An agent can dwell on lost business emotionally or reflect on it constructively. The former is characterised by frustration, it can lead to finger-pointing, and it can fuel self-doubt.
Reflecting constructively means analysing what happened without rose-coloured glasses.
And it can be uncomfortable. Instead of arriving at a self-fulfilling conclusion like “they were never going to list with me” it’s about asking hard questions like “What could I have done differently to build stronger rapport?”.
Agents serious about using rejection as fuel for growth are unafraid to take the tough but necessary step of honest self-assessment. There are hard questions to confront, like:
- What did I say or do that may have impacted the customer’s decision?
- Was I fully prepared? Did I research their situation and tailor my approach?
- Did I listen deeply, or was I focused on selling rather than solving?
- Did I follow up consistently and effectively?
In answering hard questions, it’s important to be clear on the background.
In this case, as the self-assessor, this means knowing yourself.
Check your blind spots
At Laing+Simmons, our training encompasses personality type, character skills, profiling tools and other techniques which help us understand who we are, and how to identify the best ways to interact with others, based on the traits they exhibit.
It offers insights which enable us to have a heightened understanding when it comes to self-awareness, and a safe space in which honesty is welcomed and respected.
It also helps us understand our personal blind spots and habits that impact our performance.
It’s not valuable to simply tell ourselves to “be more confident” because it’s not reasonable.
Value comes from recognising the ‘why’ and having the ability to diagnose if perhaps it was confidence, communication, or even preparation which played a role in the outcome.
This goes for both positive and negative outcomes but once diagnosed, we have clarity.
We understand our shortcomings, our blind spots, as well as our strengths to build upon.
Taking ownership
Saying “the market is tough at the moment” to excuse something you didn’t do well is a cop out.
Honest self-assessment is only possible through accountability.
Blaming external factors lock out opportunities for growth, but taking internal ownership opens the gate. After all, the market is tough for everyone.
Learning to be accountable can be achieved in many ways. Mentorship can have a powerful impact in this area.
Likewise, investing in training can help, including in peer-to-peer settings where you can see how others either do, or don’t, take ownership for the outcomes they deliver.
Agents can track results to identify patterns in lost and won listings.
These patterns will always evolve but choosing to ignore what’s in front of you prevents honest self-assessment, and therefore prevents growth.
Practicalities
If you lose a listing, honest self-assessment means immediately confronting the ‘why’.
Write down what you did well and what you didn’t. Don’t cheat yourself.
Ask yourself if you’ve written, or at least identified, something you’ve written before.
These are red flags. Ask for feedback and don’t try to shape it. Ask the vendor to tell you why they chose another agent, without trying to put words in their mouth.
Refine your process. You’ve been honest about the areas in which you may have let yourself down. You may have been told directly.
Act on the information, be it through adjusting your listing presentation, objections handling, or your follow-up strategy.
Confront, then adapt. And then move on with purpose. You can’t “be more confident” just by telling yourself to be, but if you know you’ve been completely honest with yourself in assessing your own performance, and committed to improvement based on this assessment, you know you’re taking control of your own growth journey.
Within honest self-assessment lies the power to turn rejection into growth.
It requires self-awareness of what we do well and what we can do better, and it means being accountable for the outcomes, good or bad.
To lose a listing is not failure. Honest self-assessment can turn it into success.
