Whether you are 20 or 50, many of us become so scared of losing what we have we don’t go after what we truly want. We play it safe and hold on so tight to the status quo that we never experience what could be. We believe the doubters and don’t take chances that will move us one step towards our dreams. I call this “playing to lose”. We see this in sports all the time when a team has the lead. They start to think about how not to lose instead of how to win. They hold on so tight to their lead that they start playing safe and scared. You can see it in their energy and body language. As a result, the other team takes chances, plays with no fear, and eventually gains the momentum and wins. To live a life filled with positive energy we must learn to repel the energy of fear. Whether it comes from within or from another person, we must overcome fear and adopt a “Play to Win” mindset. Playing to win requires a commitment to yourself that even if you fail, you will never give up and never let your goals and dreams die.
Those who play to win know success is not given to us. It is pursued with all the energy and sweat we can muster. Obstacles and struggles are part of life and only serve to make us appreciate our success.
If everything came easy we wouldn’t know what it felt like to truly succeed. Obstacles are meant to be overcome. Fear is meant to be conquered. Success is meant to be achieved. They are all part of the game of life and the people who succeed play to win and never give up until the game is over.
Every business, whether it’s large or small, wants to be known for the stellar real estate experience they provide, but it’s not as simple as just providing a great product or service. Giving people the ultimate experience requires you to look at the entire customer journey as part of your product or service, and meld them together in somewhat of a symphony. For REALTORS®, conducting this orchestra is actually a lot easier than it sounds when you consider what it’s like from a buyer or seller’s point of view. Most people will only go through the real estate transaction process a few times in their life, and as someone who has been through it countless times, you’ll probably see the ideal transaction experience quite differently than almost all of your clients will. Setting expectations early on with clients is absolutely critical to providing excellent service, but today let’s focus on 3 incredibly simple things you can do to create the ultimate experience for your clients, above and beyond the high level of service you already provide.
#1 SEEK – Where nearly every service experience falls apart is the lack of continuity between what a client needs and wants, and what can actually be done in reality. We’ve covered how to set expectations with clients in depth before, but the most important thing you can do for yourself and your clients, is to make sure you understand the specific differences between their wants and their needs. A need is a non-negotiable point, and if you don’t satisfy it, nothing you do will meet the client’s service expectations. A want however, is a much more flexible point where compromises can be made without impacting the perception of service. Basically, you need to make sure you are asking lots of questions, actively listening to their answers, and clarifying when you’re not sure if something is a want or a need. Don’t be afraid to ask “is this something you need – and why?” Getting the client to discuss their preferences out loud will prompt them to really think it through and flush out their ideas. Just do yourself (and everyone) a favor and never make any assumptions, you cannot possibly anticipate where someone will be willing to make compromises.
#2 ADVISE – Now you don’t want to sound like a know-it-all, but as we’ve established, you’ve been through the process of buying and selling a home a few times. As the trusted professional, your clients will expect you to educate them on the known pitfalls in a transaction, but you can also use your experience and opinions to guide them towards the best decisions, and make suggestions where you think compromises might be necessary. Obviously, you’ll always want to take their needs into consideration first, but good advice really goes a long way with a purchase of this magnitude, potentially saving time, money, easing stress and making all their decision points more fluid.
#3 CHECK IN – You might spend a week working with a buyer or seller, or you could spend months. In either case, lots of things can happen that affect the client’s experience in the time it takes to see a transaction through to the end. A good rule of thumb is to check in before, during and after the transaction takes place, making sure people are satisfied at each point. Now here’s the tough part, you have to actually ask your clients directly if they are satisfied with the way things are going, and be open to the fact that you might be out of line with their expectations… but also willing to fix the situation. The good news is that by collecting this information, you now have the opportunity to remedy any service deficiency before it impacts the likelihood of that client doing business with you in the future, or of them sending you referrals. If you can’t remedy the deficiency, or your clients expectations don’t match up with the services you provide, do the next best thing for your business by referring them to someone more fitting for them. You can’t save them all, but by acting in a professional manner and providing them resources, you will still be able to maintain a positive experience.
It’s All in the Details. Overall there’s one thing to consider in all this, and it’s that small inconsistencies can add up to large deficiencies very quickly, so the details really do matter. When you SEEK, ADVISE and CHECK IN along the way, you gather the information you need to really understand what each individual client needs, ensuring every single person has the ultimate experience working with you.
All over North America the demand for properties is a little crazy right now. Pocket listings, multiple offers, bidding wars in so many market areas. So even when you find that “dream house” for a buyer, there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. And losing out is painful – for everyone involved. That’s why I want to help make it more likely that you and your buyers emerge victorious and get your offers accepted. Because here’s the thing: When you master this, everything gets better… More money in your pocket. More time to work with other people. Better perception in the eye of your clients who you helped find and secure their dream house. More referrals. Let’s jump right in…
Tip No. 1: What makes a good Negotiator? They avoid over confidence; they understand, they don’t “know it all.” They are quick to identify and understand the concerns and position of others. They know that all negotiating parties have a strong desire to complete a negotiation and say, “I got a good deal!” They are constantly improving their skills and are very CREATIVE.
Tip No. 2: Make It Personal. Anything you can do to humanize or differentiate your offer from others is a step in the right direction. With that in mind, one of the first things you should do is reach out to the listing agent to try and find out if there’s anything special the seller is looking for or will respond to. Ask the question “What’s important to them?” Now, not every listing agent will respond, but some will, and at least you made that effort. You may also consider including a letter and/or photo providing some insight about your prospective buyers. All things being equal, sellers might be swayed by an emotional story or choosing someone who was at a similar stage in their lives to inhabit their cherished home. Tugging at the sellers’ heartstrings might just do the trick to get your buyers stand out.
Tip No. 3: Offer Unique Benefits. Sometimes it takes some outside-the-box thinking to get two sides to agree on a negotiation. Make sure you’re exploring all your options and including any unique benefits your buyers can offer. (Within all laws and local regulations, of course.) Such as: Paying the seller’s taxes, Free “rent back” to give the sellers time to move on, Cover the seller’s moving costs, Pay the title fees
With a little brainstorming, I’m sure you can come up with additional benefits that won’t increase your buyer’s monthly payment and will give them the advantage.
Tip No. 4: Maximize Your Buyer’s Price Ceiling. Getting offers accepted in today’s uber-competitive marketplace sometimes boils down to getting your buyers to increase their price more than they initially expected. I like the “ladder up” approach to see where the actual breaking point is, and that’s a discussion you need to have. Repeatedly ask this question to make that conversation easier: “Are you willing to lose this house at $XXX,XXX?” When they say no, ramp it up a little bit and ask it again. Taking those “baby steps” can get your buyers to stretch a little further than they might have originally indicated to you, and ultimately, will give you more leverage to make a compelling offer.
Tip No. 5: Back up Offer (When Possible). Confirm the collapse date of the first accepted offer prior to writing your back up offer. Make sure you put “Subject to the seller not being obligated to the previously accepted offer on or before (Date). For the sole benefit of the seller. Add the term “Seller and sellers agent agree not to grant any extensions to the first accepted offer.” Add the term “Seller and sellers agent agree not to notify the first party of the existence of the back-up offer.” Add the term “Seller and sellers agent agree not to disclose any details including price, terms and time of the back-up offer to the first party.” Add the term “If buyer finds another suitable property they will give written notice to seller and the back-up agreement will be null and void.”
There you have a couple of higher level multiple and back up strategies to help you compete at a higher level. I have also attached an Multiple Offers Strategies Visual Tool for you to download and use as a great visual when advising with your buyers and educate them to really help you both in understanding what it takes to get a in demand property in a crazy market time. I trust this will be a helpful tool for you and your business today!
When you’ve spent almost 3 decades of your life in the real estate profession like I have, you tend to identify some disturbing patterns of human behavior. Like the little (or big) hurdles people place in their own path. One of the biggest challenges I see time and time again might surprise you… Many, many people in this world don’t believe they deserve success. Am I talking to you? Let’s have a look at this… With everything going on in the world, you might be feeling down lately. But that doesn’t discount your self-worth. You’ve been given an amazing opportunity to live life on the planet Earth here in the 21st century.
You deserve a life filled with wealth, prosperity, happiness, freedom and whatever else you desire. The question is “Do you believe that?” Because here’s what I see when people don’t believe they deserve greatness… They develop a personal narrative that says they are “less than” and undeserving of life’s gifts. The trouble is telling yourself negative thoughts like that creates a dangerous cycle: You adopt this negative narrative. You project it to those around you. The more you do so, the more others reinforce it. Before you know it, it becomes “real” because you and everyone else acts like it is.
Again… am I talking to you here? Does this sound familiar? I hope not, but if it does, be sure to keep reading. Here are five steps that likely won’t give you every answer you seek, but they will provide a fantastic framework on which you can build the life you desire.
Step 1: You Must Know What You Want. Do you want to earn as much money as possible, working 100-hour weeks? Do you want to earn a comfortable living and have time to devote to your family and personal pursuits? Do you want to specialize in some unique property type that is your passion? What do you want from life? Gaining clarity on this question is the first step toward achieving it.
Step 2: You Need To Know WHY You Want It. If you didn’t catch last week’s blog, I shared a fantastic exercise to define your “Why.” Doing so is a critical step toward the necessary drive and initiative required to achieve whatever you determined in Step 1. Without a compelling “Why,” you will not be able to maintain momentum and motivation. Because… what’s the point? Figure yours out and thank me later.
Step 3: Develop and Act On A Plan. Think of your business plan as the road map that leads you where you want to go in life. Without a plan, you’re wandering. You’re guessing. You’re experimenting. The more your plan can break down your actions into small, actionable steps like your daily number, the more effective you and your plan will be. The last step of creating a plan? Follow it! Too many people create their business plan and then stick in a a drawer or in a filing cabinet, never to be seen again. Which brings us to…
Step 4: Find Some Accountability. Be honest… Left to your own devices, how well would you follow your plan? I’m not saying it can’t be done. But it takes A LOT of discipline. That’s why having someone to hold you accountable is a key step in your journey to greatness. A coach. Your broker. A colleague. A family member. As a solo entrepreneur, you need someone in your life who you answer to. Until you find the right accountability partner, you’ll never know exactly what you’re capable of in life. It’s that simple.
Step 5: Celebrate. Honor Yourself. Repeat. Look at what you have done and stop looking at what you have not done yet. When you achieve a goal, make sure to celebrate it. Then adjust your sights and establish new, loftier goals. Then get to work and start the whole process over again. You DO Deserve It. Now Go Make It Happen. To reiterate: None of these five steps will work without a strong belief that you deserve success. I believe in you. I believe you have something special inside you to share with the world, and by doing so, you’ll earn everything you want from life. Find what that thing is, believe in yourself, and go get it!
I don’t know about you but the first few months of Covid19 seemed to just slowly drag on for me and then my summer seemed to just fly by and I cannot believe it is September 2020 already. We are beginning the last quarter of the year and for real estate sales professionals there are only two outcomes for us all. Will you finish in the red, or finish in the black? Will you finish strong or will you miss your targets and goals? Winning near the end of a game, final quarter or the year is a trait of all the best sales people I’ve ever met. Closing out strong is primarily the effect of a consistent quarter, there are still a handful of things you can do to strike off checkboxes in the win column to finish Q4 and your 2020 strong.
1. Be Active – There’s no substitute for being pleasantly persistent and respectfully blunt. Get out there and be straightforward. Taking action and getting after it is a choice and work on the high quality leads and not the low quality leads. Ask yourself “If you were me, would you forecast this listing or buyer prospect to buy or sell this month or in the next 90 days?” Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Being direct will help you get real with your buying and selling customers and align yourself with the true sales cycle. It might also enable you to pull out a quick win.
2. Be Relational – For more than two decades now I have heard from thousands of top producing agents and almost 60% of their business comes from repeat and referral business. Focusing first on the people we already know, like and trust is working effectively and efficiently in this business. If you don’t have enough people that know, like and trust you then get out there and “S.T.P. – See The People” If you have a list of relationships in place that have not “felt the love” then get out there and see them and find ways to add value to them. Give them a call, email, text, handwritten note, small gift or even a coffee and just watch and see what happens with your last quarter.
3. Be Face to Face – Sales is a contact sport and we need to be belly to belly. Anyone of us making a large buying decision needs to know the person we deal with is someone we like and can trust. The only way we can sense if we like or trust someone is meeting them in person. Commit to the final quarter on sales activities that are primarily face to face and belly to belly activities like Open house, door to door, kiosk, networking, office duty, coffee, lunch, pop by, volunteer, client appreciation event or convention. This is a relationships business so get out there to create and deepen those relationships.
4. Stack-Rank Your Leads – We will never be able to manufacture more time, but we can manufacture more focus. I recommend looking at your pipeline and grading each opportunity on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being “highly closeable by the end of the quarter.” Then, focus your closing efforts on the 3’s and 4’s ONLY. You don’t have time to waste. If you don’t have enough 3 and 4 prospects in the funnel then take action and increase your marketing plan and daily prospecting, lead generation with planned marketing, activities that bring the level 3 and 4 prospects into your pipeline to finish Q3 strong.
5. Purge Your People – Almost every sales pro has them. They’re those big opportunities in the pipeline you’ve been working for months. The one deal that constantly disrupts your focus or the need to take action. The buyer or seller who is the time and energy vampire but you let them suck the life out of you because you don’t have anyone else to work with. Every time you think about punting them, you get a glimmer of hope from them. It’s time……Remove them!! They don’t deserve to be on your radar right now. Coming clean with yourself will open new vistas and invigorate you to add more productive opportunities to your pipeline.
6. Start Planning for 2021 – How much revenue do you plan to book in Q1 2021? Exactly how many new deals do you need to earn that amount? Knowing exactly what you plan to earn acts like a magnet to attract business your way. Having this exact number also allows you to project your required activities into month one of the new quarter. If you’re accurately measuring your deal metrics, you’ll be able to predict with some certainty how many calls, emails, appointments, presentations or opportunities you’ll need to make it rain. Ask for a review by management. Knowing your numbers is one thing, but to positively affect the business, it’s equally vital to understand your “why”, purpose and goals and have someone hold you accountable to them.
Bonus Tips: What NOT to Do in the last Quarter Of 2020
1. Don’t Work With Any Clients Just to Make your Numbers – Any client outside of your ideal customer profile will complicate servicing, produce a higher likelihood of churn or failure, and ultimately cost you more time and resources than it will be worth. Instead, focus on filling the pipeline with high quality leads for next quarter. It’s never too early to start filling the funnel.
2. Never Give Away More Than You Should – It’s just not worth it. You only have one reputation for your brand and offering, treat it respectfully. Concessions can quickly become a crutch that hides other issues. Sell on value, not on price. Don’t cut your commissions, offer cash backs or any other silly incentives just to get something before the year is done.
The key to closing out your quarter strong is to keep up the momentum that got you to where you are now. If you’re struggling to meet your numbers, it’s a time to embrace new sales insights and start building effective rhythm. Take the last minute shots on goal listed above, but remember to always be thinking about the bigger picture: Your reputation is the product of your past actions. Sales that allow you to produce predictable revenue are the future. Finish the last quarter and your year strong. I dare you!!
This week we have one specific objective in mind: Overcoming THIS objection: “If it’s such a seller’s market and there is no inventory, where would we go?” You know you can help people find the perfect home for them, but there are a lot of homeowners who fear if they sell their home, they’ll have nowhere to turn to. So let’s overcome their fears and get them “un-frozen” to generate more listings!
Here are Four Ways to Overcome the No. 1 Listing Objection. The biggest idea you want to convey to a homeowner is that ultimately, they are in control.
No. 1: Tell them they can extend the closing to meet their needs. Lots of people don’t realize they don’t have to stick to a “one size fits all” contract. They can put whatever terms in it they choose.
Make sure homeowners are aware they can stipulate the closing doesn’t happen until a date that’s suitable for them.
No. 2: Sell now, rent back. Many buyers are happy to get any offer accepted right now, so they’re making concessions on their move-in date. We’ve talked to lots of agents who say it’s not uncommon to include a 45-day “rent back” clause into a sales contract to ensure the homeowner has plenty of time to find and close on their new property.
No. 3: Make the sale contingent on finding a new home. If homeowners are still uneasy, take it a step further and make the sale contingent upon them finding their new home. Keep reiterating they are in charge here!
No. 4: The ultimate control: Saying ‘no’ is always an option. Remind the homeowner if things don’t work out to their satisfaction, they can always turn down any offers they get. Meanwhile, you’ll be doing your work to find them the perfect new home to ensure they won’t need to take that step.
Try these scripts and dialogs on for size with your sellers…… “It’s a valid concern. A lot of past clients have felt the same way. This question demonstrates the importance of us getting together, so I can show you how our team wins bidding wars, identifies off-market properties and make sure we look at options for you. That’s what you want, right?” When you get together, be sure to show them what you do to help them find the perfect next home while working on the sale.
“That’s exactly why buyers hire me to find them a home. You see, our team doesn’t just wait for a home to show up on the MLS. We proactively call. We mail letters and we make targeted social media posts to homeowners letting them know we have a buyer that might be interested in their home. And if we were to find you the perfect home, instead of waiting for the perfect home, would that work for you?” Bottom line: Let these homeowners know they have options, make them feel comfortable, and get them off the fence!
I have included a visual tool that always seems to help in this very situation. The power in a visual tool versus just saying things to a seller is game changer, I call it the “Home Seller Protection Plan”. The idea is that you the agent sign this form and date it yourself and then hand this to the seller putting your promise in writing to protect them from being homeless and making sure they don’t have the problem of “no-where to go”! What’s your next move? Win the low inventory seller objection game and keep the listings and business moving in this resourceful thinking outside the box time. Let me know how you plan to implement these approaches in the comments below!
This week I am sharing from a wonderful negotiation instructor and friend of mine Suze Cummings some great strategy for us all in this unprecedented time. Stay home and stay safe but if you have a client that needs to buy or needs to sell or you have a deal that is in jeopardy of not closing, your negotiation skills are going to matter more than ever. I thought I’d take an opportunity to review the negotiation fundamentals and talk about how they might be beneficial for the next few weeks as we go through the peak of the health crisis and how they might be beneficial in the months after that when the market is sure to be unsettled, uncertain and difficult to predict. Many of you are CNE or MCNE grads and this will be a review for you but let’s sharpen those skills so you can serve your clients well.
Collaborative versus Competitive Negotiators.
The only way to get a deal done right now is to be highly collaborative. You’ll need to work closely with the other agent on every aspect of the transaction from virtual viewing, arranging inspections, crafting offers, overcoming both parties’ unique challenges and finding the common ground or win-win outcome that they can both agree to. I’ve been working closely with my clients on some pretty complicated deals these past couple of weeks and in each situation, I am 100% sure that the only reason those deals went together was because both agents were deeply committed to working together to overcome all of the challenges. The creative problem solving that was required took the input from both agents (and outside help as well)
By definition, a competitive negotiator is looking to win and have the other side lose. It’s a zero-sum game and they don’t care about trust, relationships, emotions or anything else except winning. While a degree of competitive behavior can be beneficial in some cases where you have a strong power advantage, it will destroy any chance of crafting a deal in this environment.
While it’s impossible to predict what the market will do when we get through the peak of the health crisis, we are likely to see some competitive negotiators come back into the market representing buyers who want to take advantage of desperate sellers. We will cover this in much more detail as those days unfold but know that having a clear understanding of the benefits of collaboration and not being emotionally upset by an aggressive competitive negotiator are the first steps to being able to get deals done. We are likely to have the opportunity to learn a lot about the aggressive low-ball offer – a classic competitive negotiation tactic that is very common in buyers’ markets.
Stands, Positions and the SAM Model
I won’t sell my house for a penny less than $x. This is a classic stand and our business is full of them. It could be about price, or commission, or timing, or marketing. In the CNE courses, we use the SAM model to go below the stand to understand more about what is going on the client and help them make good decisions. The stands will often be firmer during times of duress when people are afraid. It’s a natural bit of human nature and now more than ever, you need to see past the stand, ask questions to understand what is truly going on and tap into the emotions so you can help them make the best decisions. This takes time, patience, empathy and skill. You need to build a high level of trust so that they will be open to sharing the important details of their situation with you. As we pass through the peak of the pandemic, and we see some trades start to happen, it’s likely that pricing will be lower than the peak that occurred in February. It’s possible that we could see prices declining for some time. Your ability to see stands and be able to get below them to the stuff that matters will be critical. The SAM model is a great tool but also sharpen up on your questioning skills, trust building and communications.
Communication Principle
I’ve talked in the past about how much more effective you can be in a negotiation when you are face to face; and now, we can’t be face to face. It’s tempting to flip an email off to someone but think carefully about your best means of communication. Research says that when we communicate by written word only, our chances of persuading someone is about 15%. When we more to spoken words as in the phone, there is more information and immediate response and the rate increases to 35%. Face to face it jumps to 60%. In my experience these numbers are about right except if you are a highly skilled negotiator in which case each number might be 10-20 basis points higher. When negotiations get more complicated, communication matters more. This is why zoom and other video conferencing platforms are so popular now. I would suggest that whenever possible in any negotiations, you try to meet with your counterparts on Video and if that isn’t possible, use the phone. Leave email for sending information and following up. High level negotiation skills are going to be a critical part of your return to productivity when transactions start to occur again. Take the time now to sharpen them up. Take an online CNE or MCNE course or if you are financially vulnerable, don’t spend the money and read some books. Here are a few recommendations. Getting to Yes is the number one recommendation.
So many agents miss out on the opportunity of leveraging and spinning more business from the business they have already generated. This week we look at a simple and powerful process of how agents can be proactive vs. reactive and master this system to spin another 15 more pieces of business every time if done right! Every time an agent..
1. Takes a listing
2. Gets a sale ”
3. Has a bona fide buyer
4. Takes a price reduction… what do we do next to spin more business from these opportunities before they are gone?!
5. Host an open house.
Here’s 5 scripts showing what to say and how to say it for the following action steps:
“Help! My clients John and Susan would greatly appreciate your help with the sale of their property. Would you have a friend, family member or co-worker that may be interested in this home? If so, please let me know their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and promise not to pressure them in any way. Thanks for the help and consideration and making the move for John and Susan easier.”
“Help! My clients John and Susan would greatly appreciate your help with the purchase of their next property. Would you happen to have a friend, family member or co-worker that may be selling a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in the mission meadows area around the $400,000 price range? If so, please let me know their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and promise not to pressure them in any way. Thanks for the help and consideration and making the purchase for John and Susan easier.”
“Help! We just sold a home on 1234 Maple street and from our marketing efforts we have buyers for who that home didn’t work for, they missed out on and are still wanting this area. Would you happen to have a friend, family member or co-worker that may be living in this area and thinking of selling? If so, please let me know their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and promise not to pressure them in any way. Thanks for the help and consideration. “
“Help! My clients John and Susan just repositioned their home on 1234 Maple street and would appreciate your help with the sale of their property. Would you have a friend, family member or co-worker that may be interested in this home? If so, please let me know their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and promise not to pressure them in any way. Thanks for the help and consideration and making the move for John and Susan easier.”
“Help! My clients John and Susan have allowed me to host an Open House at their home this Saturday from 1-2pm and would appreciate your help. Would you have a friend, family member or co-worker that may be interested in this home? If so, please let them know about the open house this Saturday. Thanks for the help and consideration for making the move for John and Susan easier.”
Step 1 – Your Database
Email your database
Video email your database
Text or video text your database
Step 2 – Social Media
Static written post
Video post
Infographic post
FB live video post
Step 3 – Tel 20 – Door Knocking 20 Neighbors
Just Listed
Just Sold
Open house invite
Price Change
Leave a paper door hanger on their front door why you stopped by
Step 4 – Un Addressed Ad Mail
Flyer or postcard the area
Step 5 – Host The Open house
Meet more buyers and sellers
Step 6 – Video Post
Blog
FB or FB Live
Youtube
Email
Step 7 – Print
Add these requests to your monthly newsletter or e newsletter
Step 8 – Classifieds Online or Offline
Run these requests in classified ads
Step 9 – Targeted FB, Instagram or Google PPC Ads
Run these requests as paid targeted ads
Step 10 – Coming Soon campaign for listings and spin
Step 11 – Business Card MLS Sheets
Give your seller 50 of your business cards with their mini MLS listing information on the back of your business cards and ask them to hand them all out and help you help them to sell their home.
So there you have it. Create opportunities from your business versus wait. Take the time to leverage and spin more business from your existing business as the time allows it. Let me know in the comments of other ways you spin more business from your existing business in the comments below.
Google search “Best realtor in ________ (your home town)” what do you see? Do you see yourself? Do you have an online presence? Reputation? Can you be found and recommended?
Fact: 90% of Consumers are influenced by third party online reviews.
Fact: 80% of Consumers trust online reviews as personal recommendations
Fact: Negative online reviews will make clients hit the back button & choose someone else. 43% of clients won’t choose a realtor with less than a 4 star Google rating. (source brightlocal)
Stats:
Zillow reviews 36 million views a month
Realtor.com reviews 18 million views a month
Yelp more than 26,000 reviews
Google 100 billion review searches every 30 days
Did you know? Millennials would rather find an agent with Good reviews. Referrals don’t mean much to them. The old model was we see and read, we present and they refer us and now they search online, read reviews and use us.
Step 1 – Listing and Buyer Presentations
Step 2 – The High Point In The Transaction
Step 3 – At The Closing Table
TIP – How to create your own 5 Star review link to send to your client.
* Sign into Google My Business.
If you have multiple locations, open the location you’d like to manage.
*In the menu on the left, click Home.
*In the “Get more reviews” card, you can copy your short URL to share with customers.
TIP – Check out www.reviewmenow.com simple and powerful way to boost your online reputation.
So there you have it. The importance of your online reputation and how to position yourself in the marketplace and establish a powerful third party reputation to the buyers and sellers looking online. Feel free to comment any other great tips you might have that you use to improve your online reputation we would love to hear from you!
For almost three decades I have been in real estate and you always hear about the people needing to know you, like you and trust you. In 2020 this is not enough to thrive in the real estate industry any longer. We are now in a time where it is imperative to an agents success the people know, like and trust you but now they also have to see you!!
Every agent needs to up their game in 2020 and find ways to be known, liked, trusted and seen. Gone are the days you can get away from showing up and being seen by people. We are inundated with information, visuals, messages and we are getting more and more guarded with our time, space and attention…Out of sight, out of mind!! So how can we focus more on being seen in 2020 and capture their attention and be more top of mind? Here are my top ideas to be seen in 2020.
Morning Coffee Routine – every morning for the last 30 years I go to a coffee shop and enjoy hanging with the regulars. It never fails we end up talking about real estate and business comes from that time year after year after year. The secret is to be social and interact and talk to people. Not sit on your phone or in a book or on your laptop. The owners of the local coffee shop just last week asked me about a development land piece they just put an option on and what to build and need a proposal for marketing what we feel they should build. Not bad conversation for a $4 coffee and 30 minute conversation in the morning?
Coffee, Breakfast, Lunches – make a point to meet with your clients and give them the gift of your time and take the time to break bread with them. Easy to do but easier to not do day after day. Deepen that relationship with others and increase top of mind and make them feel truly important to you and your business.
Video email or text – 86% of communication is nonverbal. Tone, voice inflection, eye contact and body language and video delivers that punch! Why email and text when you can wow and awe your people with a video email or text. BombBomb ($) or Loom (Free) are great tools to use for this. Just a little secret your phone does video email and text too and its free!!!
Call – Are you ready for this crazy little secret? Your phone makes incoming and outgoing calls!!! Take the time to just call and say hi. Stop underestimating the power of the simple. Remember the old ad that said “Reach out and touch someone”? Take the time and do it and make them feel important and cared for.
Hand Written Notes – The power of a personal hand written note with your business card attached. Always gets opened, always gets read, show you took time and care and always leaves people feeling better than they did before. Sadly this is a lost art and something that never dies.
Personal Mail – We never get mail any more and if we do it is a bill. Mail that is personal like the hand written note gets opened, read and if it contains something valuable to the receiver and not to you then it makes an impact in them I guarantee it!
Social Media – It is not about looking what everyone else is doing and what you are posting. Dale Carnegie said “people don’t care what I know unless they know that I care” Be seen and show them you care. Like, comment, message and make them feel important to you. What would a quick Facebook message to someone asking them how they are doing? How’s their family? Anything I can do to help? How would that make them feel and how would you show up to people if you took the time to do it? PS in two years 100% of content feed on Facebook will be video. Do you post video content?
Client Events – Hosting annual client events like seminars, appreciation parties or my personal favorite, hosting their house warming parties always makes an impact on others and a fantastic way to show up and be seen in 2020. Do you see them? Appreciate them? Add value to them? Make them feel like a rock star and host their house warming party?
Deliver the Unexpected – every spring, summer and fall find an item and a funny tag to add to the item and drop by your clients place of work and let them feel the love! Every summer I love delivering everyone at their work place the BBQ triple packs of Ketchup, Relish and Mustard with a tag on them saying “Just ketching up and relish your referrals and not all agents cut the mustard” People at work ask who I was, what that was for and look at the tag and laugh out loud every time.
Give Back – The amount of people you get to meet and interact with when you are part of an event as a volunteer and the joy and sense of purpose you get from giving back is the perfect one two punch! I always end up connecting with someone new and someone old and such a great way to show up and be seen and make a difference.
B2B – I started my own business networking group and CEO mastermind groups to meet monthly and idea share and connect professionals in the community with one another. Such a powerful way to be seen and add value and be seen in the community and be the straw that stirs the drink in your community.
So there you have it, ways to be seen in 2020. Show up and be seen and not just known, liked and trusted in the coming year. I dare you to just try one of these ideas and let me know how it worked. Feel free to add more comments on how you show up and be seen that works and adds values. Love to hear from you all!!
There was a time in most of our lives when we had no fear. That feeling when we jumped from the jungle gym and slammed our little bodies to the ground. Perhaps it was when we went on our first roller coaster, or when we were in high school or college and felt there was nothing we couldn’t do. No goal was unattainable. We were an unstoppable force that would think of something and then make it happen. Then, as time goes by, the world tells us more frequently we can’t do what we want. The doubters laugh at our goals and try to persuade us from going after our dreams. They say, “You’re crazy. It’s too hard. Why don’t you do this instead? You should play it safe.” They act as if dreams were meant for others but not people like us. They surround us with negative energy and try to instill their own fears and insecurities in us. We not only begin to know the word “fear”, we start to understand what it’s like to be fearful. With so many people telling us we can’t do something and so few telling us we can, it’s hard not to let fear into our lives. Unfortunately, this is how many of us go through life, myself included at times. As a REALTOR© what fears are holding you back?
Google search “Best realtor in ________ (your home town)” what do you see? Do you see yourself? Do you have an 
