photo courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar
We all get calls. We hope they're good ones.
Since becoming a Realtor®, my phone rings daily. When I pick it up, I hope there's a friendly buyer or seller on the other end, eager to discuss their next move in the word of real estate, but the reality is that they are often sales calls from this or that company looking to sell me the latest and greatest real estate-based product.
Most of the time I let them get through a bit of their pitch to tell them I'm not interested. I'm sure they hate doing these calls as much as I have a distaste for cold-calling and door knocking, but it's like anything - it's a job. They have to feed their families and have a job to do, so they do what they can to make a living.
Vending with teeth.
We've all had our experiences with the angry, rude, and insulting salesman. Spend five minutes scoping through ActiveRain and you'll find plenty of posts about it. I don't think see how this is a viable option for selling a product or service, but apparently some out there in the real estate product world do. These vendors usually get a quick "click" sound in their ear (and a good write up on ActiveRain).
There seems to be a new shift however. Preying on the attempts by all of us to reach #1 on Google or get more leads because of our omnipresence on the interwebs, these vendors attack the weak and circle over the carcass until there's nothing left. They dazzle us with words like SEO, keywords, meta-tags, and the biggest one of all: Google. Talking Google with an agent is like talking Satan with the heathens in the early days of Christianity. The more fear you can strike into someone's heart, the more they will rush to your solution for salvation.
Feeling cornered, scared, and fearful that they can never understand the implications of failing to fall on their knees to worship the almighty Google, agents rush to their purses and wallets looking for instant gratification and the ability to trump their peers on the Almighty's website.
Like fire ants, piranhas, and killer bees; these salesmen are not predators, just opportunists. They feed on whatever is handed to them and attack indiscriminately. Whether for food or defense, these animals will attack relentlessly and not worry for the outcome. They are evil in the purest sense of the word. They have sharp teeth, but weak minds.
The cunning of a predator.
Predators work differently. They use their cunning, calculating minds to track their prey. They work to find the angle. They determine how best to attack. They have a plan. Vendors have recently become more and more predatory and some have honed their skills to fool even this skeptical agent.
I received a call recently about Terramont, a new master planned community in San Antonio. I've blogged about it, have a photo set on Flickr, and included it in my neighborhood MuellerMap. I use a product called AgentShield to help get people the answers to their questions about it and still try and retain the leads that come from it. It's a gorgeous community still in it's early stages and I would love to dominate the market there if at all possible.
Ring, ring. "This is Matt."
The caller on the end of the line is looking for some info on Terramont. Looks like my plans are working and I'm feeling excited. They mention they're looking to talk to the exclusive agent for Terramont. Many builders in our area team up with agents on an exclusive basis, but this is not the case with me in Terramont. In the interest of being honest, I explain this to the caller. I can buy/sell there, but I am not "exclusive" in any way with them. My brain notices the oddity of this part of the conversation, but carries on anyway.
We talk quite a bit about Terramont and the caller explains they had read my work on my site (even using the site name, rerockstar.com) and seemed to know quite a bit about the community. I'm keeping the conversation flowing and giving them all the info they ask for.
We're now seven minutes into a great conversation about a community that have I great interest when suddenly I find myself on the ground, teeth to my neck, ready to tear open my jugular. Helpless, hopeless, and in a position of weakness.
The caller is a saleswoman. She wants to sell me exclusive leads to a community that has barely begun construction. She launches into her pitch, salivating at the thought that I have become easy prey for her hunger for a sale. I'm trapped. Most predators work on the basis of stunning their prey and this is no difference. I can't cry for help, run, or call in reinforcements. I am a victim of predatory vending.
Predatory vending.
You've all heard the pitches, "I saw your website and see you're very successful in your market..." Butter me up, so I taste better when you attack. Typically, I ask "which site" or ask them about something specific in order to catch them in their own lie (sure they saw me on ActiveRain, but they know nothing of the content). The game has changed. These pitch-masters are armed to the teeth with information. They have read our blogs, looked into our specialties and interests and know exactly what to say to keep our attention long enough to create a safe feeling over the phone. After they've made friends with us, they have us where they want us and go for the throat. They then bedazzle us with their pitches and next thing we know, we're handing our credit card information to a stranger in the hopes that they can change our career for the better.
Lucky for me I have a thick hide.
The term predatory vending was coined by good friend Mark Eckenrode in a phone conversation. If you want to see genius at work, check him out. Funny, knowledgeable, and an all around good guy to know.
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