Today's Sales Language Tip on "We're Already Working With An Agent"
Greetings Fellow Professionals!
Today I'd like to share a little
P.S. Want More Nuggets? Leave me your name and email below
and you'll gain access to my vault of scripts and dialogues
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Today I'd like to share a little
nugget on how to handle the age
old prospect stall, "I'm already
working with an agent."
We've all heard it a bunch and
sometimes it's actually true! :)
More often then not though it
is simply a way to either put us
off or slow down the process.
So how do most agents handle it?
In my 35 years of experience, both
as a top-producing agent and as a
regional manager, I have found that
MOST agents simply fold up like a
lawn chair! If you find yourself in
that situation, instead of simply saying
okay thanks for stopping by, why not probe
a wee bit further to flesh out if it's
true or just a put off.
Think about it. When you go to a
department store and the clerk says,
"May I help you?" how do we all reply
as a knee jerk response?
"I'm just looking", right? That's also
true with our buyer prospects MOST
of the time. They're simply not yet ready
to dive deeper into the process...until
you demonstrate how and if you might be
able to benefit them. My suggestion is to
first build rapport through the use of great
questions so that the prospect knows you
have their best interests at heart.
Let's say you are holding an open house.
Bob and Mary walk in and here's how a pro
handles the situation.
It might go something like this:
Pro: "Welcome to my open house, my name is
Mike. Thank you for stopping by. What brings
you out to look at homes today?"
Bob: "We were driving by and saw the sign so
we thought we'd take a peek inside."
Pro: "Terrific!" Do you live in the area or is
this your first visit to our community?"
Bob: "We live in Eugene and are considering
a move to this area."
Pro: "Eugene is a wonderful area...home of the
Ducks!" Why are you considering a move to our
area?"
Bob: "Our family lives here and we want to be
closer to them."
Pro: "I know how you feel. Time really flies by
and the older I get the more I realize how
important it is to be close to our loved ones.
Please feel free to ask me any questions that
you might have about the area and this home
as we walk through it, okay?" By the way, how
long have you lived in Eugene?"
Bob: "For 7 years."
Pro: "Wow, 7 years! Not to be too personal but
in order to better serve you, do you own a home
in Eugene or are you just renting?"
Bob: "We're just renting. We sold our home so
we could be freer to move when we were ready."
Pro: "That's a smart decision. So many folks look
before they sell and sometimes find the perfect
home, yet aren't able to make a decision to buy
yet. How soon would you like to be here?"
Bob: "We're just looking and in no hurry."
Pro: "Oh I know Bob and believe me I am not here
to rush you in any way. I am here to see if
and how I might be able to serve you in order
for you to save as much time and money as
possible. How long have you been looking for a
home?"
Bob: "We just got started." And we aren't
even sure if we're going to buy anytime soon."
Pro: "That's also wise to take your time. Have
you seen any homes yet that meet your needs?"
Bob: "Yes, our agent showed us a home that we
thought might work but it was already sold."
Pro: "That's a shame. I know a lot of great agents
in our area and I'm curious, who are you working
with?"
Bob: (Looking at Mary). "Her name is Sally, right Mary?
I think so honey. Anyway, she is not available to
show us around today so we're looking at open
houses on our own."
Pro: "I understand. Not to step on any toes but
in order to serve you to the best of my ability,
what was it about that home that you missed out
on, that peaked your interest?"
Mary: "We liked the floor plan and the fact that
it had a main floor master suite. Plus it was
close to shopping and transportation."
Pro: "I see. May I ask you a question? (Short pause)
Now that I have a pretty good idea as to what
you are looking for in a home I could possibly find
you the perfect place that is not yet officially
on the market."
Bob: "What do you mean Mike?"
Pro: "Well Bob, because I network with all of
the professional agents in our area and I have a
large circle of acquaintances I will often times
become aware of what we call 'Pocket listings'.
Let me explain. Some of the finest values and homes
get sold without ever being advertised or having
a sign on the property. We call these 'Pocket
listings' and should I become aware of one that
fits your needs perfectly I want to be sure that
you'd like to be the first to know about it. So,
just to clarify, since you said you're working with
an agent, have you signed an exclusive buyers agent
agreement with them?"
Bob: "No, we won't sign anything that commits us
like that."
Pro: "Okay then if I were to come across such a
home I just want to be sure that you wouldn't
want me to let you know about it first."
Bob: "No Mike, we would want to know!"
Pro: "That's great and how that works with me is
that if I do find that home, let you be the first
to know about it and you are interested in owning it
you will hire me to represent you in the transaction,
fair enough?"
Bob: "Sounds fair to us, right Mary?"
Pro: "That's terrific!"
So you see, with the proper dialogue and through
the power of asking great questions the pro has
been able to garner another potential client. Isn't
that exciting!?
Granted, there are a lot of ways the conversation
can go but the point is that if you engage your prospects
with the right questions you can often times gain their
trust and their business without stepping on anyones toes!
Cheers!
Michael
P.S. Want More Nuggets? Leave me your name and email below
and you'll gain access to my vault of scripts and dialogues
that comprise the 'Language Art' of sales!
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