In this turbulent real estate market – with short sales, foreclosures and bankruptcies at an all-time high – we must ask ourselves a simple question:  Is it still the best policy to be honest with our clients? And if so, when is the best time to “share the truth”?

The manager of a local real estate office recently emailed me an article, and the idea behind it was brilliant, yet very simple.  It went something like this: If all the agents with current listings today were to cancel every one that is overpriced, it would dramatically change the landscape of the market.

What a great idea! It is certainly time to stop spending money, time and emotion with clients who don’t wish to “get real” when it comes to current market conditions.

It appears that we (the agents) either don’t understand how to correctly price a property or we are not skilled in the art of having successful discussions with sellers about pricing and marketing a home to sell.

There seems to be about a four- to six-week window after a property is listed, in which the seller is hopeful, excited and cooperative with the amount of ads, virtual tours, open houses and showings on his or her property. It is after that time frame (it varies from market to market) that stress begins to increase for both the seller and the agent. With the average days on market dramatically increasing, isn’t it time to start having honest conversations with potential sellers before the sign goes in the ground and the lockbox is secured on the property? Unfortunately, in this changing market, comps from 90 to 180 days ago may not be relevant today. And agents have been known to over-promise and under-deliver, and then disappear!

It is time to have effective conversations that create expectations for both the agent and the seller.

It’s time to be honest about how the seller feels when strangers (buyers) come through his or her home. And it’s time to be honest about the sale price and what will happen if the seller is not able to get the price he or she expects.

If agents and sellers would begin to have more intentional and meaningful conversations, the outcome of the transaction would become much more agreeable for both parties. Let’s start by getting honest with ourselves and then with our clients. If we are to ever change the perception of “the disappearing Realtor”, it needs to start today with you!

Technology Strategist, Speaker, Trainer

Bob Pike (1994) suggests the 90/20/8 rule:

“No module we teach ever runs more than ninety minutes, the pace is changed at least every twenty minutes, and we try to find a way to involve people in the content every eight minutes.”

Always Inform attendees what the purpose or goal of your event or training is and how they may be able to participate and especially what they are going to learn.

With conduct alot of training webinars so keeping in mind the above rule here are some tips for running a successful training webinar:

Sorry about the tone, I wanted to get your attention, particularly those of you who know that your listing presentation needs help.

An Agent with three years experience just started coaching with me.  She did her listing presentation for me.  It was clear that she had never had professional help on it.

A few keys, she was doing a two step approach.  Many good Agents do a two step.  The first step is just looking at the property and having an informal rapport building conversation with the owner in which you also subtly probe for motivation and urgency.  This Agent was sitting down and presenting her entire marketing plan, then coming back the second step for pricing the house.  This is a bad approach for a lot of reasons.  The point is that she didn’t know better.

There were almost no questions.  She talked on and on without asking a question and without checking in to confirm the level of attention and understanding.

Presentation is really the wrong word for a listing presentation.  It really needs to be called a Listing Consultation or better yet a Seller Consultation.  A consultant is continuously asking questions to understand the need of the client and their particular situation.  Then as he or she presents, they offer possible solutions, a consultant continues to ask questions for two reasons.  One is to ensure attention and agreement.  The other is to create positive (yes) momentum.

As she was discussing her marketing plan for the property she reviewed the listing contract, and then at the end presented pricing.  This structure is very weak.  There is a simple strong structure for a listing presentation; build rapport, present marketing plan, present pricing and value, review Seller’s expenses and net, review paperwork and ask for a decision.

The point of all this for you is this.  Do you have confidence in your listing presentation?  If you don’t, get with your Broker, Manager, a Trainer, a Coach, or work with a successful Agent.  Get professional help.  Even if you think your presentation is good but you don’t have real confidence in it.  Work on it with someone that will be really honest with you about it and who can help you make it as strong as possible.  Don’t let this weakness persist.  It will erode your integrity and your confidence.

When I managed a large real estate office, I learned a powerful lesson. Sitting at my desk one day, it suddenly hit me.  It was a revelation.

The revelation was this: I make my own market. No matter how dire the news.  No matter how “downward trending” the statistics may be. No matter what anyone else says.  My market is the one I create for myself.

Most of the other agents in my office did just what all agents seem to do.

They sold based on the seasons. When the “busy” season rolled around, they were selling at fever pitch.  But when the “slow” season started, the agents got slow too.  In fact, some seemed to disappear completely.

However, there were exceptions.  There was one firebrand in particular whom I remember was out there every day.  Rain, snow, and sleet were not a hindrance to her. (Guess what? She was consistently a top agent. Surprise, surprise!)  I watched as she relentlessly pounded the pavement every day.  It didn’t take me long to figure out that’s how to do it.While everyone else was whining that “the market is too slow right now”, this one agent—and I, once I figured it out—made some serious money.

I hear it all the time. We all do it. We say things like, “The summer is going to be slow”, “The spring is going to be busy”, and “Why bother putting anything on the market after December 10th?  We might as well just wait until January.” All of those beliefs come from other agents, and over time they’ve come to be what we believe is the “norm”. Truly, those kind of statements are like old worn-out records.

The day I had my “revelation”, I stopped believing in any so-called “norm”.  I made my own norm.  I made my own market.

For example, December became my busiest month.  Seriously. Why?  Because I was the only agent out there.  I got all the business because every other agent was hiding at home waiting for the holidays to be over.

Yes, I had to convince my clients that it was in their best interests to bring a listing on the market December 10^th.   I explained to them that it was actually the most opportune time in the entire year because while we were listing, other agents were resting.

I had a different belief.  I didn’t let assumptions or whining nor “norms” get in my way. My different belief brought about different results.

Later in my career I became a designated broker.  That’s when I saw the impact of this phenomenon in an even bigger way.  Some of the agents in my office learned to embrace the same mentality I had—and those agents always did well during the “slow” times. They were consistently rewarded by their efforts.  They made their own markets.

You can make your market.  You control it.  You define it.  You decide the pace of business you want.   It’s all up to you.

If you’re making contact with people on a regular basis you can ignore all the whining, the “bad news”, and everybody’s expectations.  Your hard work and effort pays off because you find the business nobody else is looking for.

You make a market when you stay in regular contact. No matter the “trying times”. No matter the nightly news reports of impending doom.  No matter the long days-on-market numbers that everyone sees in the newspaper.  You give clients constant updates on what you’re doing for them and what they need to do.

You make a market when you do regular lead generation. Never stop lead generation – never!  Even when you’re incredibly busy, you need to keep your “funnel” full.  There will always come a time when you’re going to need those people you find when you’re busy.

You make a market when you call your sellers on a regular basis to talk about price in the context of the current market. By being honest and straightforward with them, you earn their trust.  Sellers want to get their home – and usually they want to sold fast.  By encouraging a price reduction, that’s exactly what you’re doing.  You’re helping them.

I know it can be tough—especially if a seller has clung to a certain price for a long time—but you’re working for the sellers. You’re their valued advisor.  Not telling them the truth is not an option.

You make a market when you educate people about the marketplace. All most people hear about real estate comes from the nightly network new, or from “water cooler” talk with colleagues. All the nightly network news ever reports is disaster.  Sitting in an air-conditioned studio in New York City, these people are not in the trenches every day. Youare!  Share your knowledge with people. Tell them what’s really going on in their own neighborhoods.  Show them the real statistics and activity.  Educate them and they will reward you with loyalty, and future business.

You make a market when you follow up with people from open houses. Always follow up.  Get to know the people who attended your open houses. Dig deep.  Ask them solid questions.  Become their trusted confidant in finding a home. Don’t be just another run-of-the-mill real estate agent.

You make a market when you offer something different from what any other agent has to offer. You provide value. You are an expert.  Show the world that you are different. Your skills are not average.  You can help people get what they want—and you can do it faster and better than anyone else.

Now go make your market.

REALTORS:  Advertise your listings on Facebook.  Announcing a new service offering by Harmon Enterprises to help agents stay progressive in the marketing of their listings:  Facebook Listing Ad Management

Target the exact buyer demographic for your listing. Your seller will love you when you present their home to 1000’s of online consumers with targeted Facebook ads.

Harmon Enterprises is a nationally-recognized leader in Facebook strategy for real estate. We will manage the process of placing and monitoring your listing advertisements on Facebook and provide you with visual proof of your ad, along with a detail ad report for you provide to your seller showing the exposure your ad garnered for their listing.

Our advertising packages include the actual advertising cost to advertise on Facebook.  Everything is included in one low, per listing price. Learn more and sign up to start advertising your listings on Facebook.

Today’s real estate community is in a great transition, with companies closing doors,merging, downsizing and looking for ways to cut costs by reducing their staff and services.

Across the nation, the number of active real estate agents has decreased by about 30% over the past two years. As we enter this new era of the industry, it is crucial to understand our clients’ changing perceptions about the need for our services.

The general public no longer needs a real estate agent to help them find their next home. With the tremendous technological advances that have occurred over the past decade, a buyer can search for a new home on a myriad of real estate websites. Today’s real estate agents are considered facilitators of the transaction process rather than the gate keepers of information they used to be.

It is important to understand that real estate transactions are generally triggered by life transitions such as marriage, divorce, a new baby, job transfer, etc. The industry has been conditioned to look for transactional opportunities that are happening on a current basis.

To stay ahead of the curve, however, real estate agents are going to have to change their focus to one of awareness about upcoming transitions occurring within their client base. They will need to become more intentional and proactive with their clientele. It is time to take a long-term approach with the agent/client relationship. The typical client doesn’t remember his or her agent’s name 90 days after the transaction. For this to change, it is important for agents to create a relationship based on something more substantial than a closed real estate transaction. The marketplace is now demanding that agents provide services to their clients year-round. Every agent should have a list of great people and companies they can refer to their clients, including roofers, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, etc.

Real estate agents are no longer tour guides who show homes. Agents will need to become real estate professionals who are assets to clients on many levels. And don’t forget that direct mail and emails are great for delivering information, but they are poor for communication. Pick up the phone and say “hello” to your clients. You will be amazed at what happens.

You are in the people business – go out and start having fun. There are leads all around you.

In hurry but want to save something you were reading for later? Try these great products. They can also be used with your mobile devices too!

Instapaper – One of my favorites. Simply use the bookmark tool and you can save articles and web page to reach later either on your ipad, smarphone and other devices.

Evernote – Pretty popular bookmarking site allows you to save  . . . anything and tag it so you can find it later. Also free!

Storify – What is it? According to the website: “ Storify is a way to tell stories using social media such as Tweets, photos and videos. You search multiple social networks from one place, and then drag individual elements into your story. You can re-order the elements and also add text to give context to your readers.”

Regarding Real Estate, it is the worst of times and it is the best of times.  It is worse for those who are out of work, out of money, and in debt.  It is the best of times for people who have some cash, decent credit, and a secure job.  It is best for them because prices are soft and money is available at low rates.  Is that true?  You as the Agent have to see it and believe it.

Once you believe it then you can turn the question; “How’s the Market” into direct business with the following strategy and script.

Two parts: Answer the question honestly and directly; then ask the question that you most want to ask.  “Why do you ask?  Are you guys thinking about doing something or know someone who is?”  Or, “Why do you ask?  Are you guys thinking about making a move or know someone who is?”

And here is a sample of answering the question as honestly and directly as possible, “It’s horrible, for the people with no jobs, damaged credit, and debt.  It’s actually a time of terrific… amazing opportunity for people with secure employment, some cash, and decent credit.  Why do you ask?  Are you guys…”

Or, “Here in (area), there are not many houses on the market.  So when houses do come up they are selling quickly.  At the same time in (other area) there is a lot of inventory so prices are soft.  So, there are problems and some amazing opportunities.  Why do you ask?  Are you guys…”

Notice two things.  The answer is direct, honest, and it shows insight and intelligence from the Agent.  Also notice the question following the answer.  Whether it is true or not, respond to the question, “How’s the market?” as if half the people who ask it are asking because they are thinking of buying or selling; or asking for someone who is. (They probably are.)