How Melissa Grant gets 70 to 75% of her business from expired listings

Melissa Grant00:00

When I’m calling people, everyone is different. So getting a feel for the people over the phone and what their personality is like, and how we will mirror and match, and kind of figure out what personality type they are so that we know how to best communicate with them. So I like to dive deep on those mastery skills so that I can make the best connection with people when I’m making those calls.

Aaron Wittenstein00:33

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 speak to agents across the country to help you learn how to take one, two, three, 456.73 listings a week. All right? And we’ve got a special guest today all the way from the Space Coast of Florida, the opposite side of where I live, Melissa Grant.

00:55Melissa, how are we doing today?

Melissa Grant00:57

I am fantastic, Aaron. How about yourself?

Aaron Wittenstein01:00

You know what? I gotta say, for everything, I’m doing pretty darn good here today. I’m doing pretty darn good. So we were chatting, and Melissa does a good portion, what would you say, about 70, 75% of your business over the last rolling 12 months has been what?

01:14Expired listings, right?

Melissa Grant01:16

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein01:17

That’s a good portion of business right there. That’s correct. That’s a good portion of business. Yeah. And what I found to be extremely interesting is you love, like, the art of speaking to people.

Melissa Grant01:29

I do. I do.

Aaron Wittenstein01:31

So, like, tell me a little bit more about that.

01:33‘Cause I mean, there’s so many ways that you wind up going with that, left, right, up and down. But tell me, what do you enjoy diving into the art of this?

Melissa Grant01:43

So Aaron, when I’m calling people, everyone is different. So getting a feel for the people over the phone and what their personality is like, and how we will mirror and match, and kind of figure out what personality type they are so that we know how to best communicate with them.

02:02So I like to dive deep on those mastery skills so that I can make the best connection with people when I’m making those calls.

Aaron Wittenstein02:11

Okay. So mirror and matching.

02:16Can you just kind of give me an example of what mirror and matching looks like?

Melissa Grant02:21

So if I call someone and they sound pretty down and out, and they’re low, I try to slow it down.

02:31If I can tell they’re kind of having an off day or their energy isn’t that high, then I’ll draw my energy back. Versus if someone answers the phone and I say, “Good morning,” and they say, “Good morning.” Then I’m like, “How’s it going today? Am I the first agent or the 50th?”

02:48You know? So I just try to feel them out so that I’m not up here and they’re down here. I’m just trying to get on the same field as them.

Aaron Wittenstein02:58

So is this something that you’ve just kind of taught yourself? Have you learned how to do that? Like, how did that all come about?

Melissa Grant03:06

So, at our brokerage, we…

03:11I’m with KW, so we’re heavy into training. One of the things that we lean into here is personality profiles and the DiSC, and trying to learn what those different personality types are. You know, we have high D personalities, or high I’s that are super, like to communicate and have kind of the energetic personalities.

03:35So really diving deep to learn about different personality types.

Aaron Wittenstein03:41

Got it. ‘Cause we have D, which is the driver, right? We

Melissa Grant03:44

have- The driver.

Aaron Wittenstein03:45

What is… I always say the huggy feely people, but what are the-

Melissa Grant03:50

So those I people are the ones who are gonna have, like, some feelings there.

Aaron Wittenstein03:58

Yeah, that’s become the huggy feely. Now, a driver, right? A driver is somebody that’s what?

Melissa Grant04:08

Dominant. Exactly. Like a dominant personality.

Aaron Wittenstein04:11

Exactly. And those are like, massive amounts of real estate agents are drivers. I’m assuming you knew that.

Melissa Grant04:21

Yeah. We’re all together here, so we talk over each other and things.

Aaron Wittenstein04:25

Exactly. And then you have the S and the C, correct?

Melissa Grant04:30

So you have the S and the C. Our S’s, they’re super analytical. If you have ever had a client that’s an engineer, you know what I’m talking about. They want all the data. They wanna see the statistics.

04:42They want you to dive deep and tell them about the numbers. So once you can pick up on that, you can start talking about market numbers, and those are things that would draw the S personality in and kind of get them on the hook.

Aaron Wittenstein04:56

You do realize I could talk about this with you for the next three and a half hours, right?

Melissa Grant05:00

Yes. And not to say, because we might not pick that out on the first call. We may not get that far, so the follow-up is important as well.

Aaron Wittenstein05:12

Oh, yeah. And definitely hands down. And because once you can engage with that thing like you said, when you’re mirror and matching them, you get a vibe on who they are, then what you’re saying with the DiSC is you’re taking it to the next level, correct?

Melissa Grant05:27

Correct.

Aaron Wittenstein05:28

So do you have any, like, tricks or anything that you can think of in regards to figuring out which personality profile it is?

Melissa Grant05:40

So sometimes you can ask them questions. Like, ask them, “Hey, can you describe your house for me?

05:45I haven’t seen it in person. Can you tell me about it?” And usually you can gauge by their response. Like, a high D, before I knew what DiSC was and someone asked that same question to me, they asked me to describe my house, and my answer was, “Homey.” You know? So very, just trying to see what details they give you there.

Aaron Wittenstein06:07

Got it. And it’s, when you know more about the people, you know how you can work with them. Right? ‘Cause not everybody’s the same.

Melissa Grant06:19

They’re not. They’re not the same, and so not everyone has the same needs of communication. How I like to be communicated with may not be the same for you.

06:29So it’s important that we are not treating them the way that we wanna be treated, and more how they wanna be treated.

Aaron Wittenstein06:38

Exactly. Exactly. So let me, and I think I mentioned this a little, can you guess what I am?

Melissa Grant06:44

Can I guess what-

Aaron Wittenstein06:45

What,

Melissa Grant06:45

what you are?

Aaron Wittenstein06:46

What my personality profile is.

Melissa Grant06:49

Okay.

06:49So I actually don’t think you’re a high D.

Aaron Wittenstein06:53

Okay, what am I?

Melissa Grant06:56

Well, would you describe your house for me, Aaron?

Aaron Wittenstein06:59

Well, it’s a three-bedroom, two and a half bath, 353 square feet. We’ve got three bedrooms for my kids. I’m sorry, four bedrooms. One for me and my wife, one for my children.

07:13We have a backyard for the dog, and it’s just a nice place to live.

Melissa Grant07:17

So I would lean with C.

Aaron Wittenstein07:19

Okay. You know, and it’s weird, because when things go differently… I haven’t taken my personality profile in, like, seven years, right? And where I was back in the day, and I’d be curious to take it again, is like a DI.

07:38My I was higher than my D, which can mask as a C. Okay. So-

Melissa Grant07:43

And I flip. Sometimes I’m a D and sometimes I can be high I.

Aaron Wittenstein07:47

Oh my gosh, we could talk this for days. We could absolutely talk this for days. So when you’re prospecting, all right, when you’re calling your expireds,

07:57are you an expired… You’re an expired person, right?

Melissa Grant08:00

I’m an expired person. Way more. FSBOs are just not my thing.

Aaron Wittenstein08:07

Me neither. So when you are prospecting for an expired listing, I know you said you ask, “Tell me about the house.” Is there any other things that you use within that script to be able to figure out how to properly, what’s the word I’m looking for here?

08:28How to properly bring them in, if you will?

Melissa Grant08:32

Yeah. So when I first call them, I’m trying to feel out the energy first. And then if I’ve got them where I can lead them into questions, I go into my traditional script. I tell them who I am and I ask them, “Hey, had the house sold?”

08:52“Where were you going?” So I do go into the traditional scripts. I read them all the time. I write them out. So probably the same ones that we’re all using.

Aaron Wittenstein09:07

Would you be open to a quick role play? Was that something you’d be open to?

Melissa Grant09:11

Sure, sure.

Aaron Wittenstein09:12

Okay, cool. So I’m an expired, let’s say, for everything.

09:17I just came off the market. You’re starting at 8:30 in the morning and you’re the third broker to call me. Let’s just make it that way.

Melissa Grant09:25

Okay. So the third broker, do I know this going in, or are you gonna tell me right now?

Aaron Wittenstein09:32

Well, let’s just say you don’t know it yet, but I haven’t been beat up enough yet, put it that way.

Melissa Grant09:38

Okey doke, okey doke. Ring, ring.

Aaron Wittenstein09:40

Hello?

Melissa Grant09:42

Hi, Aaron? This is Melissa with Keller Williams. Hey, the reason for my call this morning is twofold. I wanted to be sure that you knew that your home is no longer listed for sale.

09:54And I wanted to see what your plans are for the property.

Aaron Wittenstein09:57

Yeah, you’re like the third agent to call me, so I’m fully aware at this point.

10:01The house came off the market.

Melissa Grant10:02

Only the third? Only the third?

Aaron Wittenstein10:04

Yeah. Well, why do you say that? It sounds horrible. Why do you say that?

Melissa Grant10:09

Well, I feel pretty good I’m only the third today and not the 20th or the 30th.

Aaron Wittenstein10:15

You’re telling me I’m gonna get 20 or 30 phone calls today?

Melissa Grant10:18

It could be.

10:19So what I would ask you is, do you have any appointments set for the day yet, Aaron?

Aaron Wittenstein10:24

No. It just came off yesterday. You know, we fired our agent, because I gotta tell you, they did not do the job properly at all. Our house was on the market for over, gosh, you probably know better than I do.

10:37And yeah, we’re just very sick of our previous agent.

Melissa Grant10:44

Yeah, I did see that you had 90 days on market, and it looks like you’re about 60 in your area. Do you know what went wrong? Why do you think the house didn’t sell?

Aaron Wittenstein10:54

I have no idea. Our house is gorgeous. I mean, we put in all the upgrades.

10:58We’ve got the custom pool and the great backyard, and your guess is as good as mine.

Melissa Grant11:05

And did you have any showings during that time, Aaron?

Aaron Wittenstein11:08

Yeah, we had, like, 12.

Melissa Grant11:11

Okay, so you had some good activity. Any offers there?

Aaron Wittenstein11:14

One, but it was really bad. Like, really bad.

Melissa Grant11:19

Oh, okay. Well, hey, how about this?

11:21Do you think that you’d have time this afternoon? I’d love to come by about 15 minutes and just show you what we’re doing to get houses sold in the market today.

Aaron Wittenstein11:28

So let me ask you this, then. All right, so what would you do differently than my agent did?

Melissa Grant11:35

Well, I’m not sure yet, because it sounds like your agent didn’t do much, Aaron.

11:39So if you have 15 minutes today at, you know, 2:00 or 4:00, I could come by and show you what our marketing plan looks like for the current climate of today.

Aaron Wittenstein11:49

Sure. You can stop by. We’re not signing anything, though.

Melissa Grant11:54

Oh, okay. Yeah, no problem. No pressure to sign. I’d just like to show you what we offer and see if it’s something that would make sense.

Aaron Wittenstein12:03

Okay. Yeah, sure. You can come by.

Melissa Grant12:05

Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you today around 2:00.

Aaron Wittenstein12:08

Perfect. So what you did that I liked, all right, which you know this as well as I do, is that when most agents say, “What are you gonna do differently?” They say, “Oh, we’re gonna do Facebook ads. We’re gonna do open houses.

12:19We’re gonna do drone photography.” Like, you can’t build that value over the phone. And you just can’t. And what did you… I mean, what did you do? You closed me, right?

Melissa Grant12:30

Right. ‘Cause we wanna get that appointment as fast as we can, so we can get face to face with them, and then we can really…

12:39Because then we’re gonna see body language, which we can kind of feel their vibe or their energy. But when we can get in person with them and see their body language and try to get them to be relaxed and be open to conversation, that’s when we’re gonna be able to close that deal.

Aaron Wittenstein12:57

Exactly.

12:58Exactly. And I definitely felt the mirror and matching that you were doing in regards to the conversation, which was great. And it’s being able to stand out, right? And the one thing I don’t wanna gloss over is what you said in the beginning, is we all use similar scripts, but I practice my scripts.

13:19I write out my scripts, and I know my… You basically said, “I know my scripts inside and out.” You were kind of alluding to that.

Melissa Grant13:26

Yes. And it’s not about reading from a script, it’s knowing the script. And depending on the person, you may move that or reorganize that script and take it in a different direction.

13:39You know, I feel like sometimes, and even maybe in that, if I waited too long, I would lose you. So I just wanted to grab that appointment as fast as I could.

Aaron Wittenstein13:52

Exactly. And I mean, you could sense who I was and what my deal was and get to the point, close me, call it a day, and move on, right?

Melissa Grant14:00

Yep.

Aaron Wittenstein14:01

So how often are you practicing on a regular basis, would you say?

Melissa Grant14:07

Every day.

Aaron Wittenstein14:09

Every day.

Melissa Grant14:09

So, yeah. I have a binder, I have a notebook. It’s a notebook. I have my scripts printed out, they’re in sleeves. They’re printed on like a typed document, and then I just have notebook paper behind that and I’ll write them out.

14:26I read through the scripts, I write them out. So if I’m gonna call expireds, I’m gonna pull up my expired script, I’m gonna read through it out loud, out loud, and then I’m gonna write it out a few times. And that’s how I do my scripts. And then I have a little mindset routine that I do before I get my dials in the morning.

Aaron Wittenstein14:46

Okay. I gotta ask, what’s the mindset routine? You can’t say that and not share it with us.

Melissa Grant14:51

So above scripts to me is mindset. I think mindset matters most. When I wake up in the morning, I want to spend the first 15 minutes of my day not putting any garbage in my mind. So I don’t reach for the phone or wanna scroll through social media, because I don’t wanna see anything negative first thing in the morning.

15:15I don’t wanna read in a Facebook group that the market sucks and there’s nobody selling. I just don’t want that thought before I’m gonna go into picking up the phone, you know? So I intentionally avoid that, and then I just have my silence in the morning where I’m at peace. I make sure I have my breakfast and my banana, and I just get cozy and I read through my scripts.

15:40Sometimes I put on different podcasts. Vulcan, I have a few episodes that I’ve saved over the years that I like to play those back on loop, ’cause I liked the guests and I felt like they got me pumped up. So I just like a little mindset routine in the morning that’s gonna get me in the good space to know that there’s somebody out there that really needs my help.

Aaron Wittenstein16:05

Okay, there’s two words that you just said that I never actually heard together. You used the word cozy and prospecting. I just, that just blew my mind, you know what I mean? I’m picturing, like, sitting there prospecting in front of a fireplace with like a warm, fuzzy blanket.

Melissa Grant16:22

Oh, my office… I’m in the brokerage today, so I’m actually hiding out in a little corner office. But when I’m at home, which is my bunker, that’s my room, my home office. So it is cozy. I have my chair, my desks, my big plant in the corner that I feel like is producing fresh oxygen for me, you know?

16:41Like all the things, it is cozy. So I just get settled in there and pick up that phone and wait to find my next lifelong client on the phone, Aaron.

Aaron Wittenstein16:53

I love it. And you know, the thing is, what I gather from you is you’re a very relaxing soul on people. You know what I mean? That’s what I get from you.

17:03And to be able to do that when you’re on the phone, to be calm, is extremely important, right?

Melissa Grant17:11

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein17:12

Yeah. And just to maintain that sense of calmness, because I think you’ll agree with me, that it’s just, it’s chaos for these people.

Melissa Grant17:22

Chaos, yes.

Aaron Wittenstein17:23

You know, it’s pure chaos. And to be able, that sense of calmness that you’re going to bring to them, AKA the warm, fuzzy blanket, right, is gonna…

17:32I mean, what do you think about that?

Melissa Grant17:37

Yeah. I think because some people say it’s a cold call, and we know when we’re calling people, it doesn’t have to be a cold call. It can be a warm call. You know? It can be a, “Hey, what’s your situation here? Maybe we can help you.” You know?

17:54Or sometimes you talk to people and you realize they were led astray, and maybe they have a situation that you can’t help. Maybe the number is wrong, and what they want can’t be achieved. And then you can get to the bottom of that, too.

Aaron Wittenstein18:14

Exactly. And then

Melissa Grant18:15

And follow up, so that when they do need your help, you’re top of mind, right?

Aaron Wittenstein18:21

100%, exactly. You know, it’s just having the proper attitude, which you have. And I’m sure you know that. And it’s bringing just that, like I said, with you, it’s bringing that warm fuzziness. And I know that’s a corny word to use, but it seems like that’s why you’re so successful.

18:41You know? It’s just you’re gonna bring that to them. Thank you. Thank you. You’re very welcome. So let me ask you this. A brand new agent walks across your desk, knock, knock, knock on your door, and says, “Melissa, I’m brand new. What is one piece of advice you have for me?”

18:57What would that piece of advice be?

Melissa Grant19:00

So I tell agents two things. The first thing I tell agents is get in the market center and make sure that you’re immersing yourself so that you are around, because when you’re a new agent, you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing. You have no idea what are the activities.

19:18I tell them, just go, and if there’s a door open with an agent inside, introduce yourself, make friends, because some of the first leads we ever get are from other agents, you know? And I tell them, “If you want right now business, pick up that phone.”

Aaron Wittenstein19:37

Exactly. Pick up the phone. All right, so I wanna wrap this up in a nice little warm and fuzzy bow.

19:42Okay. Warm and fuzzy, cozy bow here.

Melissa Grant19:44

Warm and fuzzy.

Aaron Wittenstein19:44

Warm and fuzzy. Perfect, I love it. What is one thing you would have, your final words for good old Vulcan7 Nation, what would that be?

Melissa Grant19:56

Mindset matters most.

Aaron Wittenstein19:59

Mindset matters most. Mindset, yeah, mic drop, boom, we’re good. We don’t need to talk anymore.

20:03Okay. So Melissa, let’s say someone is moving from Houston, Texas to the Space Coast of Florida. How does one get in touch with you?

Melissa Grant20:14

You can call me, 321-258-1514, or text. And you can email me, melissagrant@kw.com. And I would be happy to help your clients and make them feel warm and fuzzy.

Aaron Wittenstein20:32

Whatever you

Melissa Grant20:33

gotta do.

Aaron Wittenstein20:33

All right, Melissa, I wanna say thank you so much for being here today, all right?

Melissa Grant20:36

Aaron, thank you for having me. I appreciate you so much. I’m a big fan. I love Vulcan. I teach that to agents in the office, so we’ve had a few newer agents recently sign up with Vulcan, so I love it.

20:50It’s the best platform that there is.

Aaron Wittenstein20:52

Oh, you’re too sweet. Thank you so much. I just remind everybody, use Vulcan. Go make some money, and just remember, I know it’s a little bit small, but trust the process. Y’all take care of yourself. Be good now.

Melissa Grant21:02

Trust the

Aaron Wittenstein21:02

process. Bye, Aaron. Bye.