Let’s be honest here, the real estate industry feels like it’s filled with chaos right now. Interest rates, low inventory, uncertainty about buyer agents; the list goes on and on. But to tell you the truth, despite what feels like a lot of chaos, what you need to do to succeed as a real estate agent hasn’t changed.
It still just ultimately comes down to how well you can convey your value and convince both buyers and sellers to work with you. And to do that, it’s really all about setting appointments and getting those people to actually meet with you. If you have the right skills and strategies, then you can accomplish that in ANY real estate market. In this article, I’m going to cover some of those key skills and strategies.
It’s All about Your Conversations
When we talk about real estate sales skills, what we’re really talking about is having productive, compelling conversations. Whether you’re working with past clients, a new open house lead, internet leads, or just cold calling a neighborhood, your ability to direct the conversation, overcome obstacles, and logically close are critical. Here are some of the primary real estate sales skills that you need to master in order to have productive, compelling conversations:
Solid introduction – When you enter the conversation you have to successfully communicate who you are, who you are calling, why you are calling them, and convince them that what you are saying is relevant to them. That all has to happen very quickly, right at the beginning.
Discovery and qualification – Next find out what the lead’s situation is, what problem they’re trying to solve, and what their end goal is. You also have to be able to determine if they are worth working with or not.
Objection handling – It doesn’t matter who the lead is or how badly they need to buy or sell a home, you’re going to run into objections. When that happens, you have to be able to consistently turn a “no” to a “yes”.
Logical close – One of the biggest mistakes that real estate agents make when trying to set appointments is not knowing when to close or how to close. Once you have the lead bought in—you understand their situation, overcame their objections, and they are receptive to what you are saying—STOP selling. You need to actually set the appointment and give the lead a logical reason to meet with you. Make sure it is clear when you are meeting, why you are meeting, and the value they will gain from meeting.
Develop a Compelling Value Proposition
The way you’re going to differentiate yourself from the many other agents in your market is by crafting an effective real estate agent value proposition. Think of this statement like an elevator pitch—it should concisely and simply explain why a lead should work with you instead of a different agent. You have to show how your business delivers a not-so-unique service in a very unique way. Your value proposition needs to separate you from the crowd and showcase the benefits that you can provide in an easy to understand way.
Here’s what you should think about when crafting your value proposition:
- Who is your niche market?
- What can you do that other agents can’t?
- Focus on the benefits you provide
- Tailor it to the person you’re speaking with
It’s important to not just list your accomplishments and awards or describe all the success you and your team have had. You want to explain clearly how you would help this particular lead meet their specific goals. Focus on them and how you can benefit them, instead of just making general statements about you and your business.
Listen More than You Talk
When it comes to real estate sales, a lot of it comes down to effectively listening to the lead, instead of just delivering long monologues. Successfully handling discovery, overcoming objections, and closing all require a lot of information from the person you’re speaking with. During your conversation, here’s a checklist of what you need to do:
- Get the lead’s perspective
- Get the lead’s experience
- Acknowledge that you understand their perspective and experience
- Tell the lead the benefit of moving forward now
- Educate the lead after understanding their perspective
- Identify motivation and ability
- Set a logical next step
Right now, the way to keep your business strong is by setting as many listing and buyer appointments as possible. Now is the time to double down on your real estate sales skills and make sure they are sharper and better than they ever have been before. Don’t put off practice and training, or your business will fall behind.
Want help developing some of these key real estate sales skills? We’re offering a FREE LIVE skills assessment. You can test your sales skills on Zoom with our professional sales trainers. Then, you’ll receive actionable tips to double or triple your weekly appointments.