CORE
Rules for CORE Agents #23: Don't be Afraid to be Called "Pushy," at Least Once
Most of the great real estate agents I’ve worked with have one thing in common: they’re a little, sometimes a lot, pushy. They’re not afraid to ask tough questions, or make aggressive demands, or put people on the spot. Simply put, they’re comfortable making other people uncomfortable. Most of us aren’t built that way. We…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #22: When You're Afraid of the Answer to a Question, Ask it!
We all know people whose lives would be immensely better if they would just ask a tough question. Maybe you know a woman who is eager to get married and start a family, but she’s in a long-term relationship with a guy whom you suspect is just stringing her along with no long-term intentions. And…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #21: No News is Still News
You know what the weather is like right now in San Diego? It’s 85 degrees and sunny. You know what it’s going to be like tomorrow? 85 degrees and sunny. Next week? 85 degrees and sunny. The funny thing is, they still do the weather report every day. Turn on the news, and at some…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #20: If a Client Calls You With a Question, You've Probably Already Failed
Your phone rings. It’s a seller whose home you’ve listed, and they want to know if that buyer over the weekend had any feedback. Or it’s a buyer you’re working with, wondering if anything new came on the market this week. Guess what? You just failed. Why? Because they felt that they had to call…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #19: Never Argue With a Client, Or, Really, Anyone.
I deal with angry clients all the time. I’m the lawyer for my company, and if I’m talking to a real estate client, it’s usually because they’re so unhappy that they want to break a contract or sue me or something. I don’t get to talk to the happy clients. So I talk to these…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #18: If You're Not Good at Something, Get Good or Have Someone Else Do it.
It’s staggering how many things real estate agents need to know how to do. They need to be market analysts, appraisers, negotiators, counselors, photographers, videographers, writers, lead generators, stagers, transaction specialists, communicators, marketers — everything that goes into helping people buy and sell homes. But it’s tough to be good at everything. We all have…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #17: Never Tell Anyone You're ALWAYS Available For Them, Because You're Not
So you’re sitting down with a client for the first time, and you’re trying to impress upon them your dedication to a great service experience. You take them through your value presentation, answer all their questions, and you can tell that you’re thisclose to locking them in. It’s all going so well, so you decide…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #16: Personal Communication Requires an Actual Person Communicating
As modern communication technology advances, it becomes increasingly hard to have actual conversations with other people. I know that seems crazy, since we have so many wonderful ways these days to get in touch: mobile phones, voicemails emails, text messages, Facebook status updates. But we don’t actually “talk” with each other as much anymore; we’re…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #15: Great Service is in the Eye of the Beholder
Let’s say you’re shopping for a new jacket, and you pop into a clothing store. Immediately, a salesperson comes up to assist you, asking if you need any help and what you’re looking for. Usually, that’s a great thing, so much better than those times you go into a store and you can’t find anyone…
Read MoreRules for CORE Agents #14: Happy Clients Are Better Than Any Marketing Program Ever Invented
Real estate agents are always coming up with creative places to put their faces. It used to be that you’d see real estate agent faces just in the pages of newspapers and magazines, but now you see them on park benches, billboards, shopping carts – really, anywhere there’s a flat surface and someone willing to…
Read More