We live in a world surging with data. A world of jobs solely dedicated to collecting and analyzing trillions of gigabytes of information. As a small business owner and team leader, it can be overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to utilizing the information we have or read about.<\/p>\n
But data doesn\u2019t have to be confusing numbers, crushing piles of information or competing statistics. Sometimes, the best data is created by our own inquiries.<\/p>\n
As I continue to write through Erik Therwanger\u2019s Dynamic Sales Combustion, we\u2019ll use his take on Unparalleled D.A.T.A. (Discovery Info; Action Info; Tactical Info; and Accountability) tweaked for the real estate business, so that you have a straight-forward and simple doorway into using data for your business.<\/p>\n
As real estate professionals, most of the data we have will come from our own research of the industry, buyer\/ seller trends, market values and so on. But what we can often overlook is the data that lives and breathes right in front of us: our clients.<\/p>\n
Erik\u2019s first D in D.A.T.A, which stands for Discovery Info, is all about the information we learn about our clients.<\/p>\n
Therwinger points out something we all know, but often overlook, people like to talk about themselves. According to recent studies, self-disclosure triggers the reward center of the brain! This means that, for many people, talking about themselves is like eating a good meal; it\u2019s enjoyable.<\/p>\n
Therwinger shares that during his time in finance, many of his colleagues already knew exactly what they wanted when entering a meeting with new prospective client\u2014they even brought along the paperwork they hoped the client would sign. Why? Because it had the biggest payout. They didn\u2019t take the time to truly learn who their clients were and what their needs and challenges were. They didn\u2019t take the time to listen.<\/p>\n
As an agent, think how much time and energy you can save down the road if you get to know your clients\u2019 needs, desires and challenges upfront. If you go in with assumptions or a goal to find a home or sell a home as quickly as possible, you\u2019re probably not going to be the kind of agent that leaves a lasting impact and truly meets your clients\u2019 needs. The key is obvious; enter as a listener.<\/p>\n
Listening starts with asking the right questions. And, as Therwinger points out, it\u2019s more than just what you ask; it\u2019s when. A great starting point for starting discovery conversations is Therwinger\u2019s three simple techniques.<\/p>\n
Before asking what, you can do for your client, get to know who they are as a human being\u2014interview them! Learn about their careers, passions, personal goals, family needs. Then work your way into questions that identify their needs and desires. Finally, start to edge into the challenges and obstacles they face and hope to overcome. Remember to write down what they tell you and come armed with a professional fact finder sheet*!<\/p>\n
As their foremost partner in finding (or selling) a home, the main solution you have for your clients is finding them the perfect fit, whether home or buyer. But finding this perfect fit is probably impossible unless you start the process with good questions and an open ear.<\/p>\n
Like any sales profession, our fight to win over clients doesn\u2019t start with a 0-0 score. We\u2019re coming from behind. Unfortunately, too many people (yourself included, probably) have experienced a salesperson who just wanted to make the sale and didn\u2019t take the time to get to know you. So, it\u2019s no surprise that so many of us have a negative stigma associated with sales.<\/p>\n
But you don\u2019t have to fit that stigma. You can be different. You can be the agent who truly takes the time to discover who your client is and how you can truly help them. Charity Malmberg<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We live in a world surging with data. A world of jobs solely dedicated to collecting and analyzing trillions of gigabytes of information. As a small business owner and team leader, it can be overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to utilizing the information we have or read about. But data doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,15,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-spotlight","category-twin-cities"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}