Leveraging Your Superpower
This week I want to talk about your superpower, yes you have one! I want to define it, explain it and show you how to put it to work for you.
There are so many real estate agents in the field today and there are specific reasons that a client is attracted to working with you. There is just that "something special" that you have that they felt they needed or were attracted to. It could be that you come across as being very thorough or detail oriented. Maybe you are friendly and easily to talk to. Perhaps you love research and data and your client needs that and chooses you because they know you will provide it. Maybe you are a tiger negotiator and they love that quality about you.
The point is that there must be something you have done or said with every one of your past clients that initially attracted them to working with you. There are clues in your past business. Your past clients will tell you what those things were that really stood out for them if you take the time to ask. I always ask agents to put together a list of what they think their top three superpowers are. What are the things that really helped them to build their business?
And then from that list, look at what you can do with your clients right now, in light of whatever the market situation is. Whether your market is robust and moving quickly or declining and moving slowly your clients need to hear from you. When a market is troubled or going through transition (like back in the Great Recession in 2008) that is the time for you to put those superpowers to work and to connect with your clients. It's not the time to be hiding out or avoiding contact.
I'll give you a great example: I have a client that I define her superpowers as being her fantastic communication skills, her in depth research skills (she researches like a detective!), and her ability to be very calm during difficult negotiations. Even in these past couple of weeks, this past month, during our current Covid-19 virus situation, I told her to put together some really good research that would benefit her clients now.
What she ended up doing was creating a research report for both her past clients and her potential clients. She included some incredibly detailed charts, graphs, and data explaining what was going on in the market. When she did that, it allowed her to have that connection point with her client—not pushing clients, not selling clients, that's not what her job is. Her job is to offer great information and to help people make decisions, to give them the data they need. That's what her superpower is. She tapped into her superpower and she leveraged it, and that's what I want you to do.
I want you to dig deep. Really ask yourself—perhaps even ask some past clients these questions—what was it about you during the transaction that meant something to them or was the reason they hired you. It's really important to know what your strengths are, to capitalize and leverage those strengths. Don't be afraid right now to reach out, but reach out using those superpowers.
In the case of my client, when she reached out with really good data, her response back to me was that she was shocked at how many of her clients really appreciated the data during this time, how many of her clients sent her cards or thank you messages. One of her clients said, "Thank you so much for the information, I feel a lot better as I was really worried about the market with all the bad news that's out there."
It's your job as a real estate professional to be the voice of reason for your clients. Really look at the time of the market and what's going on. What are all the news headlines? How are these news headlines affecting your clients? Look at those headlines and decide: Do you need to agree with them? Do you need to be a point of difference? Do you need to spend some time sending out research?
Over the past month, the news about the real estate market has been awful! Many markets however are doing extremely well. What many agents are failing to do is provide their clients with factual, timely, data driven ACCURATE research NOW.
Do not let the media be your client's source of real estate news. Think about who you are, identify what your superpower is, and then plan to use it in your business right now. And remember even if the market was terrible, it is your job to use your superpowers to convey that clearly, honestly, and most of all, use data to prove your findings.
Thanks guys, see you next week!
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
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