Prospecting… From Fearful to Fearless

by Matthew Ferry

Those who fear it, vehemently oppose it. Those who embrace it, are some of the biggest agents in the business.

Brian Buffini has built his career teaching people to avoid it. Mike Ferry, my father, is villainized for teaching it.

It’s controversial. What is it?

Prospecting!!

I started teaching people how to prospect in 1993, and built my career on helping people learn the skills necessary to be successful to use prospecting to build their business.  Yet after teaching thousands of agents the techniques, scripts, dialogues, closes, and systems for prospecting… few ever did it and even fewer still made it pay.

In 1999 I had a flash of insight!  An awakening of sorts.

“The only difference between the successful prospector and unsuccessful prospector was their mindset.”

Same skills. Same calls. Same scripts. Yet the better mindset wins every time.

At first it didn’t make any sense to me. It took me years to fully understand it. In the end it became so obvious that mindset is the one change that changes everything, that I took my focus off of techniques altogether and started teaching mindset full time.

Is prospecting only for the fearless or can anyone do it?

The answer to that question is both simple and complex. The simple answer is yes, anyone can do it. The complex answer is that you must develop a mindset that is aligned with prospecting.

Let me see if I can help you understand this and inspire you to take on the process.

Your mind has many facets. One of the most influential facets of the mind is your survival system. I call this part of your mind The Drunk Monkey. Its job is to assess the situation you are in (or about to be in) and decide the best course of action.

“The Drunk Monkey gets out of control and leads you away from making money”

‘Watch the video below learn more about The Drunk Monkey’

Here’s an example: You walk over and pet a dog. That dog bites you. Question: What happens next time you see a dog? Answer: You experience a negative reaction. Do all dogs bite? No! But your survival system is doing it’s job. Now let’s look at prospecting…

You’re in school as a kid. The teacher asks a question. You raise your hand. You answer.  “Wrong!” says the teacher. All the kids laugh. Adrenaline floods your body, your cheeks turn red, and you are embarrassed. What happens the next time the teacher asks a question? You don’t raise your hand.

What does this have to do with prospecting?

Your broker says, “Pick up the phone and call this list of people, and ask them if they want to buy or sell.” Instantly The Drunk Monkey says, “What if they ask me a question that I don’t know the answer too?  What if I look stupid?  What if I’m embarrassed?” You just got duped by The Drunk Monkey. Your career just got massively limited by the illogical generalization that this time will be like when you were a kid in school.

Top Agents have somehow escaped the tyranny of The Drunk Monkey in this area of their business. I’ve spent my career seeking to understand why they think the way they think. I have dissected this thought process and have successfully taught it to agents who didn’t have it naturally (like most people).

Recommended Resources:
★ Top Agent Mindset – The shortcut to making over $250k a year in commissions.