Are Buyers Really Liars? Or Are You Just Asking The Wrong Questions?

It’s Monday morning and you receive a call from one of your clients. She has Fantastic News!!!! She and her husband just found a home, made an offer and wanted you to be the first to know! Aren’t you thrilled for them?

You ask if it has the four bedrooms they wanted. “. . . Nope, only three is the reply… Was it the Traditional you wanted?  . . .No, actually it is kind of contemporary… Two story you ask?“. . . No, a ranch style… Was it in North Raleigh?. . . Ah, no, Clayton they state.”

After a few more pleasantries you say good-bye, wait a few moments and then yell... “Buyers are Liars!” This experience has occurred often enough to have the phrase you screamed become a cliché, yet it continues. Why?

Lack of Questioning…Listening…and Counseling
Many REALTORS avoid this crucial phase of the agent/client relationship due to a fear of getting too personal…. a misguided belief that if they “go to far” the client may be turned off and use someone else … (Seems in the before mentioned scenario that is exactly what occurred) 

I have noticed many REALTORS under value their time and do not realizing the importance of counseling. It is critical to spend the initial time getting to intimately know the details of the clients’ wants, needs, and desires. You must demonstrate the benefits of working with you by counseling them on all aspects of home buying and/or selling.

Something very rarely done is to meet BUYERS at their current home…This allows you to get a good feel for their lifestyle and get a feel for their buying motivations. The second meeting can occur at your office to provide the technological resources and demonstrates professionalism and credibility. Consider going to both places during the initial stages of the relationship.

Remember most buying decisions are based on emotion. People buy products to satisfy emotional needs. This can be difficult since people have been conditioned at an early age to keep their emotions to themselves, so when asked “simple” questions they tell you only the “simple” specifications…without letting their emotions show through.

The mistake some REALTORS make is to leave a client interview with a list of specifications and features instead of a real understanding of their motivations…(Or in other words….THE TRUTH)

The skill some Professional REALTORS have mastered is to ask open-end, non-directive questions:

Here are but a few suggested open-end questions:

“Describe your present home.”

“Of all the things you’re trying to accomplish in this move, what is the most important?”

 “Describe what you want in your next home.”

“Where would you like to live?”

 “What don’t you like about your current home?”

 “How would your plans be affected if you moved earlier/later?”

“Tell me about your past experiences in buying and selling real estate.”

 “If we decide to work together what are the most important things you will expect of me?”

Open questions will generate deeper emotional responses. Try this method and see if the cliché “BUYERS ARE LIARS” turns into a forgotten phrase for you!

 

Eddie Brown

www.ICU-Coaching.com