We all know that I have blogged on occasion about the thoughts people have about real estate agents. Which makes a lot of sense really when you consider that I not only work for a real estate group, but that this blog is about real estate. One thing I haven't touched on is the dilemma we real estate agents often face in regards to how aggressive you need to be in the sales process without becoming pushy. As a real estate professional, you need to be able to negotiate, and as a customer of a real estate agent, you want to know that your realtor is going to go in hard for you, but it's a fine line between assertive and negotiating and just becoming an aggressive twat.
I think we've all had experiences when shopping, and I don't necessarily mean for property here, when a salesperson has just come on way too strong and it's totally off putting. Sometimes enough to make you leave and try to find what you want elsewhere. Similarly, if you encounter a salesperson who doesn't try hard enough, the same reaction can result. If someone can't be bothered trying to sell to you, often it's annoying because it means a lack of service.
Real estate agents need to be able to play hardball in order to get the best result for their customers, which means as a realtor you must pay attention to if you're not being strong enough to be a convincing salesperson. I wonder what your customer would find worse – you being a little too aggressive or being a pushover. I believe that at Century 21 our real estate agents have found the middle ground and don't tend towards either but are a happy balance of the two. Which is why we can claim to be your local real estate expert.
I read something recently which made me laugh, and was actually very apt. It was in reference to retail stores, but I think this most certainly applies to real estate offices, or even your website in this day of technology and ecommerce: if someone is in your shop (or real estate office) it's going to be for one of 3 reasons – to use your phone, to use your toilet, or to buy something. So if there's someone in your real estate office who isnt using your phone or your loo, you better be selling them something! Oh how I laughed. Hopefully you did too…