How to become a better influencer

As a well trained, incredibly professional, high-performing real estate agent you will already know your number one priority is helping your clients get what they want.

Why? Because the fastest way to get what you want is by helping others get what they want (especially in real estate)!

You are there to help lead, help and drive your clients towards their property goals, whatever they may be.

The practice of becoming an amazing influencer doesn’t mean forcing people to make decisions! Becoming a better “Influencer” means you can more confidently and purposefully help your clients to achieve the best possible outcome.

It’s a win: win!

The skills needed to becoming an amazing influencer are easy to put in practice and you will gain more knowledge and skills the more you use them.

When you practice these skills your clients will admire and respect your advice. When the big questions appear, you will have done the hard work to ensure your clients trust you, appreciate your feedback and guidance and are willing to work with you to make it happen.

The 7 steps I’m sharing with you today are a sample of some of the key influencing steps I work through with high-performing agents at my upcoming 2 day TurningPoint workshop.

7 Steps to Influencing Power

1. Rapport

Building rapport (fast) with your clients gives you both common ground to start and continue your relationship, but what does ‘rapport’ really mean?

Basically, when you first meet someone you’re asking yourself:

“Do I know you, I like you, I trust you”?

When you build rapport with your clients, allow them to feel comfortable and safe with you, the answer to these questions is a very fast “Yes”.

If you have a rapport with a client it also means you are able to relate to each other. In the real estate business, you need to be able to relate to so many different styles of people, from tech-savvy first home buyers, to overwhelmed downsizers and ambitious investors, all of whom you will encounter repeatedly during your career.

By establishing rapport your clients will be more likely to listen to what you have to say, respect your guidance and advice.

2. Framing

When you ‘set the scene’ you are ‘framing’. This means what you say before you present an offer creates a picture your buyer will either accept or reject.

A key element of framing is outlining the benefits of any situation. When you state the positives before you launch into specific details with your clients, it can make all the difference between deal and no deal.

When you really get to know your client and their key property goals (remember your main concern: getting them what they want) you will know which benefits will resonate with your clients best and help them move towards their property goals with more speed and accuracy.

3. Questions

I’ve mentioned this before as part of an influencing strategy – you have to step into your client’s shoes to truly understand what is motivating their decisions- and to get into those shoes you need to ask questions!

What’s more, ask the right questions.

High-performing real estate agents are typically very good at speaking with their clients, relating and sharing stories. However, it is those agents who also take the time to ask key questions, pause and listen to the responses who learn a lot which can then be used through the process of a sale.

Given they’re the right questions, they can make your clients feel important and help to build rapport.

Showing your clients you really care about their experience and their goals is a massive step to becoming a powerful influencer!

4. Pausing

Sometimes, saying nothing is the most powerful thing you can do!

Once you have presented the facts and stated your case, your next tactic should often be simply to stand back.

Too much pressure can make people hesitate and you don’t want to be the ‘pushy’ agent. Being able to pause is also showing your clients that you want to listen to them.

By giving your client room to mull over the points you have made and think about the benefits you have presented them with you are showing them respect and powerfully

5. Listening 

Listening is the natural next step from asking questions. It’s a highly undervalued skill, particularly in our industry!

Hear what your clients are saying and repeat it back to them to clarify and demonstrate you understand what they have said to you.

By listening to your clients, you’ll uncover information you can take forward into the negotiation phase, making it smoother for everyone involved.

6. Because

Forget ‘please’!

‘Because’ is the magic word for real estate agents!

From a young age, we are conditioned to it – ‘because’ precedes a valid reason to act (or not act as the case may be). Take control of this word and use it when you are going through property negotiations and you’ll find you are able to have more power and influence.

A note: When you say “because”, you need to have rock solid information, statistics and reasons for prompting action from your client. Don’t be wishy-washy!

7. FAB Formula

During negotiations, you will be highlighting features such as proximity to shops, having a double driveway and facing north to your buyers.

But this might only get them so far as to say “so what”. The FAB formula turns features into advantages and advantages into benefits.

For example:

“This house is closer to shops than a similar one for sale a few blocks away. This means you’ll save on petrol, which gives you more money to spend or put on the mortgage. In the long term, this proximity will allow your house to hold its value better than others.”

Remember your client is always listening to WII-FM – which stands for ‘What’s in it for me?” Show how this property will deliver in spades and you’ll be on track to gain their commitment as a buyer.

Ready to learn more and increase your power as an influencer? Win more business, sell more real estate and make more money by joining us at TurningPoint coming up in Melbourne in May. To find out more, click here.