
Earlier this year, I embarked on a challenge to encourage myself and other property agents about the power of cold prospecting.
The ultimate cold prospecting for the property agent who has no marketing budget? Door knocking on HDB flats.
One of the reasons I started this challenge is because I received a lot of feedback from agents who are not keen to do door-knocking.I can understand why.It can be the fear of rejections.
It is a very traditional method of prospecting. And most common of all, there is a big fear that it does not work.

Being in the industry for more than 10 years, I sincerely believe door knocking is one of the best ways to gain experience and knowledge with zero costs. The only cost is your time.
It is one of the most cost effective ways to get to know the neighborhood, speak to owners, and listen and understand their thoughts about the property market.
So I highly recommend this for agents who might not have the financial resources to run expensive marketing campaigns.
What did I learn? A lot.
Here are 5 lessons I’ve picked up after receiving 990 rejections.
Lesson #1: People Are Actually Quite Nice

The vast majority of people who answered the door were actually quite nice.
No one threw water at me or send their dogs chase me away.
I was turned down very nicely and almost all accepted the small whiteboard-style fridge magnet that had my face on it.
Perhaps the fact that it was a very useful gift made people more receptive.
Next time, they write down their grocery shopping list on it – hopefully they will remember me and the conversation we had.
I sincerely believe in the goodness of people – that was how I framed my intentions each day – before I begin the door-knocking sessions.
Lesson #2: Rejection Does Not Kill You

If you are new to sales, you will take rejection personally at the beginning.
It stings and does not feel good. But in order to knock on 1000 doors, you cannot hold on to this feeling.
You have to let it go. Otherwise, it is like an extra burden to carry.
Imagine if I went through this #1000doorknockchallenge carrying a 5kg bag of rice throughout.
And each time, I get another No – I add some more weight to the rice.
I will get tired very fast. Cos I will be carrying those “No”s as a burden.
Set your mind at ease and shake off the rejections.
They are not rejecting you personally.

Perhaps they have something important going on and you interrupted them. Perhaps they are not the best person to speak to about property.
Whatever it is, it does not matter. What matters?
I am still alive after knocking on 1000 doors!
Maybe even slightly healthier because of the exercise of walking around for 5 days.
Lesson #3: You Internalize The Meaning of Resilience

You can learn about sales and rejection from reading this article.
But what I realize theory is just empty words when it is not practiced. To truly learn new things, you have to go through the process and do the necessary reflections after the task.
When I created the video, it allowed me to reflect a little bit on my own real estate journey as an agent.
And I discover the true meaning of resilience. Being a property agent is not just about the money, awards or recognition.

There is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes. But no one will really show the sweat, tears and struggles on their social media accounts. Because most people will curate and only show the best parts of their lives online.
You can learn resilience through reading about other people’s experiences.
The other way is to go through it yourself and endure the hardship. This is where the men are separated from the boys. This where the girls will mature and become a woman.
It is a tough time and it will be good for you. But it will not be pain-free.
Lesson #4: Have No Expectations

Did I set any goals beyond knocking on 1000 doors?
Did I tell myself – “Gaynor, you must set 15 meetings and close 5 sales” as personal goals?
I did not. It goes back to my first lesson.
I set my intention as meeting nice people and introducing myself.
Beyond that, I did not set any bigger goals. Why?
Because I did not want to set expectations that can hurt or disappoint me.

It goes back to my principle of being comfortable about a truth which I learnt from observation.
And the truth is this: If I set high expectations of getting sales and monetary rewards, I know any cold prospect or person in front of me will be able to feel it.
People are not stupid. They can sense this.
So get rid of the expectations early in the journey and clarify your inner intentions.
My inner intentions will set my eventual thought process and my outer behavior.
Lesson #5: The Importance of Humility

If you understand what door-knocking really is – it is about sparking conversations with total strangers.
It is not about pitching. It is about offering help.
Speak human and be humble and they will return the favor tenfold.
I just had to let go of my ego.
How? I remind myself we all wear our underwear the same way. One leg at a time.
No one is higher than me, no one is lower than me. We are all living the same life.
990 rejections is nothing if I connected authentically with 10 of them.
Conclusion

One of the things I learnt is that I am not a door-knocker. LOL.
All along, I’ve been a strong believer of cultivating a strong social media presence.
But that takes time to build and establish.
But this 1000 door knock challenge made me realise that as an agent, we have to be consistent with our efforts regardless of the many rejections that we might get.
Within this past 5 days, I got 8 leads and have met up with 2 different homeowners.
The value of door-knocking is not just the leads you get.
But the deeper lessons of resilience, humility and transforming your mindset towards becoming the person you want to be.
If you have questions on your property or maybe even about joining my team, do drop me a message.