ATTENTION DECODED

Misconceptions about the “order” of things can plague a Realtor through out their career. As a broker, you will have to explain the difference between pre-qualify and pre-approval countless times. So many times that it will be redundant and frustrating. The reason it is frustrating is because it is so obvious that the process starts here. You think: “Why would a potential buyer think they should go look for homes before they know how much home they can afford?”. Of course you think that. It is a logical first step in your reality. Not always the case with potential buyers, especially first time buyers. Getting pre-approved for a specific loan amount brings a persons entire financial picture into the light.   Every “blip”… Every ounce of debt. For the consumer this can be intimidating. It can feel like a   “facing the facts” moment of what their financial story says about them. ...

This can be frustrating to hear as a Realtor. Upon hearing this as a broker you have a few options. One option is to walk away. Another is to try and impress a prospect until they agree to work with you exclusively. And another is to educate the prospect. If you allow yourself to become unnerved by this statement you will have a tough career ahead. This is actually one of the easier perspectives to overcome. Fear drives a lot of people onto dead end roads. Consumers that feel it is safe not to commit to you are en route to a dead end and have no idea that will be the final destination. Solution: give them a map that clearly highlight where that thinking will get them. When people refer to a map before a journey it gives them a sense of direction. A feel for what to expect and what they may want to avoid during the trip. A map is factual. It is not emotional. All a map does is present information. At the point a prospect tells ...

You will hear this phrase all the time in the midst of a change or a problem. It is a universal response to avoid blame . Blame is avoided because accepting it will mean change may follow. And change is scary for a lot of people. There is a sense of control, and knowing what to expect from the day when it is consistent with the day before. When a person is faced with blame their internal consistency of feeling like they are doing a good job is disrupted.  Humans strive for internal consistency because it makes us comfortable. Even if a persons entire job is in support of a broken policy... They feel ok with it because at least they know what is expected of them. Besides why question a policy? "It isn't their job to question the policy" They feel safe by doing things the same forever. Until someone (usually a customer) starts expecting more from them. Consistency gets disrupted when expectations feel challenged. In most 9-5 jo...

Most of us in sales have been here at one time or the other. A situation where we have a client whose wants surpass the amount they want to spend. Let's clarify the situation... This client has set their budget set below what they CAN spend. They have the means to spend more but they do not want to. That is understandable. The problem with this situation is you are not able to provide both what they want in a home AND stay in that price range. Let's say for the purpose of making this easier to picture in our minds that the ideal home for this client is 30 thousand more than the amount they WANT to spend. Here are the facts: They want to stay at a top price of 270 thousand dollars. They CAN afford a top out price of 350 thousand dollars. The difference is 80 thousand dollars. The clients are looking for a home they plan on spending at least 7 years in. This would get the clients to the point where both kids have left for colleg...

Your product is not the “thing” you sell. If you sell houses…your product is not the house. It is you. Your service. More specifically, the way you provide your service. People who employ service people (you) do so because they want/need someone to solve their problem. Technically, they have the capacity to solve their own problem. But something about the situation feels to scary or cumbersome for them to confidently take on that endeavor alone. By the time the consumer reaches out to you, they already know that you professionally handle situations like theirs... They are not looking for you to list the features you provide. In fact, leading with that in a world where information is at everyone’s fingertips…could be a reason the do not pick you. They already know the features you can provide. That is why they are speaking to you. Features are common. Think about when you stay at a nice hotel. Do you need to read the book in yo...