Do you display the qualities that homeowners are looking for when choosing an agent? Here's a checklist to make sure.
Have you ever wondered what buyers and sellers really want out of an agent and which qualities make them most likely to hire one over another?
Let’s break down three of the most important qualities homeowners look for in a real estate agent.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that folks want to work with an agent who is trustworthy and honest. A recent Gallup poll revealed a ranking of the most ethical and honest professions. Nurses and doctors topped the list, while real estate agents came in toward the bottom third and telemarketers and car salespeople at the very bottom.
What does this mean for you? When you’re out there meeting new prospects, you need to make an effort to come across as trustworthy and honest. If you’re unsure how to bring those traits to the forefront, here are a few ways to do it:
If you think about it, doctors and nurses are perceived differently because they are viewed as professionals who want to help — while salespeople are viewed as people who want to help themselves. No one wants to be pushed into a sale, and whenever that happens, they aren’t likely to trust the people who are selling to them. So, the more often you are perceived as honest and not self-serving, the more likely you are to close more sales.
Now, let's talk about reputation. How others perceive you can influence whether or not they decide to hire you. Obviously, you want people to perceive you as experienced, personable and honest.
The best way to establish a solid reputation is to continually provide value and help people, especially people you've helped in the past. What they say about you to their friends and family members, or to people in the community, is crucial to your ongoing success. Even when you're working with a cold lead who doesn’t know anything about you, the buyers and sellers you’ve worked with in the past can vouch that you're trustworthy. This is where testimonials and reviews come in handy — to prove your reputation to those who don’t know you firsthand.
For example, if you recently worked with a FSBO who tried to sell their home alone before you listed it, you could ask them to talk about their struggles selling the home before you came along, maybe how they listed it for less as a FSBO and you got them a higher price because of your marketing.
That's a solid way to demonstrate your abilities to a cold lead. You can solidify your reputation by sharing success stories about people who've worked with you in the past. If you simply say good things about yourself, people won’t necessarily trust what you have to say — and they’ll think you’re arrogant. But when somebody else has good things to say about you, they can boost your reputation. People are more likely to trust something that someone else has to say about you than what you have to say about yourself.
If you’re looking for a good way to share stories from past clients with potential clients, you can send out “wow packages” with testimonials as mailers, and you can also put testimonials into your books from Authorify. If you want to see how you can get your own book and add your client success stories to it, go to Authorify.com/free to learn more.
Now, let's talk about experience. This accounts for over 51% of what buyers and sellers view as the most important thing when they're selecting an agent like yourself. So how can you make sure people view you as an experienced agent in the industry? Again, there are a few different ways to do that.
One way is to prove your experience by providing helpful information that will help a buyer or seller make educated real estate decisions. We live in the information age, and buyers and sellers look to Zillow, Realtor.com, YouTube and Google to try to determine what their home is worth, the best way to sell, how to review agents and more.
Every single buyer and seller has questions about buying or selling that you can easily answer, but you won’t have the chance to answer their questions if they don't even know you exist. What does that mean? You need to get out there and put information in blogs or emails, so you're continually educating your sphere of influence and helping them make more informed decisions and showing your experience just by proving it. Are people more likely to work with you if you toot your own horn and use pushy sales tactics? Or if you’re always willing to help and offer sustainable information?
For example, a quick email to someone who is getting ready to buy and has some concerns might say something like:
Here’s a helpful article I wanted to send your way that really helped Bob and Cindy. They loved it. It helped them decide which home to buy. They got off the fence, and they made an offer and they are thrilled with their new home. In fact, I'll include a testimonial from them that talks about their experience in this challenge that you're having.
How powerful would that be? As another example, if you're working with a FSBO and want them to know that agents sell homes for more money, you could send them an email with an article on that topic.
Concentrate on helping buyers and sellers as much as you can, and in turn, converting leads will be much easier.
It all goes back to the old saying that people want to like who they do business with. Why do people trust nurses and doctors? Because they solve problems. Why do people not trust car salesmen? Because they’re focused on selling. Would you rather be the trusted advisor, perceived as helpful and ethical — or would you rather be viewed as a sleazy car salesperson or telemarketer everyone hates talking to?
For me, I know I'd rather be viewed as a trusted authority. And I'll bet you would, too. One of the best ways to do that is with a book. Go to Authorify.com/free and learn more now.