Walter Sanford
Continued…
5. Understand exactly what your customers want. Listen. Many consider most top agents as one who is full of ego, never shutting up in a meeting. The opposite is really true. The agent who knows the seller the best will the agent who wins the listing presentation. The agent who knows the buyer best is the agent who spends less time in converting them to a closed transaction. My coaching clients grasp this concept early – get the clients to tell you about their needs. This is the difference that will allow you to create a customized marketing plan to achieve their goals and achieve those goals faster than regular agents. When your client’s reasoning just doesn’t make sense, ask more questions.
6. The top people constantly are saying “I don’t understand what you mean by that.” They say this because they want the client to keep talking about any items on which they are unclear. The majority of agents is just happy to be talking with a buyer or a seller and is looking for the signature. Top people need to know with clarity what they need to accomplish. Top agents never forget that clients cost money until closing day and quality clients are required to make high incomes.
7. Top agents prepare a presentation based upon the client’s needs. For years, we were taught about canned listing presentations when that is about as far from reality as you can get! As stated earlier, the agent who asks the most questions to determine a need then prepares a customized marketing plan to fulfill that need will be the “winner” at the listing presentation.
8. Top agents stay in touch with their customers. Look for unique ways to constantly add value to your customer’s lives and “WOW” them. My past clients were treated to all of my listings before they hit the market as secret properties. They were given two phone calls a year to make certain each of their needs were met. They were offered opportunities for their accountants to call me regarding their tax returns after a major transaction. We followed a long list of major value points that we offered to a past client, requiring us to stay in touch with them. The top 1% constantly builds business from their current database.
9. Spend approximately half of your day in pro-active seller lead generation. Understand that obtaining a listing is the most important activity in real estate. Work hard to sell the home, prior to submitting it to the MLS but only with the seller’s blessings.
10. Top agents are relentless follow up artists. One example of one of my follow-up systems is the “Listing Leads A” (LLA) category. LLA is for a client that you weren’t able to close on a listing or who is “soon to list.” They have one of a million excuses as to why they wouldn’t sign that night. They might also be a seller who gave you a time in which you should call back for when they would be ready to list. These people are always ready to list sooner than they say they expect. If someone said they were going to list in three months, I made sure that every week I would time block my schedule to call all LLA with a piece of value such as a new listing, new sale, or a new interest rate that would affect their value. I would give them value so they weren’t upset at me calling prior to the scheduled time they asked me to call back. I could take advantage of any motivation that would cause them to list sooner. Follow-up needs to be built into all of your systems.
11. Make sure your client knows the next step. Have a time or a date for the next meeting. Have a checklist on what everyone needs to accomplish for the next meeting. By preparing your client, there is clarity at the end of a meeting and everyone knows what is expected.
To be continued…
