I recently was in a two-day Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) seminar, taught by Gee Dunsten of Maryland, which Amherst Madison Legacy had brought to Boise, Idaho, for our agents as well as the Realtor community at large.
The subject of the material was homesellers and how we can provide more value to them in our sales process as well as how to capture more saleable market share.
It was on day two that I was struck by a recurring theme of both the material and the instructor. The theme goes far beyond sellers and the CRS seminar itself.
A critical component to our success, as Realtors and entrepreneurs, is the ability to ask the right questions, listen to the answers and respond in a sincere and intelligent manner.
During the remainder of the seminar, I started counting how often Dunsten referenced asking a question. I stopped counting after about 25 instances. Here is a quick summary of some important questions we need to be asking:
- First and foremost, we should be asking for the business, daily.
- Ask prospects and clients about their previous experiences with Realtors and what they liked and disliked.
- Ask people you know, in your sphere, what types of information would be valuable to them in your monthly newsletter.
- Ask those same people, after sending the newsletter, for their constructive feedback.
- Ask what clients want, need and expect from you, as their Realtor.
- Ask your potential seller to sit with you at the kitchen table, to discuss their home and your marketing process.
- Ask those same potential clients for their trust.
- Ask for critical feedback at various points in the transaction.
As you can guess, the list could go on. To be successful there are many questions to ask. In fact, we must be a lot better at listening then at speaking to homesellers and homebuyers, alike. Again, that mandates that we ask the right questions, to begin.
A second thought hit me, after the simplicity of this concept began to sink in (asking questions). If the path to success is so simple, why is it not followed by all Realtors? Why do we not ask these questions?
I think that we all know the answer. Fear. We are afraid of judgement, rejection, failure, ego and many other things.
We must get out of judgement and into curiosity. We must get out of our own head and into the minds of those we wish to advise and consult.
Should you, or anyone that you know, have any questions related to this post, please do not hesitate to reach out via phone, email or text. I am passionate about helping others along their real estate journey.
Nick Schlekeway is the founder of Amherst Madison, a Boise, Idaho-based real estate brokerage. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
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