Is this the hardest market you’ve faced in recent memory?
I’ve heard that from a lot of agents, despite the fact that anything with a functional roof over it sells with multiple offers.
The frustration comes from agents that are working closest to the buyers in this market – it’s challenging to be a buyer of anything today.
Frustration in a Competitive Market
There are really good agents right now that are feeling defeated, mostly because they have massive empathy for their buyers’ situation.
They’re frustrated because they see the struggles of buyers who need to find a home. Buyers who have been looking for months, have put in many offers over asking price, only to have sellers go with another buyer.
Despite the fact that these are well-equipped sales agents, they can’t help but feel disappointed every time their buyers are outbid.
So, what is separating the agents that are really navigating this market to represent their buyers, and those agents that are really frustrated?
Succeeding in a Complex Sales Environment
The best sales agents succeed in a complex sales environment.
And that’s what we’re faced with now – a complex sales environment.
The best buyers agents are doing what’s called solution selling, taking a solution approach, or simply just providing solutions to problems.
They’re not playing with the average playbook.
Solutions Based Approach
The best agents, in addition to listening to the needs of their buyer, are doing a lot of investigation to learn what the seller’s needs are. Once they understand what the seller needs to accomplish – whether it’s move by a certain date, have additional costs covered, or something else – they create a solution around those needs and craft an offer.
In addition to listening to the needs of the seller, buyers agents are leveraging their relationships right now, more than ever.
That’s why relationships are so important. Because when you need them at a time like this, you start to cash them in and it gives you (and your client) more solutions.
When you build more relationships, you have more solutions. When you know your market and your game better than anybody, you have more solutions.
Think Long Term
Emotions easily rise to the surface when you are solely focused on the short term.
Rather than thinking about the next commission, think long-term about solving problems.
The relationships that you make right now might be valuable to you in a week, a month, a year.
The information that you absorb and educate yourself on today could be valuable in a week, or a month, or a year.
The investments you make with your commission to get something done today, so you can live to fight another deal, are invaluable.
Over the next week, month, year, your clients will talk about the work you did for them: ‘She went all in for me to make sure there was a solution to my problem.’
Unless you’re retiring at the end of this year, start thinking about your brand differently. Don’t think about the commission. Think about what it takes to solve problems.
It’s simple:
People need solutions.
We need to go out and find them.