Welcome to RealClues The Weekly Newsletter for Real Estate Professionals www.RealEstateCoach.com–The Place You Go to Make Real Estate Dough(tm) Monday, January 19, 2009 No. 359

Copyright (c) 1996-2009 www.RealEstateCoach.com and Teleclass4U.com, LLC. All rights in all media reserved. We have a no SPAM policy. If you received this newsletter and did not subscribe to it, visit www.RealEstateCoach.com to unsubscribe.

New at Listen and Learn Real Estate this month–how to become a mega-producer, how to avoid wasting money on ineffective advertising, strategies for marketing globally, and dump the baggage caused by negativity.

Table of Contents 1. CoachingClues: Never Do another Listing Presentation Again 2. Welcome Notes: How to Increase Your Listing Market Share 3. Reprise: Bad News for FSBOs Means Good News for REALTORS(reg) 4. Create a Better Life: Is Being a Winner Killing Your Heart and Your Business? 5. Positive News for Positive Realtors(reg): Eight Reasons Why the Credit Market and the Real Estate Market are Getting Better 6. This Week at www.LuxuryClues.com: (Check out our new look!) *Listen to Bernice’s Top Tips for 2009 in her interview with Jack Peckham of RECyber.com *Ten Reasons Why Real Estate Agents and Brokers Should Own an iPhone *Would You Pay $10,000 for a pair of jeans? How about $250,000? Check out the priciest jeans in the world. 7. Featured Products: Tell that Woman Her Stuff Really Works! 8. New at www.ListenandLearnRealEstate.com for January 16-31, 2009 *Six Business Strategies for Becoming a Real Estate Mega-Producer *Stop Wasting Money on Ineffective Real Estate Advertising *Don’t Market Real Estate Locally–Market Real Estate Globally *How to Dump the Baggage of Negativity 9. Increase Your Production with Personal Coaching 10. Give Us Your Feedback on this Newsletter 11. How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe

1. CoachingClues: Never Do Another Listing Presentation Again! Are you still working with an old, outdated listing presentation from the 20th Century? If so, there’s no better time than now to make the shift from doing listing presentations to doing “listening consultationsSM.”

Recently I was conducting a new agent training class. On the lunch break, the parent company did a webinar featuring four very successful new agents. Here’s what one of the new agents advised the listeners on the call:

“When a seller asks me how long I’ve been in the business, I tell them that it’s only been a year, but I am the top producer in the office. They should hire me because I sell more houses than anyone else and I’m the best agent to get the job done.”

Another agent said,

“I tell them about all the designations that I have earned and how that means that I’m more competent than those agents who don’t have the same level of training.”

Each of these approaches to “listing presentations” illustrates the old, 20th Century approach of “hunt ‘em, tell ‘em, and sell ‘em. You know the drill: you have to go out and prospect for clients, tell them how great you are, and then close them on using your services.

In today’s environment, consumers no longer want to hear about how wonderful the agent is. They don’t want to be manipulated and closed. Instead, today’s sellers expect a conversation about their wants and needs. They want an agent who can give them a thorough evaluation of the market conditions, who has a marketing plan that integrates the best of traditional marketing approaches with the best of Web 2.0, and who can navigate today’s challenging market conditions

Furthermore, as Gen X and Gen Y have entered the market, they have an entirely set of expectations. Traditionalists (born before 1946) and Baby Boomers (1946-to 1964) value expertise. In contrast, members of Gen X (born 1965-1976) do not value expertise and prefer to rely on their own research. If you act as if you’re the expert, you’ll lose them as clients. Gen Y (born 1977 to 1994) also rejects the “expert” approach. They prefer a collaborative approach where they make decisions with extensive input from their peers.

To meet the changing needs of today’s buyers and sellers, the 21st Century approach is collaborative, not hunt ‘em, tell ‘em, and sell ‘em. If you have ever experienced a great transaction where everyone worked together, you have experienced what it is like to work collaboratively. In the collaborative approach, the brand, the agents, the clients, and the other service providers work together to create a win-win for everyone involved.

To apply this approach on your listing appointments, begin by eliminating “I” language and shift to using “you” language. Yes, you are the expert. However, with younger clients, you need to be a conduit of information. Questions are at the heart of this new approach. Some examples include,

“What have you enjoyed about living in this property?”

“What’s motivating you to sell?”

“Where would you like to position your property in the marketplace?”

The most important phrase in this new model is “It’s your choice, what would you like to do?” For example, when sellers are being unrealistic about their price, there’s no need to argue with them. The collaborative approach uses your knowledge of market statistics combined with “you” language and a question to allow the sellers to make a better decision. Assuming there are eight months of inventory on the market, here’s an example of what to say:

“Currently there are eight months of inventory on the market in your price range. Mr. and Mrs. Seller, you now have an important decision to make. Will you position your property in the marketplace where you will be in that top 12.5 percent that will sell next month or will you position your property where you will be part of the 87.5 percent that will still be listed next month? It’s your choice, what would you like to do?”

If the sellers are unrealistic, be willing to walk away from the listing. Stand up, extend your hand, and say:

“Mr. and Mrs. Seller, the comparable sales suggest that the market will not yield the price you want. If you elect to list your property at that price, I’m not the right agent to represent you. I wish you the best in getting your property sold for the price you want.”

When you are willing to walk away from a listing, you send the strongest possible message that the sellers are overpriced.

To defend your commission, offer a premium marketing plan that provides listing syndication to 30 major listing portals (check out Point2Agent.com), syndication of your property video (www.TubeMogul.com) to 15 video sites, plus all the normal traditional marketing programs you would normally use. If the seller wants you to cut your commission, respond by saying,

“This is our premium marketing plan that will help you to achieve the highest possible price in the shortest amount of time. If you are not interested in receiving premium service, would you like a referral to an agent who provides less service?”

The new agents in the training class, almost all of whom where Gen X and Gen Y, had this to say about the two different approaches:

“I wouldn’t hire any of those agents–they’re not paying attention to what I want and need.”

“That approach those agents on the panel were using–it’s way too stressful. Who cares about their achievements? This collaborative approach is easy to use and it takes the focus off me and puts it where it belongs–on the sellers. I’ll be using the collaborative approach in my business!”

2. Welcome Notes Welcome to our new subscribers this week. Each week RealClues provides you with great strategies to improve both your business and your life. If you find this issue of RealClues helpful, take a moment to hit the “forward” button and send it to another friend in the business.

Listings always have been, and probably will always be, the name of the game in real estate. The challenge today is persuading sellers to be realistic and to list at a full commission. Back in the early 1990s, when the Southern California market declined by 30 percent in just 18 months, I wrote the listing training for Jon Douglas Company that gave us 50 to 70 percent market share in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades. My listing materials have been used by thousands of agents and were specifically designed for use with REOs, short sales, and distressed properties. If you follow the guidelines in List and Sell Real Estate Like Crazy( http://budurl.com/vhgj ) as well as the web marketing strategies in my new book, Real Estate Dough(tm), ( http://budurl.com/79lb ) you can write your own personal ticket to success regardless of what the market does. I had my best production years in the two previous downturns. The reason–these markets demand high level skills. If you’re ready to do what it takes to conquer today’s tough market, take action today to make your business soar tomorrow.

Have a great week!

Bernice Ross and Byron Van Arsdale, Chief Dough Makers www.RealEstateCoach.com, www.RealEstateDough.com, www.LuxuryClues.com, www.RossdalePress.com, www.ConferenceCallTraining.com, and www.TeleconferenceLine.com

3. Reprise: Good News for Realtors(reg) Means More Bad News for FSBOs This article first ran in 2004. The numbers from NAR indicate that FSBOs have become increasingly less successful in selling without a broker. Ultimately, only 12 percent succeed and many of these are intra-family transfers often due to death or divorce. Check out why good news for us is bad news for them:

http://budurl.com/qajk

4. Create a Better Life: Is Being a Winner Killing Your Heart and Your Business? Are you focused on winning while your competition loses? Do you often find yourself telling sellers, “I’m right, you’re wrong?” When you make up your mind about something, is there no changing it? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your “winning” ways can cost you not only your business, but your life. This article is based on the astounding work done by Paul Pearsall–don’t miss it–it can literally save your life!

http://budurl.com/u6cd

5. Positive News for Positive Realtors(reg) Discover how easy it is to find out what’s right about the real estate business!

A new Associated Press has some amazingly good news–Click on the link below to hear the eight reasons that both the credit market and the real estate market are getting better!

Just click on the link below and listen!

http://www.listenandlearnrealestate.com/ news.html

(If this is your first visit, don’t miss our first Positive News that is just as appropriate today as it was a year ago! Just click and listen–it’s that easy!)

http://budurl.com/3k9y

6. LuxuryClues.com: Top Tips to Build Your Business in 2009 *Listen to Bernice’s Top Tips for 2009 in her interview with Jack Peckham of RECyber.com http://budurl.com/mc7u

*Ten Reasons Why Real Estate Agents and Brokers Should Own an iPhone http://budurl.com/nlf4

*Would You Pay $10,000 for a pair of jeans? How about $250,000? Check out the priciest jeans in the world. http://budurl.com/5z69

7. Featured Products: Tell that Woman Her Stuff Really Works! A member of our coaching team loaned his sister who was new to the business his copy of List and Sell Real Estate Like Crazy. As a new agent, his sister was struggling with what to say and how to say it. After listening to the CDs, she went out and obtained an upper end listing for her market. Her comment, “You tell that woman that her stuff really works!” If you want materials that have worked for thousands of agents and that will work for you, click on the link below to learn more! http://budurl.com/vhgj

Order before 2-1-09 and get a copy of my new book, Real Estate Dough(tm), Your Recipe for Real Estate Success as our thank you bonus to you.

http://budurl.com/vhgj

8. New at www.ListenandLearnRealEstate.com for January 16-31, 2009 *Six Business Strategies for Becoming a Real Estate Mega-Producer What does it take to double or even triple your GCI? This session unlocks the time-proven secrets of mega real estate production.

*Stop Wasting Your Budget on Ineffective Real Estate Advertising Are you wasting your shrinking marketing budget on ineffective advertising–tune in to find out how to get more bang out of your advertising budget and how to really make it work.

*Don’t Market Real Estate Locally–Market Real Estate Globally One of the major trends in 2009 is going global. This session provides you with great ways to go global plus getting your listings translated into 13 languages for only $6.99 per listing.

*How to Dump the Baggage of Negativity No matter who you are, there are times when life can get you down. Learn six proven strategies for coping with tough times.

8. What’s New at ListenandLearnRealEstate.com WHAT’S NEW AT www.ListenandLearnRealEstate.com for January 1-15, 2009. ($29.95 per month for eight new audio broadcasts every month) Our library now has over 130 titles–check out all of them by purchasing a one month membership for only $29.95 or stay for eight more titles every single month.)

*Seven Ways to Build Your Real Estate Success Now Real estate agents are struggling to succeed in today’s highly competitive market. This session gives you proven tips to get your business running strong in any market.

*How to Get Top Real Estate Ranking on Google in 2009 Google changes their algorithms all the time. A new change in early 2009, will change the way rankings are handled forever. Learn what you need to do to come up on top of the real estate searches for your area.

*Time Efficiency Tips Tired of working so many hours per week in your real estate business? Want more time for you? You can create more fun time in your schedule by making a few minor adjustments in how you accomplish certain tasks. This session reveals the secrets of how to have more time for you.

*Sleep Your Way to Weight Loss (Simple Ways to Peel Away Those Pounds) No kidding–lack of sleep can cause you to gain weight. This session includes three easy ways to drop those extra pounds painlessly. It also includes some of my favorite suggestions for giving your brain the food it needs and still keeping it healthy.

9. Increase Your Production with Personal Coaching Looking for a well-trained coach who knows the real estate business? Our coaching team can help you increase your production and make your dreams come true. Send an e-mail to Shane@RealEstateCoach.com and we’ll help find the right coach for you.

10. Give Us Your Feedback On This Newsletter We want your feedback-to share your thoughts and suggestions, please e-mail us at Shane@RealEstateCoach.com.

11. How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe Visit our Web site, http://www.RealEstateCoach.com to subscribe/unsubscribe to RealClues.

Copyright (c) 1996-2009, RealEstateCoach.com and Teleclass4U.com, LLC. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute RealClues as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the contributors to this newsletter is attached.

Contributors to this newsletter: Bernice Ross, MCC, and Byron Van Arsdale, MCC, Owners, www.RealEstateCoach.com, www.LuxuryClues.com, www.ConferenceCallTraining.com; www.RossdalePress.com; and www.TeleconferenceLine.com Shane Bowlin, REC General Manager

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