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Who Are You? Why Are You Here? by Ryan Fletcher

By
Real Estate Agent with Starlight Realty Certified REO & Short Sale Specialist

The secret marketing strategy (and example) to eliminate rejection.  

Who are you? Why are you here? It's these two questions that are on the mind of every prospect you approach. Hate to say it, but the 1950's are gone. When we walk out the door in the morning for work, there's no friendly neighbor waving and wishing you a good day. And the rampant pace at which we all live our lives is only getting faster. If you really stop, objectively, stand back, and look at the world, we're a society of hopped-up lab rats addicted to caffeine, energy drinks, we require pills and $2.99 shots of sugar just to stay awake, we thrive on convenience, there's an "app" for everything - and we sleep next to our Droids and Blackberries.   We're a society of "speed."      When my grandpa was in real estate, he knew everyone in the community. People talked with strangers, visited and got to know each other. Those days are gone. The "everybody knows everybody" stuff, in large, is dead. The exception, not the norm. It's sad, but the proof and evidence is on the front porch, and if you door-knock, you know this to be true. Where the welcome mat has been replaced with a "Do Not Solicit" sign. And a good majority don't even know their neighbors, nor do they want to. More or less, "You just stay over there, and occasionally we'll smile like we care"... is the attitude.     Ten years ago, if you had a car phone, you had this big weird bag-like object sitting between your seats, like a suitcase. My dad had one. But, I suspect, if seen by a teenager of today their reaction would be akin to having seen an alien, "What in the... is that?"   Times have changed. Drastically.   Thankfully, selling has not. Good salespeople 30 years ago are good salespeople today. Why? Because selling has always been about power. Selling has always been about trust. So one good question in selling is: how do we speed up the rate... the pace at which we create trust? And trust breeds power.   If we speed up the rate at which we create trust, we speed up the sales cycle and ease of conversion from prospect to client. Are you familiar with Robert Collier? If not, look him up. He's one of the original legends of direct-response marketing. But, and more important, he talks about the importance of ENTERING THE CONVERSATION that's already taking place in mind of the prospect; commonly referred to as the Robert Collier Principle.   Understanding this is critical.   Here's why: When you "arrive" and begin a conversation with a new prospect, whether in person, face to face, or over the phone via a cold-call or in the mailbox via direct-mail - the only conversation taking place in the mind of the prospect is: "Who are you? And why are you here?"   Your answer to this question determines your fate. Bad answer. Game over. Hint: "My name is John Smith, and I might have a buyer for your home" is a bad answer. Why? - because it's the same cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all response 37 other agents gave before you. The prospect has already heard that song and dance, and nobody wants more of the bad desert.   If you wish to influence people, you must first address these two questions: Who are you? Why are you here? This is how all relationships start. It's human nature. If you go to eHarmony.com in search of a match, or go on a date or even just watch the current ABC hit show, ‘The Bachelorette', whenever two new people meet, for the first time, it's always the same conversation.   Essentially, "Who are you? Why are you here?   In other words, "What's your story? How did you get here, what makes you any good, different, better, why should I care about what you have to say vs. the next person in line? Why do you deserve my time oppose to me spending it with someone else, or doing something else altogether?     The technical term for effectively addressing these two questions is an ‘Origin Story'. In essence, it traces your origins, your trials and tribulations from where you were, where you started, to where you are now, highlighting, along the way, your breakthroughs and discoveries - which of course, are what make you the authority, expert, THE guy or gal to work with in your marketplace, above and beyond all other competitors - who prospects can trust, perceive the best, etc... etc...   Problem: If you're familiar with cold-prospecting, you know how hard it is "to get speak." You're constantly getting cut-off, hung-up on, treated rude and poorly. The majority of time, you are disrespected and treated as a pest - to the point - speaking a full sentence, proves difficult, even impossible. And in this environment, hostile, answering those two questions effectively: "Who are you? Why are you here" can be of the greatest challenge.   However, when done in print. It is very easy.       Let me give you an Example: Actually an exercise.   This is an ‘Origin Story' I used it at one-time, as a component of a larger sales / positioning package, aimed to secure private clients, for whom I'd write marketing campaigns and build their marketing systems. I no longer work with private clients, but this piece is still a great demonstration of an ‘Origin Story' - answering the two questions: "Who are you? Why are you here?"   Until you sufficiently and effectively answer these questions, your message will be ignored. You will be ignored. Proof of this fact is the 80+% failure rate of our industry. If agents weren't getting ignored, being disrespected and rejected, it only stands to reason, that number would be much lower.   Go ahead, print a copy of that ‘Origin Story' then come on back. I'll walk you through the key ingredients. This way, in case you wish to create your own such ‘Origin Story', for your real estate business, answering those two most critical questions - you can.     Five Critical Ingredients of a Good ‘Origin Story':    1. Format. This particular one is written as a human interest / profile story to gain perceived credibility and increase readership. Originally, this article was written by a local journalist in Florida doing a story about me on entrepreneurial success. However, her version did not suit my needs, so I changed it accordingly. You must be strategic, and define what purpose your marketing is seeking to accomplish. In this case, it is not "just" to have an article written about me, it's to answer the question: Who are you? Why are you here?   2. Headline. You must be congruent. The headline "Making It" fits the theme of the article, and phrase alone: "Making It" implies I'm someone that has accomplished big things. Had I made the headline: Amazing Wonder Kid Rises From The Ashes of Failure, Graduates Pre-Med With Near Perfect GPA, Volunteers, Cares For African Babies And Generates Millions of Dollars For Local Companies - yeah, sure, it would have gotten people's attention, but also, it'd be totally non-congruent with the format of a feature / profile story - as this article is written. So grabbing attention matters, but so does congruency.   3. First 5 Paragraphs. Is a summary of the entire 3-page article, always remember, people are busier than ever, and when you arrive unannounced (and unwelcome, as most salespeople are) you are an annoyance in their life - even when you show up "on paper" - as shown here. As a result, they're looking for every reason to get rid of you as fast as possible. As marketing legend Gary Halbert said, "America sorts its mail over the garbage can." So just telling them "why you're there" isn't enough. You must CLEARLY enunciate the benefits they'll gain by paying attention to you - the first 5 paragraphs have been designed to "sell them" on reading the rest of the article. This was a very successful piece, given its purpose, so it's worthy of study.   4. Connection. Here's a definition you should write down: Ordinary marketers are working to sell things. Extraordinary marketers are working to make a connection. As you go through this article, circle or highlight all the things I reveal about myself, my experiences, my flaws and struggles, joys, triumphs, values, beliefs, details about my family, how I was raised, etc., that give people a chance to connect with me. Never forget, we're in the relationship business. Thus, for the smart marketer, we must redefine our definition of branding from: "How many people KNOW your name" to: "How much people know ABOUT you." If the old adage: People do business with people they know, like and trust - is true? Then step #1, in the formula, is to help prospects get to ‘know' you better. The more they know ‘about' you, the FASTER you build trust, and hence, relationship. At its core - a relationship - is nothing more than a series of small meaningful connections that two people share and have in common. So if you wish to build a more loyal, even "cult-like" following of appreciative, respectful clients, you need not worry about getting "your name out there" more - but focus, 100%, on revealing more about yourself.  This is how people can "connect" with you = get know you = like and trust you = relationship.   A very simple formula, but one that dare not be underestimated. It is magically powerful.   So, who are you? Why are you here? Until you sufficiently address this conversation in the mind of the prospect, you will be ignored. A good ‘Origin Story' answers those two most critical questions. Thus a good 'Origin Story' eliminates rejection.   There is a big difference between prospecting and positioning. One is selling, one is marketing. And I assure you, "selling" you origin story is infinitely harder, more difficult, bordering on impossible - than "marketing" your origin story. Selling is what you do face-to-face, often against great resistance, marketing is what you do before you get face-to-face to position yourself ‘as a Somebody' in advance, absent of hostile environment, to pique interest, command attention, build trust, relationship, and of course, secure a new client when all others before you, failed.   An 'Origin Story' is a weapon that belongs in every agents' arsenal. It gets you 'welcomed.'      For more of these kinds of advanced marketing and positioning strategies, to eliminate rejection and achieve authority and expert positioning, you're welcome to a complimentary copy of the 28-page report I recently created: www.AgentControlMethodReport.com   I hope you enjoyed this article, thank you for reading.     It's been said Ryan Fletcher "doesn't look like much" - but clients who've earned millions as direct result of his work, know better than to underestimate him. After 47 straight rejections from medical school, Fletcher took to real estate. Frustrated by only selling two homes his first year, he pioneered a new approach to client attraction and creating exceptional value for specific clients, leading an amazing 2100% increase in his year to year income - from $8,846.32 first year commissions, to $182,972 his second year - working a fraction of the hours with all clients coming to him, required to complete an application just to secure a phone appointment. Free Report gives details:www.AgentControlMethodReport.com plus, provides a copy of the exact ad Ryan paid over $10,000 to create.

Comments (2)

Steve Saretsky
Sutton - Vancouver, BC
Innovating the Real Estate Industry

Absolutely love his podcast!

Jan 04, 2016 05:38 AM