Willard Jones Real Estate

After quite the extensive renovation and expansion, the new Hannah’s Bretzel at 180 W Washington is back open for business. As one of the food places in our spaces, I had to see it for myself (and grab some lunch).

The space, which was previously more of a to-go spot with a few small tables, has been totally revamped with new furniture and designs that encourage you to sit and stay a while. Walk past the ordering counter and you’ll find a bright yet cozy seating area–benches with throw pillows and private nooks. Even with its open layout and natural light, though, candles and lamps throughout create a peaceful, welcoming ambiance among the buzzing lunch crowd.

One thing that didn’t change? The deliciousness of those pretzel bun sandwiches.

Check out a few pictures of the new space:

Hannah’s Bretzel’s hours

Monday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Thursday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Sunday: Closed

As with most things in life, a certain degree of luck comes in handy. However, it seems that Murphy fellow and his wicked Law is always lurking–something out of your control goes awry, thereby wrecking the event.

During my career, I have endured my fair share of these experiences.

For brokers, showings are a critical component of the job. Simply put, showings lead to deals. If we are not leasing space, there is no food on our respective tables. On a typical tour, prospects see several properties in sequence and there is a very limited window to make a positive impression; failure to do so means the deal is going elsewhere.

As a nod to Murphy’s Law, I thought back on a few different times when it truly seemed that whatever could go wrong, did go wrong. Here are a few notable examples. (Names and addresses have been excluded but will be revealed in my book due out in 2033).

1) I have one building where it seems like the locks are being changed on the vacancies every two weeks for no apparent reason. Once, a janitor was supposed to meet me at 9:00 AM sharp to unlock a space. After standing aimlessly with the prospect outside the entry door for a few minutes, I starting calling. On the fourth try, he finally answered in a groggy voice and said, “Dude, I am hung over and somewhere in Indiana. You best break down the door because I ain’t coming.” Since this was a small building with no onsite management, the tour ended abruptly, never to be rescheduled.

2) I scheduled a tour for a vacancy that had not been shown in a few weeks. When I opened up the door, it was magically occupied by a tenant who just moved in. It turned out that the building manager leased the space without bothering to tell me. Later, I learned he did that thinking he could keep the commission for himself.

3) During a tour, I took a prospect into a seldom shown vacancy on the 9th floor. When we entered the only office in the suite not facing the alley, a dead mouse was found right in the middle of the room. After a loud scream, the prospect was quickly out the door.

4) In the same building, on numerous occasions, I encountered roaches (dead and alive) during showings and often had to strategically hop from one area to the next in an attempt to cover the creatures up with my shoe, all while usually receiving puzzled looks. As a side note, why does every building engineer in Chicago emphatically refer to roaches as “waterbugs” and vehemently deny what these really are?

5) While conducting a tour in a building with notoriously awful elevators (even after a multi-million dollar modernization), a prospect and I got stuck on the ride up. The woman started to hyperventilate and I seriously thought she was going to die. After 20 minutes, the elevator doors finally opened and we found the fire department waiting with crowbars in hand.

6) Continuing with the elevator theme in a different property, I showed up 5 minutes before a scheduled showing to learn that the only two elevators were both out of service. The only way to access the floors was by walking the stairs. Of course, the space I planned to show was on the 12th floor. That was quite a message to deliver prior to starting a showing. The broker said he would contact me to reschedule, but shockingly, the client lost interest.

7) While patiently waiting for a tardy showing, a disheveled male entered the lobby and demanded to use a bathroom. Since the gentleman did not have an appointment with anyone, the guard denied access and asked him to leave. The man then promptly unzipped his pants and started urinating all over the security desk. On cue, my showing entered right as this was going on and said, “Oh wow, does this sort of thing happen often here?” As a matter of fact, yes it does.

8) A property I formerly leased had a small tenant who assisted the less fortunate with money management skills. A very good cause, indeed, but it also attracted some unique individuals. Case in point: while finishing up a positive showing, one of their clients, a 250 pound man with a bushy red beard and wearing a dress was seated with his legs wide open. Yep, you guessed it, no underwear. The prospect took note and then was no longer a prospect.

9) While bringing a prospect into a former coffee shop that I was marketing, we heard some rustling behind the counter. When I went for a closer look, I found the building manager lying naked on the floor wrapped up in a sheet. She said, “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you. Let’s keep this between us, okay?” 17 years later, I still cannot get that frightful image out of my mind.

10) On another retail showing, I approached the space and noticed homeless person nestled up against the front door and snoring up a storm. He was a rather large individual and would not move. Quite a first impression! Thank goodness for back doors.

11) While waiting to do a showing in a building with a school, a student thought it would be cool to pull the fire alarm. When my tour showed up, the relatively small lobby was filled with over 100 students and staff, plus a countless number of paramedics and firemen. Given there was nowhere to move and the elevators were shut down, it was time to chalk up another loss.

12) I leased a space to a tenant who had misrepresented its use (and subsequently was evicted as a result). It turned out to be a de facto union hall who decided to make the building a gathering point for a sizable rally being held downtown. Hundreds of people showed up in a building with a small lobby and tiny elevators. Not only could my prospect coming by to look at space not get into the building, neither could many tenants. It took a rare visit from a furious building owner to clear everybody out.

13) To save money, the owner of a basement office condo I was marketing decided to stop paying the electric bill and had the power shut off. Yes, showing a space in complete darkness makes it quite easy to lease (the fact that it showed better in the dark than light is a separate story).

14) Years ago, I was given the green light to start showing a small suite where the tenant was getting evicted. Being new to the business, I made a rookie mistake of not touring the space first before bringing someone inside. The manager told me it was exactly like another suite in the building, so I thought that was good enough. I opened the door with the prospect by my side and the space was a complete mess. Taking a closer look at some of the debris, we discovered several copies of Playgirl magazine and a box full of porn movies on VHS. We later found out the tenant was running a male escort service out of the space.

15) When showing spaces on two contiguous floors, I often will bypass the elevator and take the stairs instead. Well, I regretted that decision mightily one day when we encounter the building manager making out with the engineer. Both were married at the time, but not to each other.

As the saying goes, you cannot make this stuff up. Truth be told, I could probably fill another blog with additional stories. I cannot wait to try and top these moving forward.

You have to admit, downtown Chicago is a pretty amazing place to work; transcendent architecture, premier accessibility, fascinating cultural attractions, restaurants at every corner, and miles upon miles of shopping. Very few cities come close to topping what we get to enjoy.

As glorious as these elements are, however, I have to say my favorite thing about the city is the “buzz.”

The second I exit the train every morning and step outside into the Loop, there is a certain energy that strikes me right away and it simply cannot be matched. It is difficult to describe, but you know it when you see and feel it.

Crowds of people rushing from place to place, cars darting in and out of lanes, “L” trains racing around the tracks, gleaming skyscrapers in all their glory, the brilliance of the Chicago River and accompanying Riverwalk, the truly Magnificent Mile, the street musicians and peddlers, all framed by Lake Michigan in the background. Every piece comes together and crescendos into a certain kind of rush where you just know you are somewhere important.

My fascination with the city started long before my daily Metra commutes to work. I can still remember two instances from my youth that shaped my love of downtown Chicago.

The first time I felt the “buzz” was when my grandmother would take me with her to shop at “dime stores” (am I dating myself?) on State Street. We would ride the Ravenswood train (now the Brown Line) and spend hours walking around the late State Street Mall. The visit was always capped by a visit to the soda fountain at Woolworths for a root beer float.

My other memory was when I was in 5th grade and we took the greatest field trip ever–next to my senior ditch day excursion to Great America, but that is a story for another time–to downtown Chicago. I vividly remember going up and down the glass elevators at the recently-opened State of Illinois Building (now the Thompson Center) over and over until a security guard threw us out. We got to visit the Skydeck at the then-Sears Tower and even ate lunch at McDonald’s. From that moment on, I was hooked and I just knew I had to find a way to work downtown.

No disrespect to the suburbs, but I cannot imagine myself working in one of those far away office campuses and having to drive everywhere. They seem so ordinary and sterile compared to downtown. It totally makes sense why all of these corporations are relocating to downtown Chicago, or at least establishing a satellite office. Most people today want to work downtown; they want to be part of the buzz.

All these years later, the thrill is as strong as ever. One of the great things about my job as a downtown real estate broker is being right in the middle of the buzz on a daily basis. If the day starts to drag, all I need to do is leave my office and take a short walk around the block. That is as good as a jolt of caffeine. It is gratifying to play a role, no matter how small, in contributing to this phenomenon. As stressful as the job can be, I never lose sight of how fortunate I am to work in the center of such a dynamic place.

The good ol’ days. Is there such a thing? I like to think there was a different sort of peace before hashtags and online profiles. Recently, I found myself immersed in the show Mad Men, which takes place primarily in the 1960s and was surprisingly nostalgic, given I wasn’t even alive during that time.

After binging on all 8 seasons, I found myself comparing the way they work, seal deals and celebrate, to what it’s really like today. Of course, the added factor is that it is a TV show but I let my mind wander anyway.

This year, Mad Men is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the premiere. As a nod to the show, Heinz is using the promotional materials from the show in their own advertisements today. I wondered, “If an ad from a show based on the 1960s still holds up, how would some of the other things from the show compare to today?”

I decided to take a few of the situations from the show and compare it to how I think those situations would play out in this day and age:

How it goes on Mad Men: Call a company (any company) and get put right through to the CEO/decision maker.
How it would probably go for me: I make a call and get the automated voice menu. Patiently listen to options 1-9 without finding what I’m looking for; push 0 for a real person. Get connected to Amanda in sales from the San Francisco branch. After explaining my call, get transferred 4 times and end up at the voicemail of someone who will probably never call back.

How it goes on Mad Men: Pitch an idea to a client to get their business but they’re not interested. The execs take the potential client out to an expensive restaurant that the company practically begs them to go to. They eat some shrimp cocktail, down a whiskey neat or three and the client changes their mind right there and signs a deal with the waiter’s pen.
How it would probably go for me: Talk to a client and find they’re not interested. Take them out to lunch, order some shrimp cocktail, find out they have a seafood allergy.

How it goes on Mad Men: Take a nap on the couch in a private office (for who knows how long) and no one cares.
How it would probably go for me: Decide to take a nap on my couch. Realize I don’t have a couch. Settle for a nap that is actually just my open eyes glazed over, looking into the distance for 20 seconds before I realize what I am doing and snap back to reality and the work I need to do.

How it goes on Mad Men: Client shows up in the meeting room, eats a pastry and looks at one or two print advertising concepts. The client picks one on the spot and the meeting adjourns.
How it would probably go for me: Spend weeks going back and forth about the design of a new building marketing campaign. Create several versions with different color schemes and headlines, and then present it to the client. They note that something just seems “off” but can’t put a finger on it. Switch around a few more things, incorporate their exact ideas, and present it again. They decide that they like the first version best. But only for the email marketing idea, the regular informational concept should be slightly different, they just don’t know how exactly.

How it goes on Mad Men: Sign a deal. Celebrate by asking the personal secretary to fetch the ice while others pop the top off the custom glass vodka bottle from the bar cart in someone’s giant private office. After downing that drink, head to the bar to celebrate again. Then off to dinner with steaks and more drinks.
How it would probably go for me: Sign a lease (this particular one taking 8 months to come together). Breathe a sigh of relief. Have a drink…of water. Onto the next.

So maybe my expectations for the entire 1960s era are a little glamorized from the TV show; at the end of the day, I think some of the problems–picky clients and long work hours–are the same, but the tools we have are different.

We’ve traded typewriters for computers and cell phones (I can’t imagine life without a backspace key), secretaries for voicemails, and private couches for communal nap pods.

I think I may be able to move on from the nostalgia and be happy with the fact that we don’t celebrate by drinking straight liquor in someone’s giant corner office. I’m more of a piña colada person anyway.

The other day, a youngster who recently started in the real estate industry asked me about the most significant differences in the commercial real estate business today as compared to the time I first began in 1996. Those getting started today know only about the immediacy of emails on cell phones and easily-organized Gmail address books without a clue as to how it really used to be.

Over the past 20 years, the industry has evolved quite a bit and fortunately, (mostly) for the better. Here are some of the biggest differences between then and now that I could think of:

1) Cell phones – I vividly recall waiting in the lobby of buildings for hours upon hours trying to track down brokers running late for showings. I would bother the security guard every 5 minutes and use the land line phone at the security desk to call the broker’s office, knowing full well that they were probably out on the tour and not going to hear my message until they returned. I had to invent a “20 Minute Rule” where I would wait 20 minutes, call, wait another 10 minutes and then leave if no one showed up (inevitably, the tour would always show up the second I returned to my office).

2) Computers – Remarkably, I did not have a computer of my own until my third year in the business. I actually had a secretary who prepared all of my proposals. Of course, all documents were saved on floppy disks and everything was printed out and filed away.

3) Internet – It is such a luxury today to research prospective tenants by performing a Google search. Back in the day, I was limited to the Sullivan’s Law Directory, industry trade publications, the Yellow Pages and good old fashion door-to-door canvassing.

4) Communication – You want to communicate with someone? Pick up the phone and call! No email or texting was utilized 21 years ago. Everything was done over the phone or in person. Either listen to your answering machine or voice mail (a revolutionary feature back then) or sift through your mountain of pink message sheets and spend hours returning calls. Out for the day in meetings and need to check messages? Go find the nearest pay phone and hope you have proper change in your pocket.

5) Mail – Before the days of email, getting the mail delivery every day was a big deal. CoStar didn’t exist, so receiving an updated copy of Black’s Guide or the Metro Chicago Office Guide was a monumental day in my office. We would study each page, examining the revised vacancy lists, change in occupancy rates and asking rents and new leasing agency assignments. Also exciting was opening up the endless number of flyers and promotional materials. This is the one thing that I miss, since so much is done over email today.

6) Marketing – With computers and email just starting to become mainstream, proposals and marketing materials were either mailed or sent over the ever-popular fax machine. There was always quite a bit of unnecessary angst wondering if the fax was received and if the cover sheet was sufficiently informative. I spent hours each month in front of the fax machine sending blast faxes to brokerage firms stating on the cover to “please distribute to all brokers.” I wonder how many firms actually did that.

7) Paper –File cabinets and paper everywhere. No significant electronic data storage was available, so we would have to keep piles and piles of paper records. Going to sign a lease? Print and sign 3 hard copies. One of the buildings I represented at the time actually used a pre-printed lease form and typewriter to make changes to the document.

8) Customer Relationship Management – My CRM for many years was an elaborate system utilizing color coded 4″ x 6″ index cards stored inside shoeboxes. Every broker and tenant I came across from canvassing had a card and all interactions were properly documented. It was the most cumbersome method of recordkeeping ever, but it somehow worked. I still have all of my cards today and they take up an entire drawer in my file cabinet. I have not looked at these in years, but cannot bring myself to dispose of them due to all of the time put into maintenance.

9) Floor plans – Need a space plan? Pull out the roll of 1/8-inch scaled blue prints. I wasted an incredible amount of time trying to figure out how to fit the blueprints on the copy machine so the plans would photocopy in a manner that looked only somewhat professional. Scissors, scotch tape and white out were key components of this operation.

10) Office Hours – Getting bogged down with all of these menial tasks mentioned above created a need to work longer hours and physically be present in the office. I was sitting at my desk just about every Saturday trying to catch up on tasks so I could devote business hours to prospecting. While the time commitment to the job can still be overwhelming today, it is so nice to have the option of working from home or another place remotely.

It’s easy to say that today we live in a much more technologically dependant society and the real estate industry has followed suit. To me, the net result is that we are able to function in a much more efficient manner across the board. As far as we have come, I shudder to think how different things will be 20 years from today. Look for my follow up blog on your mini projection screen glasses then.

In a previous blog, I described how the name of my firm, Willard Jones Real Estate, came about (Blog). While I did conduct a fair amount of research prior to filing the Articles of Incorporation with the State of Illinois, there admittedly have always been a few holes and questions surrounding the tale.

For example, I have never been able to firmly establish the exact boundaries of Willard Jones’ farm as it relates to present day downtown Chicago. Even worse, some versions of the cow path story list the land owner as “William” Jones instead of Willard. With all due respect to people named William, the name William Jones Real Estate just did not seem to have the same amount of pizzazz. What I didn’t know is that nearly 5 years after starting the company I would ultimately be able to fill in all of the gaps.

On a November afternoon right before Thanksgiving, I received a call out of the blue. A woman from Alaska named Marilyn left me a voice message requesting that I phone her back, but provided no details regarding the basis of the call. I figured it probably was some sort of telemarketing campaign, but on the off chance that she was in need of office space, I felt compelled to respond.

Much to my surprise, Marilyn from Alaska claimed to be the great great great granddaughter of Mr. Willard Jones himself. Her niece had done some online research and came across our company website. She mentioned this to Marilyn, who in turn reached out to me and shared that she recently completed a family genealogy project and dug up all sorts of information on Willard and his family. She offered to send me copies of the data, along with some pictures. I was still a bit skeptical and half expected a letter to follow asking me to pay an undisclosed sum of money to the family in order to keep using the name or face legal action. In the back of my mind, I was already dreading the prospect of developing a new name for the business. Nevertheless, Marilyn seemed like a nice enough person so I consented and told her to send it all over.

Sure enough, about a week later, a giant tube arrived at my office filled with a treasure trove of fascinating information, including a picture of Willard Jones himself from the 1830s and an 1833 map of Chicago which shed some light on where exactly the Jones farm was located (see below for pictures of both). Among the other relics included was a complete genealogy of the family featuring pictures and another version of the 100 West Monroe cow path story that I had never seen.

All of this information was absolutely captivating and thankfully, confirmed the fable of Willard Jones. He really did exist, truly owned a good sized plot of land in the present day Central Loop, actually maintained a farm on the corner of Clark and Monroe, and played a direct role in the creation of the famed cow path. We even learned the reason why some of the stories contain the name William instead of Willard: William was Willard’s father and both lived in Chicago in 1833.

Marilyn and I have communicated several times since the package arrived. In fact, she has uncovered even more information on Willard that is in route to my office; I cannot wait to see what it contains. Of course, our new pen pal has a box of authentic Chicago treats coming her way as well.

In the end, as fantastic as it is to receive this information, I was equally heartened by Marilyn’s genuine act of kindness. Given the state of the world today, it is good to know that people like her still exist. I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that my questions about Willard Jones, the man (and no longer the myth and the legend), would be answered by a random phone call from someone in Alaska. How wonderfully unpredictable life can be.

Here we go again. Another new year, another fresh set of predictions. Before we project what lies ahead for the next 12 months, let’s first see how we fared last year:

1) Leasing activity will remain strong for the majority of 2016, but activity will start to show some very subtle signs of slowing down towards the end of the year. True.

2) 151 North Franklin will be the last new office building constructed in this development cycle. False, thanks to 625 West Adams.

3) Landlords will be forced to continue raising rents to account for the property tax increase. Generally true, although taxes are not the only reason for this.

4) Many tenants will be furious once they receive their pass through bills or net rent increases, thereby making life miserable for landlords, property managers and leasing agents. True for the most part, although the reaction has not been as bad as feared.

5) The tax increase will also have a direct impact on retail and residential real estate. Retailers will be forced to raise prices and apartment rents will rise, as Chicago will become one of the more expensive cities in America to conduct business. True.

6) Sales activity will begin to decline in 2016. Because so many properties have changed hands over the past two years, there are simply not that many left to sell. True.

7) Firms not in dire need of expansion space will use the upcoming presidential election as a convenient excuse to put off decisions. With some exceptions, mostly False.

8) A notable technology firm will be the first to take the plunge and sign a significant lease in Goose Island, thereby laying the groundwork for this corridor to become the next growth market in downtown Chicago real estate. False. Still waiting.

9) A grocery store will sign a lease in the Loop this year to cater to the rapidly growing residential population in the central business district. False.

10) A combination of the tax increase, high crime rate and sustained issues with the police department and Chicago Public Schools will be cited as a key reason for a significant corporation pulling their headquarters out of downtown Chicago and relocating to either the suburbs or another part of the country. False, for now.

So, half of my predictions came true. Not bad for one of the most unpredictable industries out there. Let’s now see if I can improve upon my predictions in 2017:

1) With the increased supply caused by new construction and resulting shadow and sublease space, total vacancy will rise by approximately 1.5%.

2) Average rents will increase slightly in the first half of 2017, then begin to plateau for the second part of the year. Average tenant improvement allowances, rent abatement and other incentives will remain about the same as last year.

3) The Old Post Office will land a significant anchor tenant who will occupy over a quarter of the building. Other smaller tenants will commit as well over the course of 2017, as this notable redevelopment becomes a quick success.

4) The bloom will be off the Fulton Market rose just a bit, as several of the new office buildings either planned or under construction will struggle to fill space. This will lead to a slowdown of new development projects for a while.

5) The sales market will remain quiet for most of 2017. In the fourth quarter, however, things will begin to loosen up just a bit and price expectations will be dialed back a notch. This will allow for some of the investors who had been sitting on the sidelines for the past few years to start getting back in the game.

6) Just when we thought Loop office development would be on hiatus for a few years, the market will be shocked by one more announcement: a new tower located on the General Growth site at 110 North Wacker Drive to be anchored by a well known, Fortune 500 tenant who will take occupancy in early 2021.

7) In spite of the planned redevelopment of the Tribune Tower, CIM Group will decide keep floors 3 – 7 for office use and sign WGN Radio to a long term lease. As part of the new deal, they will be forced to abandon their ground floor studio, which will be leased to a national retailer for $300 per square foot.

8) Leasing activity will remain slow in Goose Island. However, the city will announce a series of notable infrastructure improvements that will make this sector much more accessible to prospective users long term. Success will come, just not as fast as most hoped.

9) As part of the City of Chicago’s astonishing decision to legalizing sports gambling, plans will be announced to construct a land-based casino on the site of the former Michael Reese hospital, kicking off a billion dollar development which will include hotels, retail and housing.

10) Let’s try this one once more: A grocery store will sign a lease in the East Loop this year to cater to the rapidly growing residential population in the central business district.

To say the least, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Check back in a year to see how I fared. Best wishes to everyone reading for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017!

Just when we thought we had seen it all, 2016 happened. The only thing that may be more shocking than the Cubs winning the World Series is Donald Trump getting elected president. These events got me thinking: what could happen in the world of downtown Chicago real estate that could rival these events on a relative level? Here are a few crazy thoughts:

1) Sears unveils a new brick and mortar store concept that will be the wave of the future for shopping. As part of the ramped-up effort, they announce plans to lease the largest contiguous office vacancy in the Willis Tower in order to regain building naming rights.

2) Not to be outdone by McDonald’s announcement to lease 500,000 square feet in Fulton Market, Burger King’s owner, Restaurant Brands International, leases all of the 210 North Carpenter development planned by Sterling Bay. Can a lease with Wendy’s corporate office be far behind?

3) The Old Post Office building is finally leased….to the United States Postal Service. Snail mail is apparently making a comeback.

4) In a massive consolidation effort to save money, the City of Chicago announces plans to vacate City Hall and lease space in a nearby building. City Hall then sells for $300 per square foot to the Trump Organization, who announces plans to convert it into a luxury hotel.

5) The State of Illinois sells the Thompson Center to Steve Wynn, who states that he will convert the building into the largest casino in the country that features a hotel and concert hall.

6) The era of consolidation continues in the real estate industry as CBRE and JLL express intent to merge their operations and create the largest commercial real estate firm on Earth. In similar news, Cushman & Wakefield announces plans to acquire Colliers, Avison Young and Savills Studley.

7) The Chicago Board of Trade shuts down and vacates their trading floors. WeWork immediately leases all of the space.

8) The Fordham Spire site is developed into the largest underground data center in the world.

9) Macy’s announces that it will close down its legendary State Street store. In a stunning about-face, George Lucas declares that he will bring the Lucas Museum to the space.

10) Documented evidence turns up of several lease deals being completed with no negotiating whatsoever.

Ah, the days full of phone dial tones and unanswered voicemail messages. For salespeople and brokers alike, unfortunately–after all these years–cold calling is still part of the leasing process.

Especially when starting out, finding new clients takes some creativity and a lot of patience. It’s hardly ever fun so maybe the only way to feel better is to know that we’re in this together.

We put together a list of song titles that describe (some of) the cold calling cycle so we can sympathize together or at least have some music to keep us dancin’ in our seat until we get that next bite.

Alright, here we go. The day holds much promise.

They answer! Hey, that’s a lot better than going straight to voicemail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdLIerfXuZ4

Okay, you’ve rehearsed your script just enough so you sound natural, give them your spiel…you heard they may be looking for new space…

Uninterested. Yes, in the early morning I love my coffee with a splash of dial tone.

Well, it’s the first call of the day and we’re off to a grand start.

Round 2…ring it up and….voicemail. Leave a message with as little desperation in your voice as possible and ask for a call back.

Alright just keep going through the prospect list. Keep the calls going.

Day in the life:

Alright, starting to sound like a broken record with the two words you’ve been saying (over and over and over) the most today…

Maybe we should attempt the “warm calling”. Tons of salespeople write about that in their blog. Yeah, that sounds good. Call up someone you have a connection with.

Not so bad. Turns out your friend from middle school who invited you to their annual summer barbecue six years ago remembers you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W83InivbUSQ

Well, you got an invite to their next barbecue but that’s about it. The votes are in: a “no” from someone you know doesn’t make it any easier.

Round 16…
Mission: charm the receptionist into not telling you the person you’re looking for is “out of the office”. AGAIN.
Receptionist picks up, “Hello this is Eileen who are you looking for?”

Fingers crossed…
https://youtu.be/KtBbyglq37E

She put you through! Annnnnnnnd it’s their voicemail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16yarf4ZCwA

Honestly.

You hit your calling limit and are scrolling through blogs about cold calling secrets when the phone rings–you got a call back!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65ynRuXN7GI

They’re one of the nice ones who called you to tell you they’re not interested in moving spaces.

BUT knows somebody who is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrY9eHkXTa4

At long last, a lead. And on that note, it’s time to go home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfX0q1aNCos

Until tomorrow.