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Why should I smile when I make prospecting calls?

Smiling changes your voice, and owners hear the warmth and confidence in it, on the phone and at the door. Listening matters even more. Practice your words until you no longer think about them, then put your attention on what the owner just said and start your reply there.

Captions on. Narrated with an AI voice.
Read the transcript
  • Honestly, we've been thinking about it.
  • We want to be closer to our daughter.
  • She just had her first baby.
  • Great, great. So how soon do you need to move?
  • And have you thought about a price for the house?
  • After every practice call, your card arrives: what worked, and the one thing to fix.
  • The call trains four moves. Smile before you dial: the owner hears it.
  • Practice the words until they're automatic.
  • Listen to what the owner just said.
  • Start your reply there: ask about the daughter.
  • New agents listen for their cue, not for the owner.
  • The owner just told you what matters.
  • The next question belongs to that, not to the script.
  • Practice this seller until it sounds like you.
  • Each call runs as long as the conversation needs,
  • and you can make as many as you want.
  • Practice free at 10before10.com/try.

Drafted with AI by the 10before10 team, reviewed and approved by Grant Freer and Gia Freer, licensed Florida real estate brokers. Updated October 24, 2026. También en español.

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Call path for "Why should I smile when I make prospecting calls?": Why a smile carries: Energy travels through the phone and across a doorstep; The script trap: New agents listen for their cue, not for the owner; Let go of the words: Practice the words until they are automatic; Have fun: Music between calls, low enough that no owner ever hears it; Practice it: The card names the one thing to fix after each call.

Why a smile carries

Energy travels through the phone and across a doorstep. The owner cannot see you on a call, and they still hear whether you are smiling, because a smile changes the shape of your mouth and the sound that comes out of it.

Stand up for the call. Smile before you dial. Keep a mirror on the desk and check it between calls, the way many agents do, so the smile is still there on the tenth call.

Hey Ten™What do I say to "we're going to relist with the same agent"?Practice it now

The script trap

New agents listen for their cue, not for the owner. The owner says "We want to be closer to our daughter," and the agent, waiting for the next line, asks "How soon do you need to move?"

The better reply starts with the daughter. Where does she live, and what would being closer change for them? The owner just told you what matters; the next question belongs to that, not to the script.

Let go of the words

Practice the words until they are automatic. Then step back from them and put your attention on what the owner just said.

That is when calls change. The words are still there when you need them, and you are no longer looking for them while the owner is talking.

"Our breakthroughs came the day we stopped holding on to the script and started really listening. The words were still there. We just didn't need to look for them anymore."

Grant and Gia Freer

Have fun

Music between calls, low enough that no owner ever hears it. A mirror on the desk. A daily target that ends, so the session has a finish line and tomorrow has a fresh start.

Practice it

Practice the call out loud until the words are automatic, then listen for what the owner says and start your reply there. The card names the one thing to fix after each call.

Try a call now

Honest answers

Can people really hear a smile on the phone?Most people can tell. Smiling changes the shape of your mouth, and with it the sound of your voice. It reads as warmth and confidence, which is what an owner listens for in the first few seconds.
Why do new agents struggle to listen on calls?Because they are still thinking about the next line. Until the words are automatic, part of your attention is on the script instead of the person. Practice is what frees it.
Should I use a script at all?Learn it, then let it go. The script is how you learn what to say. Once it is yours, it stays in the background and the conversation leads.
Is it okay to play music while I prospect?Between calls, yes. Keep it low enough that the owner never hears it. Prospecting goes faster when you are enjoying it.
How do I get over call reluctance in real estate?Call reluctance is the dread before a prospecting call. It fades when the words have been …What do I say in the first thirty seconds of a real estate cold call?Four parts, in order: who you are, why you are calling, a fair time check, then your first…What do I say when I knock on a door as a real estate agent?Knock around a just listed or just sold home. Who you are, why you are at this door, one f…
Practice this moment

Make one practice call. See your card.

A prospect who sounds real raises this exact moment. Ten minutes, in the browser, no account. The scorecard tells you the one thing to fix.

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