Are you having issues with your yellow letter campaign? Let me guess. You are getting a ton of calls, which let’s face it-that is wonderful problem to have. Are you unsure of how to really explain yourself? Many people find themselves in this situation. Think about it. They basically get the letter and they think you are some hick who drove through the neighborhood and stuck flyers in everyone’s mailbox. And then they call you…and you say…not sure what to say? Not sure how to handle yourself?

This isn’t rocket science. Of course someone is going to call and even if they are not interested in selling, they are going to at least try to find out who you are. Do you blame them? When you find things in your mailbox, aren’t you curious about who put it there (especially if you are doing multiple mailings)?

You need to really focus on one thing-your questionnaire. When your phone rings you really only need to know a little bit about the house to determine if you are dealing with someone who has potential. I call these hot prospects and cold suspects. A cold suspect is someone who just wants to sell his or her house. If you can afford it, it is great to have someone prescreen all of your phone calls. This works great! You can have somebody prescreen the calls, and then you only have to deal with the serious calls. Have this person email or fax the information to you. I know you may be thinking of the yellow letter as a soft approach, but you really are using a back door approach when the questionnaire is used.

The yellow letter typically generates a sizeable amount of leads. You have a choice of whether you want to answer your calls or have someone else do that for you. Keep in mind, the letter is designed specifically to make you appear as an individual-someone who wants to move into that house, and make it your home. A prescreener or answering service may alter that appearance, so make sure you are projecting yourself the way you want potential sellers to see you.

Remember, you need to deal with people who need to sell their house. They can’t just want to-they need to. A key factor in real estate is knowing who is motivated to sell and who is not. Trust me-deal with the motivated people-don’t let unmotivated people waste your time!