Becoming a Great Agent

I am fortunate to be around many great agents, even some who are super producers.  I often wonder, "What gets them such different results?"  Over the next few posts, let's consider four qualities that produce that great agent difference.  If you want to grow your results, your production, your income - these are points that will help you do it.

Point 1:  Great agents have defined systems.  They are not inventing the wheel over and over.  They don't have to slow down to determine what needs to happen at this point in the transaction.  They know.  How?  They have systems.  Activities that need repeating: Buyer interviews, listing appointment follow up, contract to closing duties, monthly communication with past clients - Great agents have systems that guide them through these activities.  Super producers may delegate the task to others, but the habit to imitate is systems.  Start small and grow from there:

• Define a process that you are currently repeating
• Write down every step in simple brain storm fashion
• Let it simmer a few days - you'll think of other items to add
• Sequence the order of the steps
• Pick a tool: spreadsheet, Google Doc, or action plan from your database tool 
• Input the system into that tool
• Execute and test
• Refine and keep rolling along

Give it a try on one of your small routines this week.  See where you can grow.  

Next post we'll look at another quality of great agents: prospecting.  What are they doing differently? 

Frustrated Sellers

As we enter the fall season, seller frustrations may increase.  It's possible that you may even have a seller like the one in this video.  What she's really communicating are four areas of concern:

• Uncertain Communication
• Unconvinced on pricing data
• Unclear on Upcoming steps
• Unrealistic expectations

Believe it or not, these are four failures in the service of the agent.  We do best by taking responsibility for these areas and making corrections.  Regarding communication, make sure you that you define your communication process when you list the property. I recommend a weekly call or e-mail .... every week!  It's always better to initiate the contact rather than respond to one.


To get the seller onboard with right pricing, make sure that you are updating your client with comparable sales throughout their listing cycle.  Agent feedback (chase it) and systematic reports from the MLS on comparable new listings will also help.  A really tough client may merit an appraisal to establish a reasonable listing price.


If the seller doesn't know what's coming next, there's only one person to blame.  Make sure your seller is informed by having a written or posted plan that covers up to one year's worth of marketing activity.  Sure you may repeat many steps, but always demonstrate action on a weekly basis toward the goal of selling that property. If you have a long marketing cycle, consider meeting the seller personally on a monthly or quarterly basis to supplement your correspondence and calls. 


Unrealistic expectations can be countered over time.  Charts, news stories, video footage can all be your allies as you paint an accurate picture of market conditions.  Particularly important is data that reveals the realities of changing market conditions.  What can you use to demonstrated the reality of declining prices this Fall?  


So let's replace those first four qualities above by being proactive in each area.  Soon you will have a seller that is

• Confident about your communications
• Certain about the need for a compelling price
• Clear on the next steps
• Cerebral about what will happen in the market.

That client makes for a much better interaction with you and a lot less stress in your listing service.

Seller Management

Seller management may sound a bit severe, but it is one of the most important skill sets for us to master.  Sellers contract our service to meet their objectives, but part of meeting those objectives requires directing the process.  When a listing agent combines competence with confidence, she is in position to drive the marketing and transaction process.  Here are four areas in which to measure your skills: 

1. Setting Expectations: at listing contract, we often determine the outcome of the client's experience. Are you clear in communicating the process and how you will serve the seller? 
2. Weekly Communication: what is the routine for your communication? What is the content for those conversations?  It is critical to stay in front of the seller and have a plan that covers the entire seller cycle.
3. Handling Crisis: every transaction has at least one.  What will you do to transform the unexpected and the intense into something that leaves the client promoting your skills?
4. Presenting Offers: in a market where offers are often viewed as insulting, how will you enable your seller to process their emotions without forfeiting the opportunity encased in that paperwork? Effective coaching and patience in negotiating help you land your client with the most favorable offer.

Without intention, we can create a poor or even unsuccessful experience for a seller. Knowing how you work, having a system, and most importantly executing that system will allow you to control the process and achieve the goals of your client.

Pesky Client Remedies

The other day I was listening to a colleague describe the emotional fatigue that comes with a client who over-engages in the transaction. The latest problem revealed itself when the buyer-client shadowed the home inspector throughout the inspector's entire tour of the home. The result was excessive time on site followed by worry, worry, and more worry. Like an annoying drip throughout the transaction, this client kept nagging about every detail of the process. In spite the efforts of her terrific agent and a very cooperative seller, the buyer continued to complicate the transaction. What's to be done?

Here are a few tips for dealing with the over-engaged client:

1. Identify the Emotions: successful sales professionals invest a large portion of time up front to identify the motivations, emotions and past experiences of clients. These are the past results will shape the current outlook of the client as you work together. "What are your major concerns about this transaction?" - the answers to this question will help you design a successful sales cycle for this client. Be sure to use the treasured tool: "Tell me more," as you explore their answers.

2. Temperament Assessment: there are a variety of tools for assessing temperment, but over-engaged clients are often high-control types and/or inquisitive about the details of any process they encounter. Rather than fight this mindset, embrace it. Provide the added value of more details through your internet tools, vendor relationships, and past experiences.

2. Over-Communicate: Design systems that overcome fears, worries, and meddling before they occur. For example: before showing property, have a standard e-mail or phone script to cover the issue of decision-making with the client. "We are not going out simply to look at property, but to select your next home. It is important that you are prepared to take action." This is good script that can help combat purchase-reluctance. Providing this type of communication in your initial consultation, in a follow up e-mail, and in a standard call script will suggest and embed decision-making into the client's thinking. This is not manipulation, but it is one of the ways that we serve our clients by preparing them to make good decisions when opportunities present.

3. Stay Ahead: Be in front of the client at all times during the transaction. You have traveled this ground before; the client has not. For example, consider sending out an extensive communication about the home inspection one week before it occurs. Let the client know what to expect, how the inspector works, the turn-around time for receiving a report, and remind them of the repair negotiation clause conditions of their contract with the seller. If you anticipate that the client may over-engage the inspector, suggest that they arrive one hour after the inspector so that they can be briefed efficiently and fully of the inspector's findings rather than bogging down the process.

So instead of heading toward the finish line of closing exhausted, hair-pulling and grinding your teeth from a client that just won't quit, build smooth paths and direct easy steps through each detail. You'll decrease your stress and keep the shine on your smile. Happy Sales!