Selling Soulfully with Jennifer Allan

THANK YOU THANK YOU AR Gods for featuring my little rant last week about whether or not an 80/20% business model (where 80% of one's time is devoted to prospecting and 20% devoted to client care) is a wise course to take in a real estate career. I can't say enough how encouraging it was to hear so many commenters jump on the "clients-first" bandwagon, proclaiming that while they acknowledge prospecting for new clients must be done, it should NOT be done at the expense of one's current clients!

Yay!

In the original blog, I promised to return with some more thoughts of my own on the matter, but most of those thoughts were already spoken within the nearly 100 comments. But I'll make good on my promise and share mine anyway, even though they'll likely just echo the brilliance provided by those who participated in the discussion.

Thought #1
If you are a new or struggling real estate agent and don't have any (or many) clients to care for, then I suppose you should be spending some signficant time looking for some - in other words, you probably can't fill up all or most of your working hours serving the clients you don't yet have. HOWEVER... hold true to the philosophy of putting clients first - when you get up in the morning, make darn sure that your current clients and prospects are fully taken care of before you even think about prospecting. GET INTO THIS HABIT EARLY and it will pay off for you big time in the future. I promise.

Thought #2
As many pointed out, taking great care of the clients you have is a FANTASTIC prospecting strategy. Those who neglect their current clients so they can pursue their future ones darn well better enjoy that pursuit because they'll be doing it their entire careers. In other words, very few referrals cometh to agents who don't take good care of their clients when they have them.  

But maybe that's okay for the 80/20 crowd. Maybe they're so awesome at prospecting, they don't need the trust, affection and referrals of their current and past clients, so it doesn't matter if their clients don't think much of them during and after their time together. The 80/20's just spend the rest of their career devoting 80% of your time prospecting! Hey, it's one business model that many subscribe to and they make it work, so if that sounds like fun to you, knock yourself out!

Thought #3
As many mentioned in the original blog, a 20/80 model (20% prospecting, 80% client care) IS a viable strategy once you have enough clients to care for. Spend your days taking great care of your clients and then stay in touch with them on a reasonably regular basis afterwards (which probably won't take even 20% of your time) and I promise you - you'll be golden. 

Thanks for such a great discussion, my friends!

* * *

We're closing out the 2011 Season in the SWS Virtual Studio with two related teleseminar shows... one this Thursday and one the following Thursday. This week's show is called "Secrets of Successful SWS'ers" and next week's is the grand finale - "Are You the Best Real Estate Agent You Know?" To register, just visit the SWS Calendar of Events here: www.SellwithSoul.com/about/calendar.

There was a featured blog here in the Rain a few weeks ago advising agents to devote 80% of their time prospecting for new business and 20% dealing with current business (i.e. active buyers and sellers). This isn't the first time we've seen this advice and it won't be the last; in fact, most Big Name training programs proclaim that a real estate agent's primary job is to prospect; that agents should vigorously resist the temptation to abandon their daily prospecting when clients call with pesky, administrative, non-income-producing problems to solve.

But I can't help but wonder... If a real estate agent's primary job is to prospect... and if the job our clients have hired us to perform for them can be done in a few hours a week... how on earth do we justify charging fees in the thousands and thousands of dollars?

Hold that thought while we return to the advice to devote far more time to prospecting than to serving...

Let's say that all this focused prospecting is paying off, and an agent is gathering an impressive book of real estate business - 5, 10, 20, 40 active buyers and sellers. Bravo! 

But, hmmmmm, just because the agent now has more clients to serve doesn't add hours to the day, so if he insists (as he's advised to do) on sticking to his 80/20 plan (because it's working so well!), his current clients are obviously going to be receiving smaller and smaller slices of his care and attention.

"But," the Power Prospector protests, "if I don't make prospecting a priority in my business and I do focus on my current clients, down the road I'll find myself with an empty pipeline and I can't have THAT! So, even if I'd like to do the job I promised to do I'd prefer to provide great service to my clients, I can't because I need to ensure that I always have new business coming in."

Well, um...

I'm guessing your current clients wouldn't think much of this argument, especially as they're feeling more and more neglected by the agent who promised them the world in service - and isn't delivering. I'm guessing they aren't singing his praises around the water cooler or at yoga class. I'm thinking that if they knew his business model was predicated on spending the vast majority of his time searching for, preparing for and pitching to his future clients instead of taking care of THEM, his current clients, they might have thought twice about hiring him in the first place.

Here's the thing. Taking proper care of your clients takes time. Your need for a full pipeline doesn't change the fact that you made promises and commitments to the buyers and sellers who believed you would take great care of them and their real estate needs. Believe me, they did NOT hire you because they were impressed by your prospecting prowess; they hired you because you assured them you'd take better care of them than any of the other agents they considered honoring with their business.

The bottom line is that if you can't handle more than X number of active buyers and sellers without sacrificing your service to them, then I guess you shouldn't be looking for more business when you already have as much as you can properly take care of.

Now let's go back to the first concept in this blog - if you're only devoting a few hours or even a few minutes a week to your clients, don't you think they might start to wonder what on earth they're paying you so much money for? And IF WHAT WE DO FOR OUR CLIENTS IS SO EASY THAT IT ONLY TAKES 20% OF OUR TIME OR WE CAN HAND IT OFF TO A $12/HOUR ASSISTANT, are our services really worth the fees we charge?

You can't have it both ways. You can't say, on one hand, that client care is simply a collection of administrative tasks that can be handled in your spare time or by an assistant, and THEN in the next breath declare that your client-care services are extremely valuable and should be well-compensated.

For the record, I don't believe that what we do is easy and I do believe we deserve to be well-compensated... as long as... we're doing the job we were HIRED to do and giving it our full attention.

I'll continue this soon, but please share your thoughts with me!

RELATED RANT
If Real Estate is So Easy, How Do You Justify Your Fee? 

I’d already been rather distressed this last week about something - and the timing is unfortunate because I have so many other things to do besides rant and rave and whine and fuss about my Issue du Jour (or du Week?) ... and then I saw Leslie Ebersole's excellent featured blog called "Mocking Me Won't Make Me Buy" and was inspired to put my rantings and ravings and fussings on "paper."

In the last 7 days, I’ve received no fewer than 12 emails or calls from real estate agents who are frustrated with the messages they’re getting from their high-priced "coaches" telling them that WHO THEY ARE isn’t good enough and unless they change WHO THEY ARE, they’ll fail. They’re paying Big Bucks for this message to be delivered to them on a regular basis and they seem to think the advice is warranted - that they truly aren’t good enough.

What a number that message is doing on their psyches! I have to wonder… maybe this is being snarky… but I have to wonder if that’s the intent – to play on the agents’ insecurities so they’ll keep forking over the $200/month, $500/month or even $1,000/month for coaching that seems intent on convincing the coachee that they’re, well, not good enough!

Now, I’m not talking about simply encouraging these agents to work a little harder, or work a little smarter or be a little more consistent. No, as far as I can tell, these programs are advising agents to venture WAY out of their comfort zones into places that they REEEALLY don’t want to go – and for some reason the agents aren’t making the connection that something that creeps them out might be wrong for them!

Here's the thing. Hiring a coach and writing him or her big check doesn't change who YOU are. If today you're creeped out by an approach to prospecting or deal-closing, don't think it's going to be any different tomorrow just because you signed up for an expensive program. You'll still be creeped out, I promise.

As I’ve said once or twice or a dozen times… if something feels wrong to you; if something makes you feel icky and dread getting up in the morning – it’s WRONG for you! And you don’t have to do it to succeed, no matter how much money you just paid someone to convince you that you should or how much they try to make you feel inferior for hesitating! You CAN succeed by being wonderful, extraordinary, one-of-a-kind YOU, I promise!

Okay, rant over. For now.

Related to a recent blog entitled "READ THIS Before Your Next Price Reduction Recommendation, today's post is about HOW to recommend a price reduction if it comes to that without blowing your credibility, or, frankly, ticking off your seller.

In a perfect world (and why not strive for that?), a price reduction is rarely necessary. In this perfect world, real estate agents price, prepare, and present their properties properly (I love alliteration) and therefore homes sell in a reasonable amount of time without the need for a price adjustment. Agents don't capitulate to the demands of sellers to overprice a home, nor do they "buy" listings with inflated estimates of market value, planning to push for a price reduction six weeks later.

Okay, so it's not a perfect world and L'il Miss Smarty-Pantz JAH didn't always score a 10 on the beam either when it came to pricing her listings for sale. Pricing is an art, not a science; the "right price" is a constantly moving target, and can be affected by many factors outside our control. So, it happens. Sometimes a price adjustment is the right thing to do.

So, what might be some ways to approach the price reduction conversation with your seller without jeopardizing your credibility (hey, YOU suggested or agreed to the price in the first place!) or otherwise creating unnecessary drama and angst between the two of you?

I have a few suggestions, but would like to hear yours!

1. Prepare the seller ahead of time that a price adjustment may be required if the market doesn't respond as favorably to the home as we hope it will. But do this carefully, not with a pre-printed price adjustment form or with a snotty attitude of "Well, we'll TRY it your way if you insist, but BE PREPARED to reduce the price," but rather as if you have just as much to lose as the seller does. In other words, "as if" you're on the seller's team... which you are, right!?

2. If you recommended (or agreed to) a price believing with all your heart that you were in the ballpark, but discover that, um, you weren't, take the blame. Admit that you were wrong and that you're very sorry you got the seller's hopes up. Perhaps something like:  "Bob and Sue, I blew it. I really thought your house was nice enough to overcome XXX, but I was wrong. I'm glad we gave it a try, but I do think we're going to have to reduce the price significantly. Let me tell you what I'm thinking..."

3. As pontificated about in the original blog, it's best NOT to lead with a price reduction as your primary solution, for several reasons. One of those reasons is that if you are able to suggest alternatives to a price adjustment and the seller rejects your suggestions (e.g. stage the home, replace the carpet, mow the lawn, etc.), then you can feel much better about recommending a price reduction because it's actually the seller making the choice to reduce instead of fix or improve.

4. Related to #1, when a seller wants to push the price beyond your comfort level and if he's not too far removed from reality, agree to try his price for a week to ten days, no more. Don't get snotty about it because the fact is, you don't have a crystal ball; maybe the market will respond more positively than you expect! Say something like this: "Okay, let's try it for a week or so. It's a bit higher than I'd like, but I don't want to give away your money if I'm wrong. If we aren't getting the activity we need or if the feedback indicates the price is high, we'll reduce it to $XXX,XXX, deal?"

So... there are some suggestions that worked for me... any you'd like to share with the class?

I have a friend who listed her house with one of the top agents in her area. They went on the market about two months ago, at the exact price the agent recommended and supported with his market analysis. Showings were brisk at first, then trickled off, as typically happens. Feedback has been generally positive, although the home is rather unique and simply not practical for many buyers, and the feedback has reflected that.

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, the agent recommended a $50,000 price reduction. This caught my seller friend by surprise since the feedback she'd received never mentioned that pricing was an issue; most of the negative feedback centered on the unique features of the home that made it "not work" for the buyer. But no one, to her knowledge, had mentioned price as an obstacle. My friend asked the agent for an explanation of his recommendation, but no explanation cometh, the agent simply reiterated his recommendation that she reduce her price.

My friend came to me for advice. I suggested she ask him the following questions as to the WHY of his recommendation:

1. Has there been consistent feedback that we are overpriced? (If so, it has not been shared with us.) 
2. How is the overall market right now? Is anything in our price range selling? Is the market typically slower this time of year?
3. If the market is not interested in our home at the current price, would your recommended price reduction change that? 
4. Will reducing the price by $50,000 overcome buyer's objections to the unique character of the home, or will buyers still expect a more traditional home?
5. Are homes in your recommended price range getting more activity than homes in our current range?

and the kicker...

6. Has the market changed significantly since you recommended the price we listed at? 

My friend is not categorically opposed to reducing her price if that's the right answer, or to withdraw the home from the market and wait for a better time to sell. But she wants (and deserves) information. A coherent explanation. Some evidence that her agent (who is supposed to be looking out for her best interests) put a little effort and thought into her situation -- and his recommendation.

Contrary to what we like to believe, our sellers are not stupid and they aren't unreasonably stubborn. But when we recommend a list price, back it up with data, and then, like clockwork, push for a reduction to that price six weeks later without explanation or exploration of other solutions, home-sellers have every right to be frustrated with us and to question our credibility. To doubt our commitment to their best interests. Or perhaps, to reach the conclusion that we're just lazy.

(My friend is thinking all these things about her agent and I can't blame her).

The moral of the story... before you recommend a price reduction, make sure you have answers to all the questions YOU would ask if it were YOUR home on the market and your agent advised you to give up a chunk of your equity. DO your homework, not just to pacify the seller, but also to determine if, indeed, a price reduction is the right solution. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. But be a PROFESSIONAL real estate agent and find out.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to price it right in the first place.

RELATED BLOGS
When Your Listing Isn't Selling, What's the First Thing to Fix - All together now...
STOP! Before You Reduce the Price!
If Price is All That Matters, What Do They Need Us For?

So... whatcha' thinking I might be thinking here? More lunch dates? More blogs? More Facebook, Twittering or Linking In? Or, egads, more cold-calling, door-knocking or referral-begging?

Nope.

Here's a reeeeal easy way to double your business every single year.

EARN one referral from every single client.

If every buyer and seller you serve, every year, were to send just one buyer or seller your way in the twelve months following your time together, you'd double your business, wouldn't you? And of course, if your buyer or seller is that tickled with you that they'll send one person your way, I'm guessing they might do it again... and again... and maybe even again!

So, how do you go about inspiring your buyers and sellers to refer business to you?

Expensive closing gifts?
Nope.

Incessant reminders of your affection for referrals?
Nope.

Monthly newsletters and postcards showcasing your listings?
Nope.

Boilerplate greeting cards on the one month, three month, six month and one year anniversaries of their closing?
No again.

A contract signed at closing where your buyer or seller commits to sending you at least three referrals?
OMG, no.

Gifts, drips, cards or contracts won't inspire anyone to send you business. Oh, they might remind someone that you exist and how to find you, but unless they already think highly of you as a real estate agent, ain't no business coming your way as a result of said gifts, drips, cards or contracts.

It's so, so, so simple. Just be great at what you do. Take care of your current clients as your very first priority. Go the extra mile (where, to paraphrase Roger Staubach, there's not much traffic). And then stay in touch just enough to remind without becoming a nuisance.

And watch your business grow...

RELATED BLOGS:
Y'think Your Clients Are Talking About Their Real Estate Agent?
If a Tree Falls in the Forest and Nobody Hears it, Is Your Realtor Doing His Job?
Okay, So the Sign's in the Yard, What Next?
Ten Ways to Show Your Seller You Don't Care
I'm the Best Listing Agent I know

During a recent SWS Teleseminar show (Negotiate with Soul) a discussion arose as to whether or not a listing agent should "remind" the buyer agent of the buyer's contingency deadlines. We didn't exactly call it "reminding," but rather "checking in" or "following up," but to my ear, it's the same thing as "reminding."

For example, in Colorado, there is a loan approval deadline which somewhat functions as the Drop Dead date in a transaction. If the buyer does not have loan approval by that deadline (typically a few days to a week prior to closing), he can do one of three things. He can:

1. Terminate the contract and receive a refund of his earnest money, no questions asked, or

2. Ask for an extension of the loan approval deadline (which the seller has the option to grant or not), or

3. Do nothing.

Please note - the onus is on the BUYER to notify the other party if there is a problem with the loan. If the buyer does nothing, it is assumed that the loan is fine, and the earnest money goes "hard" - that is - if the transaction does not close on time, the seller has the option to keep the buyer's earnest money. But NOT HAVING LOAN APPROVAL DOES NOT TERMINATE THE CONTRACT and if it still somehow can close on time, great!

So, back to the question, (assuming an agency relationship exists) should a listing agent remind the buyer agent about the loan approval deadline?

You can probably tell by my tone what my opinion is... but first, what's yours?

Yesterday, we did a teleseminar show in the SWS Virtual Studio about negotiating - specifically, negotiating on behalf of our buyers and sellers (as opposed to any sort of fee or commission negotiation). I was joined in the studio by Blake Farley, from Silver City, New Mexico and from the positive feedback I received on her presentation and brilliance, I'm guessing you'll be seeing her on future shows - GREAT JOB, Blake!

The format of the show was that Blake and I took turns sharing our top ten favorite tips and strategies for keeping negotiations on track and civil... and, oh yeah, maximizing the likelihood that our client gets what he wants without any unnecessary drama, chaos or angst. At the end of the show, I asked the audience to tell me what their favorite tip(s) of the day was/were, and here were the results:

Favorit-est Tip #1: When negotiations get hot and heavy, withdraw. Dead silence from your side. Don't tell the other agent you're "thinking about it" or going to "sleep on it," just stop all communication until the next day. Very unsettling to the other side, and keeps your client from getting carried away by the emotion of the negotiation.

Favorite-est Tip #2: Never believe anyone when they say "This is our best offer" or "This is our bottom line," and related, never let the deal die on your side. No one knows what their best offer or bottom line is until they've either signed an agreement, or rejected one. When the other agent presents a counter-offer to you and tells you "this is the best we can do," pay no attention. If your client still wants the house (or still wants to sell), counter back. More often than not, the negotiation will continue beyond the previously stated "best" or "bottom."

Favorit-est Tip #3: Related to 2, never ask your buyer or seller for their bottom line or highest-and-best. If you do, you force them to commit to a figure and they might be uncomfortable down the road if they're willing to go higher or lower. A side benefit to this strategy is that you won't be accused of spilling the beans to the other side if, by chance, the offer or counter comes in at the exact figure they shared with you. If a buyer or seller tells you what their highest-and-best or bottom line is, act as if you didn't hear them ;-]

Favorit-est Tip #4: Get everything in writing - no oral negotiating. When agreements are reached over the phone, something always comes up when it's time to put the agreement on paper, creating unnecessary drama. It's easy enough today to just "write it up," and keeps everyone on the same page, so to speak.

(Tied for) Favorit-est Tips #5, 6 & 7: (Almost) always counter an offer, even on technicalities to keep the buyer from feeling he could have/should have offered less; as the listing agent, don't remind the buyer's agent of contingency deadlines (to protect your seller's right to retain earnest money); and always remember whom you represent, which helps you be a stronger negotiator and not make an idiot out of yourself with your own client!

Other tips from the show:

• Make the offer price/counter price "attractive" to the other side by rounding up or down (e.g. $279,900 versus $280,000)
• When countering, use positive statements when possible - e.g. instead of "No termite inspection," say "Buyer to pay for termite inspection."
• Realize that you can say NO - and that the other side sometimes fully expects you to.
• Set expectations with your clients BEFORE you get to the offer stage (e.g. market conditions, communication, etc.)
• Negotiate delayed possession for staged and owner-occupied properties, in case the loan falls apart at the last minute
• Try to give the other side an opportunity to save face when negotiating - don't reject a counterproposal outright - give a little bit, even a token amount or concession.

If you missed the show, you can purchase a recording of it in the SWS Bookstore for $3.99, or join Club SWS for $10/month and get access to recordings of all past, present and future SWS shows!

A few months ago, I was contacted by one of my customers who had just purchased my Listing Analyzer for Expired Listings which is a dandy little tool to help agents figure out why an expired listing didn't sell with the previous agent... and what they can (and should) do better this go-around.

She was a little miffled by something she saw in there - specifically - my implication that the previous listing agent "failed" to sell the house and that somehow, that was HIS/HER fault!

She asked me: "So, Jennifer, you're saying that if I can't sell a listing, it's MY fault?"

Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying.

Are you a bit miffled with me now, too? ;-]

Here's the thing.

When a seller wannabe honors us with his business, we agree to take on a serious responsibility. Our job as a listing agent, when done right anyway, entails far more than just getting some signatures on an agreement, putting a sign in the yard, entering some words into the MLS and installing a lockbox. More than just holding open houses, creating pretty brochures, taking good pictures and pursuing buyer feedback. More, even, than just pricing properly!

It's our job to know:

1) if the property is sellable at all (not all are), and,

2) what it will take to sell it and,

3) how to effectively communicate with the seller wannabe so that he understands and accepts how his actions and decisions affect the final outcome, and how to inspire him to do his part.

So, Ms. Smarty Pantz, are you saying YOU sold all YOUR listings because you're so freakin' perfect?

Nope. I didn't sell all my listings and I'm far from perfect. But when my listings didn't sell, I'll be the first to say it was MY FAULT.

Agree? Disagree? Unsure? Tell me!

So, you have a buyer who is bound and determined to get a killer deal on some real estate, huh? He’s heard-tell of this here “buyer’s market” and wants to get himself a piece of that action. Even if it takes all year…

Sigh.

We’ve all been there. Worked with buyers who, in our opinions, were unrealistic about the extent of this here buyer’s market and the depths to which sellers are willing to go to offload their properties. They’ve listened to late-night seminars or their Uncle Charlie who provided “expert” advice on how to properly offer on a property (asking price MINUS repairs needed MINUS profit desired MINUS margin for risk MINUS 25%-for-good-measure) without regard for whether or not the asking price is reasonable or not.

They want a deal. And they want you to help them get a deal.

So, you find them exactly what they say they’re looking for. A well-priced home in a good location that needs just the right amount of work to satisfy their need for adding value with cosmetic upgrades.

Yay, sez you! Yay, sez your buyer!

You head for the offer table and the buyer wants to offer low. Really low. Obnoxiously low. Ridiculously low. Unreasonably low. (I’ll stop now, you get my drift).

What do you do?

Write ‘er up.

Yep, write it up as per the instructions of your client. No fussing, no arguing, no defending the asking price. If your buyer wants your opinion, he’ll ask for it. Not to say you can’t provide market data if he seems at all interested, but in most cases, especially early on, he won’t be. He wants a deal and he’s certainly entitled to go after it.

Why shouldn’t you try to talk him out of low-balling?

• The buyer is the boss. It’s his money and he has the right to spend it (or not) the way he sees fit. 
• You never know what the seller will accept. If you tried to talk your buyer “up” and the seller accepts his low offer, you’re toast in the credibility department.
• The buyer hired you to be on his team. His wants are your wants. His preferences, your preferences.
• If you argue with your buyer over offer price, he’ll wonder if you’re in cahoots with the seller or listing agent, again, jeopardizing your credibility.

Of course, it’s up to you to decide if you want to continue working with the low-balling buyer! You are certainly entitled to end the relationship if it’s not satisfying to you, just as he’s entitled to make whatever ridiculous, unreasonable, obnoxious offer he wants to. But before you fire a low-balling buyer, consider this…

Think of all the good that can come of this experience!

Um….what good, Jennifer?

Tell ya what – I’ve overstayed my welcome on this blog today, so I'll open the floor to your comments. Any thoughts on why you might not want to fire that bottom-feeding, low-balling buyer o'yours?