{"id":4019,"date":"2012-06-22T10:43:52","date_gmt":"2012-06-22T17:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rmlsweb.wordpress.com\/?p=4019"},"modified":"2012-06-22T10:43:52","modified_gmt":"2012-06-22T17:43:52","slug":"7-secrets-to-winning-over-more-buyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rmlscentral.com\/v1\/2012\/06\/22\/7-secrets-to-winning-over-more-buyers\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Secrets to Winning Over More Buyers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Written By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Reprinted from Realtor\u00a9 Magazine March 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Buying a home can be stressful. As a real estate agent, you get to see home buyers at their best \u2014 that is, the joy they feel when they step into their new home. But you first usually have to see them at their worst \u2014 the stress and tension they may feel in trying to find that perfect house. That puts you in role as adviser, friend, and counselor.<\/p>\n

As a salesperson, you might be wondering what your customers really think about the home-buying process, and what, exactly, they expect from you beyond helping them find that ideal house. The bottom line: They expect a lot.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Things Buyers Say They Want Most<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 2011 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey conducted by the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae shows what buyers want from their agents. Here are the five biggest expectations:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Help finding the right home to purchase.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 Help negotiating the price.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Help negotiating the terms of the sale.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Determining what comparable homes are selling for.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0 Assisting with paperwork.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all. Buyers surveyed also said some of the biggest benefits real estate practitioners can provide is helping them understand the home-buying process as well as pointing out unnoticed features or faults with a property. What\u2019s more, the majority say they are looking for an agent who can improve their knowledge of home-search areas and provide a list of service providers.<\/p>\n

The following are seven suggestions for real estate professionals in better assisting today\u2019s buyers for improved client relationships.<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t Be Slow to Respond<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Behind only honesty and integrity, response time is rated as a \u201cvery important\u201d quality in real estate professionals, according to the NAR survey.<\/p>\n

So how quick is your response time? Real estate professionals ignore or respond too late to nearly 75 percent of customer leads that come in through online channels, according to a secret-shopping study by PCMS Consulting and One Cavo. The study, which evaluated practitioners\u2019 response rate to Internet leads from customers, found that nearly half of agents did not respond to the Internet leads. And, 23 percent of the leads that did receive calls back were contacted about eight hours after forms were submitted.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s still too late, the survey\u2019s researchers say. \u201cToday\u2019s Internet consumer is expecting a response certainly within the hour but, more likely, within 15 or 20 minutes,\u201d said Bradley Miller, One Cavo founder and president.(For help in improving your response time, check out\u00a0Buyer\u2019s Guide: CRM Solutions<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a06 Best Practices for Online Leads<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

2. Be a Savvy Negotiator<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The good news: For the most part, most buyers are satisfied with the real estate agents they choose, and nine out of 10 say they would recommend their agents to others, according to NAR\u2019s 2011 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. But there\u2019s one area in particular they feel agents need a little extra work: negotiation skills. This and technology skills were the only areas where buyers expressed less satisfaction with their agents.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s buyers want a deal \u2014 or a steal. Are your negotiation skills up to par for challenging transactions? In your last few negotiations, how successful have you been? Have your buyers felt satisfied in the end? Or have too many deals fallen apart lately?<\/p>\n

There are plenty of places to turn for a brush-up on your negotiation skills. Several REALTOR\u00ae designations offer negotiation classes, such as some offered by the\u00a0Real Estate Buyer\u2019s Agent Council<\/a>, or you can find courses or resources through the new\u00a0REALTOR\u00ae University<\/a>. (Also seeFinding the Peace: Strategies for Negotiating in Today\u2019s Marketplace<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0\u2018My Best Negotiating Secrets\u2019<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t Come Across as an Amateur<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Home buyers love to view photos and videos of homes, which has compelled more real estate professionals to hastily put on photographer and filmmaker hats. But if video isn\u2019t your forte, then maybe you shouldn\u2019t grab that pocket camera or smartphone and broadcast your work on YouTube. You actually might do more harm than good.<\/p>\n

One real estate professional in the Dallas area decided to shoot several neighborhood videos from a handheld camera, turning buyers off of several neighborhoods in the area. The videos were all captured as the agent drove through the neighborhoods (safety tip: don\u2019t film and drive) and captured it all on a cloudy, winter day \u2014 not exactly the best backdrop for making neighborhoods look appealing. If you want to do a neighborhood video, wait for a sunny summer or spring day to show off the vegetation and greenery, make sure you keep the camera in focus, and film when you\u2019re not on the move. Better yet, maybe take a film class or enlist an aspiring filmmaker for help. Same goes for property pictures, too \u2014 if you\u2019re not good at shooting photos, then seek professional help, or obtain the skillset you need to do a professional job.<\/p>\n

4. Have a Web Presence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a determining factor for choosing an agent, reputation was rated No. 2 behind trustworthiness, according to the NAR survey. For many consumers, online search has become a go-to method to find out more about a practitioner\u2019s business, and one of the things they look for is other clients\u2019 reviews. If nothing comes up when they Google you, some buyers will assume you\u2019re not very established in your business, and they may have a tough time putting their biggest purchase in your hands. If it\u2019s a Facebook page with some questionable photos, well, that won\u2019t likely win you any clients either.<\/p>\n

So, how\u2019s your online rep? (Read:\u00a0Deal With Online Detractors<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a09 Ways to Get Glowing Online Reviews<\/a>.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Social networking pages like LinkedIn often come up early in Web searches, so make sure they\u2019re up-to-date and represent your business. Also, take advantage of the\u00a0\u201crecommendations\u201d feature<\/a>\u00a0to highlight customer reviews.<\/p>\n

According to surveys, home buyers also say real estate practitioner and company Web sites have been useful in their home search. Here\u2019s what they rated as top site features:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Photos<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 Detailed information about properties for sale<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Virtual tours<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Interactive maps<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0 Real estate agent contact information<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0 Neighborhood information<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t Dodge a Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are certain questions you can\u2019t answer because of\u00a0fair housing laws<\/a>, such as \u201cWhat kind of people live in this neighborhood?\u201d or \u201cIs this home in the best school district?\u201d But if you just ignore the question or gloss over it, you inadvertently make the buyer lose faith in your knowledge about the market or feel like their question didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

Keep data on demographics, crime, and school reports with you, available at your Web site, or even in a special buyer packet you give clients when touring homes. That way, when they ask you a question you can\u2019t answer, you can point them to where they can find it on their own.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0<\/strong>Follow the 3 E\u2019s<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll have to wear multiple hats as an agent. Be ready to educate, empathize, and encourage.<\/p>\n

Educate:\u00a0<\/strong>Educate the buyer on the area, what comparable homes are selling for, the average price per square foot in the neighborhood, and every stage in the buying process.<\/p>\n

Empathize:\u00a0<\/strong>Buyers are bound to throw something at you that may seem absurd during the home search. Remember, this is a big step, and it\u2019s scary so they may get cold feet and suddenly a seemingly easy fix to you \u2014 like the color of the walls \u2014 becomes a huge obstacle they can\u2019t overlook. Even if the gripe seems unreasonable, keep your cool, listen to their complaint so they feel heard, and then propose a practical solution or find a compromise. (Read more:\u00a0Get to the Root of Buyers\u2019 Objections<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Encourage:\u00a0<\/strong>Once your buyers select a home, validate their decision. Review the priorities they stated in their home search, and how well the home measures up: Did they find a good match? A big portion in the buying process is the feeling of validation \u2014 that they made a good decision, which will help lead them all the way to the closing table.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0<\/strong>Don\u2019t Pull a Houdini<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After buyers select a house, don\u2019t just disappear until closing day. You\u2019ll make them feel abandoned. While buyers say they most want assistance in finding the right property, they also say they want their agent\u2019s help with understanding the entire process and recommendations of service providers.<\/p>\n

Find excuses to make contact, even when there\u2019s nothing to do that week to move the transaction forward. For example, \u201cI saw this interesting article in the newspaper and thought of you,\u201d or \u201cI just drove past the house and it looks great. I know you\u2019re getting excited for move-in day.\u201d Send happy birthday greetings or remember special dates. For relocation clients, help them get adjusted to the community by offering up fun things to do in the area. (Get more ideas for keeping in touch<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The end of a transaction is really just the beginning to building a relationship with your clients, proving you\u2019ll be there every step of the way and beyond, to the next time they need your services \u2014 or their friend does.<\/p>\n

Reprinted from REALTOR\u00ae\u00a0Magazine Online, March, 2012, with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS\u00ae. Copyright March 2102. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are buyers really thinking, and how can you better assist them? Here\u2019s how to start improving your buyer relationships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"series":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/rmlscentral.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/buyersecrets.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/rmlscentral.com\/v1\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_play":{"key":"google_play","url":"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Iinki5xppiud4zt7r4evlggzzcy?t=Real_Talk_with_RMLS","label":"Google Play","icon":"google-play.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/rmlscentral.com\/v1\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"

7 Secrets to Winning Over More Buyers<\/a><\/blockquote>\n