Superman deflected bullets with his chest and Wonder Woman had bullet-deflecting bracelets. Like these two superheroes, you’ve also got to have a way to deflect. But, you need to deflect seller and buyer objections, not bullets.
“All You Do Is Open Doors”
In my recent Trulia article entitled “4 Buyer Beliefs That Are Hard to Break”, I share four of the most common objections that agents hear from buyers. One of my favorites is this one: “Agents don’t do much… just open doors and write a contract.”
Don’t you just wish that this belief were true? Wouldn’t that make your life so much easier?
There is a pretty widely recognized stereotype that agents drive BMWs (or Mercedes) and merely open lockboxes. And, this is an important generalization to overcome at beginning of every transaction—whether you represent the buyer or the seller.
With the help of the agents in my office (including Jovani Ruiz, who is mentioned in the Trulia article), we created a list of 199 things that agents do for clients. When you introduce your list at the beginning of the relationship when you are just getting to know each other, you handle objections or manage the expectation before it becomes an issue. In this way, you set the record straight before clients begin to perceive your activities as perpetuating the stereotype.
When you provide information to your client, you are deflecting (like Wonder Woman and Superman) and you are not being combative. When you say, “Oh by the way, here’s what I do for my clients” and provide your chart, you’ve deflected and possibly decimated what could later be a larger issue. And, you’ve done this in also a non-confrontational manner.
Create Your Own List of Things You Do For Agents
So, how do you create your own list of 199 things that you do for your clients?
- First off, have a look at this list and this one.
- Cross off all the things that you do not do.
- Add all the things that you do that are not listed.
- Without copying someone else’s work, edit your list to completion.
- Type it up and get a graphic designer to make it look pretty.
- Send it to the printer.
- Voilà!
You’ve handled an objection; you’ve deflected a problem, and you don’t even have bullet-deflecting bracelets!
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