Blog / Vendor Management
Lee Woodward, Assisting people to reach their property goals
he purchasing of residential real estate can be a confusing process. Never assume that people understand it fully. It is your job as their agent to bring clarity to the process by explaining the steps one at a time. In taking the time to do so, you will be perceived as a consultant and, even better, a friend in the industry. Each time you either speak to a prospective buyer on the phone or have them in your car, do your best to make it an educational experience for that person. People will respect you for your help and sing your praises to others.
In my own career, the breakthrough in community acceptance and winning business was only made possible through brilliant buyer management. I gave myself one major key performance indicator relating to buyer management and that was to get face-to-face with 26 different purchasers each and every week. From this level of contact I would secure 5 good, solid appraisals, two significant price adjustments and a stack of referrals from good people who saw me as a dedicated, hardworking young professional. I always made it a point to get back to everybody, followed them up consistently, posted or dropped off information they needed such as building plans, sewerage diagrams, whatever they needed. I learnt very early on to focus on destination selling and in return for my efforts, would be invited in to sell their own homes. I convinced my potential client that I was the better option because, unlike the stereotypical lazy agent, I truly cared about their move. Where other agents would simply tell the purchaser to turn up at the open for inspection, I would happily meet them at the vendor’s home at 8:30 in the evening if need be. This is what destination selling is all about. Selling is about transference of feelings. People can smell the fake, lazy agent of the past from a mile away.
Buyer management is the art of professional selling and the opportunity to show you care. It also gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your negotiation skills and how thoroughly you work with buyers, making it more attractive for them to take you on if and when they have a home to sell themselves.
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