Our most recent “Ask the Expert” column features Nancy Pearce-Harris with Equity Real Estate, Regional Designated Broker for Nevada and Branch Broker for St. George, Utah.
Q: Rather than running after a stranger, what areas should real estate professionals focus on in order to successfully turn customers into clients?
A: There’s a question I inevitably end up asking agents. Their day starts out with a simple morning: coffee/juice, the news, catch up on social media, check and update the day’s schedule, and a few phone calls returned. Shower, suit-up, last-minute details and then…the phone rings. It’s a call on one of the agent’s listings. The caller will only be around for a couple of hours, but they HAVE to see the home NOW! The agent RUNS to oblige. What? Seriously!
Why run after a stranger?
The mistake many agents make is thinking that by running after strangers they’re going to land more clients. There’s nothing professional about showing a home to a stranger without the appropriate discovery or relationship-building. Why abandon the whole rest of the day to run after a stranger? What about the disservice to your seller? What about your valuable time? What about your safety?
The initial visit with a customer should be in a professional setting and focus on discovery. Keep the following in mind during this discovery process in order to convert a “customer” into a “client”:
1. Smile.
2. Conscientious delivery. It’s not always what you say, it’s how you say it.
3. Be memorable. Be positive. Be professional.
4. Listen and consult. Don’t interrupt.
5. Don’t information dump. Search for answers.
6. Probe until all the “whys” about each subject are exhausted.
7. Be irreplaceable.
8. Exceed expectations. Deliver more than you promise.
9. Use the customer’s name often and in sincere ways.
10. Demonstrate enthusiasm. How are they going to get excited when their REALTOR® is complacent?
11. Body language is very important. Watch yours and that of your clients. React quickly when they demonstrate negative body language.
12. Help the client feel good about themselves and the decisions they’re making. If you’re not able to support their decision, you shouldn’t be involved in the transaction.
13. Never take them on a showing until they’re a client (contract is signed), or you’re wasting your time, the seller’s time, and their time.
A huge portion of success in real estate is based on professionalism, the ability to maintain yourself under all kinds of conditions and situations, the ability to demonstrate sincere concern for the best interest of your clients, and completing your job with integrity and the desire to exceed expectations. And you certainly aren’t going to accomplish this on the run. The process and contracts are there for a reason. They’ve been proven over decades of trial. Your success will be improved by following the simple instruction to stop running at the drop of a hat and start properly cultivating the customer into a client.
Please stop running! Establish your process and knock every deal out of the park.
For more information, visit pearce-harris.futurewithequity.com.
