it is Marketing and Branding Month Here in Inman. As we enter the competitive spring selling season, let’s take a look at some of the proven strategies and cutting-edge innovations that are closing deals in today’s market.We will also recognize industry marketing and brand leaders through Inman Marketing All-Star Award.
In my previous article, I talked about how even the logical choices on paper—the most experienced, the best track record, the “community experts”—we sometimes don’t win the listing.sometimes On the contrary: Agents from outside the area or with less experience win listings because of their connections or relationships with sellers.
If you’re like me, a top producer with years of experience, then at some point in your career you’ll get tired of the “dog and pony” show: often competing against less experienced agents for listings , and expect that you will share your entire marketing and pricing plan, and all of your valuable knowledge and experience, before committing to a partnership.
In this article, we’ll focus on strategies to help you overcome your biggest hurdles in customer service and handling customers. Stop feeling like an imposter and start showing up as your authentic self. It’s time to ditch the circus and become the leader of your business once and for all.
Favorites vs Fools: Sellers draw cards
I am a diligent, diligent professional. I want to believe in meritocracy. I want to believe that the playing field is level and that if I am the best agent for the job and have the best performance, I will win the listing. However, time and time again, this is not the case.
Think about it.if Median Residential Agent 2 to 12 homes sold per year, then most sellers will hire their friends or a random agent they happen to know, like, and trust. If a seller hires based solely on experience and track record, the top producers will own all the business. but it is not the truth.
It feels like giving the seller all of your knowledge and then hiring their brother-in-law, friend, or neighbor (who is the agent), or the buyer’s agent who sold their house “but they’re not sure they have the skills.” how?Have enough experience in listings that I would like to talk to local experts,” except now your Got a pricing strategy and marketing plan?
Did you realize you were getting an “expert second opinion” aka “due diligence” but never really got the chance? of course there are exceptions. Lowering your fees, paying for showings, and/or raising your list price are some ways you can muscle your way into a listing. But that’s not the type of business we’re talking about here.
Most of the time, people Hire the agent with whom they feel most comfortable or who is recommended by someone they trust, regardless of their record. They plan to hire their old agent, their agent friend, or an agent who is a friend or family member from the beginning. They just want to meet you, the local expert, to understand the market and make sure they “don’t miss a thing.”
Selling a home is often the largest financial transaction in a person’s life. This is a big decision. Conventional wisdom says to interview three agents before hiring one to ensure you hire the one that best suits your needs. One of the three is a favorite. The rest will be used for due diligence to double-check that what the favorite said is accurate and that the homeowner didn’t miss anything.
The disturbing truth
People don’t make decisions based on facts, logic, and reason. They make decisions based on emotions and feelings (which many of them will deny).To borrow the words of Chris Voss, author Never split the difference and full fee agency) and Steve Shull, co-author full fee agencythere is a favorite and a fool forward Listing appointments have even started. (If the word “fool” makes you uncomfortable, think of it as “an expert’s second opinion” or “due diligence.”)
A warning to market leaders: Top producers and “neighborhood experts” are likely to fall into the fool category. If you wanted an expert second opinion to double-check what your favorite said, who would you go to: a regular agent or a local market leader?
tactical empathy
Chris Voss proposes that tactical empathy is a high-emotionally intelligent way of communicating with others and a strategic way to get to the bottom of any situation faster and more easily.
This is not manipulation or natural language processing, although a natural side effect is increased influence and the ability to gently guide the decisions of others. This also has nothing to do with the script or memorizing dialogue.
Tactical empathy is a communicate This allows the other person to speak their truth and express their feelings. It’s advanced emotional intelligence, plus situational intelligence and social psychology.
With this philosophy in mind, you can take the time to understand how others are feeling and, most importantly, make sure they feel understood by you. This allows them to be more candid and transparent.
For example, in just a few minutes on the phone, I’ve had sellers go from asking me to come to their home to discuss their upcoming home sale, to admitting they just wanted me as a local expert, but they were already committed to their agent . They apologized and thanked me warmly for my time.
This may sound simplistic or cliché. However, few people can do this. Tactical empathy is very simple. But it won’t be easy.
Humans are by nature self-centered. Our nature is to protect our survival.So it is challenging The focus of the conversation is on the other person and not your agenda. This is true in your professional and personal life.
Ask your significant other or spy on the conversation at your next cocktail party. We spend most of our time talking about ourselves, or listening to each other’s conversations, long enough to redirect the conversation back to us.
Your job is to give people the space to fully express themselves, and institutions the space to make their own decisions. With tactical empathy, you can guide them gently, help them see pros and cons they may have missed, and offer options and suggestions, but you can’t make anyone do anything.
Historically, we have been trained to persuade, persuade, confuse, and even bully the other party (clients, other agents) into doing what we want. If you want to save time, money, and stress, your sole focus should be on discovering the truth—figuring out what someone really thinks and feels.
prepare prepare
How much time do you spend preparing for listing appointments, making listing appointments, and following up?
Imagine if you only spent time working for people who were mutually committed to working together. No more prep, checklist presentations, CMAs, follow-ups, travel time, mascara, or pants with a belt unless you’re the favorite. In other words, no more free consultations.
Imagine if you could tell whether you were a sweetheart or a fool in 15-20 minutes over the phone or via video conference? With tactical empathy and advanced emotional intelligence communication, this is possible. I am living proof.
What will you do with all the extra time you have back? At one point, I started watching more Netflix shows. Now, it’s mostly spent playing tennis and communicating with other agents consulting tactics and empathy.
Here are some key principles I learned:
- People don’t make decisions based on facts—even if they believe those decisions are rational and logical.
- People make decisions based on their feelings and intuition.
- This means every potential customer has a bias. They may swear up and down that they “don’t know anyone” and are “open-minded,” but they’re often leaning in the direction of a specific agent before meeting with a real estate agent.
- Bottom line: Not every opportunity is equal, nor should they be treated the same.
By improving my emotional intelligence and tactical empathy, my business has become more enjoyable, less stressful, more efficient, and more profitable. I rarely work evenings and weekends. When I do this, it’s my choice. I spend time with my family. I have hobbies. I charge full fee.
I do listing and buyer appointments via Zoom and haven’t done a marketing presentation in years. Our buyers sign exclusive agency agreements. My referral pipeline and positive online referrals continue to grow.
Giving up on listing appointments and learning to diagnose favorites vs. dumbests is one way I’ve learned to love real estate more and reduce stress.
Danielle Lazier is an agent associate Live real estate Powered by Side and Communications Performance Coaching sell easily In San Francisco.contact her Instagram and LinkedIn.
