HOW THE SOURCE OF THE BUSINESS AFFECTS OUR THINKING
Why do so many people turn into "no-shows" when it comes time for an appointment with you? They leave a message or just vanish! What was the genesis of that lead or conversation? Example: An online lead who is looking for a home evaluation is very different from a seller who was referred to you by someone who has already done business with you. There is a strategic process that you're going to be using with every buyer and seller, but the context of how that person arrived with you is everything! The one unknown variable -- every time -- is their individualism. How they came to your world is what really matters to you, if you want to connect with them.
WHY WE LET UP ON A STRATEGIC APPROACH
We sometimes abandon our approach (to our own detriment) when we know a person was referred to us. We think, "I can let up on my strategic approach because the lead is Kevin's friend. Kevin loves us, so I can just have a casual conversation with this lead!" Don't get comfortable just because you know the source of a lead, because it can throw everything out of order. When you get off of your strategic approach, you can confuse the lead and lose them!
WHY NOT FOLLOWING A STRATEGY IS SELFISH
When you don't follow a strategy, you sound selfish. Jumping off of the strategy, such as skipping over the big "WHY" with the lead, makes us sound selfish. Once you know their "why", you can get into a deeper discussion about what happens next. If you try to cut to the chase and skip over the reasons why they came to you, you can leave the lead reeling and confused. Determining their "WHY" humanizes the process so you're not jumping ahead in the process.
RECONNECT TO THE HUMANISTIC APPROACH OF A CONCIERGE BRINGS MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT
As you get better at sales, you get comfortable and that is a double-edged sword. Don't fall into the trap of over-confidence that leads you to abandon the strategy. Always be learning and reconnect to the humanistic approach first. The process is about the lead. Be their concierge -- treat every lead the same and it will bring better results across the board.
In this episode, We'll Cover: What Happens When We Cheat To Comfortable
What Is A Content Driven Business
Content marketing is certainly nothing new for any business and has been around since the beginning of strategic marketing and selling. Ultimately, a buyer will not make a buying decision without the opportunity to "do the homework" and in order to do so, they must be provided with content that informs them enough to make a favorable decision. Therefore, a content driven business model is critical if you're looking to bring stability and predictability to your real estate agent business. When a consumer, especially a Digital Age consumer, happens upon a well organized content driven business model, they sense the professionalism and are drawn in further.
What Is Core/Evergreen/Foundational Content
While most real estate agents are enthusiastic about learning how to produce content about their neighborhood specialties and listings, most are completely void of being able to produce a core piece of content that thoroughly explains their Unique Selling Proposition. In the real estate agent business, we as agents are tasked with guiding consumers through one of the single largest financial and emotional transactions that they'll ever make in a lifetime, yet the majority of not-so-strategic training evolves around lead capture and scripted appointment conversion. That's fine and we certainly believe those are parts of the real estate agent business, but ultimately you need content that answers the questions, "why should I choose you and your guidance?" If you can't clearly articulate your answer, then you'll be losing plenty of business.
How To Obtain A Deep Understanding Of Your Core Content Offer
Once you've developed core content for your sellers, buyers and agents it's ok to start with a high level or simplified explanation. We prefer to use simple infographics to explain our strategy and the infographic itself becomes an easy to consume and carry away piece of content in and of itself. However, the major caveat is to not rest on your laurels of a too simple explanation and begin to dig into a deeper understanding of why your offer works and why it matters to the consumer. Consider this pursuit of a deeper understanding as the "process" of becoming better at explaining your core offer. Don't confuse this with getting more complicated or a discussion, rather a more passionate and believable version.
How To Use Social Media & Direct Mail For Marketing Core Content
Once you have your core content in place, you must not stray from sharing it through any and all mediums that make sense for your business plan. We suggest that you first consider bulking up your social media platforms with a steady cadence of this core content, supplemented by an offline delivery though brochures and direct mail as well. By focusing on a regular delivery of your core content (i.e. weekly online, monthly/quarterly online) you'll avoid overwhelming yourself or your followers with an overflow of random, varied content that while leaving your audience entertained, confuses them to the point that they have no clear call to action if they want to use your services. Too many agents forget the outcome they so desire; we're not in the entertainment business! Use your core content to sell your services.
The Tension Between Being Scripted Versus Free Wheeling
In the real estate coaching and training world, there has forever been the debate between those that believe the only way to success is by strictly following scripts versus those that believe that you must strive to build rapport and personal relationship. I've never understood why there needs to be a debate at all because both are not only necessary but also natural components of any real estate sale. Those that follow scripts, inevitably and naturally begin to make adjustments that drift towards listening to rapport building, while those that are successful at building rapport are following a repeated pattern like a script.
How A Formulaic Outline Helps Your Focus
Therefore, with either approach, you're following a formulaic outline. Before you rail against this statement take a beat and think about anything that we do in life; we typically follow routines whether or not you are doing so consciously or subconsciously. However, in a business context, if you want to scale your business, you must begin to extract your process into a written formula. The primary reason for writing down an outline or checklist-based process is so that you can gain more leverage over your time. The more precise the process, the less time is taken to execute. Furthermore, if you want to add people, it's exponentially more effective if you can teach them your formulas rather than hope they will bring you a great effort.
Why You Should Discover & Rediscover What's Motivating Your Prospect
Once you have outlined your formula that you'll follow to help sellers and buyers, you should have yourself an overview of the process that simple enough to explain and be understood. However, the most critical starting point for any great formula is to ensure that there's a step that focuses on discovering what is motivating your seller or buyer. Asking the simple question, "Why are you making this move?" set's you up to help your prospect stay focused on why your formula gives them the best chance to achieve their goals. Simply put, it takes the pressure off of you to oversell your plan and stick to your formula in the way that they can achieve their goal.
How To Move Towards A Clear Closing
Once your plan is in place, you must remember the reason that you're following a formulaic approach. The simple reason is that you want the prospect to come to their own conclusion that you are the right person for the job. However, many agents that follow a script too strictly often don't allow the prospect to fully express themselves and often push too hard for the outcome only to lose the opportunity. Others that push for rapport too hard also run the risk of not listening enough and fall off track only to forget to close. Ultimately, you must remember to ask for the deal once you have fully listened and ensured them that your formula is a safe and sure direction.