If there is a piece of chocolate on your desk, how long before you pick it up and eat it? If you’re like most people, the chocolate definitely won’t last until the end of the day. The question is, how can you become equally irresistible?
At our recent AFIRE conference in Scottsdale, Fafie Moore, the president of Realty Executives of Nevada, delivered a powerful keynote that asked the question, “How can you become as “irresistible as chocolate”?
Moore should know. She is not only the president of Realty Executives of Nevada and the best recruiter I have ever met, she is also the fifth woman in history to be chairman of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
Temptation Rules
Part of what makes chocolate so irresistible is its ability to be both sweet and to make us feel better. In other words, the appeal is not logical – it’s emotional. The same is true in real estate.
Moore says one of her most important secrets is to always make the last phone call of the day to someone she likes and enjoys. When you talk to an angry client and then go home, you take that energy with you. Be sure to end your business day on a high note.
Change Someone’s Life
What was your motivation for getting into the real estate business? Danielle Kennedy, one of the most popular real estate speakers ever, got into the real estate business because she was pregnant, had a bunch of kids, and wanted to buy a freezer. Often, life-changing decisions result from simple needs.
Moore believes that one of the best ways to be irresistible is to understand that the decision to buy or sell is based upon the emotional aspects of the deal. It’s your role as the agent to uncover the emotion. “People don’t buy things. They buy what they will do for them.”
Emotions can be tied to colors, taste, the fear of loss, or a thousand other things. CPAs, for example, still buy on emotion – their emotion is tied to numbers.
It’s Not About The Money
Money isn’t what motivates people. Instead, it’s what the money can do for them. Moore tells the story about an agent in her office who was working about 20 hours a week. The agent and his wife had tried for years to have a child and when they did, he was the center of their universe. Once their son started school, he was a straight A student. Moore inquired about what they were doing to build their son’s college fund.
When the answer was that they hadn’t set one up yet, Moore asked which local school their son would be choosing to attend since they wouldn’t be able to afford to send him back east to an Ivy League school.
That question tapped into the agent’s emotion and resulted in a major turnaround in his production. It wasn’t the money that mattered – it was what it could do for their son’s education.
The same is true for your clients. Once you understand the underlying emotion, buying or selling becomes a much more simple process.
Moore explained it this way: You can use emotion to discuss an emotional issue and logic to discuss a logical issue, but you can’t use logic to discuss an emotional issue.
Coping With Option Paralysis
Stanford University recently conducted a study that demonstrated that people suffer from option paralysis, even when it comes to simple products. They illustrated this principle by having their subjects make a decision about which jam or jelly they would buy. If there were only a few varieties, they would pick out one jar and make their purchase. Given more than a few options, they usually left empty handed.
To work more effectively with your buyers, understand that they are overwhelmed with information. As a result, it’s important that you keep your marketing messages short and concise.
Please note – you’re not sending them to a website, you’re not sending out reams of comparable sales; instead, you have a clear-cut message and request to get together and talk.
Lessons From NAR’s 30 Under 30
- They all have a written business plan that they follow and work.
- They have core skills – they do what they do best and they do it often.
- They know their product.
- They provide their customers with solutions.
- They do lots of presentations and diligently follow up on each one.
- They always remember to ask for the sale.
Two Secrets For Success
Moore says that the way to succeed at networking is to try to meet one person and to make that person feel important. “Sincerity wins over slick.”
When it comes to networking events, Moore makes a point of going over and introducing herself to the people standing alone by the walls. In many cases, they’re the ones who own the company.
Being as irresistible as chocolate comes from having fun, understanding that emotion rather than money guides most real estate decisions, and focusing on helping to change the life of someone else for the better.
Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author. Email: Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com
