When it comes to selling real estate, your goal is to be face-to-face with your prospects. Only then can you engage them in a planned presentation that guides them toward a buying decisions.

However, before you sit down with a prospect, you must qualify them to determine if it is worth their time and yours to have a meeting. This is best done over the phone.

You want to know, under the best of circumstances, the appropriate amount of time you should spend on this prospect. Many well-meaning brokers will spend hours of their time, even purchase airline tickets, for a long-shot commission of a couple hundred dollars. Your time and money would be better spent on a highly qualified prospect. And you won’t know if they are such a person until you talk with them on the phone.

In an era of texts and emails, many junior brokers are tempted to bypass the phone in favor of written communication. It may be easier and less time-consuming to fire off a series of emails or texts, but you will not build relationships with prospects this way. Remember, your goal is to be face-to-face with a prospect. Most of your emails will not be read, and if they are, they won’t come across as personable.

So use email and text as a follow-up tool. After you’ve spoken on the phone or met with a “suspect,” send them an email restating what you discussed and providing them with more information.

Again, your goal is to develop a trusting relationship with prospects and customers so they will want to have a face-to-face meeting with you, and it all begins with a phone conversation.