AGENT: Wow! (the agent needs to match the intensity of the seller’s
statement and acknowledge his feelings) It sounds like open houses weren’t effective in getting your home sold to that particular buyer. Did your agent share any ideas as to why your home wasn’t garnering any offers as a result of the open houses? That does
sound like a lot of weeks to have an open house without a result. SELLER: No idea. I had to constantly call for updates from
the agent. It was like pulling teeth! And he wasn’t even the one holding the open houses. Frankly, I didn’t hear from the agent until we had an offer from the buyer!
Look at how many clues the agent picked up from that
one additional question: >> The last agent didn’t do a good job of communi- cating with the seller and that frustrated him.
>> The last agent didn’t hold the home open himself and that frustrated the seller — especially when the house was not left in good condition.
>> This seller did not have a good experience from his last agent.
This is a great time to acknowledge this last point: AGENT: It sounds like you didn’t have a great experience with your
last agent, and I want to assure you that I operate completely differently. First of all, I have a system for communication that is based on how you like to be communicated with whether that is in person, by phone, or by email. I also provide a weekly report to my sellers, which outlines the activity we have seen in the past week. I also include what marketing we have on the agenda for the upcoming week. Open houses may or may not be part of that plan, but that is something we can address together. Would you like to go ahead and discuss our communication plan in more detail now?
By “whacking the mole” and asking questions of the seller, you have the opportunity to learn more about the
issues they really care about and perhaps their expectations and concerns from previous experiences. Also, when you address their concerns directly, it shows that you are listen - ing and care about having them be part of the process. Sometimes you have to utilize the skill of silence, es -
pecially when speaking your truth. When we tell someone something they may not want to hear, they sometimes need space to absorb it. But what are we naturally inclined to do? Talk faster and throw a whole lot of information at the person, trying to justify your position.
Like in the following example: AGENT: I know you want to get $400,000 for your house, but
that is $75,000 over where my research has shown us your house should be. In fact, no home in this neighborhood has sold for over $375,000 ever! Your neighbor’s house sold for $369,000 and it has 500 more square feet than yours. Not to mention you have the retaining pond 50 feet from your back door. You are also not taking into account …
Too much babble! The seller needs time for the first
statement to sink in. This is how it should look: AGENT (in a very calm and quiet voice, and very slowly): I know
you want to get $400,000 for your house, but the market is showing us $325,000.
Then silence! It will be very difficult to sit there and not
say anything. In fact, it will be downright painful. Especially for agents with supporter personalities who want to soften the blow of what they just said. However, there is strength in silence. Shhhh!The seller will speak. Just sit there calmly and make
eye contact. Not aggressively… calmly. You may want to practice with another agent or even a family member first if the thought of not saying anything is making your skin crawl. Remember to use silence, a quiet, calm, and slow voice,
and space in the conversation when you are making a point. There is no doubt that an agent who can implement the
“whack-a-mole” style of handling objections will quickly be able to master the discussion about price with a seller. Agents who are confident and have their toolbox can in - stantly be elevated to “expert” status.
DENISE LONES IS PRESIDENT OF THE LONES GROUP TEAM BASED IN BELLINGHAM, WASH. THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM DENISE’S BLOG, REAL
ESTATE ZEBRA. IT IS THE SECOND ARTICLE OF A FOUR-PART SERIES THAT DEALS WITH PRICING. READ THE ENTIRE SERIES AT
WWW.REALESTATEZEBRABLOG. COM.
10 IGEORGIA REALTOR®
MAY I JUNE 2013
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