WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED at some time in our careers those dreaded words from a prospective seller: ‘It was a toss of the coin whom we would select and this time you lost; we went with ABC Real Estate’. Although you might think you are the unluckiest agent in town at times, there may be a deeper reason.
At one time or another, most of us have asked ourselves, ‘Why am I getting so close to winning only to be pipped at the post’ or to lose at listing at ‘the toss of a coin’?
One thing we do know is that most sellers don’t actually toss a coin. There can be a plethora of reasons why we lost out; we won’t run through them all now, but let’s try and decipher what sellers mean when they say ‘a toss of the coin’.
We liken it more to them relying on their sixth sense. We have all experienced it; it is very hard to define and it can often avert a disaster in other areas of our lives.
When researching, we speak with a lot of vendors who have recently been through the entire sales process. We ask the reason why they chose one agent over the other, specifically when the race was neck and neck, and the ‘toss of the coin’ response often comes out. However, when we really start to dig and define what they mean by that they will often say there was just something about the second choice that did not seem natural or authentic. Something that gave them a flicker of doubt, that hedged the odds in favour of the competing agent.
It can often be that the winning agent was simply presented in their innate flow. When our listing presentation follows our flow, it tends to run smoothly and, most importantly, it is delivered in a totally natural and authentic style. We are confident without being arrogant; we feel comfortable discussing and explaining why we are the agent that needs to be selected for the task. Our clients have a sense of connection and listen more intently.
When we talk about being ‘in flow’ we mean doing what comes naturally and innately, following a course of least resistance. Picture a leaf floating down a stream, rarely hitting the rocks in its way but seamlessly moving past them and onward. If the leaf hits a rock it gets out of the flow; its progress stops and it spins in circles in the confused water before getting back into the flow and moving forward again.
Getting out of your comfort zone is a term often heard in business, particularly in sales. We think it is best used, however, in tasks such as lead generating and marketing. Sitting at a potential seller’s dining room table late on a Sunday night is probably not the best arena to deliberately elevate your anxiety levels and practise new dialogue. You need to be as comfortable with your professionalism as possible.
Mould your skill and commitment to suit your natural style. If you are a ‘people person’, focus your energy on connecting and not on presenting page after page of data and statistics. Conversely, if you are naturally more systems and data-orientated then concentrate on your CMA and the processes you will follow to obtain a successful sale.
Deliver your listing presentation to best support your natural style; don’t try and be who you are not. Know who you are and be comfortable being you.
Your potential clients will have a sense of your authenticity and you may find that the inevitable coin toss starts to land in your favour.
