You told a little story . . . mama's gonna be mad!

TEACHINGS OF A SUCCESSFUL REALTOR, by (prophet) Sam Ferreri  (lol)


Not my mama!  She encouraged story-telling.  (Of course, she was a long-time real estate agent who began this business in 1961.)  In fact, the best salespeople in the world are those who "sell without selling," by rather "sell by telling."

You see, you and I can role-play all day long -- typically, a strategy for learning what to say in the real estate business.  And this is the first step toward becoming "professional."

So, let's look at the typical listing presentation role play......it goes something like this:

"Well, let me show you what we do to get your home sold:  first, we put a sign in the yard.  Then, we put it in MLS.  Then, we hold open house.  Then, we make pretty flyers -- with nice, smooth paper. We'll make sure it's in all the major websites.  Blah Blah Blah.  Now, can we get started?"

But ok, we, as good Realtors, MUST know what it is we do!  So this type of role play is important......to get started.

How do you tell YOUR story?

The best listing agents move into stories about how we helped others, not what we're going to do to help you!  For example, "I am about to close a listing on which I am the third Realtor.  The sellers were a bit aggressively unrealistic in their expectations, but with some time and finesse, I was able to secure an offer that met their needs when other Realtors before me couldn't.  The difference?  I listened to them, and didn't react the way they reacted.  When presented with an offer lower than they wanted, they were angry and upset.  I calmly told them a story about how we can get buyers to increase their offers if they consider the situation.  This calmed them down, and I was able to turn their "no" into an "ok."

It's about telling stories, folks.  Practice it.  Write a blog.  Tell your stories.  First, learn the scripts, then incorporate them into your true-life stories.  This is the winning combination.

Sam Ferreri, MTL, RAA, is a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry and is currently the Director of Vision for RE/MAX Top Realty, the largest RE/MAX office in Houston, Texas.  If you'd like to learn more, visit the Top Realty University Professional Development Center where agents work in a creative, collaborative culture daily.  713-558-2555.