Better estate agency isn't working.
"In 1992, George Bush had a "Proud Tradition" while Bill Clinton's was "It's time to change America."
In 2008, John McCain was "Country First." while Barack Obama's motto was "Change We Need."
In 2016, Hilary Clinton used "I'm With Her." and "Stronger Together." while Donald Trump said he would "Make America Great Again."
Notice how the winners cast a compelling vision of the future, where the losers focused more on the present.
The winners offered a new opportunity where the losers were offering improvement."
An excerpt from 'Expert Secrets' by Russell Brunson.
You'll be aware that there's no end of advice from estate agency 'gurus' and trainers.
A small improvement here. A promise there. Making your agency more competitive and consequently, more profitable.
My agency is better than your agency.
Addressing the problems that affect every agency.
But, it's not working.
Why?
Because the advice given is focused on the present.
There's no compelling vision of the future.
Estate agents & realtors around the world are struggling with the problem of how to better persuade.
And that advice is, effectively, to hustle.
To not take No for an answer.
So, to paraphrase Bill Clinton, "It's Time To Change Estate Agency."
To "Make Estate Agency Great Again."
As Barack Obama intoned " Change We Need."
In his book, The True Believer, Eric Hoffer says, " Fear of the future causes us to lean against and cling to the present, while faith in the future renders us perceptive to change."
In circumstances where estate agents fear the future, they typically stop moving forward.
And become vulnerable to those that would profit from that fear.
Estate agency has stopped moving forward.
There have been precious few noticeable improvements in how the job is done.
But now, with the advent of the hybrid/hub/spoke/self-employed business model, there is an opportunity for those forward-thinking agents to break the mold.
The problem of how to better persuade, then?
Hustling and interrupting homeowners, whether done with the best intentions or not, has led to an undeniable truth.
Estate agents and realtors aren't trusted.
They are, for the most part, not even liked.
The underlying reason for this is that they're not known.
Of course, throwing money at the problem with meaningless advertising will gain attention.
But there's a wide gap between attention and engagement.
The latter requires that you have something interesting to say - other than we can sell your home.
It also requires of you, to say that interesting something - that no other agent in your area can say!
Pause for a moment and consider what you can talk about that no other agent can ............
The state of the local property market?
The best schools? Best restaurants?
Top questions to ask your estate agent?
The importance of sales progression?
Any estate agent can talk on those subjects.
Admittedly, many don't, but they could if they so choose.
There's only one answer to the question.
You have to talk, or write, about yourself.
The things you value. What you believe. Your convictions.
Of course, those things can include property related issues, but primarily, you have to build your personal brand.
To become, not so much an authority figure as, a celebrity.
Recognized not for what you do, but for who you are.
And when you share your values & beliefs, you will build an audience.
An audience that will not always agree with what you espouse, but one that will engage.
More importantly, an audience that will know you.
And the more that they know you,.......well, you know the rest.
Persuading your audience becomes easier. If they know who you are and what you believe.
Ethos, or argument by character, employs the persuader's personality, reputation and ability to look trustworthy.
"A person's life persuades better than his word." said one of Aristotle's contemporaries.
Better estate agency is such a fundamental requirement of transactional service.
But, what you can do, every other agent can replicate.
Relational estate agency, however, is not built on being better.
It's built on being different.
So you don't have to compete.
I'm certain that Personal brand is the future of estate agency.
That personal brand is built around the story of you.
Those that do it well will prosper.
Those that pay it lip service will struggle.
Those that continue to hustle will become extinct.
"People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions, and help them throw rocks at their enemies." - Blair Warren, The One Sentence Persuasion Course.
I hope that I can encourage your dreams.
I can easily justify your failures.
I can allay your fears.
You have suspicions? There's none more cynical than me and I delight in throwing rocks at your enemies.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
If you have any question, my advice is always free.
Check out www.andsothestorybegan.co.uk where you will find more information and a call to action button with even more detail.
email:
mob: (44) 07369251435
Chris.
The post Better Estate Agency Isn’t Working. first appeared on And so the story began.