Can I Ask You a Question?

Monday Morning Match is a quick post - maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea - intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

One of the greatest skills any salesperson can have is the ability to listen. So, other than shutting your mouth, what is the best way to do that? Ask lots of questions.

"I keep six honest serving-men. They taught me all I knew. Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who."

 - Rudyard Kipling

Most initial interviews, counseling sessions or presentations with potential clients are really nothing more than "prayer sessions" because as the cliche says, you can't answer someone's prayers until you know what they are praying for.

A well timed question will not only give you the answers you need to determine what actions to take to achieve the desired results, the customer or client will also hear themselves and often realize exactly what it is they are looking for.

Spend some time today making a list of all the questions you should be asking your Sellers or Buyers before, during and after each part of the transaction. It might even be a great idea to create a checklist or questionnaire that you follow during your interviews. Don't worry that your clients will think you're "cheating." They will be impressed at your thoroughness and attention to detail.

What are some of your "go to" questions with Buyers and Sellers? Do you use checklists or questionnaires? Share a few of your favorites with me in the comments below this post and let me know why you think they work so well for you.

If you don't get better at asking questions in the real estate business you might soon be asking another question.

"Do you want fries with that?"

The Magical 300

Figuring out the most difficult feat in sports is a great discussion. Depending on who you are talking with there are arguably some great candidates.

• Bowling a 300 game 
• Being dealt a royal flush in poker
• Dunking a basketball
• Hitting a pitch thrown by a professional pitcher
• Running a sub 4 minute mile
• Hitting a hole-in-one in golf

I've bowled many times and have even broke the 200 barrier several times but to get 12 strikes in a row seems very difficult...but it's been done. In fact, some bowlers have rolled three perfect games in a row for a hard to beat 900 series.

I don't play poker but imagine getting a suited 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace from the dealer? The odds are stacked against you but you don't really have any control over this feat. It's really a matter of luck.

Dunking a basketball? I'm a 6 foot tall, 44 year old. Clearly I won't be demonstrating any aerial skills and accomplishing this but this is done daily by many "average Joes" in gyms and on playgrounds across the globe.

Hitting a pitch is certainly difficult for major league players, let alone a regular person. Heck, if a major leaguer hits three out of ten times they get up to bat, there's a great chance they will be considered for the Hall of Fame at the end of their career. So is it hard to do consistently? Yes. Is it hard to do once? Probably not.

It took years for anyone to break the 4:00 barrier in the mile but once Britain's Roger Bannister accomplished the task and proved it could be done, others have followed.

Hitting a hole-in-one? While many golfers will never experience this awesome feeling, even a hacker can knock it in the hole with one swing. I've had two holes-in-one in my life and hope there will be a third someday soon.

What is your "Perfect Game"?

So what's the equivalent in real estate? If you and your fellow Realtors were sitting around having a few beers, what would you say is the most difficult feat?

• Setting the right price on a new listing?
• Finding a buyer who picks a house the first time out?
• Delivering a "perfect presentation" that results in a signed listing with no objections to overcome?
• A transaction that proceeds to closing with no delays?
• An appraiser saying your listing is actually a bit under priced?
• Receiving the HUD-1 statement two days prior to the closing?

I guess if you stay in this business long enough, you'll achieve all of these and many more feats which sometimes seem impossible. Look back at your career and think about your Rookie year. What tasks or actions did you once think were impossible but now you laugh and wonder why you didn't think it was possible?

300?

This is the 300th post of The Realtor's Toolbox. There have been over 50,000 page views since Day 1 almost three years ago. I certainly didn't think this day would get here the day I wrote my first post but when you just keep "swinging" you're bound to make contact on a few. I am very proud of every post and certainly some have been more significant than others. Mainly I am appreciative that you continue to return and read my thoughts, ideas, suggestions and stories. Thanks for being such a loyal reader. 

Still waiting to deliver that perfect listing presentation? Keep practicing and contacting homeowners who might need to sell.

In search of that "perfect buyer"? You've got to start with a great Buyer Counseling Session.

Maybe you've thought about blogging but haven't started yet? Take it from me...you won't ever get to 300 posts until you get to 1.  

Get out there today and start building relationships, solving problems and having fun.

Don't let any feat seem too big for you to accomplish.

Getting on the Same Page

I had a good meeting with my boss today.

We are both busy people who have a lot on our respective plates and are never really without something to do. It is just a fact that one of his "plates" is making sure I am doing all I can to provide assistance, support and value to the associates and managers within our organization so they can continue to deliver outstanding service and memorable experiences to their clients and customers. 

When you start getting busy it becomes easy to think you're on track with your actions and on schedule to deliver what is expected but having some check points along the way is always a good idea.

How do you make sure you're on the "same page" with everyone and anyone who might be reading from the same manual?

Servicing Your Sellers

How are you "touching base" with your Sellers during the listing process? It might be a wise practice to schedule weekly "check ins" with all of your Sellers so you can discuss your marketing efforts, any changes in the market (new listings, price changes, new pending deals, buyer activity) and upcoming events you may have planned.

Doing this weekly allows you to create open communication with your clients and let's them always know what you're doing to not only maximize exposure on their home and generate potential interest, but eventually earn your fee they will pay you when it sells.

Another thing this might do is eliminate many of those "got a minute" interruptions that some Sellers might bother you with throughout the week if they knew they could count on your weekly call. Be sure to put it in your schedule and be diligent about making the call. Prepare your thoughts the morning of these calls and anticipate any questions or concerns they may have for you.

Scheduling these "check ins" at the time you take the listing will start your relationship off on the right foot and show them that they have listed their home with a true sales professional instead of someone who just sits back and waits for the market to deliver an offer. These weekly calls also eliminate the possibility of your Sellers saying they "never hear from you."

Positioning Your Purchasers

If you're a full time Realtor in today's challenging market, you know you don't have time to be a chauffeur and spend your day working with "lookers." You want to work with people who are ready, willing and able to buy, right?

We spoke in The Realtor's Toolbox earlier this year about the 5 Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session (see video blog series here) so let's assume that this is where your relationship truly begins with each Buyer. How are you making sure that you're always on the "same page" with your clients who are searching for that next place to call home?

Are you what might be called a "Pop Tart Agent" who just jumps and runs when a client wants to see a house or do you have a system to identify the right listings that match what the client has identified as their needs and wants? If you don't get control of your schedule don't be surprised if your schedule grabs control of you.

Schedule your showings and don't be afraid to ask your clients after each session if they want to explore moving forward on any of the houses you showed - also known as "asking for the sale." If you feel that you're spending too many sessions just "looking" don't be afraid to schedule another "mini" Buyer Counseling Session to verify that what you're showing them and what they are looking for are still in alignment. Otherwise you're not only wasting their time, you're wasting your time!

Get in Tandem with Your Teammates

Do you keep in touch with your lenders, inspectors, attorneys and title companies? How do your systems you have in place ensure that you and your office staff know what is going on with your transactions? If you have a team of agents you work with, do you schedule regular meetings with each other so everyone knows what going on with your clients? Does your manager have a good idea of what your current "pipeline" looks like so he or she can help you keep all the deals you're juggling from falling at your feet?

Constant communication, dotting every 'i' and crossing each 't' can be a good idea because you never know when a question or emergency might arise.

Don't leave success to chance. Make sure you're utilizing systems and scheduling regular meetings with anyone who has a chance to affect or impact your business. That way you can focus on building relationships, solving problems and having fun.



Photo via Flickr - courtesy of Horia Varlan

Five Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session - Part 5 of 5

It's been said that in the absence of value, price will always be a factor. How are you demonstrating to your clients that you bring value to their real estate search? Do you lay out a step-by-step plan to find the right house, negotiate the sale and help them manage through the transaction? Is your explanation of fiduciary duty clear and understandable so they know why it makes sense to become a loyal client?


In this last part of our five part series on reasons to hold a Buyer Counseling Session, we discuss showing value. Click here if you don't see the video below.




Click here for Reason #1 - Identify Needs
Click here for Reason #2 - Gain Control
Click here for Reason #3 - Build Rapport
Click here for Reason #4 - Establish Expectations

Five Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session - Part 4 of 5

When you're working with Buyers, it's always hard to anticipate how they will react to the houses you show them. What sounds good on paper and what looks intriguing on the web might be exactly the opposite of what the client (or you) were thinking you might see.

Buyers rarely have an idea of how long the search might take...or how quickly they could find the right house. It also might surprise some people how much an agent does for them from the start of the process through a successful closing.

In our five part series on reasons to hold a Buyer Counseling Session, today we discuss the importance of establishing expectations. Click here if you don't see the video below.



Click here for Reason #1 - Identify Needs
Click here for Reason #2 - Gain Control
Click here for Reason # 3 - Build Rapport 

Five Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session - Part 3 of 5

As you continue to get in front of potential Buyers this summer, I hope you realize how important it is to begin to develop a detailed understanding of who the people are who you're helping to find a house that will be their new home.

Remember, it's not your clients job to have something in common with you and it's not a requirement to have something in common with them. I am sure that most of you reading this will agree that as soon as you can find out some common ground, the better the relationship will be between parties and the better the transaction will go thanks to the similarities that you may share.

Reason #3 in our 5-part series of why Realtors should hold a Buyer Counseling Session is all about Building Rapport. (Click here if you don't see the video below)



I hope you're starting to see the power of meeting face to face with prospects before you invest any time and efforts to sell them anything before you have sold them on working with a professional like you.

Click here to see Reason #1 - Identify Needs
Click here to see Reason #2 - Gain Control

Five Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session - Part 2 of 5

In the last post, we explored the importance of identifying needs when meeting with potential Buyers so ytou can be better prepared to help them find the right house.

In this post, let's take a look at the second reason to hold a Buyer Counseling Session. (click here if you don't see a video below)



In tomorrow's post, we'll discuss reason #3 to hold a Buyer Counseling Sesison. I hope we'll see ya tomorrow.

Five Reasons for a Buyer Counseling Session - Part 1 of 5

Cabin fever is a few months old and the spring weather has hit most of the country. There's just a few more weeks left before the kids are out of school for the summer and inventory levels are starting to recede from their high levels in the last few years. 

Now before anyone thinks the hot market is coming back, hold your horses. It's very typical that the market will heat up a bit with new listings hitting the market so I thought I'd use the video blog to share some thoughts on how to approach the Buyer boom that will be happening in the next few months.

Let's take a look at five reasons you should be holding a Buyer Couseling Session (BCS) to pre-qualify and prepare to serve Buyers in today's market. The first reason to hold a BCS? Let's try to identify needs.

If you don't see a video below, click here.




In tomorrow's post, we'll discuss reason #2 to hold a Buyer Counseling Sesison. I hope we'll see ya tomorrow.

Looking At It Through Another's Eyes

You're a busy agent or you're aspiring to be one. You go from appointment to appointment, return phone calls and emails as they occur and you feel like you've been putting out fires from sun up to sun down when you pull in your driveway at the end of the day. In fact, most days, it's almost like you're on auto-pilot.



Your assembly-line protocols may involve buyer packets used at Buyer Counseling Sessions, pre-listing packets that you drop off prior to Marketing Presentations, open house handouts or even FSBO and Expired packets. The information contained in these packets is detailed, thorough and designed to be impressive to the consumer. Ideally these materials are informative and educational, helping deliver a message in your absence.



So when was the last time you really looked at what you are putting into those packets or presentations? When was the last time yours were updated?



Today's post is to encourage you to schedule a time with yourself - ideally once a quarter for those closing 24 or more transactions each year (semi-annually below that level of production) - and look at your materials through the eyes of a buyer, seller or customer.



Here are some things to look for:



Has your photo been updated? Customers who see your materials should recognize you when they meet you for the first time and past clients shouldn't think you have been a guest on a Maury Povich makeover special.



Is your company logo sized correctly and in the correct colors? Brands spend a lot of money and work hard to established a recognizable logo. You should never use a logo in a different color scheme. Can you even imagine seeing a big green M outside a McDonald's?

Keep things in properly sized proportions. There's nothing worse than seeing someone who doesn't know how to format a photo correctly. You can tell because their head is either extra tall or extra fat. (If your head is naturally extra tall or extra fat, no offense was intended)

Due ewe half spell Czech? Dew U yooz it? People love to catch spelling and other typographical errors in marketing materials. Jay Leno has made a funny segment out of advertising bloopers and blunders in his Headlines segment. Double or triple check your copy to make sure there are no errors in spelling, punctuation or proper names. It's sometimes prudent to have a proof-reader review the materials.



Is your information correct? Facts are great...if they're true. Has anything changed since your original creation of the document? Sales figures or rankings? Titles or positions? Personal information such as children's ages, designations or office location? Has your team (buyers agents, mortgage providers, title reps) changed?



How many fonts do you really need? - Keep it simple by selecting a common font such as Times New Roman, Arial or Bookman Old Style. Stay away from the script fonts as they can be very difficult to read.



White space isn't bad - Every square inch of your fliers or materials doesn't have to be filled with text, photos or graphs. Allow some things to be more prominent, others more subtle.



Make a Resolution - That your photos used in your marketing materials and handouts will be of a high quality. Head shot photos and any property photos should be of the highest pixel quality available. Nothing shows less effort than choosing poor photos.



Laser-like Focus? Was the last edition of your handout packet created on a black and white printer? Have you upgraded to a color laser printer? Use clean, high quality paper but only use glossy paper or lamination when necessary.



Tell me if you agree with this statement - "Buyers buy homes...Sellers buy image."




If you think that's true, spend one hour this week looking at all of your "stuff" from a different view. See how many aspects of your materials you can make better. Trust me, your image and your bottom line will thank you for it.



Until next time, keep building relationships...solving problems and having fun.