On a regular basis I receive questions from buyer agents about my listings the answers to which might be self-evident, or simply not that important. The REALTOR® has become a simple messenger not a guide.
I often wonder if their client (or more likely prospective client) has simply thrown this question out there to end a meeting or conversation, with that particular REALTORS® perhaps because they are not ready to buy, or simply because they are not sold on working with that REALTOR®.
What makes me think this is that more often than not, I never hear from that REALTOR® again at least not in the context of that listing. Its almost like the prospective client has thrown up a smoke screen or some ‘star dust’ to cloud the real issue.
Here some examples of ‘star dust’ questions.
How old is the roof?
Has there been any flooding?
How old is the furnace?
How old is the hot water tank?
When was the venting cleaned out?
Next time when you are asked a question like this why not test it a little bit & avoid going down the rabbit hole of being just a messenger?
Why not see if you can use it to take your client forward, or perhaps to flush out the question as nothing more than ‘star dust’ and save yourself some time.
Here’s how you do it.
Client - How old is the roof?
You – Why does that matter?
Client – Because I want to know that the roof is in good shape
You – Honestly you should be asking your home inspector to weigh in on this question. We can both see that the roof is in (good shape, poor shape). Do you think that that this home could be the one for you?
If no – ask why not
If yes – Is there anything else, you want to discuss?
If yes, ask them what it is
If no, then ask. In that case if you think that this home could be the one, why don’t we submit an offer? We can make the offer subject to your receiving a satisfactory home inspection and this will address your concerns about the roof.
See what just happened?
We turned a concern into forward motion.
All you did was help the client overcome their own concerns and take what is likely the best step forward for them.
This type of client communication is best learned and practiced with role play. My team and I do role play exercises on a regular basis. If you would like to be included let me know…
About the author:
You can read more about the author of this blog by clicking this link - Stuart Neal, Broker, Career Coach, REALTOR® & Team Lead.
You can watch and hear Stuart share other ideas on his You Tube Channel: Stuart Neal, Edmonton Real Estate Career Coach.
Follow Stuart on his Facebook coaching page: Stuart Neal, Edmonton Real Estate Career Coach Facebook.
Want more information about becoming a team member or Associate REALTOR® with Ambergate? Call Stuart our broker owner at: 780-760-2014 ext. 3 or go to our Careers page - Ambergate Realty Advisors Careers.
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