 minutes’ time, exactly how we can get you to that closing table, that’d be worth some time, right? And you’d welcome that call and that invitation, wouldn’t you?

Aaron Wittenstein06:47

Oh, definitely. Definitely. I mean, no, definitely. And I mean, I guess it makes sense what you’re saying.

06:53I wouldn’t even… I don’t know, though. It’s like, I’ve never done it before.

06:59So it’s like, I wouldn’t even know what to say. I wouldn’t know where to begin. You know what I mean? I just… I don’t even know.

Bradford Bateman07:10

Yeah. Well, Aaron, do you know how to ride a bicycle?

Aaron Wittenstein07:13

It’s been a long time, but yes.

Bradford Bateman07:15

Sure. So I don’t know if you can remember when you first started to learn how to ride a bicycle. You may have had some fear there and some uncertainty, but the more you rode, the better you got. And you said you haven’t been on a bicycle in quite some time, but if you got on one today or tomorrow, you could probably ride it down the street just fine, right?

Aaron Wittenstein07:37

I would hope so.

Bradford Bateman07:39

Yeah, absolutely. Well, the same is true with prospecting. Like we said, I’ve been doing this for seven years. The scripts that worked for me seven years ago work equally as well today. You just have to go out there and do it, and the more you do it, the better off you’re gonna get.

07:56I feel like I’ve had enough experience with this. I’ve had enough script practice partners. Florida is a snowbird market, right? So a lot of our clientele come from all over the country. So when I set up my script practice partners, I was strategic and I sought out agents that were full-time in those snowbird states because the objections that I got from each state were vastly different.

08:26And with my agents, I always make the example that the objections you’ll get from somebody in Wisconsin are gonna be night and day different than the objections you’ll get from somebody from New York or New Jersey. So the more practice that you can have with these scripts, the better off you’re gonna be.

08:43And as you continue to practice, you’re going to get better and better and better, to the point where, with objection handling, if somebody says this, you’ll say that. If they say that, you’ll say this, and it’ll just be natural, roll right off your tongue.

Aaron Wittenstein09:02

But I mean, how long does it typically take for something like that to happen?

09:08You know what I mean? Because, I mean, how long does it normally take?

Bradford Bateman09:13

Well, if you jump into this with both feet and if you commit to three hours of prospecting every day, within your first month, you should take a minimum of one listing. I can almost guarantee that.

Aaron Wittenstein09:27

Three hours?

Bradford Bateman09:29

Yeah. Well, let me ask you this. The average commission in our market’s 15,000 plus dollars. Would you work three hours to make 15 grand?

Aaron Wittenstein09:39

Yeah. Since you put it that way, yes, I would.

09:45Okay. All right. You got me sold, all right? So I’m gonna give this a try, I’m gonna give this a try.

09:50What would my next steps be then, Mr. Broker?

Bradford Bateman09:54

You need to find a software to make this job easier for you. I can’t recommend Vulcan7 enough. That’s where I found my success. I think that it’s the crème de la crème in the market out there. So you can log into Vulcan7 in the morning, and you can get these leads automatically sent to you.

10:17And then so that you’re prepared to go in there and make these phone calls, I would suggest that you get some script practice partners. And if you’re in my market here, I would highly suggest that you get agents from outside of our market in those snowbird markets, again, because the objections are gonna be different depending on where the customer was originally from.

10:40But the more you practice, the better off you’re gonna get. And learning and internalizing those scripts are going to be your key to success, because you don’t wanna sound like a robot. You don’t wanna sound like you’re reading a piece of paper. You wanna sound natural and like you’re just engaging in an average conversation, and that’s what this practice is going to do for you.

Aaron Wittenstein11:02

Okay, cool. Sign me up. Sign me up. I’m game to give it a try. So that was actually pretty good because I’ve never done a… You know what I mean? How many conversations do you typically have like that on a regular basis? People just walk into your office, they’re like, “I got no idea what to do,” and you kinda pitch it that way.

11:17How often does that happen?

Bradford Bateman11:19

Probably daily.

Aaron Wittenstein11:23

You’re like, “It’s already happened to me three times today, three times today.” So all right, because you’re in the position right now where it’s a little different, where your goal is to attract agents, right? So you’re a prospector. You just prospect on a different frequency?

11:45Is that kind of what it is?

Bradford Bateman11:47

Yeah. Instead of making phone calls to look for sellers and listings, I’m making phone calls to look for agents and acquire agents that I can help take their business to the next level. And the easiest way to get in contact with an agent is through cold calling.

12:02I still use a CRM, I still use a prospecting software. So what contributed to my success as an agent is equally contributing to my success as a manager.

Aaron Wittenstein12:13

So basically, I mean, it all just-

Bradford Bateman12:14

It all comes down to prospecting.

Aaron Wittenstein12:18

Exactly. So okay, so I gotta ask, what’s more challenging, prospecting an expired or prospecting an agent?

12:25What’s more difficult?

Bradford Bateman12:28

I mean, each have their different levels of difficulty, if you will. I mean, each require different objection handlers. And the more you practice, the better off you’ll get. So I don’t know if they’re necessarily comparable. But it’s all about what you say and how you’re received.

Aaron Wittenstein12:52

All right. So can I put you on the spot?

Bradford Bateman12:56

Yeah.

Aaron Wittenstein12:57

Okay. Let’s go back a couple of years before you’re managing 160 agents, which is absolutely amazing. You wanna do an expired role play and see if you still got it?

Bradford Bateman13:10

Yeah. All right. Yeah, sure.

Aaron Wittenstein13:11

All right, let’s roll, baby.

13:12Give me a shout.

Bradford Bateman13:14

All right, ring, ring.

Aaron Wittenstein13:16

Hello.

Bradford Bateman13:17

Yeah. Hi, Aaron. My name is Bradford. I’m a local real estate agent. I’m calling about your property there at 123 Main Street.

13:25I saw it came off the market. What’s going on with that?

Aaron Wittenstein13:30

It didn’t sell. Do you have a buyer?

Bradford Bateman13:34

You know, I may have a buyer, Aaron, and I’m sorry that it didn’t sell.

13:39I see that it was on the market for six months. What did your agent do that was working for you?

Aaron Wittenstein13:46

Oh, nothing. They were horrible.

Bradford Bateman13:48

And they were horrible? Okay, excellent. And Aaron, when are you looking to interview agents again to actually bring you to the closing table?

Aaron Wittenstein13:58

I like that line, by the way.

14:00I’m pretty sure that we’re gonna give it about 30 to 60 days, until all the snowbirds come back in September and October. So if you wanna give me a shot back then, you’re more than welcome.

Bradford Bateman14:12

Okay, 30 to 60 days, I understand that. But even with that being said, Aaron, there’s probably a lot of sellers that are in your same position that are looking to wait that 30, 60 days.

14:24And there’s a lot of buyers that are shopping the market now to be able to acquire, close on that home, so that when season comes, they have a property that they can enjoy. Would you be okay if we got it sold sooner, and we didn’t have to compete against all that increased inventory?

Aaron Wittenstein14:42

I mean, yeah. If we could get the home sold sooner, I guess that wouldn’t pose a problem for us right now.

Bradford Bateman14:49

Excellent. Well, that’s exactly why we need to get together. We’ll have a conversation, take maybe 15 minutes or so. I can show you exactly how I can make that happen and how our marketing is different. I’ve got some time available today at three o’clock or at 5:30. What’s better for you?

Aaron Wittenstein15:06

So let me ask you this.

15:07I’ve been called by like 3 billion realtors, okay? I like how you sound. You sound like a nice guy. But what’s gonna make you different than all the other agents out there?

Bradford Bateman15:17

Well, I’m gonna put together a customized marketing plan of action, and at the end of the day, we’re gonna have a sold sign in your front yard.

Aaron Wittenstein15:28

I like the sound of that.

15:28Okay. Yeah, if you wanna come by, you’re more than welcome.

Bradford Bateman15:34

Excellent. And Aaron, let me ask you this, are there any other decision-makers involved in the sale of this property?

Aaron Wittenstein15:42

Yeah, my wife.

Bradford Bateman15:43

Your wife. Okay. So what’s better for you and your wife, 3:00 or 5:30 this evening?

Aaron Wittenstein15:47

3:00 AM works perfectly.

Bradford Bateman15:52

Well, 3:00 PM this afternoon. Excellent. Excellent. And Aaron, so we can make best use of our time when we’re together, what’s a good email address where I can send you a quick email and some of the marketing that we’re gonna go over when we get together this afternoon?

Aaron Wittenstein16:07

Aaron@itsjustlikeridingabike.com.

Bradford Bateman16:13

Aaron@itsjustlikeridingabike.com. Excellent. All right, Aaron, I look forward to meeting you and your wife this afternoon at 3:00. I’ll get you that email out shortly, and I thank you for your time.

Aaron Wittenstein16:25

Beautiful. Boom. Perfect. It’s just like riding a bike. Am I wrong?

Bradford Bateman16:30

No. And the more you do, the better you’ll get.

16:34But you know what? Once you go through all this scripting and whatnot, it gets ingrained in you so that… I remember the first time that I started to implement this with my agents, it had been some time since I last made my cold call to an expired listing because I had to go through the corporate process, this, that, and the other thing.

17:01So when I actually got into training my agents, there was a little bit of a gap there, but it’s all the same. It doesn’t change.

Aaron Wittenstein17:12

No. It’s just when you know what to say, you know what to say. It’s that simple. And then it all translates between, you know what I mean? Between this and this and that and this.

17:21All right, my friend, so I know this happens to you all the time, by the way, and I’m not being sarcastic whatsoever, okay? So someone, brand new agent comes a-knocking on your door.

17:31And you open the door and you’re like, “Okay.” They ask you, “Bradford, what is one piece of advice that you could give me?”

Bradford Bateman17:41

Be consistent. However you choose to drive your business, be consistent with it. Don’t give up, because I once heard a quote that you don’t have to be the most successful if you’re the most consistent, because if you’re consistent, success is inevitable. And I think that there’s a lot of truth to that.

Aaron Wittenstein18:01

Can you repeat that one more time? Would you repeat that? I like the way that sounded, if you remember.

Bradford Bateman18:05

So you don’t have to be the most successful if you’re the most consistent, because if you’re the most consistent, success is inevitable.

Aaron Wittenstein18:14

Inevitable. It’s inevitable. Because I think what winds up happening is we quit too quickly.

18:21And you… What do they say? Before a breakdown, there’s a breakthrough, I think is what they say. Something like that.

Bradford Bateman18:27

Don’t give up before the miracle happens.

Aaron Wittenstein18:29

No, not at all. So just never give up. All right, my friend, let’s wrap this up in a bow here, okay? So what are your final last words for Vulcan7 Nation?

Bradford Bateman18:41

Yeah. Do yourself, do your business a favor. Make the investment into Vulcan7. Make the investment in yourself and your business, and start incorporating prospecting as your biggest thing on your calendar every day. Because without prospecting and without growing your business, you’re gonna go out of business.

Aaron Wittenstein19:02

Exactly. What areas do you cover again? Can you please share that with us?

Bradford Bateman19:06

So predominantly Lee and Charlotte County. My offices are located in Cape Coral, Florida, and Punta Gorda, Florida.

Aaron Wittenstein19:15

Got it. And so let’s say somebody has a referral, okay? For one of your agents out that way, or they’re like, “You know what?

19:22I like this guy. Maybe I could talk about this.” What is the best way to get in touch with you, sir?

Bradford Bateman19:30

So either call or text at 239-273-8842, or drop me an email, Bradford.Bateman@cbrealty.com.

Aaron Wittenstein19:43

Beautiful. All right, friend. That was great, that was great. All right, everybody, I wanna thank y’all so much for being here for Vulcan7 Roadmap.

19:49You know, we’re gonna get these out to you as much as possible, and just never forget to trust the process. All right, guys, go make some money. Take care of yourselves. Thank you, sir. Be well, okay? Appreciate you. All right, my friend.