It is amazing to me that agents wait so long to get organized! I remember, though, how confused I was as a new agent. I just didn’t know what to do first. Luckily, though, I quickly found buyers and started selling homes. I’m going to tell you the bare truth: I was not organized, packaged, or, certainly—systematized!

You Can’t Go Very Fast Unless You Have Packages and Systems

What I found, very quickly, was that I had to have ready-to-use systems to serve buyers and sellers as fast as I wanted to move (I sold 40 houses my first year in real estate!). After years of working on them, I created packages for both buyers and sellers that work.

Here are the Packages you Need for Buyers

Your buyers’ system should include

• A Pre-First Appointment Information Package—to set you apart from the ‘pack’
• A Consultation Package (I’ve created one I call Your Guide to Purchasing a Home, available in my resource The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit)
• The Buyers’ System—a resource you provide only to those who sign a Buyer’s Agency Agreement with you, that takes the buyer much deeper into the process

Capture Buyers’ Loyalty and Respect

Creating your Buyer System not only raises your value dramatically to buyers, it creates a track for you and your team to run on. When you treat buyers with the care and systematization you show sellers, your buyer close ratios go way up, and your time management challenges diminish. Why not start competing with very seasoned agents with your own packages? You will greatly increase your confidence, and find the buyer trust you much more quickly.

A resource to cut your ‘learning time’ down dramatically:  Take a look at The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit. You can see a sneak preview of the complete toolkit there, too. Make a goal for yourself to get your buyers’ process systematized now, and enjoy the benefits.

When I phone an agent today, I have no idea where that agent will answer his or her phone—or from what phone the call is being answered. And, I don’t really care. Technology allows the phone to follow the agent. That’s great. Here’s what’s not so great. Many times the agent’s message is so dull, powerless, or mumbled that it doesn’t sound as though the agent wants to talk to me. Or, the agent’s message is so long, that I’m impatient by the time I get to leave the message.

What Impact Do You Want to Make?

Surveys show that consumers want their agent to be enthusiastic. So why do many of the agents’ phone messages sound as though they are terribly tired or uninterested in the caller? Here’s the principle.

We use our senses to make snap judgments about people.

The less senses involved, the more important it is that we communicate properly. On the phone, there is only once sense involved—that of hearing. You have no ability to communicate your warmth, your interest, etc. visually on the phone. You have only your voice.

Decide What You Want to Communicate

What conclusions do you want your caller to have about you? Write down the five most important judgments you want your caller to make about you and your business approach. Now, listen to your own voice message. Do you believe you are communicating your ‘best self’? Ask five other people to listen, too. Decide what you like and what you want to change.

Research your Competition

Don’t listen only for your own communications. For three days, listen carefully to the tone, intent, and messages you hear on answering machines or voice messages of other agents and brokers. Listen carefully to how agents answer the phone at their offices. What do you think those agents are communicating? Do you believe they are communicating the kind of qualities they want to communicate—and think they are communicating?

Four important tips to remember when recording your own message:

1. Stand up—you’ll sound as though you have much more energy.
2. Write out your script first—and be sure it’s not too long. I don’t really care where you’re going to be all day!
3. Modulate your voice pleasantly. Try to get some resonance.
4. Sound as though you’re looking forward to hearing from me!

These simple tips will increase your trust rate and your business. Get to ‘hearing’ today! Best news for budgeting agents: This tips cost you nothing, but reap you great benefits. First impressions: Create your best phone voice.

If I were a manager, or a seller or buyer, and I wanted to find a value-added agent, here’s what I would look for:

1. Has a database, populates it

This agent is committed long-term. He uses a contact management program to manage ‘leads’, so none are lost. After all, it takes much longer today to convert a ‘lead’ to a sale than it used to take. This means the agent is committed to forming long-term professional relationships over time. Has a rapid-response method to deal with Internet inquiries and other inquiries via e-mail. Has a method to follow up on all leads until they ‘buy or die’. As a client, that means I won’t get lost. As a seller, it means my agent will follow up with all leads and give it 100% to sell my home.

2. Invests in the technology and follow-up pros have

This agent makes every decision based on his vision of his career at least 3 to 5 years in the future. For example, instead of selling someone a house anywhere just to get a sale, my value-added agent sells only in an area me defines as his ‘target area’. That way, he’ll get known, and can build on his reputation. The value-added agent has the ‘guts’ to turn down business!  Because he cares more about the well-being of the client than getting one grimy commission check, he learns to ‘tell the truth attractively’, and works harder to retain the client than to make one commission.

3. Works for referrals, not just sales

Learns to ‘tell the truth attractively’, even if the buyer or seller may not want to hear it. For example, if it’s in the best interests of the seller to list his home at a lower price, the value-added agent has the strategies and the statistics to prove that the seller will be not well served by pricing higher. And he has the intestinal fortitude to walk away (but doesn’t have to many times because he creates a stellar reputation amongst his clientele).

4. Keeps the buyers and sellers’ best interests in mind

Makes every decision to grow trust, not to make a fast buck. For example, the agent sits down with a prospective couple, and, finding out they can’t purchase right away, creates a plan with them to save for their down payment. Then, she keeps in touch over a period of months, offering helpful information and market updates.

In other words, this agent practices seller or buyer agency representation, not ‘agent agency’!

Put Yourself to the Test

How many of these points can you claim as your action? What do you want to work on to become a true ‘value-added’ agent?

The Information Hoarder/Revealer Agent Has No Value Today

When agents were able to hoard the information about homes, agents could sell value based on home information. Now, there’s no agent-provided value there. So, what value do you provide, and how do you show it?  I believe there are three packages that buyer’s agents need to provide, to justify their desired exclusive buyer’s agency agreement, and their commissions:

• The Pre-Appointment Package
• The Consultative Package (I call it “Your Guide to Purchasing a Home”)
• The Home Buyers’ System Package

Why packages: To create visual, substantive evidence that you are professional, you are knowledgeable, and you are current and contemporary.

Here’s the principle you’re going to follow:

We believe what we see, not what we hear

Non-Committed agents need not apply. You and I know that a non-committed, part-time, or low producing agent just isn’t going to take the time to create these packages, processes, and systems. You are. Creating these packages and systematizing your buyer process shows you are a committed, savvy, value-added agent.

Systematizing: The Pre-Appointment Package

To guard against that Internet buyer de-valuing the services you provide, you’re going to start educating them from the time you first talk to them. Your pre-appointment package will do just that.

Systematizing: The Consultative System and Buyer’s Package

Because you’re thinking in terms now of a complete buyer system, part of that system is a professional process to meet with the buyer using a planned process to meet the buyer’s needs. That means you’re going to educate the buyer, and you’re going to carefully and systematically qualify the buyer. You’re going to use the ‘consultative’ approach, asking great questions in an orderly, purposeful fashion.

Bottom line: You’re going to create awesome value, because you’re going to help that buyer prioritize the myriad pieces of information they’ve gotten from the Internet.

Added Value: The Home Buyers’ System

The last package you’re going to create is the most valuable. But, it’s not given to the purchaser unless and until the purchaser agrees to work exclusively with you. This package has the specific processes, checklists, and systems that you’ve created to partner with the buyer successfully through the home buying process.

The Ideal Buyer’s Agent: Working with the Internet Buyer Through Fully Systematized Processes

You’ve systematized your buyers’ process to raise it to a value-added level. You’re not focused on information-providing. You’re focused on information-prioritizing. You are now matched up with the needs and desires of that Internet buyer, and you’re poised for exceptional real estate success. Congratulations!

Buyer's Agent Toolkit

Don’t waste time reinventing the wheel: To help you get into action instead sit creating systems at your computer, I’ve provided a ready to use PowerPoint presentation, along with the three buyer packages you need, read to go, in The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit. Not only that, I’ve provided a comprehensive training system to assist you in performing like a top producer—even before you are one. Click here to learn more.

Is your listing process focused on the best interests of your client? The five questions below will help you evaluate your process, and update it for today’s client.

The “Client-Centered” Approach

If what the client wants from us is a “sold” sign on the property, and that’s the only way they rate us highly, then, we must change our methods of listing and marketing properties to create higher levels of customer satisfaction. By the “client-centered” approach, I mean to keep the client’s best interest first at heart—not the agent’s!

Here are five questions to ask yourself, to see which kind of process you use—and tips to change your process to true ‘client-centered’.

1. Do you have an ‘information-loaded’, prioritized listing system? If you don’t have a complete process, you aren’t instilling trust and confidence in the seller.

2. Do you educate from the beginning, or do you just sell, sell, sell (tell) ? A pre-first visit package educates seller and shows your professionalism.

3. Are you a ‘property information gatherer’ or a ‘people consultant’? An in-depth questionnaire focusing on their needs proves you care more about them than getting a sign on the property.

4. What’s your objective? The statistics prove that most agents’ objective is to list the property. That is not in the client’s best interests. To change to client-centered marketing, you must focus on listing only saleable properties.

5. Do you provide the seller a written marketing plan? A professional marketing company always provides the plan in writing. Shouldn’t you?

Catch Up with the Business Principles and Trends

The principles I’ve outlined above are reflected in the bigger, and more real, world of international business. They’re how you and I like to be treated as real people. Step your business up to the next level now by catching the trends, not by trying to copy what worked in yesteryear.

For a method to polish your presentations for today’s challenging clients, see Your Client-Based Marketing System.

Why meeting buyer qualifying criteria is important: Buyers today have many choices of how to find homes. You need to create competitive reasons to help buyers choose you.  It will save you time and money (more about that in a later blog, too). And, if you’re a newer agent, creating solid reasons to help buyers choose you will increase your self-confidence 200%.

Five Critical Questions Buyer Should Ask Agent ‘Candidates’

Here are five critical questions I believe buyers should ask agents to assure they have a ‘match’ between what they are looking for and what the agent provides. In addition, I’ve added what I believe buyers should look for in the anwers (that means that we agents must be able to qualify on these terms):

1. “Is selling residential real estate your full-time career?”

My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent specializes in residential real estate. You want someone selling homes for a living, not apartment houses. Listen to see if this is the agent’s full-time career. Ask additional questions if the agent’s answers need more clarifying.

2. “How many homes did you sell last year?”

My advice to buyers: You want someone successful; that means, at minimum, the agent sold homes to buyers at least six times in that year.

3. “How long have you specialized in residential real estate in this area?”

My advice to buyers: Be sure the agent has been working in the area where you want to purchase for at least six months, so you know the agent has expertise and interest in that area.

4. “Describe the work you do in our price range and area.”

My advice to buyers: Listen to be sure the agent zeros in on the area and price range you need. If the agent says, “I work anywhere with anybody”, that agent may not be for you, for he may be trying to cover too much ground to know very much about specific areas.

5. “Tell us how you will work with us.”

My advice to buyers: Listen as the agent describes the buying process, as he views it. Does it reflect what you’re looking for?

Agents: Think These Criteria are Too Tough?

Did some of those questions and my advice to buyers make you defensive and argumentative? That’s because we agents tend to look at things ‘inside out’ (from our perspective). Instead, pretend you are a discriminating buyer. You’re going to spend $60,000 on a car. What kind of customer service do you expect? Now, think in terms of the real estate buyer. What kind of service should a real estate buyer expect?

Newer Agents: Panicked Because You Think You Can’t Qualify?

Relax. You don’t need to qualify on all terms. But, you need to have answers and explanations ready so you can provide buyers reasons to work with you. Advice: Educate yourself so that you are as well-prepared to help a buyer as an agent who has sold 100+ homes in his/her career.

Resources to Help You Compete to Qualify for a Buyer

Objection Busters for Buyers’ and Sellers’ Objections–provides a unique method to ‘craft’ answers to objections and provides dozens of scripts and role plays

The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit–all the presentations, checklists, and skills you’ll need to create loyalty with buyers and compete with mega-agents

Your Professional Portfolio–how to build the unique YOU to position yourself as a real estate professional/expert/consultant

Joe Woutersz, Broker/Owner, Hearth and Home Real Estate

I loved your Up and Running system!! It is the only thing I have seen or heard of that actually maps out the start-up actions needed for this business. Charlie Lewis, Re/Max Equity Group, Inc. Vancouver, Wa.

productive than the other firms. Your “Up and Running in 30 Days” should

make that happen. Call all of the new recruits from other firms every thirty

days and see how they are doing. You should be able to bring the most

promising Rookies on board at 90 days if they are being neglected by your

competitors.

Good Luck

CJ

Carol Johnson,

Executive Director

The Recruiting Network