Realtors tend to love real estate because of the flexible hours, being one’s own boss, the unlimited income possibility (that’s the ideal, perhaps not the reality recently) and the fact that every day is unique. There’s not a lot of dull routine in real estate sales! It’s equally diverse among the personalities and work styles in real estate, too.
It may surprise you to learn that many successful agents spend a great deal of time “practicing scripts and dialogues“. These are the folks who have pat answers to every question (or “objection”). The answers may not always be authentic, but they are designed to “close” you – that is, to get you to sign the listing agreement or the purchase contract.
That’s one extreme.
At the other, you find people who’ve been real estate sales people for years but cannot respond to the commonly-asked-questions like “why should I …” (fill in the blank).
- why should I allow a (for sale) sign in my yard?
- why should I permit you to use a lock box or keysafe at my property?
- why should I list or write an offer for X dollars – and not more or less?
- why should I (a buyer) get pre-approved?
- why should I (a seller) make it easy for a buyer to view my home?
- why can’t you, the listing agent, be present at every showing?
- why can’t I list my home 20-30% higher than the comps? (and many other Silicon Valley home seller questions or objections)
Good Realtors or real estate agents or licensees SHOULD be familiar with the most commonly asked questions and they ought to be prepared to respond to them. The very best agents know the most commonly asked questions. They may not have memorized pat answers that sound like sound bites on a news show, but they actually do know the content and can listen and then articulate a reasonable response. They know their stuff, so they can improv – but it’s an educated improv. To me, that’s the best.
And guess what? If a question is totally foreign, they don’t have some slimy quick response to put you off, instead they’ll say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”. That’s not a bad answer. Don’t you prefer honesty over a sales technique? I sure do! It’s authentic. (Real estate is full of new experiences. The agents who’ve been around for decades will offer that they continue to learn something new on every transaction.)
[Worried about being given a dose of “real estate objection handling“? Take a little time and do a web browser search of this term or similar terms.]
