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Do You Talk to Your Prospects Like This?

By
Education & Training with MarQeteer

Frustrated

I was recently shown an email that an agent sent to prospects she had received from an internet lead generation company and was shocked at the way she was talking to her potential future business.  After reading it, my first thought was "No wonder you're not getting any response."

In a market like this, it's hard sometimes to stay focused on the consumer's needs because our own are so immediate.   Always talk to your prospects the way you would want someone to talk to you.   Remember...we're brokering the sale of a house.  We're not selling commodities.  If you talk to prospects in a way you yourself would not accept, then you are treating them as a less worthy individual than yourself and are therefore being condescending.

Sure, you may still get some business if you do it this way, but you'll also be ushering in a whole lot of stress that will affect all areas of your life because you won't be getting repeat business or referrals from people you treat this way.  Especially with emails, take time to scrutinize your verbage.  It is frighteningly easy to offend with an email...even when you have the best intentions.

And so, here is the email I referenced at the beginning:

"Greetings to all of those who have solicited some advice via INTERNET LEAD COMPANY NAME -

I am making a final attempt to inquire about the service YOU need per your request.  On attempting to call some of you, I've either gotten no answer, or I've left messages and haven't heard back.

In real estate, we don't want to appear to be "badgering" the customer, so we typically prefer to send emails until we get a response.

Sooo, this will be my last attempt to help you if I can.

If you are looking to BUY a home, you want to connect with me immediately!! The interest rates are between 4.75% - 5% FIXED with NO POINTS!  This is important, because this keeps the cost of your closing down to a minimum.  IF YOU WANT TO PAY POINTS, you can get a 4.5% or even LOWER FIXED interest rate!!!!  I've been in this business for xx years now, and these are the lowest I've ever seen.  If so, then I'll need a list of features, areas, etc., of what you're looking to purchase.  And if you need to talk to a lender first, NO problem, I have at least 3 to choose from that are all great to work with.

We are gearing up for a potential Buying surge, hopefully, so don't delay if you can help it.

If you are looking to SELL, then I'll be glad to do a quick EMAIL Market Analysis for you, it's faster and less intrustive, if you don't feel like having a Realtor come to the house.   If so, I'd need a few questions answered regarding your property.  I do listings as well as sales, and I hold OPEN my own listings, I don't assign them to other agents!

Either way, I'll be EMAILING whatever you need over to you, since we are all fairly busy and talking on a phone can be a hinderance until needed, wouldn't you agree?

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you!"

I don't even know where to begin, so I'll leave it to you.  Do you talk to your prospects this way?  How would you respond to someone addressing you like this?   Brokers and team leaders...have you looked at the verbage your struggling agents are using in their correspondence?  You might be able to help them here.

This email was written by an agent with over 20 years experience, and is indicative of why many agents of all experience are struggling with today's consumer.   They're not selling their house to help you with your agenda, and the moment they feel pressured they'll just ignore you.

Coming soon...one of the BEST email responses I've ever seen:)

Comments (150)

Maria Tascon
Keller Williams Realty Spartanburg - Spartanburg, SC
Spartanburg SC Short Sale Specialist

Wow, I don't talk to my clients that way.  To begin with, the yelling (caps), not very nice.  One have to be even more tactful when writing an email, since it could be taken in the wrong way. 

Mar 11, 2009 02:25 PM
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!
Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT
St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent

Wanda picI have learned that you cannot convince someone to buy using force and this type of e-mail would put anyone off! Thanks for the post Mark!

Mar 19, 2009 09:19 AM
Kelly Bovi, Charlotte Area Real Estate
NavMak Enterprises, LLC - Charlotte, NC

Wow, she sounds like a very frustrated and desperate individual. I would certainly not respond to an email like that if I received one!

Apr 01, 2009 03:14 AM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
HomeSmart Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Wow....congrats on  lots of comments. Sure got people thinking on this one. 

I like Chad's response. Piss or get off the pot and Dianes is great.....DELETE!

 

Apr 17, 2009 05:09 AM
Edie Lomason
Michael Saunders & Company - Venice, FL
BA, ABR

I have email peeps that I have had for years, I have never met them, sometimes they ask me to research something and I do.  They receive regular emails from me based on search criteria they have outlined.  Occassionally these email peeps turn into buyers and referrals.  Now that is rewarding. 

The only time I got ticked off was when an agent posed as a client and asked me to research someone elses listing.  And then I wasn't really mean - hey it could turn into a referral - one never knows.

Jun 20, 2009 12:45 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Mark, this is just one of those things that make you go hmmmm?  Not sure the purpose of this email.

Jul 01, 2009 07:29 AM
Sally Lawrence
Advantage Real Estate - Tehachapi, CA
Broker, CHS, e-Pro, SFR, REALTORĀ®

Troy's comment is spot on.  I've done a lot of technical writing for industrial applications and always approached the work by checking to make sure my response to any sentence wasn't, "so what?"  I didn't see anything in that email that would have grabbed my interest and created a sense of urgency for me to respond.  I DID get a sense of frantic need from the writer.

Sep 03, 2009 09:58 AM
Anonymous
craig lamar

Lots of criticism here, but no suggestions on how to respond? We can't learn from each other if we are just going to criticize and put each other down.

I think that 'one-liners', ie brief response, or at the most a couple of sentences with a call-to-action addressing the consumer inquiry is the best response? I still have not been able to get a 'real' dialogue going, so would appreciate email scripts from those of you who are acheiving success.

And what about 'drip email' campaigns? Generic 'off-the-shelf' "520 'prewritten' email campaigns"? Anyone using those with success? I have not implemented because I do not feel they are soulful. I know when I start receiving crap like that, I just move the sender to permanent delete

Appreciate any positive, proven input from my collegues.

Craig LaMar, Real Estate Consultant, Huntsville, AL 35802

www.HuntsvilleAlabamaHomes.com

 

Oct 10, 2009 01:48 AM
#139
Vanessa Reilly
domoREALTY - Atlanta, GA
domoREALTY, Homes for Sale - Atlanta

She was probably have a bad day and instead of taking a breather and getting her head straight she just let it all out in an email. I've learned that in this business you can't take "NO" personally, but if you get past the mentality that this is "work" and just have fun with it stuff starts happening like magic! I had to remind myself of this today... whenever I feel like I'm working I have to stop and tell myself to stop being so serious.

Dec 12, 2009 10:26 AM
Lori Churchill Cofer
Beasley Realty - Pullman, WA
Realtor - 509-330-0086 - Pullman, WA

Wow....I really can't imagine anyone sending this.....kind of depressing and a poor reflection on the industry...   :(

Dec 15, 2009 01:42 AM
Margaret Mitchell
Coldwell Banker Yorke Realty - York, ME
Seacoast Maine & NH Real Estate

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary to this blog post!!!  No wonder this agent is PAYING for leads.  However, the agent is squandering the investment.

Jan 01, 2010 05:09 AM
Will Nesbitt
Nesbitt Realty at Condo Alexandria - Alexandria, VA
Nesbitt Realty is a family-run brokerage.

It's not difficult to understand why this isn't working for them.

Jan 02, 2010 09:40 PM
Cheryl Johnson
Highland Park, CA

The thing is, the email does contain some truthful, accurate statements ... "we don't want to badger people" .... "Interest rates at historic lows" .... " ....

How about a challenge to all the commenters here to re-write the email and deliver the same information with a kinder, gentler touch?

And, yeah, it should go out to each prospect individually, not "Greetings to all of those..."  :-)

Jan 10, 2010 02:03 AM
Karen Crowson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change

That's where sometimes the 'x years experience' thing can really miss the mark.  Apparently, that experience hasn't been a good enough teacher. This agent is clearly attempting to play the numbers game, and the prospect can spot that in a second.

Work with fewer leads, and respond to them personally.  I'll bet her response rate would improve.

 

Jan 22, 2010 02:35 AM
Barbara "Barb" Bodnar, Licensed Associate RE Broker
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Yorktown, NY
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Ouch!  I think at times people don't realize the impact of email.  We generally know how important it is to organize and read our thoughts before we send them.  Has anyone read the Harris Poll and where our profession is ranked recently?  It would be great if we all focused on raising the bar as we are a great profession.  We should all think about how our behavior impacts perception.  That email has such an underlying feeling of frustration and burnout.

Jan 25, 2010 08:06 AM
Ruthmarie Hicks
Keller Williams NY Realty - 120 Bloomingdale Road #101, White Plains NY 10605 - White Plains, NY

Wow!  All I can say is WOW!!! That takes bad to a whole new level!  I don't even know where to begin that's so awful.  Well, there are those who feel that that Walmart Realty is the wave of the future - welcome to it.

Feb 07, 2010 06:47 PM
Jerri McCombs, Broker/Owner
Dogwood Real Estate Services - Hendersonville, NC
Hendersonville Living

OMG! This was painful. Already said, but no wonder they get no response!!

Mar 01, 2010 02:06 PM
Nancy Lee - An OrderLee Home,
Hendersonville, NC

I think it was really noble and kind of that agent to go to so much trouble just to help prospects weed out their list of potential agents.  Not everyone is willing to go the extra mile that way.

Personally, I think she could have stopped at "Soooo".  I, for one, would certainly have made a note about her name then stopped reading after the third "o".

Mar 21, 2010 10:32 PM
Terrylynn Fisher
Dudum Real Estate Group - BuyStageSell.com - Walnut Creek, CA
HAFA Certified, EcoBroker, CRS, CSP Realtor, Etc.

A joke??? or a what not to do ...that's what it sounds like to me.  My goodness, you are so right, no wonder...amazing some people have no clue what service really is. 

Mar 24, 2010 07:30 PM
John Howard
Century 21 LeMac Realty - Mountain Home, AR
GRI, Mountain Home, Arkansas 870-404-3614

Ouch...I try to run my notes, emails, letters etc... by 2 or 3 very picky readers whose opinion I truelly cherish before I publish.  Have A Great Week!

Jun 15, 2010 01:30 PM