Technology TransactionsGood Intentions Don"t Excuse Poor Results
The world has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. There has been
more innovation and more technological progress in the last 80 years than there
were in the previous years added together since the beginning of time.
Moving at the "speed of business," our society is more results-oriented than
ever before. Realtors, like other professionals, are judged by the results they
get, not by their intent to provide quality service to clients.
Realtors are judged by bottom line criteria - Did the home sell? For what
price? Did the home close?
Vince Lombardi said it best: "Some of us will do our jobs well and some will
not, but we will all be judged by only one thing - the result."
Sellers are like any other consumers. Drivers want their cars to start every
time. Computer users want their programs to work every time. Sellers want their
homes to sell - no excuses. All that matters is the result, getting the job
done well.
There are no rewards for good intentions. As an agent, you can"t pay the
mortgage with good intentions. I believe all agents desire to sell the homes
that they have listed. All agents intend to do the best job for their
clients. But you only get paid for the result. You provide for your family
based on the results you achieve.
You also create long-term relationships and long-term referrals based on the
result of a completed job, the result of a job well done. I have never heard
of anyone referring an agent based on the fact that the agent was nice when the
result wasn"t achieved. Think about it, why would you recommend an attorney
who lost your case, or a hair stylist who didn"t cut your hair well, no matter
how nice they were?
So why would your clients refer business to you if you didn"t get their
homes sold? The fact that you are a nice person is a bonus that your client
will appreciate only when the job is complete.
Focus on doing the steps to ensure that you achieve the result that the
client hired you to accomplish. These steps include:
Tell the truth to all of our clients. We often hope a miracle will
happen such as finding a house at under market value or that our listing will
get activity even though it is over priced. We are betting our commission on a
long shot. In many markets nationally we are playing against the odds. Don"t
make them longer by not telling our clients the whole truth.
Communicate the changes today. If the marketplace has changed tell
the seller. If the competitiveness has increase or there are more homes on the
market, now than when the home was listed-- tell them now, don"t wait. If the
deal is starting to go sideways, tell the client. Tell them now before they
hear it from another source. Give them fair warning that it doesn"t feel right
or look good so that when it does die it is not out of the blue. Rarely do
deals die without signs of trouble. By helping a client face a disappointing
reality, then at least you have a chance for the sale and for long-term
referrals.
Marketing versus price reality. One of these two is more important.
One really controls the other. Which one is it? Price. Price is truly king.
The marketing is in the king"s court but it is not the king! I believe we owe
it to our clients to disclose this fact. We often confuse the being a nice guy
with having to tell the truth about price. If the client"s price is an obstacle
to achieving the desired result, say so -- honestly, fairly and convincingly.
Ignore that inner voice that whines, "But they won"t like me." Trust me,
they won"t like you anyway when their homes don"t sell.
Often we know they are not going to like the true price so we hedge. We don"t
share with conviction the real truth. I am sure doctor"s would prefer not to
tell their patients they have cancer, but they do it anyway. The patient needs
to know. Your seller deserves to know the truth about their property, price,
and expectations. The most respected professional in other fields doesn"t
sugar coat reality. They lay it on the line.
We all participate in a business that is pretty straight forward. We are in
a competitive world and our clients expect results. We ultimately get paid
from the results of our effort. In many cases, for Realtors, that isn"t
fair, but that is the game we are in. The bottom line is if you sell the home,
you win. If you fail to sell the home, you lose. The truth is winning is a
habit, so is losing.
The big question is which habit are you forming?