5 Ways to Hang with the Big Dogs in Your Market by Exploiting Their Weaknesses
Every market has one: the hot shot real estate agent. She probably has a small army working for her. For sale signs in hundreds of yards at any given time. A monster Humvee with her mug plastered over it.
She’s the the only game in town. That’s because she’s got a lot of strengths. But she’s also got a lot of weaknesses. And you are about to exploit those.
1. Killer POV
What makes you different from the big dogs? Is it clear and concise? Is it meaningful to the prospect? Do you provide something your competitor can’t? Do you do something better than your competitor?
The answers to these questions will define who you are. That definition should be strong and distinct and irresistable. And once you’ve defined your POV, you need to consistently deliver on that message.
2. Stay Flexible
The top dogs are effecient. They are lean and mean. They have system they’ve refined over years–and work that system. Any deviation from that system will lead to an ouster.
This is a weakness you can exploit.
As a small shop you can offer creative and personal services. You can deliver fresh ideas, pounce on opportunities quickly and stay in personal contact with your client the entire time. That’s what happens when you are small and flexible.
3. Know the Customer
The big dog will have likely figured out who the customer is years ago–and that vision of who they are will never change. Our their system is designed for a particular customer. You can exploit that rigidity by staying current with the locals, talking to them in coffee shops, at the supermarket or ball fields. This might lead to insights hidden from the big dog. Insights you can exploit.
4. Never Delegate
Big dogs usually handle the initial phone call (rarely, though, given their assistances field all those calls–the big dogs are just too busy with top clients to bother answering calls from just anybody!), and that’s about it. After that it’s delegated to an up-and-comer. The message to the client is you are not important enough to deal with the big dog.
You can exploit this de-personalized approach by showing up yourself–and bringing along significant members of your team. Demonstrate to clients that their happiness is something that you fully commit to. And you are giving the prospect a clear picture of who they are working with.
5. Be Friendly
It’s a basic rule of human nature: people like to work with people they like. Build a relationship with a prospect by investigating them through the web, talking to people they know and just sitting down to get to know them. Don’t be all business. Find out their family, where they work and what they like to do. This is a slow process, but it will pay dividends. And it’s an approach for a big dog to execute.
6. Solve, Solve, Solve
The big dog’s approach to buying and selling real estate is lean, mean and efficient. That’s because it’s a template. It has to be this way if they want to be profitable. That’s it’s strength.
It’s weakness is that it doesn’t allow for a personalized problem-solving approach. You can exploit this weakness by understanding your prospects needs and challenges, and then providing solutions.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
Lead Generation Strategies: Seeker-Oriented v. Attract Oriented