August 16th, 2024

Are you excited today? I think we have reason to be excited. Now more than ever, people need "their Realtor" to be there for them. And now more than ever, most of our competitors are going to drop the ball!

I have never seen a better opportunity to win hearts and minds of people than today. It will never be this easy to stand out (amongst the negativity and confusion) and be seen as a trusted real estate resource by people in your sphere of influence. Don't forget, they know other Realtors, probably 5 or 6. This is your chance to become THE ONE they choose.

Here is what you should be focusing on right now:

1) Master the New

Obviously, we need to take extra time to make sure we understand and can explain all these changes and explain them well. (So, I'll basically skip this one!)

2) Learn From Others!

I cannot tell you to get into the office exactly, but… go to the office!

HOLD ON . . . I get it, all of you are independent contractors and most of you got into this glorious industry so you could control your own schedule, right? And no doubt, we are a company that celebrates your independence, and at our core we believe it is our job to earn your license. You don't work for us; we work for you.

I have had my license since early 2009 (that's right: during the crash) and I have never seen less agents in the office, and I've also never seen a more important time for you to be in the office! Honestly.

Look at this: the stay-at-home order was almost 5 years ago. You will not meet any clients sitting at your desk or at home. I say this with deep reverence for what you guys do - from the desk of someone who's head has been buried in these changes since last Fall:

· You cannot figure this out from afar.

· We owe it to clients to know, before they need to know.

I learned everything I know from someone else. And the best Realtors (the honest ones) will tell you the same thing. Get in the office, go to meetings and trainings (show up on time for them), immerse yourself. It's important.

3) Don't Miss Opportunities!

In this environment, we could lose a client that is afraid, misled or thinks they can't afford your service. You cannot afford to miss shots in a time when you probably need more of them.

Check this out:

A July, nationwide "secret shopper" operation of undercover researchers, led by Real estate tech strategist Mike DelPrete, found:

· 47% of inquiries made on agent websites never received a human response.

· More than 1 in 3 online inquiries never received any response at all from the agent.

· 42% of open-house attendees were never asked for their contact information.

"Now, in a period of time when everybody's worried about justifying their commission, what if I showed this to the Seller the agent was representing?" DelPrete asked. "That would, in effect, be like the agent saying to the homeowner (who they're paying to sell their home) '42 percent of the time, I'm not going to do my job.'"

(Would YOU hire this person to sell your home?)

"And it got worse from there," DelPrete said. "Even when the contact information was given, 62% of ALL shoppers had no follow-up. Zero. And the average response came more than eight hours after reaching out to the agent."

There is no other way to say it that this: the bar is set low, it's easy to be amazing. Be amazing.

4) Double Down on Relationships!

If there has ever been a more important time for you to focus on strengthening relationship bonds with everyone you know, it was before I was born.

There are buyers out there who think all we do is open doors. The public has no idea how we get paid. Don't think for a second that they have clarity now. We must put a lot of effort into explaining why we are worth our fee now.

If you want to be here for the long haul, you must focus on building, strengthening, and nurturing relationships and stop moving from one transaction to another. Agents with a "transactional" mindset are replaceable and easy to forget. Those with the "relationship" mindset are not. Focus on relationships first, then the transactions will come.

There is no better return on investment than that from your sphere of influence (SOI). There never will be, no matter what happens in our industry.

5) Highlight Skills, Knowledge and Experience!

People feel more comfortable when they understand the experience they will have before they work with you. Now is the time to put heavy emphasis on your experience, designations, and certifications. But you can't just say, "I have an ABR." No one knows what that means. Tell them what you learned and why it is important (or should be) to them. Show them you have the skills to support them by highlighting your areas of expertise and training you've had. I would also point out that you (if any of this applies to you) have successfully worked through the great crash, survived all the craziness of Covid, and I've been through 8% interest rates and 2% interest rates, and you are still here because you are flexible and adaptable.

If you are a newer agent, I admit this is a little harder to do. But, you brought skills from your previous work and life experiences with you. You know who the best negotiators are? Parents. Who's the best at juggling multiple clients' demands, maybe Teachers? Coaches? Use that experience and articulate it well.

You can do it; think outside the box a little. In the meantime, lean on your brokerage and broker's experience. Tell them you are not working alone. And tell them this, "I do not know everything. What I have learned is knowing everything isn't possible. I do have resources and experience at my fingertips. I will find the answer. The most important thing is finding someone you trust to doggedly hunt down whatever you need. That is me."

6) You Made Someone Happy, Tell the World!

If you have testimonials, is anyone seeing them? Share them! Make them accessible to prospective buyers and sellers (your company-provided Pitch tool and Bellator Design House tool can help you do this well – get with the Bellator Marketing team). When we see that others have had a great experience with something it puts us at ease. We trust it. You can't sit and around and hope your clients are going to tell someone to call you; put yourself in their shoes. Word of mouth is like pure gold. Reviews and testimonials are the best way.

If you have been in the business for more than five years, somewhere between 40-60% of your business should come from referrals from past clients and people you know. There will never be a freer way to do this than with testimonials.

Share these experiences!

7) Promote & Cultivate Your Brand!

"Branding", does not mean you need to create a logo, always wear black turtlenecks and jeans, or anything like that. Some people overthink their "brand" and maybe spend too much time on it. Think about it this way: your brand is something about you or the way you do business that you've chosen to highlight in your content. (Remember, too, your value proposition as a Bellator Agent: Expert Real Estate Advisors.)

This doesn't have to be expensive. It does have to be consistent to bolster your credibility. Ask yourself this: "What can I share about me that gives me credibility and helps people I know make the choice to pay me for a service?" Bellator has a strong brand, and by law it must be part of all your "advertising." So, you are already off to a great start.

Add a personal touch to your social media posts. You see a lot of, "Sold, in 10 days!" content. Try adding something that makes it more personal, and helps people connect to it emotionally. How about (keep Fair Housing in mind), "Sold! I just helped another dream come true. I love what I do. Hire an Expert Real Estate Advisor who loves what they do!" Content needs to be about how you want people to feel about what you can do for them. Logos, colors and pictures focus on you; shift the focus to them and what they will (and won't) feel working with you.

The best thing you could do in this area, is put a Post It note on your laptop that says, "Why use me?" This will help you focus on what promotion, branding and advertising needs to be about at its core.

8) Don't Blame Others

You are your own boss. You are the thermostat; you set the tone. Buckle down, we'll get through this together! On day, we'll all look back at this and laugh.