Whether you are an agent asking it while working on phones or at an open house or you are a buyer calling in or showing up, that 6 worded question has some interesting answers. It is up to the agent to listen and adjust appropriately. Sometimes the answer may change over a
simple conversation.
I just worked another open house in beautiful Frisco Texas. Pearson Farms, was the subdivision where this house was located. The house was immaculate and showed wonderfully,. I am sure it will be in contract before the end of the week, although it probably will not be with one of my clients.
Open houses are really fun to work when appropriately prepared First of all when you do host an open house you get many benefits such as meeting new people in the market, learning more about the inventory in my area and have the potential finding new clients to assist. There is nothing wrong with that.
Of course what will set you apart from other agents is your knowledge and soft skills. This is where preparation really can distinguish you from another agent. Of course you are already bringing snacks and bottled water to your open houses. You have your customer flyers printed out, cards ready and a sign-up sheet or app. That is what most good agents do but how do you differentiate.
It is up to you as an agent to know the house intimately. Every question you think a customer might answer you should know. From simple things such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, to the builder to the year built and the schools. That just scratches the surface. Then you move your way out from the home, to the sub-division, to the city, to the county and even the state.
When you can have a conversation and show your expertise you show your professionalism, competence and when done in a sincere and helping manner you gain trust. This is much harder to do when a customer already has an agent. Most often, I back away. However, there are times when I may pe3rsue a conversation just a little bit further.
Here is where soft skills and reading people come into play. You see some buyers coming into an open house have that dreaded fear of sales people (you know us sales people are guilty until proven innocent.) So buyers have gotten used to that question and say yes right away. When I feel they may not be telling me the full story I simply start letting them know about the house but quickly move on to the area.
In Frisco that would include the fact that our city spans two counties (many agents do not know the importance of this.) That means different tax rates and I get to explain that to them. Since I am an HOA President I get to discuss some of the important features of an HOA to ask about regardless of the covenants or by-laws. I get to tell them how Frisco grew up and has grown over the last ten years and where things look like they are going to continue to grow based on all the information I track with the city and counties.
Today this worked very well. While this couple said very weakly that they had an agent, by the end of our conversation they told me that they were planning on using someone the family knew who offered them a rebate on a new home purchase but not on a pre-owned home. They obviously had not been prepped to look at homes in my area as they listened intently on all the information I provided. I never once asked for their business or spoke about an agent. I simply presented facts and information they would find useful. When they were leaving they grabbed my card, I did not offer them one as they said they already had an agent, and then the husband said I will probably give you a call.
Our buyers know how to keep us sales people away. Tell us they are already working with someone and we will not bother them. If you are good at reading people you may be able to find your next client by simply trying to help them. Give them information that they may not know and show them you are an expert. Deliver it with sincerity and the
caring that show them that they are what’s important.
I look forward to finding out if I get the call from this person as well as another person who did not have an agent. He was from the northeast near where I grew up. Either way they both knew that I was very familiar with this area. They also knew how I work:
Their Success is My Focus
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