Lots of people have talked about the coined label ‘order takers’ when it comes to this perception, and then hitched that to a statement like ‘we’ve forgotten how to be human’ or words to that effect (I’ve possibly even typed something like that myself!).
It’s generally when we’re lamenting the consistent concerns – the race to the bottom with commission, the lack of offers coming from inspections, the struggle to sell advertising; all the same conversations and challenges that we’ve had for a while.
There have been plenty of solutions bandied around too that don’t seem to be helping.
We talk about scripts and dialogues, we track prospecting numbers, we use AI to find leads in our data, and we fixate on auxiliary services to help solve our problems like short-term financing and social media lead generation.
We get up at 5am, do cold plunges, set our goals and say our affirmations, all in ensuring that we are fully ready for the day.
I saw one lad who was watching a training clip because he told me that he needs to work out how he can beat agents that are charging 25-40% less in commission.
I love the attitude, and said that spending time learning definitely helps, but he can’t just rely on that if he wants to win.
“How many of your competitors do you think are watching that same video?” I asked.
“Probably a few,” he replied.
“So how are you going to use that to show greater value if your competitors are using the same script?”
So what’s the bigger issue?
Having observed hundreds of agents and auctioneers over the last couple of months, there’s one glaring issue that is causing so many opportunities to slip right by.
It’s something that is so fundamental and yet has very little attention paid to it.
Get ready, because here comes the whack…We have forgotten the art of selling.
We turn up, open doors, take details, ask if someone wants to buy it and draw up paperwork.
In many cases, when we get an offer, we show it to a vendor, mention something about it being ‘a good offer’ and then hold our breath in the hope that the owner capitulates.
Sales Mentality vs Transaction Mindset
I think that a lot of the reason as to why the whole ‘we need to be more human’ narrative is falling on deaf ears is because it’s not practical or tangible enough.
But look at this way…lack of humanity decreases conversion rates.
We’ve been too busy focussing on becoming time efficient, automated and systematic that it has blatantly exposed us for the lack of value that we, as humans, can bring to a deal.
It’s like we’ve been so busy outsourcing as much thinking and creativity as possible that we are becoming robots, while AI is learning to be human!
Not only that, we’ve been so intent on creating opportunities that we almost seem content with that as opposed to improving on how many of them are being turned into offers and listings.
But perhaps the most obvious comment that indicates that we’re in a transaction mindset has been this – ‘Buyers either like it or they don’t, we can’t do anything to change that once they get there.’
If this is really the case, then why are we being paid any more than the minimal amount for the transaction?
We need to bring a huge focus back to how we can use our human skills to help create greater enthusiasm in buyers around transacting, and how we need to use our humanity when setting up negotiations.
Put simply – The Transaction Mindset displays a product, whereas the Sales Mentality generates greater perceived value and energy around a product, which creates more belief in the consumers eyes that your product is the one for them.
Look at Apple stores for example. They know that their products are generally more expensive than competing products, but do they just stand there and wait for you to shop around before asking “Do you want to buy one?”?
When you go into a store it’s not just the product that you end up buying – the concierge at the front knows exactly who you need to see, their energy is one of ‘I’m going to solve your problem today’, and the sales rep you deal with not only knows the products inside-out, but they have this inherent belief that their product is the best product out there for you.
How can we bring this back into our industry? If you ask older custodians of the role they will tell you that it’s what used to happen, and I think that we need some of that old school magic back (NOT ‘bread & butter’ by the way leaders, which is the fastest way to turn a new agent off from giving this a go!).
How can we bring the magic back?
Here are a few things that you must become more aware of if you want to convert more inspections into offers, more appraisals into listings, and more offers into sales.
You can’t sell what you don’t understand
Whether it’s specific details about a property (e.g. easements, zoning), how and why a certain part of your online media strategy works, or even your own values as a human operator – the more you understand it, the more confident you become at genuinely selling it.
Regurgitating a script in order to sell vendor-paid advertising is not going to convince anyone to part with a four-figure sum.
You need to learn about it to a depth of knowledge that goes beyond your customer so that you can bring a value that they don’t already see.
Become an extension of the product you’re selling
If you were selling yourself, would you sell in the same way that you sell a house? I doubt it! We influence a buyer’s sentiment towards a property way more than we realise.
From the minute they interact with us over the phone or at an open for inspection, buyers will associate how they feel about a property based on our energy, our knowledge (which affects the property credibility if we can’t answer questions), and our enthusiasm for being at the property and/or talking to them in the first place.
If you create doubt via your lack of knowledge or belief that this is the right property for them, then that doubt is going to lead to fewer offers being presented even if the property is a match for that buyer.
Get comfortable with ‘losing a battle to win a war’
With any exchange, when you’re on one side of any negotiation you need to get comfortable with allowing for a bit of give and take in order to allow for progress.
Whether it’s a buyer or a vendor, they are all programmed to gain some sort of advantage or win so if you’re conscious of that you’ll be a lot more comfortable & in control of that exchange.
Don’t sell a product, paint a picture
Telling people what you’re selling, or what you’re going to do, isn’t enough to evoke any emotional reaction (unless it’s completely the wrong thing!).
For example, walking through a home pointing at the kitchen and saying “that’s the kitchen” followed maybe by “stone benches” is nothing more than stating the obvious, and you’re not bringing any value to the inspection.
Instead of telling people what is there, create an image of them living there by relating parts of the house to their family or personal dynamic.
Instead, maybe say “So the kitchen works wonderfully well when you’re at home with the little kids.
When you’re stood at the bench, you can see through to the rumpus area which is where we’d normally see toys and games, so you’ll be able to keep an eye on the kids while you’re sorting out dinner.”
Anticipate, then dissipate, any anxiety
You know whether there are any really obvious concerns that are going to reflect badly on the value of a property, so instead of allowing a buyer to make it an issue, remove it by pre-formulating a solution around it, collaborating with the vendor if necessary prior to showing it to buyers.
If you try to ignore it, then the property will lose credibility when the buyer finds the problem, and good luck getting any offer, let alone a low one.
Don’t be afraid to take the property away
If they make an offer and it is way below what would be considered, then don’t be afraid to politely refer them to other properties by providing the buyer with greater convenience, i.e.
“Let’s not waste any more of your time here, let’s crack on with other properties that are in that range.”
A part of the art of sales is being prepared to call someone’s bluff, and naturally, a buyer is going to low-ball initially.
There’s no harm in taking the opportunity away from them at that point because they’re either going to waste your time with said low offer, or realise that you’re not an agent that acts in desperation and therefore is to be taken a touch more seriously.
Be nice about it though, this is not an excuse to become arrogant about it!
There are so many more subtle & not so subtle ways in which you can improve your art – we’ve not even touched upon body language and tonality for example, and then of course there are different nuances for different cultural backgrounds that we’d be wise to tune into as well.
But if you tap into this list, focus on it and add each element into your game, I guarantee that your client engagement will rise significantly and the penny will drop, that it’s not necessarily all about the numbers.
