22 Nov If All That I Would Want To Do.
"If all that I would want to do was to sit and talk to you..... would you listen?" - Ann Ashford.
Depends!
On what it is you have to say.
If you're an estate agent, or realtor, and want to talk about the local property market, or how brilliant you are at what you do, the answer is a simple No! The last thing I need right now is to spend 10 minutes being "educated" by some well-meaning salesperson, hoping to prove themselves the 'local property expert.'
"Homeowners aren't interested when agents talk about themselves, or their agency. Nobody cares." says one respected UK property titan.
"Homeowners don't want the realtor to be their mate - they've already got mates." iterates Tom Panos, one of Australia's most outspoken agency trainers, to anyone that will listen.
What if I said that homeowners were interested. That they would want you to be their 'mate'?
All that's required is a switch from boring, factual information, devoid of all emotion and high on promises, to a story that inspires, intrigues and hooks them on who you are - not on what you do.
Engaging in conversation, however, isn't limited to face-to-face.
There's a conversation to be had other than the one in which a realtor sits down and, within the hour, tries to convince and convert. Leave that to the hustlers and hucksters. To those that try to overcome objections, when what they should be doing is going away and improving their presentation.
Writing is a conversation between two minds and it's paramount to build rapport in that exchange.
Most people read to feel first - then to learn second.
So start a 'conversation'. Make them feel something!!
An excerpt from the cover notes of Matthew McConaughey's latest Book, Green Lights, would be a place to start:
"successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel and things that made me laugh out loud.
How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me....
Fifty years of my sights and seens. Felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts and getting wets whilst trying to dance between the raindrops.
It's a love letter...to life."
That's the key to building relationships. Telling people who you are, what you value, why it matters. And what you think.
Relationships that are so inured to what other agents might promise that you have no competition. There's no next best alternative to you, or your agency.
That's the future of real estate - once those hustlers stop hustling their worth.
Once those impertinent souls, who imagine that if they interrupt "with the best of intent", they will be appreciated, stop the pretense.
And when agents finally realize that a self-proclaimed 'world-class learning program that conditions agents with powerful mindset exercises, language techniques and live lead generation techniques" is simply the antithesis of what homeowners really need and does more damage to the profession than can be imagined.
If all that I would want to do was to sit and talk to you.....what would I say?
You would start with "I am."
Two of the most powerful words. For what you put after them shapes your reality.
Sharp? Talented? Successful? Worthless? Grateful? Confident?
Me? I am curious.
Fascinated by all forms of human character. What do you value? Why?
Who inspires and why?
Made poor choices? What was the thinking behind them?
It aids self-awareness.
"Don't worry about whether you're known - worry about whether you're worth knowing." - Confucius.
That's what turns the mediocre, commoditized realtor into a micro-celebrity.
Instead of competing. Instead of claiming 'better'.
Instead, try different.
Tell the story that only you can tell.
Then you will attract an audience that will listen.
It saddens me when I see all these content creators offering to write 4x500 word posts for a pittance - simply because the agent hasn't the time to write, or the ideas to make the post interesting. What they get back, unfortunately, is just a bunch of words that fulfill their expectations. What you don't get back is the conviction, the voice, the tone you want representing you and everything you do.
Copywriting is there to 'sell' for you. Saving you the effort of 'selling yourself'.
It might seem like a good idea, but there's often very little depth to the words. Often it's cut & paste aligned with geographical selectivity.
Write it yourself!
You do have opinions don't you? On a variety of matters from politics and religion to family, books, music and work ethics.
Write about that! Become known for having an opinion and being brave enough to express it.
It will attract like-minded souls and position you as a micro-celebrity instead of just another estate agent/realtor obsessed with the local trends in property.
That's your difference. Not in what you do, or how you do it - but in who you are.
If all that I would want to do was to sit and talk you, Now would you listen?
Of course, my friend! What's on your mind?
Thanks, as always, for reading:)
Chris.
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