What steps do you take as soon as you get a buyer lead on the phone? In this week's Real Geeks Mastermind session, Greg Harrelson walked us through his process for winning over buyers
Let's break it down step by step, so you can get buyer-agent agreements signed quickly and win your market.
If you'd like personalized help from Greg on real estate strategy and the Real Geeks platform, join his private community at RGMastery.com for less than $200/month.
Perhaps the most positive thing to come out of the NAR Settlement is the fact that the game rules are now set so that agents who deliver the most value win.
Especially those agents who deliver value right away. This philosophy is what Greg's process for establishing strong relationships with buyers is all about.
Here's the full process:
The best way to start a relationship with a buyer on the right note is to give them exactly what they want before they ask.
And what do buyers want from you? Access to the properties they're interested in.
So, as soon as you get a buyer lead on a call, within minutes, you should say something like:
"Saw you were looking at a property on X street. Just wanted to check in and see if you wanted to take a look at it this afternoon or maybe sometime tomorrow?"
Don't start by asking them questions, like whether they've spoken to a lender or not, or their preferred price bracket. That's what you want to get from them. You have to give them what they want first so they can give you what you want next.
By starting the call giving them what they want, you're eliminating all the barriers they think they need to give you in order to achieve their goal (which is access to the property).
You're breaking the pattern, you're making them feel good, and you're standing out from other agents.
After offering the buyer access to the property, whether or not you've set up an appointment, the next step is to build rapport.
Now, you can start asking questions, but they should come from curiosity, not interrogation.
"So what attracted you to this neighborhood specifically? Is it the huge park a few blocks from the property?"
"What'd you like about that particular property?"
"Are you looking for something right away or are you thinking more long term and happy to browse a few properties?"
"Looking to move, or buy to rent?"
"Are you currently renting or do you own?"
All of these are just examples you can use depending on the conversation you're having with them. They shouldn't feel like a standalone question, but as a natural continuation of what you're both talking about.
This is what makes a buyer feel heard, feel like the person on the other side of the line cares about them. But when you ask them something that has nothing to do with the topic of conversation, that's when they're taken aback and they put their walls up.
Sound sincere and curious, and you won't sound pushy and annoying.
Let's assume you end up setting an appointment with the buyer to check out a property they're interested in.
Now, Greg suggests you shorten the gap between the time you hang up with the lead and the time you meet them at the appointment.
For example, by emailing them your Buyer Package.
"And, if you want to take it to the next level," Greg adds, "You take your buyer package and you'll have a graphic designer turn it into an e-Marketing package."
That's simply an ebook that lives online, and you can use the link and text it to your buyer.
They'll probably text back thanking you, and you can write: "No problem, looking forward to seeing you on Thursday at 2pm! Here's the address again:"
And if you don't have a Buyer's Package yet (which, you should probably get going on that!), send them something of value. The point is, don't leave that gap before the meeting empty.
Because once you meet them, you're going to ask them to sign a Buyer Agency agreement. So it will do you well to have given them two pieces of value already (access to the property + Buyer's Package/another PDF with valuable information).
By the way, it's probably a good idea to have these 5 steps as part of a checklist you follow every time you get a new buyer on the phone. The more you follow this process, the more you'll notice opportunities for building a stronger relationship, and the more you'll optimize this list and truly make it your own.
When you're showing the buyer a property, this is another phenomenal moment to build a strong relationship.
For example, you can say something like:
"Hey, by the way, I'm going to keep a list for you with the properties you really like, and the ones we should probably take out from the list, just to make the process easier."
And after you show them any property, you can ask them: "Should we put this one on the consideration list, or should we get rid of it?"
By establishing this routine, this system between the two of you, you start working as a team, and you'll find that you won't need to show as many properties before the buyer makes a decision.
This is because, by establishing these ground rules, the buyer will actively be thinking about whether a given property should go into the Favorites list or not as they tour it.
A great mindset to win a buyer over is to think of yourself as a key resource on their property purchase journey.
And one way to be a key resource is to connect them to your preferred lender effectively.
See, what most agents do is they send the buyer a lender's information. But the buyer rarely reaches out. You need to be a stronger link for them.
How? Easy. Send a group text between the buyer, yourself, and the lender so that you can introduce them, and the three of you can be on the same page.
"By the way, if your buyer works well with a lender you connect them with, they're infinitely more likely to work with you," Greg adds.
Now, the lender doesn't need to keep texting in that group. Ideally, they'll let the buyer know that they'll give them a call, and then they can interact on their own.
What you can do here is hold the lender accountable and make sure they call the buyer.
This simple activity takes your value to the next level. You're not only touring properties with a buyer, you're becoming a crucial part of their entire home ownership process.
As you can see, these steps reduce friction between the buyer and the home-buying process.
This is by default. By following this checklist of steps, you're making an otherwise lengthy process simple and effective.
You're becoming the buyer's right hand and walking them through one of the most important decisions they'll ever make.
This, in turn, earns you a valuable place. Not just to become their preferred agent with whom they will work with in the future, but the one they'll recommend to all their friends and acquaintances looking to purchase a property in your market.
This is what delivering value looks like. And it's more important than ever.
For personalized help from Greg on real estate strategy and the Real Geeks platform, join his private community at RGMastery.com for less than $200/month."