As real estate coaches to our clients, that often means leaving our emotions out of the situation, especially when sellers are making unreasonable demands regarding pricing or repairs (or both). This can leave an agent feeling emotionally drained and exhausted, which can ultimately affect how we handle a situation.
What Are They Really Committed To?
Sellers might be making unreasonable requests because they aren’t actually committed to selling, which results in them sabotaging their own listing. Their commitment might be to getting a high price, not to moving.
Clear the Fog
When you start getting emotionally involved, you lose your objectivity, which is one of the most important things we bring to the table for our clients.
Imagine that you’re driving down the road and the weather takes a turn, and you find yourself in a thick fog. What you wouldn’t do in that situation is speed up, right? That’s dangerous. You can’t see the turns ahead, oncoming traffic or danger in the path. So, what do you do? Slow down. Take your time. Proceed with caution.
Now imagine that the foggy road is the home-selling process. Your sellers are slowing down because they’re unsure about what lies ahead, and it’s your job to lift that fog. You can’t do that when you’re “sitting in the car” with them emotionally. It’s your job to objectively present their options, not make the decisions for them. When they can clearly see the options in front of them, they can decide on what road to take.
How to Start Clearing the Fog
First, figure out why they’re even in this car. What are they committed to? What is their final destination? What do they hope to end up with when all is said and done? Knowing the answers to these questions will open the door to talk about what’s getting in the way of reaching that destination.
Some might argue against taking on clients who are only committed to price, but I think taking these listings can sometimes work in your favor, so long as you aren’t more committed to selling their home than they are. When an agent becomes more committed to selling the home and moving, they’re too emotionally involved with the listing and the result, which will quickly suck the joy out of their day. Give it some thought, clear the fog, and remember, we’re here to help.
Darryl Davis has trained and coached more than 100,000 agents globally. He is a best-selling author of “How to Become a Power Agent® in Real Estate,” which tops Amazon’s charts for most-sold book to real estate agents. Davis hosts a weekly webinar to help agents succeed in changing times. Visit www.DarrylSpeaks.com/Online-Training.
