How Joe Mendoza door knocks 1 to 3 expireds a day with the 5-5-10 sweep

Joe Mendoza00:00

Tell yourself, “I’m gonna knock one to three doors on expireds minimum.” Because I’ll tell you what, if you do that habit close and convenient, you’re more likely to do it. Be super relentless. You’re gonna do the calls. You’re gonna do the door knocking. You’re gonna go ahead and mail. Again, remember, average agents get average results.

00:19Outrageous agents get outrageous results.

Loida Velasquez00:26

What’s going on everyone? Welcome back to a brand-new episode of Vulcan7 Coaches and Mentors, where we bring you some of the best in the industry, and they share with you their tips and strategies so that you can implement them in your business immediately. Now, for today’s episode, we’re gonna be talking about expireds, but more specifically, door knocking expireds.

00:46So if this is something that you’ve been wanting to do, if you don’t know where to start or how to do it, make sure that you have your pen and paper ready because today’s guest is gonna dive deep into exactly what you need to be doing. So with that being said, I’m gonna go ahead and bring on today’s guest, Coach Joe Mendoza.

01:04Welcome, Joe.

Joe Mendoza01:05

Hey, Loida. How are you?

Loida Velasquez01:07

Doing great. I know we had you on the show in the past. We talked about a completely different topic. I think it was ISAs back then. But I’m excited to talk about expireds and door knocking expireds because we don’t hear a lot about it. And for anyone that maybe doesn’t know who you are, just kind of give us a little bit about your background.

Joe Mendoza01:27

Absolutely. So my name’s Joe Mendoza. I’ve been in real estate almost 30 years. So a licensed broker in California for 27-plus. I’m a Tom Ferry coach for over 14 years. Tom personally coached me. And I invest as well, so I do run a real estate investment group called Commercial Real Estate Investor Club.

Loida Velasquez01:49

Awesome, awesome. So obviously, today’s topic is about expireds and door knocking expireds. So first of all, let’s begin with door knocking. Are you saying that door knocking still works?

Joe Mendoza02:02

Absolutely, Loida. It’s one of these things that people think that, oh, everybody’s calling expireds. And when you go in a crowded room or you hold a mastermind and you say, “How many people doing it?”

02:15Barely anybody is doing expireds. So same thing with door knocking. Barely anybody’s doing door knocking.

Loida Velasquez02:22

Yes. So obviously, in different markets, depending where agents are at, we see a lot more expireds versus in other areas. So when it comes to expireds and hitting them at the doors, what do you think makes it so different from going in person versus over the phone?

Joe Mendoza02:38

Over the phone it’s so much easier for somebody to just click, hang up, right? They could be rude or not in the moment of time to talk to you or whatever. It’s so much easier. But people are actually a little embarrassed by shutting the door. Once in a while you’re gonna get it, but I’ll tell you what, cold calling or calling versus door knocking, the chance of you getting turned down is a lot less at the door.

Loida Velasquez03:07

So let’s say I get my list every day from Vulcan7. I see the expireds. How do I know which ones to go in person to? Should I go to my local ones? How far do I drive out? Do I need to do any research? Or what’s typically the protocol?

Joe Mendoza03:25

The typical protocol I would say if I was coaching any agent is close and convenient.

03:31All right? Turn it into a habit of making it close and convenient. Every day tell yourself, “I’m gonna knock one to three doors on expireds minimum.” Because I’ll tell you what, if you do that habit, close and convenient, you’re more likely to do it. Because if it’s too far away, just like farming, chances are you’re gonna blow it off.

Loida Velasquez03:52

So let’s say an agent goes and door knocks a home that’s very close to them, but the homeowner doesn’t answer.

03:58Is there something to be done right after, or what would you say for them to leverage their time while they’re at a specific neighborhood?

Joe Mendoza04:06

Loida, I am so glad you brought up that question because this is one of the things that people will get discouraged by, right? If they’re driving at 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning or 4:00 to 6:00 PM at night, these are the wiser times to effectively either call or door knock.

04:23But I’ll tell you what, you drive there, you knock on the door, nobody’s home. So what do you do? You get back in your car and drive off? No, absolutely not. So what you do is a technique I call the 5-5-10. All right? So you knock five doors to the left, five doors to the right, and then 10 across, and you’re simply saying, “Hey neighbor, I noticed the home that I was trying to get to on 123 Easy Street, they were listed before.

04:51I’m sure you’ve seen the sign. I’m just curious, do you know how I can get ahold of them?” Or, “How do you know them, that I could reach out to them?” Because you wanna try and make that connection of establishing that neighbor. Like, they know them, so more than likely they might have their cell phone, email, or any contact like that.

05:10And then at that point, sometimes they are going to resist you. Leave your business card and then follow up.

Loida Velasquez05:18

So do you recommend for agents also to go back to that expired later in the day or in the evening, on the weekend? Or should they also leave something at the door or in their mailbox?

Joe Mendoza05:31

I wouldn’t leave anything at the door right away.

05:33I would try three different times of the day. Morning, midday, and afternoon. And then you also have Saturdays and Sundays, like 10:00 AM and like 4:00 to 6:00 PM. The reason why I know these work very, very well, it’s been proven. Many, many years ago, around 2008 to 2010, I was doing a lot of drop-ins, the banks hired me to do BPOs, and those were the proven times that I would catch people just doing some simple door knocking.

06:08It works the same exact way. Then if you still can’t get ahold of ’em, some of the different techniques that I would recommend, this is up to you. You’re an adult, so decide, the viewers who are listening. You could get these express packages, whether it’s FedEx, UPS, or USPS, that are express, okay?

06:33And then you put your expired letter in there. You could hand write it or put those stickies on there or whatever. They’re more likely to open that package.

Loida Velasquez06:43

I love it. Everything that you’re mentioning, I feel it’s all actionable things that agents can do immediately. And I also love talking about this topic because I’ve door knocked expireds, and I’ve seen the difference when someone picks up the phone and they just hang up versus at the door.

06:58It’s a little bit less of them slamming the door in my face, and they kind of wanna listen to me and what I have to say. So with that being said, what is the dialogue that an agent should get started with if someone does open the door?

Joe Mendoza07:13

Perfect question. So first off, before you even go there, typically there’s positioning, okay?

07:22So when you go there, you ring the doorbell once, okay? Nobody comes. Don’t leave right away, okay? Maybe wait, like count one one thousand, two one thousand, count up to 20, okay? And then ring it again and wait, okay? Because sometimes they’re in the backyard, they’re with their toddler, they’re watching their favorite TV show or prepping a meal, so don’t leave right away, okay?

07:46So ring twice, and then when they come to the door, when you stand, don’t stand like this, like direct eye contact like that, because that’s a position of authority, and that’s a little bit aggressive. So lean back a little bit, maybe stick one hand in your pocket and slouch over a little bit, okay? Less intimidating, because if you’re like this, you’re looking like you’re a policeman or something like that, authority, or you’re trying to repo their house or something like that.

08:17So be careful how you stand, and then mirror and mimic right away, okay? So when they start talking, you’re not this bubbly personality, whatever, unless they are, because if they are, then level up, because you wanna mirror and mimic, and in NLP we call that mirror and mimicking, neuro-linguistic programming.

08:38And then when you speak, I would simply say, use your Tom Ferry scripts or Mike Ferry scripts or whatever scripts you have that are available, but typically I would say something like this. I would say something, “Yeah, just curious, I noticed your home is no longer on the market for sale.

08:58Just kind of curious, when would you be looking to put it back on the market, or have you already sold it?” Okay? When would you be looking to put your home back on the market, or have you already sold it? That is typically my opener.

Loida Velasquez09:13

I love it. Yeah, I love the when, because you’re not asking, “Are you going to?”

09:17Because they might say, “No, I’m not.” The when is actually a timeframe. And it’s funny you’re talking about the mirroring and just how you’re standing. I remember there were many times when I would door knock expireds, and I would talk to the homeowner through their window because they wouldn’t open the door, or like the screen door, so I couldn’t even see their face, but I would still have full conversations.

09:40So for anyone that’s listening, sometimes you might not see the homeowner, but if they open the door or the screen or the window and they’re talking to you, this is your time to do what Joe said and just get going with the conversation and find out what’s going on.

Joe Mendoza09:55

Yeah, Loida, a funny story.

09:56I’m so glad you pointed that out because one of the keys to success, ladies and gentlemen, is to be relentless, and I was always taught the average agent gets average results. Outrageous agents get outrageous results. So I took one of my mentees, my teammates that I was coaching and training, door knocking.

10:18And then sure enough, we door knocked and I waited a couple times and I’m like, “No way, I’m gonna keep going.” Okay? So I walked into the yard and I knocked on the window, and then sure enough they opened it up and they were very, very friendly. And then they went to the door, they came out and we started having a conversation.

10:37So depends who you are. Like I said, I’m very, very outrageous when it comes to expireds, cancels, even distressed properties. Okay? I’m very, very relentless and outrageous, that’s why I typically get better results.

Loida Velasquez10:51

Absolutely. And I’m sure that as you’re approaching a home you probably have like a smile or you don’t look so serious.

10:58‘Cause I know for me, I always made sure to have at least like a smirk or like a smile, that way if someone did look at me through the window, they might be like, “Oh, she looks nice. I’ll open the door and see what they have to say.”

Joe Mendoza11:09

Yes, Loida. So I’m glad you said that because sometimes I don’t just jump to scripts, right?

11:14Because I’m gonna read them. I’m gonna look at their eyes, their posture, if they’re grumpy or whatever. And then if they are grumpy, they have that look on their face, well, I try to crack a joke right away. I will crack a joke, something on the fly, or I’ll say a compliment, then I go into scripts.

11:34Because I wanna read them, because if they have that grumpy look in the face, man, you’re already battling, okay? So you wanna connect right away.

Loida Velasquez11:45

So a question that I have for you is, let’s say in the morning I’m taking a look at the expireds that are around me, but I see some that are tenant occupied or I don’t know if they’re vacant.

11:57Do you suggest doing any type of research before going out to these properties just to make sure that you will encounter a homeowner?

Joe Mendoza12:05

Absolutely. So if you have the luxury of an assistant or virtual assistant, I highly, highly recommend that. So some of the folks that I coach, I tell them, “Go to your Vulcan7 account, look at these expireds, and have your assistant do additional skip tracing, make sure it wasn’t re-listed, read the remarks, see if it’s tenant occupied,” so you have a different approach.

12:29Because if you’re going in there, okay, this one’s tenant occupied, well, you might wanna change your scripts and use like, “Hey, just kind of curious. I noticed this home was for sale and you were the tenant. What’s stopping you from purchasing? What’s stopping you from buying?” Okay, and then now you picked up a buyer.

12:48So turn these lemons into lemonade.

Loida Velasquez12:51

Yes. I love that you brought that up because, yeah, it happens many times where maybe agents are so focused on just trying to reach the homeowner, that when they see the tenant they completely miss asking the potential question of if they might be interested in buying, and now you have another lead.

Joe Mendoza13:06

Exactly correct. Because folks, you know markets shift, okay? So you wanna have like a 50/50 blend, buyers, sellers. And you gotta know how to pivot very, very quickly. When you become more experienced, then you go into a 60/40 blend or 70/30 blend where you have more listings. List to last, they call it, right?

Loida Velasquez13:26

Would you also recommend a combination of hitting the doors and also calling them?

Joe Mendoza13:32

Absolutely. Be super relentless. So you’re gonna do the calls, you’re gonna do the door knocking, you’re gonna go ahead and mail, okay? And if you could really skip trace and get maybe their exact cell phone, maybe you would send a text. Now, ladies and gentlemen, of course, adults, be mindful of all these different rules in place about anti-spamming and all that.

13:57Use your better judgment.

Loida Velasquez13:58

Absolutely. Now, I wanna shift a little bit, still regarding door knocking, but let’s say there’s some ladies that are watching this, and they’re like, “You know what, Joe? I wanna do it, but I’m a solo agent and I’m worried about safety.” What tips do you have regarding safety?

Joe Mendoza14:14

Oh, great question, Loida.

14:16I’m so glad you brought that up. Study martial arts. Yes. I’m a big fan. If you look at me on social, I’m getting into jujitsu and judo, and I highly, highly recommend that for females. No doubt about it, okay? Secondly, partner up with one of your lenders or vendor partners, because I’ve done that multiple times, even being a male.

14:42I’ll partner up with a lender, come door knock with me, or somebody in your office or one of your accountability partners. Use pepper spray. Use all these different things that will be in your favor. Walk in flats. Don’t walk in high heels, right? Wear pants. Don’t wear a skirt. Use these different things to better protect yourself, better prepare yourself from anything that might happen, because man, this is one of the things that is out there.

15:14But I’ll tell you what. The numbers are more in your favor if you’re doing it the right way, everything I just shared with you, and you’re gonna get the results. Again, remember, average agents get average results. Outrageous agents get outrageous results.

Loida Velasquez15:31

Yes. It’s funny that you mention martial arts because about five years ago I started to take boxing classes for that same reason too, so that I knew how to punch if I needed to punch someone.

15:42And so ladies, if you’ve been afraid of martial arts or boxing, it’s definitely gonna be an advantage for you just to know. Not that something’s gonna happen, because at the end of the day, we’re also very cautious of where we’re going and what time we’re going. I know for me, I let someone know where I’m gonna be at and when I start and when I finish, that way they can know exactly where Loida is.

16:05But I don’t want you to think that this should be something that’s stopping you, because just like Joe said, there’s a lot of opportunity out there for hitting the expireds, especially at the doors. And just one more tip from my experience as a woman, hitting the doors compared to a gentleman, most of the time more doors will probably open for a lady versus someone that’s over six feet and might seem intimidating.

16:29So that has been my experience.

Joe Mendoza16:32

Exactly correct. Exactly correct. And folks, know the neighborhood you’re door knocking in, right? Dress the part. If it’s a little more blue collar, then dress down. If it’s a little more white collar, affluent, whatever, dress up. And for males, what I would say, I’m so glad you pointed that out, Loida, because on the exact opposite for males, be mindful of sometimes even putting your badge on the right side of your chest, okay?

16:59Because females typically won’t answer the door if you look a little strange, okay? You might bring a clipboard. Have your badge on the right side, because eyeballs typically look at the right. When you shake hands, you’re shaking with the right hand, okay? And then again, on the door knocking, step back, male or female, okay?

17:21Take two or three steps back. Don’t stand at the door. So when you walk up, you ring the doorbell, immediately step backwards two or three steps and then position, right? And then you’re ready to go. So even at an angle, right? You could even split the other way. And be mindful if there’s a gate or an area that could be barely visible to the public street. I’d be mindful.

17:49I mean, when I was working for the banks and doing some of these BPOs, man, if there was a fence, no way. I’m not going in there, even for my safety. So be careful, be mindful. Use your common sense.

Loida Velasquez18:01

Yes. I’m glad that you brought that up because let’s say I’m door knocking myself, right? And I’m so excited.

18:08I’m talking to the homeowner and they say, “Come on in and take a look.” What would you suggest if I’m by myself, like, what should Loida do?

Joe Mendoza18:18

Great question. So Joe Mendoza would walk in, and I would be on full alert, and I would read it, okay?

18:27Because once in a while, I’m willing to take my chance, right?

18:30Because like I said, I’ve trained almost all my life and I’m very prepared, very alert, and I’m willing to take the chance. Okay? For a female, you know what? Be careful, right? If you feel very confident and you’re very prepared, then again, you have your alert on your phone. You have that 911 speed dial.

18:52You have a friend or somebody in the car, right?

18:56You have all these different things that are like your ready preparedness, especially if you have somebody in the car just kind of waiting. “Hey,” in 30 seconds or a minute, you give the clock, you know. Set some kind of alerts on your phones, devices.

19:12There’s so many things out there that you could use. And again, it’s up to you, ladies. If you wanna take the chance, I would make sure, don’t do it unless you have all these other precautions in place.

Loida Velasquez19:27

Exactly. Yes. I love it. Now, I wanna shift a little bit. Again, it’s still regarding expireds and door knocking them.

19:35Now, let’s say I’m door knocking an expired, and it’s a couple, sweet couple. “Yeah, you know what, Joe? We’re looking to go back on the market. Can you help us?”

Joe Mendoza19:47

And what… I’m sorry.

Loida Velasquez19:49

And the question would be how can an agent make sure that they’re fully prepared, that if they do get a homeowner that’s ready to re-list, that they get the listing possibly even on the spot?

Joe Mendoza20:00

Absolutely. I’ve done that multiple times, folks. There’s some gurus out there back in the day that would say, “You can never do it. It’s a two-step, three-step process.” I’m like, “Yeah, right.” I’ve done it multiple times where you have a blank listing agreement, okay? So don’t put the address. There’s hacks that you could do on…

20:24If you’re in California, there’s ways to kind of pre-print it out, but don’t put the address, and print out the rest of it, the listing agreement ready to go, where you could literally list on the spot. You might have an iPad or a MacBook or something like that where it’s already there, and you have your Wi-Fi device ready to go.

20:44But I would highly recommend that, you know what they say, speed to lead, speed to lead. And it’s not necessarily experience, it’s preparedness, again, of being ready to go. You chant your affirmations, your mantra, “I’m a lean, mean, listing machine,” or whatever you do before that. And I’ll tell you what, that confidence is gonna ooze out, because most people, when they don’t get the appointment, they don’t turn it into a lead, it’s because they’re lacking confidence.

Loida Velasquez21:14

And a question I’m sure agents are thinking right now is, “Do I need to do my research on comps before I hit the door, or should I just go and just figure it out?”

Joe Mendoza21:27

Yes and yes. So to each their own, because some people wanna get ready to get ready to get ready, and they never get started, right?

21:37Some people will do a little bit of, they do the broker caravans. They do the homework before going into those neighborhoods. They’re farming, so they’re already constantly preparing, right? And so that’s why I said earlier, close and convenient. Really, if you wanna dominate your market space, go close and convenient, and really know average cost per door, what sold recently, what just recently canceled, what went pending.

22:06You gotta know all these different things. How do you know, if you’re close and convenient? Once in a while, if you really wanna put the pedal to the metal, you’re gonna go in these different areas, okay? Well, at least you’ll have a pre-print of the MLS that shows expired or canceled. You’ll have the price.

22:26Well, one of the pro tips, of course, is never, ever, ever re-list at the same price. Typically, when it expires, one of the top reasons why they expired is price. So you’re not gonna go in there… As a matter of fact, go aggressive. Recommend to the seller, “Hey, I would recommend you drop it $50,000, $100,000.”

22:47Depends. And then see what they say. And lead it with a follow-up script saying, “Hey, Mr. Seller, Mrs. Seller, you know what? My job, number one, is to sell your property.” And guess what? I work on commission, and it’s in my best interest to sell it for top dollar, Mr. and Mrs. Seller. So tell you what, if I sell it for less, I lose also.

23:12So you better believe that we’re gonna push the highest price possible, because I wanna get you to your point A, point B, whatever it is.

Loida Velasquez23:22

Awesome. Yeah. I feel that everything you’ve been mentioning, even these scripts of what to say, agents will probably have to watch this two, three times to write it all down.

23:32And before we wrap up, tell us a little bit more about your coaching, how agents can get ahold of you if they want you to coach them and train them on not just expireds, but how to kill it in real estate.

Joe Mendoza23:45

Absolutely. So I’m experiencing a very demanding time in my life and my career. I mean, reach out.

23:54I do like to interview you, as well as you’re gonna probably wanna interview me first to make sure it’s a fit, because quite frankly, I’m not for everybody. My cell phone, you can type up my name, find me online. But I’ll tell you what, if you’re very coachable, you put your ego aside, you’re willing to learn, and you’re willing to commit.

24:17This isn’t like… My average clients are with me typically three to five years. I always tell them, “This is not a sprint. This is not the magic pill. If you’re looking to work with me and you have that in mind, forget it. We’re not a fit automatically. Okay? Go all in. Think that this is a marathon. Put the ego aside and interview.”

24:39We’ll interview each other and then we’ll go from there.

Loida Velasquez24:42

Awesome. Well, Joe, thank you so much for coming on this show once again. You gave so much great value when it comes to door knocking expireds. I know that everyone that’s tuning in is gonna be able to hopefully now be more confident in hitting the doors and getting more listing appointments.

24:57So thank you once again, Joe. And for everyone that’s watching, we’ll see you on the next one. Bye.

Joe Mendoza25:01

Thank you, Loida. Appreciate it. Good luck, guys.