Expose yourself on an instruction!

RAT 136 (Rawlings Agency Tip)

We know that building trust is arguably the most important aspect of the instruction-gaining process. But how far do you go in exposing your weaknesses? No matter how good you are in front of a prospective vendor, does the service behind the scenes deliver the promises you might be making in the field?

A transparent approach with vendors can score you serious points when it comes to securing an instruction.

For example, during the appraisal, you might try suggesting the following to the vendor:

• “Mrs Seller, I don’t just want you to judge our service on me! After all, I’m the branch manager! Much of the key to our success has been the way in which we treat our buyers and how we prompt them to view our clients’ property. So may I suggest, if you really want to assess an agency, check out their staff by registering with them yourself as a buyer. How quickly do they come back to you? How interested are they in your situation? Do they qualify you in detail to ensure that your request is realistic? Do they offer to collect you from work to show you properties? Do they offer to show you properties that you might not have considered? Are they passive or proactive?
  
  'By doing this, I think you’ll be pretty shocked by how you are treated by some of the agents in this area and you’ll soon get a good feel for the right agency for your own property. As for us, I have no problem whatsoever if you wanted to check us out in this way. In fact I’m really proud of our negotiators.'

Obviously - if you are in any way concerned that in suggesting that a client actually takes advantage of your offer but are worried that it might reflect badly on your agency - then don’t suggest it! However, that would of course throw up some quite serious deficiencies in your business that you might wish to address! (One initial way of doing this is to actually tell your staff that prospective vendors might be mystery shopping at any time!)

Taking it further...

The above suggestion is just one of hundreds of effective agency techniques that form part of Agent Masterclass - my video-based online success coaching programme for estate/letting agents, now enjoyed by over 800 subscribing agents.

Each 10-20 minute module covers a diverse range of topics including persuasive valuation, prospecting, raising fees, securing the instruction, negotiating, qualifying buyers, reputation management, on/offline marketing, time management, photography, and many more. The content blends proven best practice with innovative new ideas for maximising your profits, as well as providing a wake-up call for seasoned agents and a running start for new ones!

Usually sold as a subscription-based weekly programme you can also purchase the entire back catalogue - that’s over a year’s material! Please feel free to contact me persomnally or check out AgentMasterclass.co.uk