“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein
On July 23rd, 2020 LemonBrew hosted our first ever virtual conference, Real Estate NOW. This three hour event consisted of nine thought-provoking leaders from every sphere of the real estate industry providing valuable insight to inspire and motivate attendees to continue their hard work and be open to new ways of conducting business. The virtual round-table consisted of three segments, Consumer Behavior in Today’s Real Estate Industry, The New World of the Home Buying Process, and The Value of Digital Marketing. If you didn’t get the chance to tune in live, we’ve put together this summary of key takeaways and also have the recording available for you at the bottom of this blog post. Efficiency is key in the modern world of real estate, so take in the information whichever way works for you. P.S. The conference listens like a podcast if you’re into that. Let’s dive into the three key takeaways!
Key Takeaway 1: Add Value to Your Clients
When it comes to real estate, agents essentially need to sell themselves before they can sell a home. Providing value to potential buyers is what will set you apart from other real estate agents. Ask yourself, where do YOU bring value to the process. If you don’t have a solid idea, here are some tips.
Home buyers want to know every aspect of the property they’re interested in. Whether it’s the flooring, what the walls are made of, and what the roof is made of, giving clients access to more in depth information and educating them is extremely beneficial. As you educate your buyers and sellers, you become an advisor leading to customer retention and trust.
Sending emails, text messages, and phone calls is an everyday task for real estate agents. However, it is critical that you send the appropriate messages to the appropriate people. One way to do that is to segment your audience. Eleni Sommerschield suggests having your contacts organized in a way where you know who the buyers, sellers, investors, and property managers are. From there, you can consistently nurture your leads and let them know you’re there for them through anything.
That brings us to the next tip, be consistent. “Now is the time to be talking directly to your customers…along with being consistent across all channels, one thing you can really do is be sure that one same message is displayed across multiple channels,” Jeremy Bellinghausen advised. Brand consistency is important when it comes to transparency in your business and helping clients understand that you’re a professional ready to help them.
Now, with all this talk about messaging, how do you know what type of messages to send out? In the words of Justin Knoll, there are six magic words of sales, What This Means To You Is… If you’re unable to break down the message and say here’s what this data means to you specifically, they’re going to find somebody else that will. Be sure to not only provide data, but explain what it means to them directly. For example, if you are recording a video about local real estate market statistics, be sure to break down what the numbers mean and explain how this affects your audience (i.e. buyers and sellers) personally. Bonus points if you make the video specifically for your one client that is always asking how the market is and send it to them directly.
Utilizing all these tips will 100% add more value to your home buyers and sellers which will, in turn, drive you more success in your business and as a professional.
Key Takeaway 2: Technology is Your Friend
COVID-19 has supercharged the need for technology and warmed the masses up to the idea of using it in more formal circumstances. From quick zoom meetings to virtual conferences, the use of technology is at an all-time high and we’re due to embrace it further. Will Adams suggests that since the entire transaction of our business lines (mortgage, title, and real estate) are completed online, consumers are willing to take advantage of virtual tools. However, there are some legislatures that are still falling behind and affecting the title and closing industry by not creating centralized regulations on recording, according to Jeff Medley. Technology is only going to advance, so let’s learn to use it to our advantage. Like Austin Niemiec says, let computers do what they do so you have more time to do what you do.
By embracing technology, we have time to go that extra mile for our clients. Utilize marketing automations, video, virtual tours, and staging, along with other online tools to ensure you are covering all of the bases and meeting your client’s needs most efficiently. Companies like BoxBrownie, Road to Close, and Wise Agent were built to streamline your business and give you more time to get your hard work completed. Eleni Sommerschield from Wise Agent highly encourages marketing automation as it helps make your life easily manageable, giving you more time to make personal touches in between. Texting is another great automation to contact potential or existing clients, as there’s almost a 100% open and read rate and let’s be honest, no one leaves a text notification unchecked. However, it’s important to keep in mind who will be on the receiving end of your message. As Scott Gartner mentioned, you aren’t going to teach someone that has been doing things one way for 20 or 30 years something different. Then, you get into the younger demographic who expects these things and they don’t want to talk to someone on the phone, they want to text or talk through an app. When it comes to clients having to use the technology themselves, be a resource to help them along the way if they get confused or uncomfortable. Sometimes, tech won’t always be a perfect fit but don’t let that discourage you from exploring digital processes as the pros definitely outweigh the cons!
Many feel the use of technology could lead to a disconnect with consumers. However, you can use technology to actually enhance your relationships and listings by giving them that extra zest that they didn’t know they were looking for. The key to this is video. “There’s a study that shows that 85% of communication with consumers will be done through video in the next 10 years…If you have hesitation about video, yes, the camera does add 10 pounds and yes, that is how you sound, get over it. The expectation from consumers and clients is that you are creating a personal relationship with them and that comes through video. The brevity and tone doesn’t always translate through text and email,” Justin Knoll informed. Video is key to bring you to life and makes a more personable connection between you and your viewers.
Ultimately, using technology for business is here to stay and will only continue to advance. It’s time to move past the fear of change and fears of being replaced, because human connection and interaction will always be desired. Let’s use the tools at hand to better the experience for our clients, and take all the heavy lifting off ourselves.
Key Takeaway 3: Be Authentic
In a world of photoshop and the opportunity to hide behind a screen, authenticity isn’t easy to come by; that is what makes it so valuable. Authenticity is key to building strong relationships, curating your brand, and ultimately, making a sale. The days of bus bench ads and billboards aren’t quite cutting it anymore as millennials enter the market and demand authenticity and value in messaging and throughout the sales process. But where do you start?
Marc Karasu sums up authenticity in your brand by saying, “As you’re developing your online presence, your website, your look and feel, your business cards, any sales collateral, even ads; they should reflect who you are and be authentic to you. And know going in if you have a particular hobby or interest that it may not resonate with everyone, that’s okay because there are enough people out there who are going to find you and you are going to find them and that connection is going to matter.” Maybe you’re a veteran and love to help other vets learn about their benefits during the home buying process, this is a huge part of your authentic self. Find your niche within your market and focus on that audience for maximum success.
Another piece of advice is to take a look at your competitors and analyze what they are doing in their slice of the market. Is there a technique being overused or overlooked? Be the person that disrupts static behavior and stand out from your competition. Authenticity is just another way to level up.
So, how does authenticity help your clients? This is where we come full circle. When you are doing business as your authentic self, people are more attracted to you. You are able to build more personal connections with your clients because they actually know who you are outside of the job and today’s home buyer still craves that relationship. Take notes each time you speak with your clients, from jotting down their kids’ names to remembering their alma mater, it’s the little things that go a long way. Consumers always appreciate when their advisors go above and beyond and deliver excellent service. They want simplicity, transparency, and the ability to trust during the process of buying or selling their most expensive asset.
Do you feel like you found the golden ticket of 2020 real estate advice? Well, that’s just a sliver of what was covered during Real Estate NOW. We may be biased but the virtual conference was a huge success thanks to all of our panelists. It was filled with valuable insight, a few dad jokes, relaxing instrumental breaks, and actionable items for you to take with you to prosper in the new world of tech-driven real estate.
If you missed the conference, it’s not too late. Grab a notebook, click your pen, follow this link, and prepare to be inspired. Don’t forget to download the handouts below!
Handouts
Our panelists had the opportunity to upload handouts and company promotions during the conference. Be sure to check these out and maybe even get some discounts!
Promo Offer (ending Aug. 22)
