#1 – HOT BUTTONS, You Must Know What Your Seller’s Hot Button Is. The only thing that moves their emotional meter is the avoidance of pain – What are they running from? Or the gain of pleasure – What are they running to? Take the time to question them 7 questions deep to identify their hot button. “Why do you want to sell?” “So why is that so important?”…… Identify the hot button and remind them of the outcome if they chose.
#2 – CREATE A PROCESS, “wing it” and get “wing it results”. Implement a plan to manage the sellers expectations. The most powerful way to manage their expectations is with education and communication. It is now time to become their trusted advisor and not the time to hide and not be proactive. To them your silence is deafening and they blame us for the market.
#3 – ESTABLISH PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION, we can’t assume the method we choose to communicate with our sellers is the method they would choose. Sit down and ask how they would like you to communicate with them? Phone? Text? Email? FB Messenger? Face to Face? Set the expectations for communicating and make note of the method in your process.
#4 – ESTABLISH FREQUENCY OF COMMUNICATION, we can’t assume the amount of communication we choose to connect with our seller is what they hoped and wanted. Sit down and ask how frequent they would like to hear from us. Remember to make note of it and then over deliver and not under promise that frequency. We are in the customer service business, right?!
#5 – CREATE THE SIMPLEST SHOWING PLAN, we need to take time and educate the seller on the importance of an easy showing plan for their property and the importance to them getting the physical activity they want and expect. Set the showing plan so it is easy and not an Indiana Jones adventure to try showing their home for the selling agents. Take the time to explain to them paradigm shift of virtual showing activity of their home and how it has taken over for physical showing activity of their home thanks to internet, drones, photos, video and interactive floor plans.
#6 – EDUCATE THEM ON QUALIFICATION, other than MLS, marketing and negotiating the most important skill they hire us for is our ability to qualify the perspective buyers considering their home and eliminating the time wasters. Share your list of qualifying questions with them that you use to question the public and the list of questions you use for qualifying the co-operating agent and their buyer to ensure the best of the best are physically viewing their property. This also helps us deflect the issue of no physical showings in a slower market because they think we are doing such an outstanding job at qualifying!
#7 – SHOWING FEEDBACK, is always something that can hurt any listing agent and their relationship with their sellers. Have a system to get showing feedback from selling agents. Have a system to give showing feedback to your sellers consistently and agree on that system together. Pick a set day? Time? Remember even just a call saying you tried multiple times to get feedback from the showing agent and have to assume no news is not great news, but we tried is better than not calling them at all.
#8 SELLER COUNSELLING REPORT, is a vital tool to managing the sellers and their listings. Pick a set day and time during the week to report to our sellers. Create and deliver a weekly or bi-weekly report by email, postal mail or better yet hand deliver it. Remember to kill them with communication ( sample seller report – Attwater report May 6th ) Items you should include with your reports:
a) Auto emails of new listings, sale and expired listing alerts to the sellers
b) List of your ongoing marketing activities you presented them at the listing presentation ( they forget )
c) Local Board Market Stats
d) Local real estate related media reports
e) Showings – Feedback comments
f) Sign calls, Ad calls, Email enquiries
f) Salability checklist ( one marketing idea a week ) something other than dropping their price to change up the marketing. (AgentsBoost – Saleability Checklist )
#9 – 21 DAY FACE TO FACE OFFICE MEETINGS, you schedule every 21 days a face to face meeting at the office to review the previous and upcoming weeks activities on their property. Remind them of their hot buttons. Ask them what they think we should do different? Next? What are they waiting for? Why are we not repositioning the property? It is good face to face time to lean into your sellers and act like a trusted real estate advisor, hence them coming into your office for the meeting.
#10 – THE PRICING PROCESS, we all know any price will cure any property or market problem. Consider at the initial listing getting a pre signed price reduction at time of taking the listing to allow you to reach out to the co-operating agents and their buyers to notify them of the change in price within the first 14 days of the listing to avoid losing those buyers to other properties. Consider ordering a third party bank appraisal to help with pricing. I always like to physically bring my office pricing team of 6 agents to view and write their estimated sale price on the back of their business card. One last tip is remember as a listing agent we can always prepare with our sellers a reverse offer (seller initiated) for that agent and buyer just lurking for days in the bushes!
So there you have it! A simple and powerful 10 step process to excel as a listing real estate agent and deliver excellence to your clients in the midst of a changing market. I hope you can implement and execute this system and take your business to another level.
The spring market doesn’t begin in the spring. It begins now! What you do now to get a listing or buyer’s commitment is what you get in the spring.
Think about the amount of time you invest into finding a listing or a bona fide buyer? Someone who wants to sell their home or wants to buy a home. Then think of all the time and money you spend before, during and after the marketing of that property or servicing the buyer. Then think of all the money you will earn if you successfully get the listing and the property sells or place that buyer into their new home. What is it worth to you?
One of the most powerful ways to blow away the competition for a listing or buyer’s commitment before you even meet with them in person is the use of a pre listing or buyer package or what some of you may call “The informed seller or buyer package.”
Imagine sending a package, basket or beautiful marketing book to a buyer or seller via a courier delivery person to their home prior to your actual appointment. What kind of impression does that make on the client? How much would that increase your commitment? How much time would it save if they informed themselves prior to the actual physical appointment? Let’s look at what you need to build the ideal pre buyer or seller appointment package……
Your Biography – Share with them your past, a little about your family, your successes, awards and achievements in and outside of real estate. Include your business, years of experience and your expertise and passion.
Your Team – Include a photo, name and biography on each team member, their responsibilities and their role within the team. For those of you saying “I don’t have a team”, include your mortgage broker, home stager, accountant, broker owner, home inspector, photographer, technology supporter, graphic designer and any more you can think of. They hire them all when they hire you.
Corporate Charter, Mission Statement, Core Values – This includes your purpose, who you are, your values, what it is you do, your practices, your principles and your promise to them. This is important for your customer to understand your values and who you are and what you believe and illustrates your integrity in life and business.
Feature-Benefit Marketing Service Guarantee – This is not a guarantee their home will sell or they will find the perfect home to buy. It is a guarantee you will perform the services you said you would perform. Example -I/we are putting your home on MLS and the benefit is global exposure of their home to prospective agents and their buyer pools.
Step by Step Buying or Selling Process – Describe each step in their buying or selling journey before it happens.
How You Find Buyers – Illustrate five things you do to find buyers for their home.
How you Find That Right Home to Buy – Illustrate five things you do to save them time, money and stress in buying.
Testimonials – Provide them with third party testimonials from previous buyers and sellers and what they experienced buying and selling with you in the past. Call some of your past clients and ask them these questions. 1) What they liked most? 2) What you do the best? 3) One word to describe the experience? Put their responses into a quote and ask permission to display.
List of What the seller Will Need to Have Available at the Appointment – Survey, Tax notice, Utility bills, 2 house keys.
List of What the Buyer Will Need to Have Available at the Appointment – Wish list, Pre approval, Deposit, Measuring tape.
Ten Best Features of My Home – Make up a form that allows the seller and buyer to list the best features of their home they are selling or wanting to buy.
Include DVD’s – Recommend the following by my mentor David Knox. Pricing Your Home to Sell by David Knox (I am NOT compensated for any sales through this link)
Make it pop! Package it up with Microwave Popcorn and Two Bottles of Water. Go to www.shutterfly.com and put it into a coffee table hard cover book as well.
Take the time to invest in a pre-listing or buyer package and start crushing the competition and getting more listings and getting more signed buyer commitments in 2018. The spring market is now! Go get it!!
Innovation in real estate is pushing agents to be more accountable. It’s reshaping how properties are bought, managed and sold. With increased access to data, homebuyers now have all the information they need to make an educated purchasing decision. Here are some of the hottest new companies to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Adwerx
Retargeting technology and building this technology into your own real estate websites allows us to be top of mind with the consumers even after they have left your website. You now appear on youtube, facebook and other web pages the consumers are on during their search process. Let’s have a look at this amazing powerful technology.
Occly
Personal safety and security for agents is becoming an increasing issue for our industry. Have you ever been in a place or with a customer and this feeling comes over you that this is not a safe place or person to be alone with? We can’t take our personal safety as an agent for granted so let’s have a look at this amazing safety tool.
Trusted Mail
Ever wondered how these online criminals can tell where you are dealing with banking or how you just used paypal and then they send you these fraudulent emails to capture your personal information and break into your accounts. The importance of email and online security is growing rapidly and the need for encrypted email content in transit and facial recognition software is here at last.
Centriq
How many of us have a large file folder, big binder, desk drawer or box of every warranty document, user guide book or operation manual for everything in your home? How would you like to provide all of this for your customers all on one app on their phone at closing day. Check this out!
Immoviewer
How would you like to have an app that works with any 3D camera you can buy at a store that allows you to create 2D and 3D floorplans and measurements, 3D video tours of your listings without paying so much to a third party provider?
Relola
Do you struggle with online social content? Would you like to increase your perception as the local expert to those searching online? We now have a platform allowing you to create original content and integrate with mapping technology of google maps and interact socially with consumers questions and answers and become the local expert on everything in your community!
Move Snap
How many of us do a really great job supporting our clients during the actual moving process? Would you like to be even better and have a moving concierge service provided to your clients? Well here it is!
Amitree
The collaborative web based software that manages every detail of the transaction between you and your client. Allowing 24 – 7 access for you and your clients and showing real time activity of the process from beginning to end including files, documents, appointments, reminders, checklists and more! Take the fear out of the process for the client and keep us more accountable to the process with our customers and increase our wow factor!
So there you have it. The latest and greatest in customer service in real estate. I trust you found a nugget or two to take your business and client experience to another level in 2018!!
One of the things I ran into when I first started really talking about staging houseswith sellers was I discovered I could get a listing against a lot of agents who were better than me — when I say “better,” I mean who were bigger producers than me. This would happen because when they would talk about staging the house they would tell the seller, “Okay, you need to do this, you need to do this, you need to do this,” they would actually put off the seller. They would often make the seller mad because the seller felt the agent was coming in and telling them to spend all this money and do all this work, and the agent was trying to boss them around. They’re going, “This is my house, and I felt like they were coming in telling me they weren’t going to list the house or it wasn’t going to sell well if I didn’t do all this work and put all this money into it.” The seller actually took it personally and decided they didn’t like the agent. Of course, the agent was trying to help them get the property prepared in a way that really works.
Now, when I first started selling real estate back in the 1990s, staging was not nearly as important as it is today. In fact, when I first started selling real estate back in 1993, staging was not even something I was trained on. It was not something in the training I went through, and I was with one of the number one companies in the world and they never talked about staging, really.
Some things have changed in the last 15 years that have made a dramatic impact on the importance of staging a house and getting it really market-ready.
2 Things that Have Increased the Importance of Real Estate Home Staging
Number one: Pinterest – Here’s the reality. Every lady, before she buys a house, she spends weeks, if not months, spending all of her free time looking at Pinterest pictures. They spend an hour at night sitting in bed looking at Pinterest, looking at all the cool pictures. What kind of pictures are they looking at? What kind of houses are they looking at? What kind of kitchens and bedrooms and master bathrooms are they looking at? They’re not looking at the fixers. They’re looking at the perfectly staged, perfectly designed, perfectly laid out, professionally decorated, perfect dream homes. Dream kitchens, dream closets, dream bathrooms, dream master bedrooms, dream backyards, dream front yards, dream flowerbeds. I mean, all of it is like, the dream, and that’s what they’re spoiled with. They’re like, “I want that! I want it!” It’s like a little kid. “I want that!”
Number Two: HGTV – If you watch HGTV you will know most of the shows are on real estate, and most of them are about people taking and finding an ugly house and making it a beautiful house. When they’re done, they’re looking at this gorgeous home and it’s perfectly decked out. Everything’s up to date, everything’s modern, everything has custom, professional interior designers that have come in and made everything match, and it just looks fabulous. They spend all their time watching this, and so they get in their mind, “That’s the house that I want!”
Today, when you’re showing houses, if the house is ugly, it will still sell, but it sells for less because people say, “That’s a fixer,” and they want to get a big time discount if a house doesn’t show perfect.
A vacant house? Oh my goodness… Vacant houses, used to not be a big deal. But now, a vacant house looks unloved. It looks unlived in. It doesn’t feel like a home.
Because buyers are so used to seeing the pictures on Pinterest and on HGTV and on all the other places, social media and on the internet, because they’re so used to that, people have a higher expectation of what they want their new home to look like. All of a sudden, (maybe not all of a sudden, but over time), staging has become a critical part of, not only the high end but even of bread and butter homes… the better a house shows, the more like a model home it shows, the better off it’s going to sell and for a closer to premium price.
25 Staging Tips To Win More Listings and Sell Listings For More:
1) Grimy bathroom walls are a major red flag to buyers. Here is an easy way to get rid of surface mold: Mix a spray bottle with one part water and one part bleach. Just spray it on the wall, and watch the mold disappear. Give it a fresh coat of paint, and your grimy bathroom will go from red flag to red-hot.
2) Don’t replace a yucky shower door: Just scour it. A grimy glass shower door can really wash out your sale. Instead of replacing it, clean it with a mixture of one part muriatic acid and about 10 parts water. Scrub with steel wool. After wiping it down, reinstall the door and you’ll have a shower that’ll help you clean up at the open house.
3) Avoid dated tile by painting. Bathrooms sell houses, but dated tile in a bathroom doesn’t. A low-cost alternative to replacing the tile is to use paint. First coat the tiles with a high-adhesion primer. Next, brush on a special ceramic epoxy covering. For a fraction of the cost of new tile, you will have an up-to-date bathroom that brings in big bucks.
4) A master bedroom should appeal to both sexes. When you are selling, your master bedroom should appeal to buyers of both sexes. Get rid of features that seem too gender-specific. Paint the walls a neutral color, and choose bedding that matches. Then accessorize with items that complement the overall color scheme.
5) Do you have an overpowering brick fireplace that sticks out like a sore thumb? Here’s an easy way to tone it down with paint. Use a rag or brush to rub a light coat of paint on the bricks, one at a time. This will give them a new tone without covering them completely. And, if you use a paint color that matches the walls, your fireplace will go from sticking out to standing out. Updating an old fireplace screen is a cheap (and quick) fix. After removing the screen and wiping it down to get rid of the dust, mask off the windows so you won’t get paint on them. Then, using a can of heat-resistant spray paint, give the screen a facelift. Hold the can about 18 inches away, and use long, even strokes. For less than $5, you will have a fireplace screen that’ll keep your sale from going up in smoke.
6) Stain dated kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them. Dated kitchen cabinets can be a big turnoff to potential buyers. Instead of paying big bucks to replace them, just stain them. First, apply the stain in even strokes, going with the grain of the wood. Add some stylish hardware, and your kitchen will have the up-to-date look that buyers love, for less than $200.
7) Stainless-steel appliances are definitely in with buyers. Instead of buying a new dishwasher, here is a low-cost way to resurface an old one: First, remove the front panels, and clean them. Next, apply a stainless-steel stick-on covering, and cut it to size. For just $20 your dishwasher will go from outdated to ultra-modern.
8) Fill existing hardware holes instead of making new, unsightly ones. Removing old kitchen hardware can leave your cabinets with stripped-out holes. Here is a trick to reusing the existing ones. First, dip a toothpick in glue and place it in the stripped hole. Cut off the excess piece. Once the glue dries, you’ll be ready to put in the hardware that buyers love.
9) Save money on granite countertops. Granite countertops are a huge selling feature, but they can be expensive. Here are a few ways to save on this investment: First, do the demo yourself. Also, ask the vendor for remnants from previous projects. Remember, any money you spend will definitely be returned in the value these beautiful counters add to your kitchen.
10) New kitchen appliances bring high returns from sellers. Studies show that new kitchen appliances bring high returns from sellers, so get rid of old appliances that make the rest of the kitchen look dated. Once you install the new equipment, it will scream “new kitchen,” and you will see that spending a little money will make you even more.
11) Need to dress up a window but don’t want to shell out big bucks for window treatments? Here’s a trick: Use place mats. First, apply a hook-and-loop fastener to the place mats and attach them in a row to a basic curtain rod. Now that the place mats are attached to the curtain rods, pin them together at the bottom, and you’ll have a stylish valance that costs about $12.
12) Adding drama to old hardwood flooring is easier than you might think. First, isolate damaged boards, cut them out and replace them with new pieces. Rent a sander from a local hardware store, and give the floor a good sanding. The last step is to stain the boards with a rich color, and watch your floor go from drab to dramatic in no time.
13) Buyers love built-in bookshelves. There’s a fine line between filling them with clutter and staging them to sell. The trick is to arrange neutral items in clusters. Make sure that no single accessory stands out too much. That way, you’ll show off your attractive built-ins, and not your personal belongings.
14) Curb appeal is vital to attracting buyers. Here is how to stop traffic using color. First, with two tones of paint, add a faux finish to any corner keystones. Next, bring out the color of walkway pavers using a stone sealer. Plant flowers in bloom, and you’ll have buyers swarming like bees to your front door.
15) A nice outdoor deck can be a big selling feature, but an old one is a major liability. To give your outdoor space new life, first sand the wood. Cover it with a light-colored stain instead of paint to give it a rustic, grainy look. Furnish it for entertaining, and watch your open house turn into a party.
16) Breathe new life into a worn patio. Do you have a red-brick patio surface that needs to be freshened up? Here is an easy way to give it new life with paint. First, roll a light coat of paint onto the bricks. Next, lightly spray them with water and then dab them before they dry to give them an outdoor look. When you are done, you will have a patio that looks fresh and reels in buyers.
17) Staging rooms to show off their true potential is essential when selling your home. Clear out clutter or other personal items that will distract buyers. Paint the walls a neutral tone, and furnish the space to show off how functional it is. When buyers come through and imagine themselves there, you can bet an offer isn’t far behind.
18) A shabby wood-panel wall is not a strong selling point. Instead of ripping it out, cover it up. Use wood filler to carefully fill in all the cracks between the panels. Then, use a sponge to wipe away the excess filler. Once it’s dry, paint the room. You’ll see an unattractive wall go from standing out to blending in.
19) Use tape outlines on the floor instead of actually moving furniture around. Rearranging a room to stage it for your open house? Here is a tip to save time and effort: Instead of lugging the heavy furniture around the room to see what feels best, put outlines on the floor with painter’s tape. Arrange the room according to your outlines, and save your energy for counting offers.
20) Vinyl tile is an inexpensive way to update your home. Laying vinyl tile is an inexpensive way to update your home, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. You need to avoid laying patterns that look too perfect. Instead, make sure to switch up the direction and placement of the tiles to mix the tones. That way, you end up with a floor that has a natural feel.
21) Stage rooms with one purpose so buyers will know what it is. Potential buyers are confused by extra rooms that have a mishmash of uses. To avoid this problem, first clear away clutter and excess furniture. Paint the walls a neutral tone and then furnish the room with a desk to stage it as a home office in which buyers will want to get down to business.
22) Unpleasant pet odors won’t win over buyers. We all love our pets, but unpleasant pet odors can make a negative first impression. Be sure to get rid of old carpet that can trap offensive smells. Replace it with fresh new carpet in a neutral color. Plus, if you paint the walls to match, your living room will look bigger. It’ll go from designed to smell to designed to sell.
23) Pack up unnecessary items and furniture before you show the house. An over packed living room is a red flag to buyers that your home lacks storage space. Pack up unnecessary items and furniture, and move items to your garage or a nearby storage facility. Clear the way for a sale by letting buyers see your square footage, not your personal belongings.
24) Storage space sells! Potential buyers love homes that have lots of storage space. Since they will open your closets, it’s a good idea to clear out unnecessary clutter, and organize your shelves to show off how much storage you really have. Plus, it gives you a chance to start packing, as you will definitely be moving once buyers see all that closet space.
25) Create a nice flow in your rooms. Buyers are attracted to homes that have a good flow. You can create circulation by replacing square or rectangular dining tables with round ones. Cutting the corners adds room to this maneuver and creates a spinoff effect that adds flow to your home — cash flow, that is. Create a better flow in the house by starting with the floor. Want to create better flow in your house? Start with the floor. Join two rooms together by using the most cost-efficient material in the book: vinyl tile. First, use a snap-line to create a center point between the two rooms. Next, the fun part: Peel and stick the new vinyl tile down, and watch your kitchen and dining room go from old to sold!
So there you have some easy and affordable ways to stage a listing and beat other agents to a listing and sell the listing for more. Take these tips and create your own staging booklet or report as a listing tool with sellers and beat out the competition and sell your listings for more. I dare ya!!
We all know in real estate communication is everything and how we feel on the inside is what is coming out to people on the outside through your words, tone and energy. We all want the client to feel good when we communicate with them so it starts by us feeling good ourselves! You can’t be a lean mean appointment setting machine if you are someone who is sad, angry, depressed or totally stressed out on the inside because that is coming out in some way on the outside to the people you are communicating with.
So get right on the inside so you can be right on the outside and really attract, engage and make people feel good and feel like you are someone they really need to get together with! Let’s give you some more tips on becoming that appointment setting machine.
1. Know your customers pain and know their problems.
Examples: market conditions, past purchasing experiences. There are only two things in our lives that “move” people to take action and that is the avoidance of pain and the desire of pleasure. What are the buyers and sellers challenges? Fears? Frustrations? When you begin to share with the client about their pain they feel you really understand them and feel like you are in tune with them and want to connect with you and hear the solutions you can offer them.
2. Know your dialogues.
If you want to be good then you have to practice! The most in demand type of training in our industry today is role playing but it is the kind of training that is avoided the most and not practiced at all in our industry. I hear so many agents say “I hate scripts” “I don’t want to sound canned” Sorry but these are the same agents who don’t do high volume and are not great communicators in the industry and this just makes it easier on the rest of us. When you know what to say and how to say it, you can be more in tune to your customers’ needs.
3. Get to the point!
Example “I’m calling today to schedule an appointment…” I love the line “Why sell with blah blah blah when you can sell with blah?” or “If you don’t ask and get to the point then you don’t get!” So many times we find ourselves talking too much about “nothing” and actually forget to ask for the order or get to the point of the conversation. Have the courage to ask for the appointment and get to the point sooner than later. My favorite technique is the alternate choice close when you give the client two options for setting a time. “Would tomorrow at 2 pm be good or Friday at 1pm be better for you?”
4. Stand up when you are making appointments and keep your hands free of objects including when you are on the phone (use a head set). Your body controls your tonality and your emotional state. It is amazing when you stand and your hands are free and open what it does for you and your energy levels. People are engaged by your energy, passion and excitement and want to connect with you when you have that kind of enthusiasm. Standing keeps your body, breathing and mental state at a peak level and has a huge impact on your conversion rate for appointments.
5. On the phone = 20% effective sensory communication. You need to remember when you talk you are only engaging in one sense out of five. It is critical you speak clearly and slowly and be on point throughout the discussion. This is so important because you don’t have the non-verbal communication components now which make up the majority of communicating. They can’t see your body language, facial expressions, eye contact and hand gestures over the phone. All you have is your voice, tone and inflections to get the message across when trying to convert the appointment.
6. Get the fear out of the way with these 3 questions: For a lot of us it is uncomfortable talking to someone we just met so knowing what to ask and let them do the majority of the talking makes this part so much easier. Here are three excellent and engaging more dialog questions to get you past the fear and awkwardness of converting sales appointments.
1) What’s the worst case scenario?
2) What’s the most likely scenario?
3) What’s the best case scenario?
In addition to getting better at sales appointment conversion you also have to make sure you have the best environment possible for making those appointment calls so here are some great tips for creating the right environment for converting more appointments.
1. Appointment Tracker – Visual. Make it visual; think big appointment calendar.
2. Appointment Setting Shrine. Use a foam presentation board. Put pictures of your family, how much money you want to make, and even a mirror.
3. Eliminate All Distractions. Things like the voicemail light, messy desk, or having the Internet open in front of you can be distracting.
4. Stand Up Vs. Sit. You sound more confident on the phone when you are standing up versus sitting down.
5. Music. I like Van Morrison, but find something that works best for you.
6. Plant. Having a plant in your office can help improve your mood.
7. Get a good headset! I use a wireless Plantronics headset.
When you put together all these steps you can’t help but get better on appointment setting and remember, by removing the client’s fear it is easier for them to take action and for you to set appointments.
Here are some action steps for you to put this into reality.
1. Review this content daily.
2. Get your environment set for making appointments.
3. Practice the communication tips above.
4. Set those appointments!
Are you ready to take your appointment setting to the next level?
Want to Be the “Starbucks” of Real Estate Customer Service?
I am amazed how much people will pay for an experience in “anything” (including buying or selling real estate).
Take coffee for example, Starbucks the greatest marketer of the coffee experience. You can drink coffee or you can drink “Starbucks Coffee”.
You walk in to the most comfortable setting in the world for drinking coffee. Leather sofas, tables and chairs to visit or work on your laptop or mobile device and Jazz greats softly playing in the background. Sitting around the coolest place to drink coffee with the coolest people on the planet around you drinking the coolest coffee on the planet too.
It is the mecca of coffee experiences…
For only a mortgage payment a day, you too can have this coffee experience. Starbucks has provided us with a ton of “critical non essentials” to enhance our coffee experience.
How can you apply the same principle to the “real estate experience“ with your own customers?
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Pre Appointment Tips
Personal hand written note sent with your business card to let them know you are looking forward to meeting with them.
Courier to their home or place of business a home buyer or home seller package. Something to really impress them before you even meet.
Courtesy call or reminder of your appointment confirming the date, time and place the day before your actual appointment.
If you are meeting at the office, let the receptionist know they are arriving. Have them greeted by their names. Offer them coffee or water and let them know you have been expecting them.
Buying and Selling Process Tips
Pet and kids contracts. Have a one page agreement with the children and family pet that they help with selling the home in exchange for a $25 Gift Card to Pet Smart or Toys R Us on the sale of the home. (leave a comment below to receive a copy of the one page agreement)
Deliver a nice bouquet of flowers to their home with a small note of thanks for their trust in you. This enhances their home visually for selling and makes them feel important.
Thank you letter signed from the company owners for selling or buying their house with you and your company.
Allow time to pick up a special coffee before viewing homes. Pack bottled water, snacks and umbrella in vehicle for clients as well. DVD player and videos for small children.
Mini listing cards. Create business cards on one side and mini MLS® feature sheet of their home on the other for sellers to help you help them sell their home by handing these cards out to friends and family.
Weekly or Bi Weekly face to face meetings with buyers and sellers to review where they have been and where they are going. Re-evaluate and give them your time. Don’t just email, phone or text.
Offer a few hours of yard work, house cleaning, carpet cleaning or home staging to really enhance the presentation of the sellers home.
After Sale Tips
Customer survey form sent out.
Call them 1 day, 1 week and 1 month after the closing of the sale of their home, just to check in.
Photo book gift as a keep sake of their home photos to remember for years to come.
House warming party. You ask for the guest list and you send out the invitations, you host their house warming party as a thank you gift. Chance to expand your database.
Meet on site for the walk thru and key exchange on the possession date.
Deliver a meal on moving day.
Provide them a young person with a truck as their concierge to help with anything they need on moving day. For example, moving, cleaning, junk removal, etc.
Change of Address cards. Your business card on one side and photo and new address of their new home on the other to send out to their friends and family.
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Hopefully you picked up a couple tips here to take your customer service to the next level.
What are some of your favorite critical non-essentials you provide to clients?
Strength and courage,
Wade
Please pass these Critical Non-Essentials around using the buttons below…
What is Your Client’s Pain or Pleasure? Do You Have a Clue?
In order to have a client do what you want them to do you must first help them discover their inner pain or pleasure.
Joe Stumpf ~ My Mentor
There are only two emotions that trigger someone to act and those are “pain” and
“pleasure”.
In the real estate business I find so many agents do not recognize the importance of discovering what their buyer or seller’s true driving motivation is.
Is your client running from “pain”?
Are they running to “pleasure”?
Knowing the answer to those questions is only the tip of the iceberg and to truly help them alleviate their “pain” or realize their “pleasure it is critical as a real estate agent you spend the time to dig down to the root or source of what your clients desires or fears truly are.
How much time do you spend with your clients to discover what they really fear or desire?
Most agents ask “level one” questions to their buyers (and sellers) whereas
the key to truly serving your client is to dig deeper and get to seventh level
questions.
Asking a minimum of seven questions, called the “5-6-7 technique” will help you and
your client discover what their hot button truly is.
For example…
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Level 1…“Why do you want to buy?” you ask
“We want to upgrade”they reply
Level 2…“Ok great” you reply… “Why is this important to you?” “Well the kids are growing up and we could use more room” is their reply.
Level 3…“Oh yah… and why is that important to you?” “As the kids grow up they are becoming more independent and want to spread their wings a bit more”
Level 4… “That is great… can you tell me a bit more about that”? “Well Johnny is really into drums and could use a room in the basement to “hammer away” and Suzie loves to sew and it would be great if we had an extra bedroom she could set up “shop” in… and of course Diane and I love our outdoor living space so a bigger yard would give us more opportunity to putter”
Level 5…“Very cool… I don’t want to be nosy but can you tell me why all of this is important to you?” “Well a person only lives once and time flies by so if a person isn’t diligent about capturing their dreams time just seems to go by”
Level 6… “Oh yah… I hear you… this is so interesting… tell me more please” “Ever since I was first married it has been my passion to raise a family where we all help each other live happy, fun and fulfilling lives.”
Level 7… “That is such a great goal… how do you feel when you focus on these passions?” “Are you kidding me? It makes me excited… I feel alive and it makes all the hassles and trials of life completely worth it.”
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Can you see the power of this?
Once you get to Level 7 then you summarize…
So it really isn’t about upgrading is it?
It’s about spending time with your wife and children who are the most important people
in your life and being able to grow together as a family helping each other realize their dreams.
At this point they are revved up and hanging on your every word.
And you ask them… “In order to realize this goal”
What do you think you need to do differently?
What do you think you should do next?
What are you waiting for?
Why aren’t you doing it?
The best way you can serve your client is to help firmly etch in their minds and emotions
exactly what it is they are running from or what they are running to.
Use the 5-6-7 method to remind them of their pain and pleasure and help them create the
results in real estate they are looking for.
What is Your Definition of Customer Service As a Realtor? This is Mine…
1 Day, 1 Week, 1 Month
One of my mentors always said to me…
“The sale really begins the day the client moves in.”
I thought to myself, what does he mean the sale really begins the day the client
moves in?
Most of our real estate clients have an expectation of customer service before and
during the property transaction.
Are we in this business to “meet” a customers expectations or are we
in it to exceed their expectations?
When someone asks one of your clients “what it was it like to do business with _________”
what do thy say?
Do they recommend you or do they “insist on” you?
Their really is a difference you know.
Would you want someone to say “you know what they did a good job” or would you
rather “you know what there is nobody better in the business and you have to use them,
you won’t be disappointed.
One of the best strategies I learned to implement was the 1 Day, 1 Week, 1 Month
system.
For every one of my home closings I would set an email or phone reminder to call my
client one day, one week and one month after their closing.
“Hi it’s Wade Webb calling… I just wanted to check in, I know its only been _ days,
but I wanted to make sure things are going well and that you’re loving your new home?”
Most of the time I would never get anything other than a “thank-you for calling” or “we
love the house” following the one day or one week call.
After the one month call it was a completely different response…
“WOW, thanks for calling, we thought we would never hear from you again.”
or most importantly I would get…
“You know what the gas fireplace isn’t lighting or the garage door opener is broken or
the dishwasher leaks.”
I would say to my client right away, “I will have someone call you to come over and fix
that for you and don’t worry I will take care of the bill”.
This simple but powerful strategy of calling one day, one week, one month after the
client moving in may have cost me some money but it made me a fortune.
More importantly it converted my clients to raving fans of me and my business.
Schedule a 1 day… 1 week… 1 month series of calls after your next house sale and
then come back and share your results… I’d love to hear them!
Strength and courage,
Wade
PS Share some of your own customer service strategies with us in the comments below and
share this post with someone who needs it (no names please lol)
We are beginning to see a shift in many real estate markets across North America. The importance of knowing how to counsel a seller through a changing market is something many Realtors© need to learn how to do properly. As the homes begin to take longer to sell, activity lowers and the competition increases the importance of a consistent process managing listings and sellers is key. Let’s look at this 10 step process and begin to manage our listings and sellers expectations before they consider firing us.
The spring market doesn’t begin in the spring. It begins now! What you do now to get a listing or buyer’s commitment is what you get in the spring.
Innovation in real estate is pushing agents to be more accountable. It’s reshaping how properties are bought, managed and sold. With increased access to data, homebuyers now have all the information they need to make an educated purchasing decision. Here are some of the hottest new companies to help you stay ahead of the curve.
I am amazed how much people will pay for an experience in “anything” (including buying or selling real estate).
There are only two emotions that trigger someone to act and those are “pain” and
1 Day, 1 Week, 1 Month