If You Had to Win 20 New Properties in 90 Days, Where Would You Start?
If I told you that you had 90 days to win 20 new managements, what would you do first?
Would you start calling every landlord in your database?
Post more on social media?
Buy leads?
Run a campaign?
Or simply hope the next appraisal comes through?
The truth is, winning 20 properties in 90 days isn't about doing more of everything.
It's about getting very clear on where your next 20 properties are actually going to come from — and then consistently working those opportunities.
Because when BDMs feel pressure to grow, they often become busy before they become strategic.
So, if I had to win 20 new properties in the next 90 days, this is exactly where I'd start.
1. Start with the number
First, I'd work backwards.
Twenty new properties over 90 days is roughly:
6–7 new managements per month.
That's the target.
But I wouldn't stop there.
I'd look at my current appraisal-to-management conversion rate.
If I convert 50% of my appraisals, I'd need approximately 40 appraisals to win 20 properties.
If I'm converting 40%, I need around 50.
Suddenly, the goal becomes much more practical.
I'm not trying to magically "win 20 properties".
I'm trying to generate enough quality opportunities to produce the number of appraisals I need, and then improve my conversion rate.
That's a very different mindset.
2. Look at what is already sitting in front of you
Before spending a dollar on advertising or chasing cold leads, I'd go back through my existing database.
And I'd be ruthless.
I'd look at:
Past appraisals that didn't convert
Landlords who said "not right now"
Old leads that went quiet
Investors who own multiple properties
Existing clients who may have properties managed elsewhere
Landlords referred by existing clients
Previous enquiries that never made it to an appraisal
Properties where I know the owner is considering a change
Your database is not a list.
It's a pipeline.
And there's a very good chance you've already had conversations with people who could become your next management.
They just weren't ready when you first spoke to them.
3. Revisit your lost appraisals
This would be one of my first priorities.
I'd pull up the last 12 months of lost appraisals and categorise them.
Why did you lose them?
Was it:
Price?
Existing relationship?
They chose another agency?
They decided to self-manage?
They weren't ready?
They didn't proceed with the property?
You didn't follow up enough?
You never really found out?
Don't just accept "lost" as the outcome.
There is valuable information in those conversations.
And some of those landlords may still be in the market.
I'd personally contact the ones where the relationship was good and ask a simple question:
"I'm doing a review of my recent appraisals and wanted to check in. Has anything changed with your property since we last spoke?"
It's not pushy.
It's relevant.
And it gives you a reason to restart the conversation.
4. Get serious about referrals
If you need 20 properties, I'd make referrals a specific part of the strategy — not something I hope happens.
I'd look at my existing portfolio and identify the landlords who:
Trust me
Have multiple properties
Regularly refer people
Are active investors
Have friends or family who own property
Have recently had a positive experience with the agency
Then I'd have conversations with them.
Not:
"Do you know anyone who needs a property manager?"
That's too broad.
Instead:
"I'm looking to grow the portfolio with more great landlords this quarter. If you know another investor who values proactive property management, I'd really appreciate an introduction."
Be specific about the kind of client you're looking for.
People are much more likely to make an introduction when they know exactly who would be a good fit.
5. Know exactly who you're targeting
If you're trying to win 20 properties, "landlords" is too broad.
I'd decide what my ideal management looks like.
Maybe it's:
Investors with multiple properties
High-quality homes in a particular suburb
New investors who need guidance
Interstate owners
Owners with properties coming off fixed-term leases
Landlords frustrated by poor communication
Owners with a growing portfolio who have outgrown their current agency
The more specific your target, the easier it becomes to build a prospecting strategy around it.
You can't create a compelling message for everyone.
6. Build your 90-day activity plan
Now I'd turn the target into weekly activity.
For example:
Every week:
Contact a set number of database prospects
Follow up every active appraisal opportunity
Reconnect with previous lost opportunities
Have referral conversations with existing clients
Prospect within your target market
Create useful content that demonstrates your expertise
Review your pipeline and next actions
The exact numbers will depend on your conversion rates.
But the important thing is this:
Don't measure your 90-day goal only by properties won.
Measure the activities that create the opportunity to win them.
Because you can't control when a landlord decides to change agencies.
You can control whether you followed up.
Whether you made the call.
Whether you asked for the referral.
Whether you attended the appraisal.
Whether you sent the information you promised.
That's where consistency comes in.
7. Stop treating follow-up as an afterthought
This is a big one.
A BDM can do an excellent appraisal and still lose the business because the follow-up isn't there.
The landlord says:
"We'll think about it."
And the BDM waits.
A week passes.
Then another.
Eventually, the opportunity disappears.
If I had 90 days to win 20 properties, my follow-up would be non-negotiable.
I'd know exactly:
Who needs a call today
Who needs an email
Who is waiting on information
Who needs a second conversation
Who needs a market update
Who needs a reason to take the next step
And I'd record it.
Your CRM should tell you what happens next with every opportunity.
Not just what happened last.
8. Make your appraisal worth choosing
Getting the appraisal is only half the job.
You still have to win it.
I'd look closely at my appraisal presentation and ask:
Why should this landlord choose me?
Not:
Why should they choose our agency?
There's a difference.
Your agency's history, systems and services matter.
But landlords are also choosing the person they trust to look after one of their biggest assets.
So I'd make sure I could clearly communicate:
How I communicate
How I handle problems
How I approach maintenance
How I protect the landlord's investment
How I use data and market information
What proactive management looks like
What the landlord can expect from me
Don't just present a list of services.
Show them what it will actually feel like to have you managing their property.
9. Create a reason to talk to you
If all of your prospecting sounds like:
"Would you like to change property managers?"
You're going to have a very long 90 days.
Give people a reason to have a conversation.
That could be:
"I'd love to give you an independent rental assessment based on what's happening in your suburb."
Or:
"I've been reviewing rental demand in your area and noticed a few changes that could affect landlords."
Or:
"I noticed your property has been advertised again and thought I'd share what we're seeing in the current rental market."
Lead with value.
The conversation about management can come later.
10. Review the numbers every week
I'd have a 20-property scoreboard.
Nothing complicated.
I'd track:
New leads
Conversations
Appraisals booked
Appraisals completed
Managements won
Managements lost
Follow-ups due
Referral opportunities
Then every Friday, I'd ask:
What worked?
What didn't?
Where are the gaps?
What needs to happen next week?
If you're six weeks into a 90-day target and you've only booked a handful of appraisals, you don't need to panic.
You need to adjust.
The numbers are giving you the information.
The biggest mistake? Trying to do everything at once.
If I had 90 days to win 20 properties, I wouldn't suddenly start doing 15 different lead-generation activities.
I'd pick the channels most likely to produce results based on my market, database and existing relationships.
Then I'd work them consistently.
Because growth doesn't usually come from one brilliant idea.
It comes from doing the right things often enough that the results start to compound.
Twenty properties might sound like a big number.
But when you break it down into the conversations, appraisals, follow-ups and referrals required to get there, it becomes a business development plan — not a wish.
And that's the shift I'd want every BDM to make.
Don't ask, "How am I going to win 20 properties?"
Ask:
"What needs to happen this week to move me closer to 20?"
Then do it.
Want help growing your rent roll?
If you're a BDM or property management leader who wants a clearer strategy for winning more managements, improving your conversion and building a stronger pipeline, work with me.
I'll help you get out of reactive business development and build a strategy that is practical, measurable and actually works in the real world.