In his latest mastermind call, our Real Geeks mentor Greg Harrelson talks about some of the steps agents should (and shouldn't!) be taking when it comes to getting those buyer agency agreements signed right away, as the effects of the NAR lawsuit come into full effect.
Discover how Real Geeks' completely free integration with SkySlope can help you solidify those buyer lead relationships early on.
Remember, if you want more personalized help from Greg, join his private coaching community for Real Geeks users at RGMastery.com, for less than $200/month.
As this post-NAR lawsuit world develops, our industry will end up deciding on one single approach to tackle the changes that come as a result of the settlement.
But until then, it's likely that you'll encounter agents who come from companies that are taking a different approach than the one your company is.
So Greg's first piece of advice is to be prepared for this, and not to lose your temper..
At the end of the day, the buyer wants a deal. The seller wants a deal. And the agent on the other side of things also wants a deal.
"All four parties want the transaction to go through," Greg reminds us, "We don't need to be fighting each other or judging each other. We need to be working together."
Because here's the thing: we all thought deals would start falling apart because of the new friction between a buyer and a buyer agent. But what's really hurting deals is the new friction between a buyer agent and a listing agent.
Avoid this at all costs by communicating, having patience, and remembering everyone's desired outcome.
The best time to call all your buyers and get them under a buyer agency agreement was yesterday. The second best time is right now.
Whoever calls them first and gets them under an agreement will have complete exclusivity over that buyer for a certain period of time. Don't let your competitors beat you to the punch.
So call all your buyer leads right now. Worst case scenario, they're already with someone else, and you can categorize them in your CRM accordingly.
Let us preface this by saying that you should always follow what your MLS is saying.
We're all (hopefully) rushing to get those buyer agreements signed. And as we just mentioned, You should have already called all your leads to get that in motion.
But this doesn't mean that you throw your relationship with them out the window.
Instead of calling them and having them sign anything over the phone, you should first meet with them.
You might not be able to tour the property with them, but you can certainly meet them at the property, build that rapport, create that personal connection, and then let them know that you need them to sign the agreement before you can tour it together.
Doing things this way has the added benefit of "dangling" the dream home in front of them, and creating that urgency for them to sign the agreement so that they can get access.
Too many agents right now are making the mistake of trying to be too efficient. They don't even want to speak with a lead before getting the agreement signed. And while this might work for some leads, it's not going to work for most of them.
Meet them at the property, create that connection, tell them about the house, and when the meeting is over, send them the agreement directly from your Real Geeks CRM with our new, free SkySlope integration.
To do this, simply click the purple button under the lead's Detail page. The button automatically opens SkySlope’s interface where agents can easily send and manage documentation.
This integration eliminates the need for creating or uploading your own documents, as SkySlope provides all the necessary forms directly from the MLS board. This means you can transfer your leads from Real Geeks directly into SkySlope’s forms management tool, ensuring a hassle-free process for sending and signing documents.
Not only does Greg think that most agents are going to survive these NAR changes - he believes that most agents who survive these changes are going to thrive in this new world.
"The NAR changes are very manageable," he states, "you just have to learn the new conversation and say it with confidence."
And here's what he means: if you approach a buyer already thinking that signing an agreement before touring a property is a huge deal, and that they're going to complain about it… you're going to be right.
If, on the other hand, you mention the agreement in passing, as part of this new regulation that all agents have to abide by, and you don't over dramatize it because you know that the buyer won't mind working with you because they've already established great rapport… then you'll also be right.
Whatever energy you bring to your relationship with the buyer, nine times out of ten, they will match it.
If you're charismatic and take the time to build a connection with your leads and understand their motivations for buying a property and showcase your expertise, they're going to be happy to do business with you exclusively.
What's more, once you explain that this is the correct way of doing things, they'll see you as someone who plays by the rules, rather than a snake oil salesman who's desperate for their business and conveniently forgot to mention the agreement.
So practice this new phrasing, and practice saying this script with confidence. Because as Greg reminds us: "Buyers only resist when confidence is absent."
Greg's last piece of advice is similar to his second tip, only this one will continue to apply for the foreseeable future, even when the NAR changes become common currency.
This is because real estate is a numbers game.
If you call everyone in your database, you'll get more buyer agency agreements signed as a result. The more buyer agency agreements you get signed, the more properties you are showing. The more properties you are showing, the more contracts you write.
It's always been a numbers game. The only difference is that now, the concepts of buyer agency agreements and compensation have become part of the equation.
Which is also why you need to call your database more. Because the more you call them, the more you'll practice having these conversations, and the more feedback you'll get, and the better you'll become.
Want to guarantee you can be successful at having conversations about compensation or buyer agency agreements?
Have them enough times that it'd be unreasonable for you to be bad at them.
There is no other secret. Do something enough times that the likelihood of you being bad at it goes down to zero. It's all under your control.
The post-NAR settlement changes will only impact your business negatively if you believe they will. Exclusivity with a lead should be something you're excited about, because it means that the agents who build the best relationships are the ones who will get to work with buyers.
That means, if anything, we have more control than ever over how many contracts we write at the end of the year.
So call your database, leverage the SkySlope integration to make signing those buyer agency agreements super easy, and practice patience and confidence when approaching these conversations.
And remember, if you want live coaching from Greg, join his private community for Real Geeks users at RGMastery.com.