Where this list came from. These are all real contacts from your own
CRM — every one has a verified 843 phone and email. 22 of the 40 never received your
Commander text (it was blocked or the carrier rejected it), so they've heard nothing from you.
Those are your best calls: no baggage, no "I already ignored her."
Before you dial — 5 minutes, not 30
Pull up their Instagram or Facebook (buttons on each card). You are looking for
one specific
thing to mention — a listing they just posted, a closing they celebrated, their kid's team.
Not to flatter them. To have a real first sentence.
⚠️ Do not mass-like. Liking 6 posts an hour before you call is
transparent and it reads as desperate. One genuine comment on one recent post, days before or
after the call — that's it. The social work is a relationship play, not a call warm-up.
The opening (the only part that matters)
"Hey [name], it's Christa Votaw over at CLEAR Home Loans — I'm local here in
Charleston. I'm not calling to pitch you rates. I'm calling because I'm trying to build
relationships with a handful of agents actually working [their area], and I'd rather introduce
myself properly than send you another email you'll ignore. Do you have 90 seconds?"
Why it works: it names the thing they're dreading (a rate pitch) and takes it off the table,
it's honest, and it asks for a tiny commitment.
"I already have a lender." — you'll hear this a lot
"Good — you should. I'm not trying to replace anybody. What I'd ask is:
when your lender can't get one done, or they're slammed and can't pick up on a Saturday,
would you be open to me being the second call? That's the only slot I'm asking for."
Never bad-mouth their current lender. You're asking for the backup slot, which is a
much smaller ask — and backups become primaries when someone drops the ball.
What agents actually want (it isn't rates)
Speed and certainty. What lands:
you answer your phone nights and weekends ·
pre-approvals same day ·
you call them the moment something wobbles, not after.
Say the specific one you'll actually honor. Don't promise all three if you won't do all three.
Close every call the same way
"Can I send you my info so you have it when you need it?" → then send the email
within 10 minutes, while you're still fresh in their head.
The follow-up that actually converts
Most first referrals come somewhere around the
5th–8th touch, not the first call.
Rotate the channel so you're not just calling over and over:
① Call → ② Email same day → ③ Genuine social comment ~4 days later →
④ Something
useful at ~2 weeks (a rate/program note relevant to their listings) →
⑤ Office drop-by or a second call at ~4 weeks.
What kills it: checking in with nothing to say. Every touch after the first should
give them something, not ask for something.
⚖️ RESPA line — know this before you offer anything.
Under RESPA §8 (12 U.S.C. 2607) you may not give an agent anything of value in exchange
for referrals — and there is no de-minimis exception. Practical version:
✅ Fine: buying coffee/lunch, teaching a class at their office, general relationship
building, co-marketing where you pay only your fair-market share of the actual cost.
⛔ Not fine: paying per referral, covering their marketing, free CRM/tools/leads,
picking up their event tab, or anything priced below fair market value.
The test regulators apply is whether the thing of value is tied to referrals.
If you're ever unsure on a co-marketing split — run it past compliance first, not after.
When to call
Agents answer best
Tue–Thu, 10am–12pm and 2–4pm. Avoid Monday morning (weekend cleanup)
and Friday afternoon (closings).
Target 10–15 real conversations, not 40 dials.
Quality beats clearing the list.