How to talk to the real estate industry

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Takeaways:

• Respect Realtors as fellow entrepreneurs.
• Research your potential partners.
• Don’t try to sell — build relationships instead.

SAN FRANCISCO — Real estate is about relationships and that goes for tech vendors as well as agents, according to Morgan Carey, founder and CEO of Real Estate Webmasters, at Inman Connect today.

Here are Carey’s 10 tips for tech entrepreneurs attempting to woo agents and brokers:

1. Respect the fact that Realtors work their asses off.
2. Know your industry. That includes keeping up with the latest news — did you know Zillow is buying dotloop for $108 million? Be ready to talk about it.
3. Realtors have seen it all, and humor is universal. Build a relationship — don’t treat agents like they’re brand-new and have no idea what’s going on because they are entrepreneurs too.
   ‘Don’t treat agents like they’re brand-new and have no idea what’s going on.’

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4. Leverage like success. Compile a list of success stories similar to what you are trying to accomplish with your potential Realtor partner. Know those stories well, share them, and expect your customers to call your references.
5. Never forget: Realtors work without a safety net. Think of how scared you were when you first started out as an entrepreneur. That will help you connect on a much more personal level.
6. Walk the walk. If you’ve built up a level of business, make sure your customers know that. You have to have credibility. Another tip: Don’t make up your own awards and win them, i.e., “I’m the best Realtor on my street.”
7. Do your research. The Internet is the best gift we’ve ever been given as salespeople. Know what your customers look like, what they like to wear, if they have animals, what sports teams they like. That will show you’ve taken the time to get to know them. And agents, do the same: Research your tech vendors.
8. Do the math for them. Real Estate Webmasters created an income predictor tool to solve a pain point for agents.
9. Stop selling. Read the book “Getting Naked” by Patrick Lencioni. It talks about building relationships. Nobody likes to be sold hard. Stop selling. Build relationships. Do your research. Be funny. Build rapport.
   ‘Stop selling. Build relationships. Do your research. Be funny. Build rapport.’

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10. Be different. There’s a guy on the Real Estate Webmasters team who sent every kid in his church to camp.  Celebrate people like him. If your clients see that you care about your people and your community, that will help build relationships. Be different, but even if it doesn’t work, at the end of the day be proud of what you did to be different.

Email Andrea V. Brambila.