Before I begin and for this to work we have to adopt an abundant mindset. To inspire you. When this works you will have more time with your friends and family and MORE clients that like, trust and respect you.
It is natural in the real estate industry to be a people pleaser. 99% of us got into real estate because we want to serve others. When we are in a scarce mindset we are scared they will not use us or not like us. We are serving the buyer/seller as an order taker, not an adviser or guide.
We start by answering any questions they may have in hopes that our generosity with our time and information will earn us the business in the end.
After answering all their questions we will run around town for days, weeks, and months looking at homes with them. We ask them when they want to see homes. We adjust to their schedules in hopes it will make the process easier for them and more convenient. Logically we think the convenience will increase our chances of being the one they use when they buy/sell.
I’ve been there and I have seen it. We give up all our nights and weekends in hopes of selling another home. After doing this for 1 year or 10 years, we ask ourselves is it worth it?
I’m writing this to you because there is a better way.
Start working by appointment.
Stop answering all their questions before they are willing to meet on your timeline.
This is going to sound counter-intuitive but, it works, and the consumer will enjoy the process more than being in charge.
Ever heard the old adage, “buyers are liars.”? That is not true. They’re not liars, they don’t know what they want or how to get it.
That is why we need to establish ourselves as a guide from the moment we meet.
The moment they call to see a home and we show them that house on their timeline we are stuck working on their timeline.
It is the law of primacy. It is the first impression that is the lasting impression.
I know why we jump when they call to see a home. We are scared of losing them. There is a moment in your career you will realize…
You never had them and that to jump will be counterproductive.
The solution is to have pre-set appointment times for every day of the week you are willing to meet with clients.
For the last 8 years, I’m willing to meet clients between 10-11 AM and 2-4 PM.
When someone calls me asking to see a home, I immediately offer my next available timeslot. 80% of the time they take it. 20% of the time we work together to find a mutually beneficial time.
This approach will reduce your showings after 5 PM and on weekends by 80%!!!
It is that simple. The hard part is being disciplined and pro-active in your approach.
There is something that makes this much easier to adopt. That is having a consistent flow of leads. I get it. If you only get a couple of leads a month this is not possible.
We have to train this approach at our office because we have too many leads each day. This year we have given our agents over 9000 leads. That is over 300 per agent not including another 20-30 phone calls a month.
When you have this many leads… Leads are not the problem. The process is the problem.
Nevertheless, the approach should be the same. Work by appointment from day 1. Establish a professional standard because that will lead to more sales and clients that like, trust and respect you.
Nick McLean Nick McLean Real Estate Group. Text – 509-670-1071
PS. Want to explore how you can get access to 30+ leads a month in your market area? Reply to this email and we can talk about lead generation. Especially in Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties.
