UP AND RUNNING IN 30 DAYS

Pretend you didn’t know you. Listen to your phone message. What ‘first impression’ are you making? We are so focused on technology today, that we are in danger of forgetting to effectively use that technology.
When I phone an agent today, I have no idea where that agent will answer his or her phone—or from what [...]

Tags: Carla Cross, coach, coach newer agent, consumer demands, sales, selling real estate, success

Are you thinking about getting a ‘real’ job?
When times get tough, agents think about supplementing their incomes with another job. Historically, these jobs have been in affiliated fields: appraisal, title, or insurance. But, now, those jobs are as tenuous as is real estate sales. So, the trend is for agents to seek ‘outside’ employment.
The Dual [...]

Tags: Carla Cross, coach newer agent, consumer demands, customer service, selling real estate

I just did a webinar for the National Association of Realtors’ Learning Library on “Getting to Yes”. (Click here to view). During these webinars, I ask the attendees questions to see how well they are communicating to establish trust. One of the questions I asked during this webinar was:
Do you use a written customer satisfaction [...]

Tags: Carla Cross, coach newer agent, consumer demands, customer service, selling real estate, Up and Running

We salespeople can’t sell anything to anyone without first establishing an exceptional level of trust–an increasingly difficult thing to do. The ten tips I shared on in a recent radio show can help sales professionals build a ‘platinum level’ of trust.
The Ten Tips
1. Learn non-verbal skills and apply them in writing, on the phone, and [...]

Tags: Carla Cross, coach newer agent, consumer demands, customer service, newer agent, selling real estate, success, Up and Running

In our industry, we love to talk about being ‘value-added’. But, how would you know one if you saw one?        Watch the actions, not the words.
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 [...]

Tags: buyer agency, buyer presentation, Carla Cross, consumer demands, database, selling real estate

Studies show many agents are still operating in the past, without the systems needed to provide that extra value to justify their commissions. Creating your buyer systems provides visual proof to buyers that you are helping them prioritize the parts of the buying process where they need a professional’s expertise.

The Information Hoarder/Revealer Agent Has [...]

Tags: buyer agency, buyer presentation, buyers, consumer demands, customer service, selling real estate

 We all talk about qualifying buyers and sellers. I hope, as the year folds into 2010, that you’ve made a goal of better qualifying methods for 2010. But, in addition, buyers actively qualify agents to figure out who to work with. (Or, if they just take any agent who comes along, they are disappointed because [...]

Tags: buyer agency, buyers, Carla Cross, consumer demands, customer service, selling real estate, success

In a book about buyer representation I wrote for consumers, I chose the characteristics of an agent who I thought would best serve the consumer. Here’s that list:  

has been in the business three to five years and seems real committed and enthusiastic,
has completed higher level training (Graduate REALTORS® Institute and Certified Residential Salesperson—both REALTOR®-sponsored educational series for [...]

Tags: coach newer agent, consumer demands, customer service, sales, selling real estate, success