Winning The Multiple Offer Game For Your Real Estate Buyer…..

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!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Realtors©… Are You Living The Life You Deserve?

realtors deserve successWhen 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!

Strength and courage,
Wade

REALTORS© It’s Time To Finish 2020 Strong….

realtor finish 2020 strongI 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!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Handle The Seller Listing Objections In A Low Inventory Market

seller listing objections low inventoryThis 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!

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Compete For The Listing

realtor compete for house listingBack in the early 90’s Colliers Encyclopedia sales training taught me the power of a process and presentation in sales will give you that competitive edge every time. If you wing it then you get “wing it” results! If you are planned, intentional and know what to say and how to say it then you are there to decide whether you like the client, their home and their motivation because you have their listing if you follow these steps. This week we follow step by step the competitive edge and winning the listing every time.

Phase 1 ( Let’s assume the request to meet has already come in )

  • Initial request call comes in
  • Pull Title
  • Pull old listing info off MLS system
  • Pull assessment data
  • Pull the CMA data
  • Prepare all the listing documentation (Checklist for all documents required)
  • Pre Listing Package delivered to client and all listing documentation for their review (Courier, You or Assistant delivers your pre listing package to the clients home in advance.)
  • Follow up call (Re Confirming the initial meeting, date, time, confirming they received pre listing package, confirming they read and gather items you need in the package for our first meeting together)
  • Pre appointment interview questionnaire (when, why, how, who)

Phase 2 Seller Process (1st time face to face)

  • FORD – Family Occupation Recreation Dreams. Take notes…(talk long enough connection in common)
  • Tour time (Nobody knows the home better than you, show me the home the way you want me to show it to the buyers) Take notes, photos, measurements (point out flaws clean, smoke, pets, repairs) Should I Question?
  • Pre-planned seller questions (Click Here to Download), recap summarize pre listing apt questionnaire responses
  • Educate benefits to them of the two-stop process versus a one stop agent process
  • Educate them on your appraisal process. Never assume they know all that is involved coming up with their price
  • Ask to not make any decisions before we meet again
  • Confirm the second stop appointment
  • Leave them with “thank you” chocolate bar, note pad, pens (Gift Swag Bag)

Phase 3 Seller Process (all decision makers must be present or wait to meet)

  • Small talk first (not about real estate) Never rush into business show that you care
  • Recap summarize our first meeting, ask if they forgot to tell you anything about their home when we first met
  • Tour again (if they just love touring me around)
  • Sit them down at kitchen table and do Listing Presentation
  • Sell them on the benefits to them of your presentation
  • Debunk the myth – all realtors and companies do the same thing
  • Get to see behind the scenes and know what is happening when it feels like nothing is happening
  • Hold you accountable, make sure it gets done and done right
  • 22 minutes max ( BIGNESS, RESULTS, MARKETING, OHT’S) 5 mins per section
  • Close – If we can agree on price, do you see any reason why you wouldn’t list with me and company today
  • Pricing Presentation Time
  • Close – Sign up listing, pack up and head out

Phase 4 Seller Process ( First few days…)

  • Bouquet of flowers delivered to their home day one of listing
  • Listing Marketing Checklist implemented
  • Sign, Photos, Feature sheet completed
  • Business cards with mini MLS listing Avery sticker label on back of your cards. (50 cards to seller and tell them to hand them out and help you help them to sell their home)
  • Deliver all copies of listing documentation (value in physical delivering)
  • Build Sellers homework book with the sellers (dining room table) survey plan, utilities, tax notice, neighbors, transit, schools (Bind up nicely, master copy sticker, place on dining room table)

So there we have it. The step by step process and the competitive edge for competing for a listing in a competitive low inventory marketplace. Love to have you share in comments some of the ways that you compete at a higher level for listings in today’s market place and feedback on this week’s topic!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Negotiating Strategies For Agents In This New World

real estate negotiation strategiesThis 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.

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

Simple Ways To Hold Yourself Accountable

accountability in real estate doesnt workLet me ask you a simple but very important question? “Do you find yourself consistently inconsistent in your real estate business and personal life?” How do we hold ourselves accountable and stop procrastinating? How do we break that consistently inconsistency trend in business and life? One simple answer is to get an accountability buddy.

Think back to school. What motivated you to finally finish a paper? Was it a love of learning? Knowing how valuable this skill was going to be in the future? No. It was probably a looming deadline and the threat of a failing grade for turning it in late.

During school, we have built-in accountability. For grown-up goals like starting a business, losing weight or writing a book, there’s typically no accountability for us to get it done. Accountability buddies can help us make meaningful progress. Surrounding ourselves with people invested in our success is the best way to make progress on our goals. Follow these steps to set up an accountability buddy.

1. Create a schedule and commit. – Decide how frequently you’ll meet. Once a week is a good starting point. You’ll have time to get things done in between your meetups (either in person or on the phone), but not so long that you start procrastinating or forgetting what you agreed to. Then set a time and commit. Put it on your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way.

2. Help your buddy (and yourself) set better goals. Then we have a broad goal like “get healthy,” the failure comes in not knowing where to start. What do we do this month, this week, today, to make that happen? If we can’t answer that simply, how are we supposed to act on it? Create SMART objectives that follow these guidelines:

 

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-oriented

3. Be honest with each other. – My friend recently told me about an event he attended. A group of women were brought in to give direct feedback about how they perceived a group of men’s clothing and demeanor. Try to imagine what happened. “The guys were crying,” my friend said. “Nobody had ever given us this kind of brutal feedback.” My friend realized he’d never before received brutally honest feedback on how he interacted with women. We should subject ourselves to uncomfortable situations where we take on the “beginner’s mind” and force ourselves to grow. An accountability buddy gives us the rare opportunity for brutal honesty.

4. Ask great questions. – Smart people ask questions because they know it’s the best way to get to the true heart of a matter. When you say you were too busy to work out this week, what are you really saying?

Chances are you had time to watch Netflix or go out for drinks, so what really held you back? Maybe you were nervous about walking into a new gym. By asking great questions, you and your accountability buddy can break through invisible barriers.

5. Gamify accountability with your friends. – I love bets. There are myriad psychological studies about public commitment, which is highly persuasive. If you tell a group of people you’re going to stop smoking, you’re highly motivated to hit that goal. You can do this with your accountability buddy, too. If you each set a goal, bet who will hit it first. Or you can keep score of who completes more of their weekly tasks. Make it fun!

If this was so easy we wouldn’t need to be held accountable and we all need to find that accountability. That consistently being inconsistent happens to us all. I challenge you to take one step towards accountability this coming week and in a few weeks text me 250-212-8220 what changes you have noticed from those steps you have taken!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Are You Spinning and Winning?

real estate spinning and winningSo 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.

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Enhance Your Online Reputation

Online Google realtor reviewsGoogle 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!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Missing Out On This? Agent to Agent Referrals

agent to agent referralOne of the most un tapped opportunities in real estate is effectively working the massive income generation in agent to agent referrals. It is not enough to be managing one database but agents should be managing four separate databases. Sphere of influence ( P2P ), Business owners, service providers ( B2B ), Suspects and prospects (Leads) and the fourth being agent to agent database. This week I want to share how so many of my coaching clients are crushing the agent to agent database and generating six figure income streams annually from just this one opportunity. The benefits of mastering this opportunity are endless. People are relocating all the time, they are higher quality referral leads, easier personal client to deal with and you become the go to person for agent referrals in your market area if it is worked right! So let’s get started….

Step 1. Research where they are coming from?

Take some time to look at the data and see where they are coming from when it comes to your market area. Here are some resources that will help the research and identify the sources for your specific trading area: Be strategic with your targeting of referral agents and find where they are coming from first.

www.moving.com

www.relocatecanada.ca

www.cbc.ca

www.move.org

www.unitedvanlines.com

Real estate board sites

State sites

City sites

Managing brokers

Step 2. Find the agents and offices where they are coming from to your market area and assemble your database.

FACT the last 16 years we know 60% on average each year come within 60 mile radius that did business with our brokerage. Hence targeting the offices and agents first within that region makes the most sense. Find the agents, offices, brands that don’t have a relationship in your area, find their contact information ( name, email, mailing address, mobile), assemble a database. Great resource to get some excellent inexpensive help with all this work is using a virtual assistant www.fiverr.com

Step 3. Place the database into a contact management system. The best CRM is the one you will use!!! Don’t over think this please.

Outlook

Excel

Mail chimp

Bomb Bomb

Step 4. Create an introduction to your agent to agent referral program.

Intro email

Intro Video email

Intro call

Intro text

Who I am….Introduction

Why I am contacting? Their area is a destination for people relocating to your area

What’s In it for them? -Platinum Agent Referral Program

My Business Philosophy – Their destination agent of choice, permission to stay in contact

25% Referral Fees

Step 5. Agent to agent referral program road trip vacation time annually.

Mini vacation as a business expense

Attend office meetings

Collect cards at the door for a raffle

Quick intro and market snapshot

Attend caravan if possible

Take managers lunch, coffee

Leave pop by (Deck of cards) “Don’t gamble with your referrals to ________, I will treat your clients like kings and queens”

Handwritten notes to all the cards I collected once I get home

Step 6. Add value to them and give to get. Wow and awe and be engaging with pull don’t push marketing content.

Real estate tips

Self help tips

Financial tips

Tech tips

Cost Saving tips

Something they would value and appreciate that would improve them personally or professionally

Minimum contact once a month

Step 7.  Delivering the unexpected. Three times a year.

Office Pop By Gifts ( Contact their office admin to help you place them into their mail slots and throw a gift card in it for the admin person. )

Personal Handwritten Notes

Office visits annually

Video tips

Blog tips

Good articles

Not my newsletter, stats, market reports!!!

Step 8. Be seen and top of mind every year. Attend events where the referring agents are.

Conventions

Sales Rallies

Meetings

Events

Add Value…

Top of mind…

Create Mastermind groups… share ideas

“Water boys of events..” hand out water bottles and your business card attached.

Step 9. Reward the behavior system. Do this every time!!!

Handwritten thank you card

Gift card amazon $20

Report on referral progress to the agent

Reward when referral completes 25%

Annual referrer grand prize contest ( video live draw )

Step 10. Build this and they will come!!!

A system for more revenue each and every year

Easier business

Fun business

Relational business

Be the area go to person

So there you have the 10 step plan to crush it with agent to agent referrals in the coming year. I dare you to take this and implement and execute and create another amazing and fun income stream for you and your business.

Strength and courage,
Wade