Selling Soulfully with Jennifer Allan

Have you ever known a real estate salesperson who succeeds in spite of himself? He's sloppy, he's careless, he neglects to return his phone calls and he's always late? His listing presentation consists of an unorganized last-minute print-out from the MLS, handed to him by his assistant as he runs out the door (already 20 minutes late?). His planner is a collection of sticky-notes plastered all over his computer? Yeah, you know the type!

And darn-it, if he doesn't do well! How can this be?

Well, he's probably charismatic, charming and friendly. These characteristics will take a flibbertygidget salesperson a long way in his sales career. And, fortunately for him, he can always hire out the detail work.

We introverts - well, that's a whole different story. We wouldn't dream of using our personalities to cover up poor preparation (yeah, like we could!). If we're going to be two minutes late, we call ahead to let everyone know... and then we're still the first one to arrive. Our listing presentations are things of beauty. Our contact databases are up-to-date, our taxes are complete way before April 15 and we get true joy out of a marked-off to-do list.

And get this... if we screw up, we admit it. We take responsibility for it. Heck, if YOU screw up we might even take responsibility for your mistake!

This is just how we are. We're reliable, we're organized, we're punctual, and we're respectful.

And yes, we are salespeople. Good ones, even.

Go, us! Un-Natural Salespeople Rock!

Does your spouse confidently and cheerfully refer you to everyone he knows who has a real estate need? Yes? Good for you! You can move onto the next blog on your list. You don't need me today!

But if you answered "no," do you know why he or she doesn't? Do you know the real reason?

Neither do I. But I'm going to throw something out there that you are free to accept or reject.

Do you come home every night complaining about your real estate career? Do you... um... whine about how awful the market is, or about how little training you're getting from your broker? Do you bemoan the fact that the last 10 FSBOs you contacted hung up on you before you could even begin your sales pitch?

Or, conversely, do you bounce in the door at night, bubbling with enthusiasm, ready to share your latest success story or lesson learned?

In my SOI* writings, I urge agents to prove to their friends that they are an RCHB, which stands for a "Reasonably Competent Human Being." If your friends perceive you as an RCHB, they'll be happy to hire you, or to refer business your way. If they don't perceive you as such, they probably won't. Makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, referring business to a friend is a risky thing to do - no one wants to be responsible for a referral that goes badly, so we're all a little circumspect about who we have on our personal referral lists.

Here's the thing... the cold hard fact is that your spouse is no different. He has a social network that is important to him. She doesn't want to jeopardize her friendships and business relationships with a referral that goes sour. Neither does he want to be seen as "that pesky real estate agent's husband" to be avoided at parties!

So, what's the answer?

It's up to you to prove to your husband or wife that you are an RCHB who loves selling real estate and is darn good at it. And you don't "prove" this by telling him or her how great you are, you have to demonstrate it in your attitude and your enthusiasm.

Am I asking you to fake it? Well... not really, but... 

Frankly, if you aren't an RCHB and you don't have a fair amount of enthusiasm about your career, you'll probably fail, with or without your spouse's referred business. The question really isn't "should I fake it?" but rather "how can I change my attitude?"

Now, if you don't need or want your spouse's support in your real estate career, then feel free to use him or her as your nightly sounding board to vent your frustrations on. It's okay, really! We all need someone to cry to. Just know that doing this puts your spouse in a difficult position when it comes to drumming up business for his beloved...

*SOI = Sphere of Influence = People Who Know You

http://www.sellwithsoul.com/

Yesterday, I wrote a blog.... about a reasonably good excuse to contact your clients from years past. You can read it here if you wanna. It's just about checking in with your clients at the five year anniversary of their real estate transaction with you.

Anyway, my good friend Allen Wright commented that I should send them a photo of the home they either bought or sold five years ago, just to add a little zing to my message. Great idea! Of course, that means that I'd actually have to HAVE a photo of the property from that time period, but, being the organization freak I am, I probably do. Gonna go digging through the archives today.

But that's not my point; it just reminded me of something I used to do with my buyers.

At some point during the buyer transaction, I'd "sneak" over to the house they were purchasing and take a bunch of photos. Bring 'em home, digitally file them away. Then, a year or two later, I'd create a slide show of the photos and zip it over to them. They were always, and I mean always, thrilled, usually because they'd made so many improvements and couldn't wait to show all their friends the beauty they'd created in their home.

Of course, this entails taking a long-term approach to your SOI* business and certainly won't pay off for you anytime soon. But that's the beauty of a long-term SOI strategy - put the pieces in place today... and tomorrow... and next week... and in a few years, you'll be set.

http://www.sellwithsoul.com/

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Related SOI Blogs:
For those going to the Expo - Make Your Clients Feel Special!
SOI in Action
"This is Jim at ABC Realty," an SOI Tidbit
My Friday Afternoon SOI Success Story

*SOI = Sphere of Influence = People Who Know You

First, thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on my blog earlier this week entitled "Where'd My MoJoGo?" where I bemoaned the fact that I have writer's block. My explanation was that I went from focusing on my audience (how can I HELP agents succeed?) to focusing on ME (Is what I'm writing marketable?) and in the process, lost my "voice."

Y'all advised to Step Away From the Computer and wait patiently for new inspiration to strike. Thank you for that! You were right!

During the time I was Away from the Computer, I did a lot of reading. And BAM! Was bombarded on all sides with further confirmation of my original suspicion that my shift in focus from my audience to my-self was to blame from my lack of MoJo. Isn't it amazing that you see/hear/read exactly what you need to, at the exact time you need to see/hear/read it?

Okay, so now I'm focusing on my audience which means... this blog is going from All About Me to All About You.

Have YOU lost your MoJo? Do you crawl reluctantly out of bed every morning... where you used to spring up, ready to face your day? Does your stomach sink when your cell phone rings... where before you used to leap to answer it? Do you dread listing appointments because you're tired of defending your commission and/or your pricing recommendations? Do you dread receiving offers on your listings because you know they're gonna suck? If you prospect FSBO's or Expireds, are you finding it harder to get started ‘cause you're tired of the rejection or just the lack of any response?

Well, maybe my lesson learned can help you, too.

Real estate forums are littered with questions from rookies and experienced agents alike asking:

• "How can I convince a FSBO that he needs a real estate agent (specifically me)?"
• "What can I write to an Expired that will compel him to call me?"
• "How can I convince my seller that he needs to reduce his price?"
• "How do I tell my buyer that his wish-list is unreasonable in this market?"
• "What can I write in my farm newsletter to inspire the reader to call me?"

In other words... "What Can I Do to Make My Life Better?" And that's fair. All of us want to make our own lives better, myself included. But maybe, just maybe... focusing on answering THAT question is what's drained your MoJo... and as a corollary, isn't working for you (or your clients).

How about asking instead:

• "How can I help that FSBO sell his home for top dollar and the least amount of hassle?"
• "What practical advice can I give to that Expired that will make the difference between a Sale... Or No Sale?" (and no, the right answer isn't "HIRE ME" unless you can actually ANSWER the question asked).
• "What are the benefits to my seller of reducing his price? Are there any alternatives to a price reduction I could advise?"
• "How can I help my buyer get as close as possible to his dream house within the price range we have to work with?"
• "What might my farm area be interested in reading about?"

Try asking these sorts of questions every time you're stuck in Woe is Me-land and see if the answers start to come.

http://www.sellwithsoul.com/

copyright Jennifer Allan 2007

p.s. Okay, back to ME for a sec. I took my own advice and have been sitting quietly for 20-30 minutes every morning before hitting the computer. WOW - what a difference it makes for my day. I savor my coffee, listen to the cows moo, throw the Frisbee for the dogs, maybe read a few pages of whatever book is lying open. The sense of calm and peace that comes over me (and stays over me) is amazing!

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