Use The F-O-R-D Method For Learning Buyer's Needs

Henry Ford noticed in the early days of building his company that his salesman were not good at talking with families. He developed a method YOU can use as real estate agents to uncover buyer's needs.

Use the

  F - O - R - D

method to learn about your buyer's needs in that initial counseling session at your office or wherever you meet like the local Starbucks. This also is a guideline as a general conversation starter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

F - Family.  Talk about folks' families, the make-up of it and their needs for housing for that family. Typical items here you might uncover are one or two story, the needs for schools for the kids, do they want a pool for the family, and what about lot size, small for low maintenance or maybe large for the big dog.

O - Occupation. With housing a key consideration is how far do people live from where they work. Directionally do they want to live east, north, south or west of where they work. What is the maximum commute distance of the decisionmaker or breadwinner here? Is the house to be between the two people's occupations if two work? What are the minimum dollar level of homes they want to purchase, and that will allow you to zero in tighter on a sector of the city.

R- Recreation. What do the family members like to do for fun? Swimming, golf, lake, museums, etc.

D - Dreams. Have them close their eyes and imagine their ideal house. Farm? Porch? Gameroom, house with trees and fields.

These four items not only are small talk but NARROW the type a house a buyer wants and where it is located. Plus you build up great rapport meeting new people.