Is Your Business Model Keeping Pace With Consumer Demands?
If you look at recent polls… consumers expect effective communicators
and skilled negotiators who possess an overall high level of market knowledge.
What are
consumers “buying” when they hire you as their REALTOR?
Today’s Consumers want an “experience”… it is your job to produce
this experience through a high level of service…becoming the “project manager” who
coordinates the multiple facets of the transaction… Showings, Feedback,
Pricing, Contracts, Addendums, Negotiations, Inspections, Repairs, Appraisers,
Mortgage, Insurance, Attorneys, Title, and on and on…. Are you tired yet?
Let’s begin by looking at two different styles of agents which on
the surface may appear to be very similar, but when you look beneath the cover
they two distinctly different business models for a real estate agent.
Facilitator: By definition this is a person
who helps a group of individuals to understand a common objective while
remaining on neutral ground…a “helper” or “enabler”.
·
They
have tools to assist buyers and sellers in the navigation of a real estate
transaction
·
They
usually lack transactional experience and generally have less experience
overall
·
They
bring little in the way of value to the transaction
·
Do
little more than guide clients through a transaction without give valued advice
·
Are
typically unskilled at communicating and negotiating
·
Have
a hard time justifying their commission to a client
Counselor: A highly trained and skilled individual who
has the ability to give expert guidance and advice on a one on one basis…an “advisor”
or “mentor”
·
Master
of the art of “relationship building”
·
Maintains
an intense focus on activities which produce leads resulting in income
·
A
Time Management Guru
·
Builds
and maintains systems to manage a data base of potential leads and referrals
sources
·
Adopt
technology which enables them to be highly effective and efficient
·
Always
abreast of current changes in your market and beyond
·
Master
of the buying , selling, and closing process
·
Skilled
at writing effective contracts and addendums for any market
·
A Master Negotiator
·
Has
a “unique experience” designed for each client they work with
·
Continually
searches for new ways to add value to each transaction
As you can see there is a wide gap
between how these two very different styles of agents serve their clients. And…Since
a counselor brings so much more value to the transaction… they are better
equipped to justify… and receive higher commissions….and multiple referrals
during and after the sale!
Let’s review some statistics to help drive home the point:
·
In
2014 the average productivity of a REALTOR was 8.5 transactions per year
·
44%
of agents produced zero transactions or income in 2014
·
57%
closed less than 3 transactions
·
81%
had 10 or less closed transactions (less than one per month)
·
Only
13% of REALTORS had 15 or more closed transactions for all of 2014
·
It
is estimated that nearly 80% of all closed transactions in the U.S. for the
year 2014 was performed by 20% of the members of The National Association of
REALTORS
·
When
asked …74% of consumers who bought or sold in 2014, found their REALTOR through
a trusted source (a referral)
If those figures don’t peak your interest consider this…
·
Of
the 57% of agents doing less than 3 transactions… 90% did not maintain an
active database… and out of the 10% who said they did… only 3% utilized a Client
Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage their database.
·
Of
the agents doing 15 or more transaction per year… 97% used a CRM system to stay
in contact with their database and 78% stated they used a CRM on a daily basis.
Ask yourself…Which percentile group do
I want to be in? The 20% doing 80% of the business or the 80% doing 20% of the
business? If you want to accelerate your career to the next level follow the 9
steps below to transform your business model to one your clients’ desire.
So where do you start the transformation?
1. Purchase an electronic CRM and commit
to using it daily
2. Maintain a Vibrant Database of
referral sources for your business
3. Learn the fundamentals of time
management
4. Stay abreast of current market
conditions
5. Be able to deliver a compelling
Listing Presentation
6. Be able to conduct a persuasive Buyer
Consultation
7. Learn to write effective contract for
any market
8. Strengthen your negotiation skills for
both clients and other agents
9. Use a mentor, coach, or
accountability partner to stay on track
I hope this in some way helps you in
your real estate business…for more information on ICU-Coaching call
919-417-9908
Eddie Brown ©2015
www.ICU-Coaching.com