Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Don't Sell Angry!!

Ever wanted to reach through the phone line and strangle the words out of the other person?  Have you ever had moment where your anger got the better of you?  Well, on the bright side - you won't be the only one, not by a long shot.  I think pretty much every human, everywhere has probably had a moment where they lost control for one reason or another.
I don't think he actually said that...but I'm sure he would agree with it

I can't really think of anything good that happened out of anger.  I think that sometimes goodness prevails from an angry situation, but I don't think that anger has ever actually generated something good.

Stress, like Ego, can bring out anger

Selling a home is stressful - for everybody!  As the real estate agent, we should be the ones that can provide as much of a calming factor as possible.  We certainly should never allow our ego to get involved in the deal.  (That sneaky ego that we don't always know what it's up to).

I really like to focus on being mindful of myself - especially during stressful moments.  I don't always pull it off, but when I am mindful - I find that anger does not often get the better of me.  Being mindful allows me to respond only when I am calm and OK with what is going on around me.  I can allow the other person to continue to lose their cool without having it affect me in a negative way.

Be compassionate till it hurts...don't worry, it won't

When I was younger I used to think that screaming into a pillow or hitting things got rid of my anger.  I believe now that behaving that way can become habit.  Acting on your anger verbally, can become a habit.  Like parents on a soccer sideline vocalizing their anger over how the game is being played or refereed, if you behave that way often enough it defines you as a person.

When a real estate transaction becomes tense, try to remember that the agent on the other side has just as much stress going on as you do.  If it's gotten the better of them being compassionate can help them pull those feelings back and get back in control themselves.  Compassion is not an easy emotion - and it is probably even more difficult to put into practice.  If you can pull that off, however, you just might be able to get through the stressful moments with...well...less stress.  And that's good for everyone!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Are you a technology Snob?

You're a hard working agent, with a great listing.  One day, just like it's supposed to happen, you get an offer!  Only the offer comes in the form of a link, to a website, where you are suddenly expected to know exactly how to navigate the system.  You find out you should let THAT system know who your clients are and how to get in touch with them.  More importantly - you are supposed to know what you are doing and are now on a timeline to get it done.

Not every agent is neck deep in technology, and that's not a bad thing at all.  Not every client is neck deep in technology, so we really need to make sure we are working with these folks to do what we were hired to do.  Just because you have a nice shiny bauble doesn't mean EVERYONE automatically knows how it works.

A Few Tips On Having Your Tech Be People Friendly

First of all, if you are submitting an offer - it's still professional courtesy to call first.  I know, that weird outdated app on your phone - that actually allows you to connect with other people and use your own voice to talk to them.  Seems weird, right?  Dialing a number...who does that?

Having that initial conversation of, "Hey, I'm sending you an offer, how do you want it delivered?" sets the tone for the whole transaction.  Now, I'm not saying that you have to chisel it out in stone and hand deliver it, but simply finding out how the agent on the other side works, can help you prepare for the whole transaction.  You will be working "together" to get the deal done, right?

If you are going to use your technology system to deliver your offer, make sure that during your conversation you elaborate to the other side, what they can expect when they receive it.  More importantly that system should allow the recipient to export, print and/or email the documents out of that system so they can move forward with their systems.  Any system that does not allow that, or "Hides" its menu items to allow that is probably not worth your time - it certainly won't be worth the time of the agent on the other side of the deal.  With today's low inventory, you do NOT have time to be waiting for them to figure out how YOUR systems work.

In short - we are in a people business, not a technology business.  When Watson the computer askes me to list his server farm, then I can treat my client like technology...until then, I'll stick to working with humans, and behaving...human.