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Now, before you go out and do this, I want you to ask your broker. And obviously it's different in different areas, but when it comes to door knocking, most agents are just doing it wrong. They're doing it completely wrong. How do I know? I've been doing it for years. I still do it here and there, even after 22 years in the business. Typically, agents walk up empty handed or just have their business card or some flyer that's giving out data and that's it. They smile, they say something about the neighborhood and they wonder why the door closes on them. And sometimes it doesn't even open. Most of the time, if somebody's home, they're going to peek through and they're just not going to engage. Now, you never knock a door empty handed? Never. This is your daily real estate. I'm Tristan Almada. It's a podcast, it's a show been on, going on now for two and a half years. Let's get into this one. I have trained on this specific thing, thousands of agents and I don't even know how many in lab coat agents just on door knocking. And I've coached hundreds more. So I can tell you door knocking doesn't work everywhere. This is one of those things. They're like, it works in your area, but not in mind that that could be true. So first off, check your area, check with your broker, check the neighborhood you want a door knock in. But when you find that this is okay in your area and with your brokerage, then the one thing that makes every successful door knocker I've ever met actually have success with this is one thing. They show up with something of value, their hand. And there's an underlying tone here with and they have the tonality to door knock. They have the physical presence to do it. I've learned through many years stepping away from the door, not overdressing, having the right tonality. When people open up the door, yeah, that all goes hand in hand. But once you get through that, what you're giving, the value that matters every single time. So here's the question, what do you bring, Tristan? What the heck do I bring to the door if I'm going to do this? Well, like I said, most agents just bring a business card and that's it. And they think a card is going to make it happen. Now think about that for a second. You're asking a stranger to open the door to listen to you talk for 90 seconds and also to remember you and to feel safe because a lot of people just don't open the door anymore and the only thing you're handing them is a piece of cardstock with maybe your face on it. Listen, newsflash, that is not value. That's just crap. It's clutter. At least at that stage, they're going to throw it away or put it in a drawer. They're just never going to see it again. And you're probably never going to see them again either. Because I need you to think about if somebody came to your door and you were to open it. Think about the feeling that you already have. You're already feeling like somebody's wasting your time. You're already feeling like it's an encumbrance. You're already like, man. And you may be just hiding and looking on your ring door, who the hell's that? And then deciding, am I going to open it right? So the door knock that works is the door knock where you're not selling, you're just giving. You're a neighbor showing up with a reason to be there. And believe it or not, when you have a reason that's value driven, that comes from contribution. You feel better showing up. You feel more natural. I've been doing this part and giving back so long that it just feels natural. I actually am okay door knocking because of it. For years, I door knocked with the wrong thing. In some cases with nothing and just a piece of paper and ready to write down names. I want you to think about these three things and you can put whatever you want. These are my three for you, the agents that I coach the agents at. Why, when we're talking about this topic, this is what I tell them. Agents in our community. Agents in your community. Here's the first one. It's an event invite. That's pretty easy, right? Pick something small. A pumpkin patch outing in October, A free home maintenance workshop in February. Backyard movie night. I've had that. A backyard movie night for kids. Even better, right? It doesn't have to be expensive. It has to be specific. So whatever that's going to be that you're hosting, or maybe you want to combine it with an event that's already there. You're going to do like a side event. You're going to give away something. Print 100 flyers, black and white, please don't spend a lot of money. Knock on 100 doors. Hey, I'm Tristan. I live a few blocks over. Hosting a free movie night for families on this street next Friday. Just wanted to make sure you got the invite. Here it is. You just have to scan the QR code and jump right in just so that I know you're attending. There'll be a lot of other people from the neighborhood too. Thank you. Right. That's the whole script. You're not pitching anything you're inviting. And here's what happens. Most of them will say thank you. A handful will actually show up. A few right. And one or two will call you in six months when they're thinking. But here's the thing. Not just off of that one thing. This is a continual process and you've got to piece it together. What else are you doing besides this? Because you were the person who showed up with something and that matters because it's value driven. Now this is the part most people miss. They think they need 50 leads from one knock. You don't. You really need just one solid conversation every time you go out. Just one. The second thing that works is a neighborhood directory. Again, you're going to hear me talk about this all the time. My local Legends directory. This is one of my favorites. Make a one page sheet from all of the people you have in your directory. The best plumber in the area, the best electrician maybe if you want to expand it outside of the service providers, add the best pizza place, the best food place, coffee, that stuff. So it doesn't just have to be the handyman who actually shows up. You're giving them a piece of paper with 8 to 10 names and phone numbers that they can actually use. The kind of thing they stick with, the kind of thing they put up on their refrigerator or save. And better yet, if you have a QR code again that they can scan, that takes them to the big list. Right? That's important too. But anyway, this one I go between and I've done this piece. I go between a regular black and white flyer to an actual really nice cardstock, color flyer and or postcard type of thing. And every time they call the plumber, they see you because it's on there. And look, I don't know about you, but different neighborhoods have different demographics. Some people are older in some neighborhoods and you find that they hang on to things more so than maybe a younger person. But I know for a fact that this works and I've seen it going into listing presentations where they have my stuff on the table because they got it and that's where they got my number. Right? And then they have also brought it up many times. Thank you for that list. The idea is to do this routinely, knock different times of days to figure it out. Is. Is this time, good for the area that I'm trying to door knock in. Maybe 6pm on Saturday, if the sun is still up in your area, maybe it's going to be Tuesday at 10:00am Like I used to do. But whatever it's going to be, you've got to test it out in your neighborhood. And then you'll find one thing. As you start doing this routinely, you start seeing that it's actually working and people remember you. And then they say, hey, Tristan, you want to come in for a drink? Or how's the market? And I keep seeing you here. But it, it's all, it all comes down to the same thing, right? The consistency. But the consistency in providing value, right? That's the key thing, because going with your card to then giving something like this, which provides value for a homeowner, right? That gives them maintenance, repairs and improvement. That's important. And the third one is a raffle or some type of a giveaway or some type of a game. And this is where you get creative. Hopefully $25 gift card to the local breakfast spot, two tickets to a local pumpkin patch, a movie night at home package with popcorn and $50 streaming credit. I don't know. But you're not buying their business. Let me give, let me just tell you that straightforward. You're giving them a reason to hand you their email and hopefully their phone number, right? You knock, you introduce yourself, you hand them a flyer that says enter to win. You explain it to them, they write their info. Or better yet, they give it to you, right? That way you got it right? Or even better, scan the QR code. I always go to the QR code and enter your information. Because once we get a thousand of these in the month, or a hundred or two hundred, however many you're going for, we're going to pick one winner and we're going to call them and that's it. And now you have a contact for your newsletter. I hope you have a newsletter, right? You have to follow up. You have something here to nurture people, hopefully a whole bunch for the next 12 months. And this is where I want to stop you, because most agents will hear this episode, nod, close the app and go back to scrolling. And guess what? Nothing's going to change. I don't want you to do that. So here's what I want you to do today. Pick one. Just one. The event invite. The directory. The raffle. The raffle is definitely more fun. The only thing I found with the raffle is that some people don't believe it. I know it's only 25 bucks or 50 bucks, but they just don't believe it or they feel like they might be getting scammed. That's my favorite one, though. But the one that works the best is a directory that hands down, works the best. So what I want you to do this week, pick or, well, pick which 1. Print 50 flyers and then door knock. Pick a day you're going to do. And then for me through about 50, that would probably take me about houses in my area. That would take me about two hours to get through 50 houses and I would probably talk to in two hours, depending on the day. Right. If they're, if they're all home and it's on a weekend, then I'll probably get a lot more. But let's just say I'm going to get about 13 people in about two hours on an average day. Now you have to think, what are your numbers anyway? That's it. The agents who are using these items or any one of these items to door knock are the ones that are having success with this. So please test this out. Use it. If you need a sample, just message me. I'll send you a sample of our directory or a template that you can use. Door knock. Let me know how it goes. And have an awesome day. Share this with somebody that has been door knocking wants to door knock or just ask questions. Have an awesome day, everybody.
Episode 896: 3 Things In Mastering Door to Door Sales I Wish I Knew Sooner
Host: Tristan Ahumada
Date: May 14, 2026
Duration: ~5 minutes
In this actionable episode, Tristan Ahumada shares hard-earned wisdom about door-to-door sales for real estate agents. Reflecting on his decades of experience and countless training sessions, he tackles the frequent mistakes agents make and lays out three value-driven strategies to transform door knocking from awkward and unproductive to a source of genuine leads and neighborhood connection.
Check First: Always consult your broker and consider area-specific regulations before door knocking.
Common Mistakes: Agents too often show up empty-handed or with just a business card, leading to closed doors (literally and figuratively).
What Doesn't Work: Business cards and generic flyers are seen as clutter, not value.
Mindset Shift: Approach as a neighbor with something valuable to offer, not a salesperson.
Offer: Invite neighbors to a free, hyper-local event.
Tips:
What Happens: Most will thank you, a handful show up, and a few become eventual leads.
Key Insight: Consistency matters more than instant volume. "You really need just one solid conversation every time you go out." [05:57]
Offer: Provide a curated list of trusted local service providers (plumbers, electricians, local eats, etc.).
Why It Works: It's genuinely useful; older residents especially tend to keep and reference these.
Reinforcement: Repetition builds recognition. Consistently offering value through these directories leads to powerful top-of-mind presence.
Offer: Hold a simple raffle (gift card, event tickets, movie night package).
Common Concerns: Some prospects may be wary or skeptical. Keep it local and fun.
Benefit: Not only do you gain contacts, but you open the door for nurturing long-term relationships.
On Value vs. Clutter [01:45]:
"Listen, newsflash, that is not value. That's just crap. It's clutter." — Tristan Ahumada
On the Directory’s Impact [07:37]:
"You're giving them a piece of paper with 8 to 10 names and phone numbers that they can actually use. The kind of thing they stick with, the kind of thing they put up on their refrigerator..." — Tristan Ahumada
On Consistency [10:00]:
"It all comes down to the same thing, right? The consistency. But the consistency in providing value, right? That's the key thing..." — Tristan Ahumada
On Taking Action (Closing Challenge) [14:41]:
"This is where I want to stop you, because most agents will hear this episode, nod, close the app and go back to scrolling. And guess what? Nothing's going to change. I don't want you to do that." — Tristan Ahumada
Friendly, direct, and deeply practical—Tristan Ahumada mixes encouragement with hard truths, motivating agents to stop passively consuming advice and actually try the value-driven approach to door knocking.
This episode is a must-listen (or read!) for real estate agents hungry for practical, field-tested tactics to transform door knocking from a dreaded chore into a real source of business—and neighborhood goodwill.