How do you carve out a niche and what makes you different from the thousands of other sales reps in Canada?
Well, remember how in our grade school days we would play 20 questions to get to know newbies to our squad? The answer almost always revealed interesting and novel details that we could not possibly guess. It is time to turn the tables and honestly ask yourself some probing questions to help create a unique voice (your unique selling proposition) to set you apart.
These questions will rock start your real estate career.
- Identify and record your dominant DISC profile. What are your personality strengths and weaknesses and how can these impact your sales?
- What are your top three to five capabilities that differentiate your from your local competitors? Hint: think about your specific client reviews and testimonials to help pinpoint your strengths. If you are not asking clients to review you, you should.
- Do you have any specific real estate experience – selling, property management, investing? Explain.
- Do you have a broad or diverse customer base? Describe it (such as what geographic and demographic groups are mostly attracted to you).
- Do you have any real estate or sales degrees, licenses, accreditations or certifications? List them.
- In what property types and transactions (senior communities, rentals, luxury, condo and high rise) are you well versed?
- What qualities in your opinion make for an excellent real estate agent and why?
- How do clients view you in terms of reliability, professionalism and approachability? How can you improve your position in the eyes of your clients?
- What type of support and services do you provide to your prospective, current and past clients?
- What types of specific marketing tools do you use to sell your listings?
- In what ways can you differentiate your services from your local competitors? Visit the websites of your competitors to see what they offer and how you can stand apart from them.
- How tech savvy are you and can you use social media tools to market yourself and your listings? List the social media sites you are on and what sites you want to join in the near future.
- What necessary training or tools do you need in order to work with your desired clientele?
- What can you do to improve your real estate selling, marketing and transactional management skills (take classes, hire help)?
- Community service can help you stand out from the pack. What activities can you implement to better achieve a profitable triple bottom-line (meaning your business activities positively impact your profits, people and the planet)?
- What is the extent of marketing reach, distribution and awareness of your real estate firm?
- What industry vendors do you have relationships with (attorneys, bankers and contractors)?
- What business relationships do you need to develop in order to better your marketing?
- What segments of your local real estate market are hot right now and what are not?
- What external economic forces (threats) can impact your sales (rising interest rates, area layoffs, changing laws)? Do any of these threats present opportunities for you to offer new services? If so, what and how? If not, what can you do to at least minimize the effect of these threats on your sales (provide home buying seminars to explain the changes? What other difficulties do you face in selling real estate?
Armed with degrees in business administration and legal studies, Lee Davenport is a thought leader in the real estate community and speaks across the U.S. at various Realtor associations, realty firms and real estate conferences. She is known for helping real estate pros learn, include and apply technology to everyday real estate tasks. Visit agentsaroundatlanta.com
