{"id":21309,"date":"2022-11-18T13:50:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T13:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=21309"},"modified":"2022-11-18T13:50:22","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T13:50:22","slug":"sales-mistakes-to-fix-before-the-market-changes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/sales-mistakes-to-fix-before-the-market-changes-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Mistakes to Fix Before the Market Changes Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every real estate pro makes these errors at one point or another. But you have to learn how to prevent them in the future to keep your business viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the venerable Leigh Brown, a prolific real estate speaker and broker-owner of One Community Real Estate in Concord, N.C., has experienced dry spells in her business. Surely, you have, too, and it\u2019s at those moments that you need to shift sales strategies. \u201cI\u2019ve spoken with agents in four countries and 49 states, and the story is the same,\u201d Brown told attendees Friday during a session at NAR NXT, The REALTOR\u00ae Experience(link is external)<\/a> in Orlando, Fla. \u201cAll REALTORS\u00ae are entrepreneurs, and they think they\u2019re doing things differently and better when, in reality, they\u2019re all making the same mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown called these pitfalls the \u201c7 deadly sins of sales\u201d\u2014business errors that every real estate professional makes at one point or another. However, these mistakes can be remedied. Brown presented a roadmap for correcting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin Number One: Ego Over Substance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Referencing Instagram posts in which agents share photos of their many awards with a caption that states how \u201cblessed\u201d they are in the industry, Brown noted that this kind of \u201chumblebrag\u201d isn\u2019t endearing to the consumer at all. \u201cEvery time you do this, you\u2019ve told the consumer that you care more about yourself than you do them,\u201d she said. If you wouldn\u2019t say it at the closing table or the listing appointment, don\u2019t say it in an email or a social media post, she advised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, make your marketing about what the consumer wants and needs as well as how you\u2019re the agent to help make their dreams a reality. \u201cYou differentiate yourself through your own substance,\u201d Brown said. Remember that for most people, buying a home isn\u2019t about making money or investing; it\u2019s about building memories and having stability. Brown also said that before you make any kind of social media post, ask yourself: \u201cWhat\u2019s my desired outcome from this post?\u201d Determine whether or not the post aligns with your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin Number Two: Lack of Value in Yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you can communicate your value to consumers, you must first believe that what you bring to the table is valuable. The first step is to treat yourself and talk about yourself as a person of value and worth, Brown said. \u201cLet the customer know that your value lies in everything you\u2019ve done to prepare yourself as a professional: the certifications, the education, the vast network of local experts and the memberships. Rather than make the job look seamless, articulate what you\u2019re doing to ensure the process runs smoothly for the client. They are paying you for the depth that you bring. You\u2019re hurting yourself by making your job look easy. Use transparency instead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin Number Three: Abandonment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a relationship business like real estate, your customers often become your friends. Organic bonds are created in the trenches of the home search and the transaction. \u201cYou love your clients while you\u2019re working with them,\u201d Brown said, \u201cbut then what happens when the transaction is over?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to fall out of touch. Then, five years later, when you see that your customers have enlisted the help of another agent to sell their home and find them another, you feel betrayed. \u201cClients have lives. They have aging parents and children. They\u2019ve all gone through the same pandemic that you have,\u201d Brown said. It\u2019s important to make regular, consistent follow-up an integrated part of your business practice so that you stay top of mind when the need arises. \u201cPick a CRM, get trained on it and use it.<\/a> Figure out how you want to follow up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sin Number Four: Ignoring the Phone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It may be easier to send a text or email than to call a client\u2014but it shouldn\u2019t be. In fact, Brown said, picking up the phone is one of the easiest things you can do to show you care and to market yourself. \u201cBe yourself, and be professional<\/a>,\u201d she said. When you answer the phone, state your first and last name as well as your company name, Brown suggested. That way, when you\u2019re out in public, say, at a grocery store, members of your community will make the connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are, however, a few instances when it\u2019s OK not to answer your phone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n