Bernice Ross

While Andy Florance was being shellacked in the press about the losses resulting from Costar’s acquisition of Homes.com, the red-hot topics at Real Estate Connect in New York City were the consolidation of Compass and Anywhere into Compass International, which is starting to be known as CI.

Also on the tip of everyone’s tongues were the battle over private listings and the knock-down, drag-out fight between CI and Zillow.

But the big question agents facing agents today is: How do you stand out in an immense sea of sameness?

Your hyperlocal, cutting-edge unique value proposition, customized to fit your clients’ specific wants and needs, still wins. Couple this with clearly outlining the services you will deliver in writing, providing your clients with more than you promised and walking your talk. That’s what it takes to build the type of real connection that results in repeat and referral business for years to come.

It’s a simple answer is one that hasn’t changed in decades. But how you effectively communicate this to potential clients has changed quite a bit.

The Challenge of Short Attention Spans

In the past, people’s attention spans were significantly longer. You can see it older books and movies, where creators weave intricate plots filled with complex characters. In contrast, today’s consumers click, skim, scroll and make judgements about what they’re seeing at lightning speed.

The current disconnect occurs when an agent gets a lead and they overwhelm them with detailed CMAs and high-end property reports, plus information about themselves and their companies when all they wanted was a short, simple communication.

At the top of today’s prospecting funnel, you need to provide short, frequent exposure to your brand across both your print and digital media. This can also include old-school strategies such as open house signs, yard signs and brochure boxes.

It’s not until a buyer or seller is ready to transact that they will want detailed information about how their transaction will work, the negotiation process, as well as help with transitioning from one home into another.

The Client Interview Is Key

This process begins with your buyer or seller interview.

With buyers, do at least a 20-30 minute interview where you determine whether your buyers have been pre-approved, whether they’re eligible for down payment assistance, how they spend their time in what rooms when they’re at home, how many people are in their household, if they have pets including their names, what they do for recreation, what their top five must-haves are for them to buy a property.

If you’re not doing this you will most likely end up showing them properties they don’t want. More importantly, you will have missed the opportunity to build the type of connection that earns their trust as well as future referrals.

After you have done this, present them with detailed information about the services you offer and the benefits they provide. For sellers, include a premium marketing plan. This approach has worked for decades, and it’s still as relevant today as it ever has been. Determine which three to five features, like 3D home tours or a dedicated property website, are the most important to your clients. Next, you will highlight what all brokers do, what your company does that is unique from competitors, and then three things you do that most other agents don’t do, weaving in their “must haves” along the way.

The Secret Sauce

Here’s where the secret sauce comes in to help you stand out in a sea of sameness.

First, give the paid version of your AI tool of choice – ChatGPT for more conversational, emotional types of clients, Grok for those who want reams of data – a detailed, three- to five-page description of who you are and what your business is, including both your services, step-by-step systems for completing tasks like taking listings and your brand culture and values.

Then, after deleting personally identifying information and changing names to maintain client privacy, load the results of your buyer or seller interview it into the AI. Specifically identify this as your meta prompt.

Give the AI as much about the clients’ lifestyle as possible and their top five requirements in order for them to transact, including type of neighborhood and schools if relevant.

You can then use the AI to create marketing and other collateral material that is attuned to your clients’ unique situation. You can also ask for recommendations about how to best work with these clients and what to expect when you negotiate with them.

Old school married to AI customization is the secret to success in today’s new and very competitive marketplace.

Bernice Ross is a nationally syndicated columnist, author, trainer and speaker on real estate topics. She can be reached at bernice@realestatecoach.com.