August 13, 2007
Estately agents versus normal agents
I keep meaning to post an update to Estately Agent Match, but I’m going to put it off for another day.
People often ask us how we differentiate between great agents and the rest (and let me tell you, there are a lot of “the rest”). I usually say something about client recommendations and a certain feeling we get with respect to how they talk about clients and their work. Some talk about clients like they’re cattle to be herded and some talk about them like frat boys talk about the sorority girls from their last party. But some agents talk about clients as though they actually like them; they talk about the joys of finding the right house and bringing the knowledge from hundreds of prior experiences buying and selling to help their clients avoid common and not-so-common pitfalls. They often end up describing themselves more like coaches and less like sales people.
But Jeff Kempe actually puts better words to it than I can (emphasis mine):
“Selling isn’t about glib one liners, happy hour entertaining or pat answers to pre-conceived objections. It’s considerably less about form than substance. It’s about having the knowledge and developing the trust in order to fill the real needs of your customers, better than anyone else.” LOVE parental mode.”
…
Learn the difference between ACTING like you care about your customers and ACTUALLY caring. That one thing changes everything. Actually caring means thoroughly knowing customer needs and adapting to them, not expecting them to adapt to yours.
Michael Cook been hitting on this too (emphasis mine):
Great sales firms engender consumer loyalty because they are a consultant first and a salesperson second. While working for Procter & Gamble in sales, I learned early on that no one likes sales people, but everyone likes free, knowledgable consultants. When I learned to be both, I started setting sells records and my customers loved me.
Know a real estate agent who fits this description? Send us an email to agent_match (at) estately.com telling us why they were the best for you and we’ll consider recommending them to our clients. We already have a team of great agents working with clients, but we could always make it better.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I am a Realtor and I have to say the number one most important thing when serving (yes, I said SERVING) clients, is LISTENING. No matter what your style - hard sales, soft sales etc. - if you don’t listen, you can’t help and if you can’t help, you can’t sell. And I don’t mean being quiet while your clients talk; I mean HEARING, LISTENING and oh, yes, ASKING QUESTIONS. How can you say you really “care” if you don’t really listen? How can you say you serve your clients if you don’t listen? So, perhaps we all learned this in kindergarten but listening is hard - it’s not easy (why do you think there’s so many seminars on it:))!? If an agent listens, they will never have to worry about serving their own needs before someone elses; they won’t have to worry about the code of ethics or anything else - they will innately be serving the needs of their clients because they have listened; listened to words…to body language…to underlying meanings…to lifestyle…to objections…to fears. And in listening, by listening, they will have cared and they will have served.
-Emily