As real estate professionals, we know this business like the back of our hands. One look at a client’s profile and we know exactly what he needs. A more challenging and may be more rewarding strategy though would be asking a customer what exactly he wants. Often times, we miss the opportunity to know what our clients want because we’re too aggressive…
…in presenting them with what they need. To be more effective, you need to ditch this habit.
We may not like to admit it, but our moves are textbook. In a meeting, the first thing we usually tell our clients is about how great and fantastic we are at what we do. We give them the usual rundown of our references, past achievements, and statistics showing how well we are doing in the business. All of these bits of information are geared toward convincing our clients to buy a piece of real estate property. Of course, this mechanical approach makes sense as long as the deal is closed. If not however, we should start considering a different line of attack.
Keep on Asking What They Want
What we’ve learned from working with coaching clients from various industries is that the entire sales process gets easier, lighter and friendlier and ultimately results in a win-win situation for both the client and the agent when we start asking them what they want. A question as simple as this one works like magic: “I’m happy that you have chosen us and we could help you find the best fit for you out there, but tell me, what exactly do you want us to do? What do you want us to give you?”
Clients feel tremendously important and taken seriously when you keep asking them what they want. So reduce the unnecessary and unpleasant interruptions about our greatness and start getting interested in what they want. When clients sense the sincerity in your curiousness, they’ll be more willing to open up, resulting in more specific and appreciated services from you.
As you’ll learn, knowing what customers want often leads to the discovery of what they need. For instance, we know a lot of clients who’ve told us they would appreciate some assistance managing their online presence and social networking. This is a huge discovery and we might roll out a solution very soon that would address this apparent need of clients. Of course, we couldn’t have known this need had we not asked what they wanted.
Let’s start fixing our automatic routines. Let’s be deductive. Wants first before needs. Ask your clients more questions, so you can provide them with better solutions.