It is surprising to me...what agents will and won't do for money. Of course this depends on the agent...and the situation.
Some agents won't show homes if the commission is below a certain percentage. They say it isn't worth the effort. Others sell foreclosures and get half the same commission....put in more time and effort and say that's just the business.
Some agents won't drive 30 miles others that is all in a days work. Some agents as a business us their business fee as a lisitng draw....other have a higher fee and use that as a draw too! So perception of what agents will and won't do is in the minds eye of the agent.
Then again the public looks and says....I am confused. Why wouldn't they be confused? It isn't easy for agents to figure out programs and policies and they work in the business. So why do we think the public should be any better at understanding business models, representation or what agents will and won't do?
Our personal marketing and image presented to the public is who we are. We talk about website traffic...how long we have to capture a visitor, yet we never consider how long it takes to capture a reader or print ads or cable. If you are in a magazine what makes your ad standout more than the next agents....bolder print? Sometimes photos, or jingles make us standout.
My contention is your reputation....who you are is what makes YOU stand out. Some agents stake out a territory and become the expert....even the neighborhood expert. Other agents are like the wind they blow in and out never leaving a trace that they were there.
Agents have all kinds of reasons for what they will and won't do in customer representation. They define prospects in advance, they identify regions, territories, blocks, neighborhoods and ONLY concentrate on that area. Agents further define clients and prospects as buyers, sellers or investors (residential or commercial) to identify who they are to the public. So representation, territory, overheads, marketing are all things that agents will and won't do. Some say magazines are a waste of money....others say newspapers, others say the internet.
One thing you can count on agents all have an opinions....including me. That is why I am always surprised when I hear you guys are all the same! We may try to reach the same goal for clients, sell or buy but we are hardly the same. We go in such different directions to reach the same goal...it truely is like daylight and dark with shades of grey in between.
People seeking professional representation have to determine before they sign a representation agreement what is their goal. Then they have to interview agents to see how and why the agents can achieve their goal.
Don't put yourself or your client behind the eightball with empty promises or offering services you know you are not going to deliver on. Your clients want a happy ending....and long term so do you... Changing your representation from what you normally do only hurts you and your clients.
Have you defined your representation to the point that you know what you will and won't do for clients?
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