February 25th, 2009
Stop Waiting Around for Buyers…
When you get a new listing, do you take a few minutes to think about who the most likely buyer is going to be? I’ll bet you don’t-like most agents you’re probably totally focused on making the listing look good. That’s not a bad thing, because doing a stellar job of online and print marketing is paramount these days. But if you just took an extra 10 minutes to think about who the most likely buyer would be, and what elements of your listing are most likely to appeal to that buyer, you might find that your marketing becomes easier because you can envision selling the listing to an actual person, not just the illusive surfing-the-internet, looking-at-homes, buyer in the sky.
Want another good reason to really think about who the most likely buyer will be? How about the fact that the buyer might already be in your sphere! I’m always amazed at how many agents never stop to think about who they already know, and who might be the perfect buyer. They assume that they need to wait weeks (sometimes months!) for another agent to bring some unknown buyer. Now, I’m not advocating dual agency; I believe that it’s always in the best interest of both seller and buyer to have separate representation. I don’t like dual agency. But if you realize that someone in your sphere is the perfect buyer, and after looking at the house they agree with you, you could easily refer that buyer to another agent in your office. Ultimately you end up with a happy seller, a happy buyer and additional income in your pocket.
It drives me crazy when I ask an agent who the likely buyer is for their new listing, and they look at me like I have a third eye in my forehead. They have no idea who the buyer will be…they’re totally focused on their seller. When I ask them if anyone in their sphere might be the perfect buyer, they blink a couple times and then say, “Gosh, I never thought of that.”
Get your listing uploaded, get the photos online and get the postcards in the mail. Then get on the phone and call some of the folks in your sphere that you think your new listing might work perfectly for. I’ll bet you can get at least one or two people to go take a look. And I’ll bet that over time, the odds of you actually having the buyer for your listing will go up. Gee…the seller is happy because their home sold quickly. The buyer is happy because you took the time to tell them about their groovy new home (that they might not have ever thought about, had you not called!). The agent you referred your buyer to is happy that you sent them some business (and remember, they’ll return the favor…) and your bank account is very happy.
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