How to sell to your client that is on the fence!
I get this question in my classes all the time. Agents tell me about clients that don’t want to purchase, and they are scared about the market. They tell me about clients that they have shown a ton of houses to, but they are too picky. They tell me about clients that should be motivated to buy, because they need a place to live and are already selling their house. So they ask - how do we sell a house to them?
The truth of the matter is that what we as real estate agents do is not sell houses. The buyer either wants to buy or not buy. What we do is facilitate the process - so it is smoother and in the best interest of the buyer. We use all of our knowledge and experience to educate the client throughout the process, so in that way they make the most educated decisions they can. At the same time, we inform them of everything they will need to do so that there are no surprises.
So if we don’t sell houses to clients, how do we get them to buy? You don’t. What you do is determine if they are interested or not. Certainly there are ways to overcome some of the objections that they have, but at the end of the day the agent should never try to sell the client on the house. Why? This generally comes off making the agent look bad. It seems as though the agent is only interested in their own best interest. You advise the client what they should do based upon all of their information. When you speak to the client get to know everything you can about them. What is their family, job, life situation? What is the reason they want to buy a home, and specifically now? Only if you look at the client in a full picture will you be in a place to advise your client as to what they should be doing.
So how do you overcome objections then? Overcoming objections are pretty simple if you are strong and do not waiver. Simply stated you look at what they are telling you, and you change the view and give support. For example, if they say they are looking for a property that is the cheapest house you need to help them define what cheapest house means. If they are currently renting, and they live in an apartment for 5 years looking for the cheapest house, how cheap is that house when you add all the rent that was paid out? As well, how many houses really fulfill the desires of the buyer? There are very few. The best house and cheapest house is the one that fulfills their needs. Of course the agent will be there to help the client negotiate and get the best price possible for that house.
You need to be strong when you have clients that aren’t sure of what they want. You need to be able to overcome the objection, and then step back. Allow the buyer to tell you what they think based upon what you have told them. Allow them to make that decision for themselves, so they do not feel like they have been pressured. At the same time, if that client is just wasting your time you need to be able to say - no! Do not be mean and arrogant about it, but be honest about how you make a living and that this is not working for you.
In the long run the agents that are most successful are those that understand how to gauge their clients. They understand where they are coming from and they get them ready to buy a house by maintaining their expectations. They then educate them throughout the process so they make the buyer make all the decisions. By doing this it allows one to really become a great real estate agent.