First impressions matter.

And when someone is picking up the phone to call your real estate investing business, they’re doing it because they want help selling their home… and they’re wondering if you can help them.

You have to understand that this is a big deal for them.

To you, it’s just another ringing phone. But to them, it might be the solution to all of their home-selling woes.

They’re curious, excited, and hesitant all at the same time.

And how you answer — what you say and how you say it — will set the tone for the rest of the call. So here’s how you should answer the phone, every single time.

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1. Summon a Friendly Tone

Albert Mehrabian's 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication

According to this graphic, 55% of communication happens through body language, 38% happens through voice and tone, and 7% through the actual words a person is saying.

Let’s transfer that to phone communication — that’d mean that 93% is voice tone and 7% is the actual words that you’re saying.

So tone matters… a lot.

And before you answer the phone, take 3-5 seconds to get in the right frame of mind — summon your friendly, kind, enthusiastic voice.

I realize that that’s not always easy. Maybe you’re having a bad day, but if you want to give your sales call the best possible chance for success, then you should master your tone of voice, even if it means taking a few deep breaths before answering the phone.

2. Introduce Yourself

You’ve got yourself in the right frame of mind and now you’re going to pick up the phone, but what should you say?

There is a lot of debate about the best first thing you can say on a sales call. In fact, I wrote an article over here with 6 of my favorite opening phrases.

But those phrases are primarily for if you are cold calling a lead.

If someone calls you, the best thing you can do is simply introduce yourself while maintaining your friendly tone. Something like this will suffice…

“Hello, this is Justin with ABC Homebuyers. How can we serve you?”

This serves two purposes. First, it tells people that they’re talking to an actual person who represents the company. And second, it confirms that they called the right phone number.

The next part is dead-simple.

3. Pause

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Right after you say your opening line, you need to pause and give the person time to think and respond.

This is a critical key to all good sales.

If you talk a lot, speaking over the prospect or not giving them time to respond to your questions, it’s not only frustrating, but you’ll miss out on potentially vital information that they would have shared with you if you’d talked less.

So take a deep breath, focus on asking questions, and stay quiet when the prospect is answering.


Answering the phone isn’t rocket science.

Just ask yourself this question: How would you want the salesperson to answer the phone if you were the prospect?

Then practice answering the phone with a friendly tone, introduce yourself, and then pause. Allow the conversation to carry itself to its natural conclusion. Show confidence in yourself and your business, but don’t be overly pushy or sales-y.

This is your first impression, and it matters quite a lot.

But that’s enough from me — how do you answer the phone when it rings? Let me know in the comments!


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