Three Rules to Real Estate Marketing Success
People are self-interested.
That means they don’t care about the car you drive. How many houses you sold. The number of awards you’ve won. What school you went to. Who you work for or how long you’ve been in the business.
All they want to know is this: What’s in it for me?
The sooner you recognize that, the sooner you’ll jump-start your leads, pump up your production and revive your career.
Listen. I can’t think of any better piece of advice to give you as a real estate agent–heck, as a person–than what I’m about to share.
In fact, follow this piece of advice and I guarantee you that not only will business pick up for you–but your life will gain an increasing amount of happiness, confidence and fun.
Because what I’m talking about is really the secret for good living. It’s paradoxical and goes against the grain of what people will tell you. But here’s the deal: It works.
Follow this advice and the following three rules that follow from it and your leads and production will take a leap forward the moment you start.
The piece of advice is this: Don’t focus on you. Focus on people. Here are some rules to help you live that out.
Rule One: People Hate to Be Sold–But Love to Buy
People want control. Buying suggests control. Being sold is just the opposite. People feel under pressure. Out of control.
And what do people do when they feel out of control? Either fight or run. You want to avoid that.
So how do you put people in the buying mood? Simple. You identify their problems and desires…and then show them how you can solve those problems and satisfy those wants.
The Problem-Agitate-Solve formula is a perfect example of this.
If you want to attract sellers, tell them that you can sell their home for the most money in the least amount of time. Two things sellers want: A fast sale and high value for their home.
Thing is, if you don’t think you can do that for someone…don’t offer to. You’ll set yourself up for failure…and that’s not good for your reputation.
Now, if you want to attract buyers, convince them that you can help them buy the most home for the least amount of dollars. Convince them that you can get them in a home they never dreamed they could afford. Show them that you can find the a family-friendly neighborhood…or an urban, upscale home near the theater and museum.
The point is, find out what they love and want…and tell them you can help them satisfy those desires.
Rule Two: Emotions Drive People’s Buying Decisions…Not Logic
Even though top-notch trainers spout this one a lot, few people really get it right .
Regardless of what your client tells you…no one buys or sells a home with logic. No. People buy or sell on emotional reasons. That’s why it’s so important to connect with people’s emotions.
How do you do that? Start with the seven deadly sins: fear, greed, vanity, lust, pride, envy and laziness.
Some people want to keep up with the Joneses [envy]. Others want to be better than the Joneses [vanity]. And still others want away from the Joneses [fear].
Your job is to spot the dominant emotion…and stoke it.
How do you do this? Ask questions and listen. Then ask more questions. And you know you’re getting close to a dominant emotion when they start to share feelings.
It’s that dominant emotion you’ll need to focus on when you need to close a deal.
Rule Three: People Use Logic to Justify Their Buying Decisions
Don’t stop with the emotions, though. Once they close the deal, their rational side will kick in to start questioning their decision. That’s when you need to cut off any kind of remorse right away.
Here’s a couple ways you could do that:
“Hey, we couldn’t pass up the $8,000 tax credit on this house.” Emotional reason: It’s 125 square feet bigger than Joneses.
“Hey, it’s almost $200,000 more than we wanted to spend, but we couldn’t pass up the finished basement on this baby!” Emotional reason: I wanted a bigger house than my boss.
“Sure the mortgage payments will spread us thin, but it’s close to better schools.” Emotional reason: The neighborhood was getting dangerous.
You get the picture? Good. Now, master these three rules and your career and life will gradually get better and better.
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