Sixty hours in real estate school as a student, passed the state exam, now you are a newbie agent, the owner of your very own small business, a real estate business, and now the first day jitters are gone. You have met a gazillion people, of which you may remember half, all wished you great success, and now it's up to you.
"Uh...Now what?"
You have nothing to offer.
You have no historic record of success in real estate.
Actually, you ask, "What do I really have to offer?"
The response is invariably...."Uh, now what?"
The agents you interact with on Active Rain have 'been there, done that.' Some have long ago forget the anxiety of their beginnings. Some have even forgotten what they did to get started.
The purpose of this blog is to give you something to talk about, something to promote, to get your business moving in the right direction. Something that does not sound like, 'What's your home worth?"
That begins with knowing what you really have to offer.
I will guide you through a process where you will identify, value and communicate what YOU can provide. You may think you have nothing to offer, but I know better.
I know you have been the cause where outcome or transformation has touched the lives of others.
In the construct of businesss, outcomes typically refer to those whose business is based on expertise.
Transformations typically refer to those whose business is heart centered.
Using the four questions below, make a BIG list of words and phrases in the voice of your ideal client. Refer to your business plan for that description. Use their language and avoid real estate gobbly-gook and marketing speak. Use their voice.
The goal of the exercise is to do a BIG brain dump. You know what that means...fill the space.
It is OK to make assumptions.
It is OK to take credit, even if you are not sure.
Some of you are so new you have no past clients or even current clients. Look into your past and identify your greatest success story, the individual you have helped.
Question 1. Imagine the client or person you helped, this is your greatest success story. Not a group, but one specific person.
What results did they get from working with you?
List the exact results. (Remember, its a DUMP, make assumptions, take credit)
Examples:
Agent with history: Sold home for higher price than imagined or Sold home in 2 days.
Agent with no history: They got the job or got out of the relationship or entered school or started business
Question 2.
What other transformations happened in their life because of these results?
Agent with history: Started next chapter in their life with great optimism and confidence. Reduced stress, hope grew, relief experienced.
Agent with no history: Energized with new opportunity, end of living in fear, greater clarity regarding their future, embraced the courage to take control of their life.
Question 3.
What do you imagine would have been the COST to the client had they NOT accepted your invitation to work with them, to not accept your offer?
Where were they headed when they came to you?
Make assumptions.
Take credit.
Claim it.
What was the COST? Dive in. Really dive in. This is the most important of the four question and is going to help you VALUE what you are able to do.
Question 4.
What are the biggest sources of pain that your ideal client hungers to solve?
List and put a star by the ones you can solve with your knowledge and expertise.
For most this exercise will prove to be a struggle. Let me encourage you.
GO WITH GOOD ENOUGH!
There will never be a perfect completion to this exercise. The intent is to get you moving. I step in the wrong direction is better that staying in one spot all your life. If you are at the position of 'What now?" you need to MOVE. Put the words, the results, the transformation, the cost, on paper.
This exercise was part one. Part two is when we put handles on this tool to get you moving forward.
The overreaching intent is to understand that competing in the market economy of real estate means a race to the bottom in profitability.
To stay out of the race to the bottom, establish your business on the COST identified in question 3. Knowing what you bring that allows them to avoid their cost equates to higher value delivered when they accept the invitation to work with you.
Hi,
I am Annette Lawrence, author of GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK - BREAKING THE FAILURE SYSTEM.
Proper preparation, doing the correct work first, is the key to breaking the failure system. This system has a decades long history of betraying those entering the real estate business and leaving them with a pile of debt, an IRS bill and $12,000 poorer. It's time to break the system.
My invitation to you right now is the leave in your comments below, your response to 1, 2, 3, and 4. I will select a couple to model in part two of this blog series, and create your invitation to buyers or sellers and never hearing "I need to think about it" again.
If you request of me to keep my responses private, I will do just that.
Wishing you the best of success,
Annette Lawrence, Broker/Associate
Remax Realtec Group
Palm Harbor, FL
727.420.4041
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