The first goal of any hiring manager is not to find a candidate, but to ELIMINATE unqualified candidates. Most hiring managers reading your resume will take the pile of up to 500 letters they received and try to separate the definite "no's' (Don't Call) into one pile and the interesting resumes into the second pile (Might Call). They then go back and eliminate again until what they have is a manageable pile (5-10 max) of pre-qualified candidates (To Call).
Getting into the second pile (Might Call) is your first goal. The first cut may take you from a stack of 500 resumes to a smaller yet still intimidating stack of 20.
At 20 resumes, the reader will spend 2-3 minutes on each resume versus just a few seconds the first time through. The objective here for the hiring manager is to take the stack of 20 down to a more manageable 5-10 resumes mentioned above.
At 5-10 resumes, the reader will be spending some quality time reading what you have written. They may be highlighting and making notes about the things that interest them the most or closely align with what they are looking for.
A few more resumes will be eliminated during this round, but not necessarily put back into the Don't Call pile. These candidates go into the Might Call pile but will only be called only if the hiring manager cannot find enough qualified candidates from 4-8 resumes they have left. This is the To Call pile that you want to end up in.
The hiring manager begins to make some calls and do some initial phone interviews. From here a few more people may be eliminated for a variety of reasons. Some of the people may have already taken other positions or the hiring manager does not like the candidate enough to invite him or her in for a face-to-face interview.
The hiring manager will keep interviewing until they have invited 3-5 people in for a personal interview.
As the realistic numbers I've indicated above reveal, in order to be invited in for an interview, you'll need to have a resume and cover letter better than 495 other candidates. Notice I did not say you needed more education, better experience or more years on the job than the other people applying for the same job. You just need to have better paperwork..."you just need a better story." This will be the topic of a future article.
There is a way to overcome this invisible wall that comes up between you and the agent. It is a simple method refer to as focus on receptivity.
Basically, you need to focus on people that are receptive to you and your business. That person could be another agent in the office, a broker, the office manager, or even a receptionist. But the challenge is finding someone that is receptive.
Many industries have tried methods to build receptive connections, one great example is the headhunting business. Headhunters have it down to a science. Imagine getting a call from a headhunter. They immediately launch into their pitch about a great position with a six figure salary and complete medical and dental benefits with a company car included. Then before you can respond, they ask you if you know of anyone that might be interested in the job.
They have certainly got your attention, and they have taken the pressure off of you by giving you the out. Of course, by this time, you do not want to pass on this great opportunity.
You can use the same technique with your mortgage business. Start off with something like this:
Hi Steve, my name is Jeff and I have something important that I hope you can help me with. I am looking for a agent who is trying to find a lender that consistently produces referrals, helps double traffic to open houses, offers marketing assistance and always closes loans on time. Do you know of a agent in your office, or even have a contact from another office, that might be interested?
When you use an approach similar to this, you avoid creating a confrontation issue, instead it seems merely conversational. You are asking for their assistance or input, which is far less threatening, and makes them much more receptive.
Ultimately, you will get either get a referral for another agent, or the agent will jump in and ask for your assistance. There are other options for finding receptive people.
Find A Sponsor
Another option for establishing receptive relationships is to seek a sponsor. When you have a sponsor in the office, that person is far more likely to introduce you to others in the office and those people are far more likely to listen to you.
Do not overlook the support staff in the office. A receptionist can be your best friend. They know exactly what is going on in the office. Develop a friendship with the receptionist based on respect and genuine admiration and they will be an important asset.
The receptionist in most real estate firms watches a lot of high profit business go by, while they are on the low end of the totem pole. They can be very appreciative of attention, praise, and even occasionally small gifts. Do not push the friendship, let it unfold and they will be more than happy to support your efforts by giving you the names of the agents, along with their cell phone numbers and emails.
Give a Peace Offering
Whether it is a receptionist or an agent most people respond to a gift and consider it a peace offering. There are lots of little gifts that are inexpensive, while still being of value and putting a visual reminder of you and your business in an office space. One example is a small motivational book (these can be small enough to fit in a jacket pocket and only cost a couple dollars each), informational articles on marketing and real estate, and desktop items such as pens, paperweight, etc.
When you invest in creating receptive people, you earn interest that can yield big rewards for your business in the future.
Jeffrey Nelson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Debts Loans, Marketing and Real Estate. Go to to get a free copy of Jeff Nelson's Marketing Planning Guide, a 20-page workbook designed to help you outline a str. Jeffrey Nelson's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.