Your client base and your sphere of influence are both made up of people you might meet at any time and in any place.
It might be in a waiting room – at a doctor’s office or the garage where your car is being serviced. It might be at your cousin’s baby shower or at a class you’re taking. It might even be on an airplane as you head out to a well-deserved vacation, or next to the pool after you’ve arrived at your destination.
That means you could meet a prospective new client at a time when you aren’t even thinking about real estate. It also means you could let the opportunity for a new client slip by and not even know it.
So how can you capture those moments?
By simply knowing ahead of time what you’re going to say when the inevitable question comes up: “What do you do?”
You need a script.
You may dislike “canned” presentations – I do too. When I know a sales person is giving me a memorized script I quit listening. But this is one that you do need to create, practice, and memorize so that it flows naturally every time you hear “What do you do?”
If you simply say “I sell real estate” or “I’m a REALTOR®,” you won’t be telling them much, and you may even cause them to conjure up a negative image. So instead, create a script focused on who you help, how you help them, and where you do it.
A good script can lead to questions and conversation – and you might just have a new client.
Some call it an “elevator script,” because you need to be able to say it in the time it takes for an elevator to go from one floor to the next. How long is that? Only a few words. Perhaps 10 or 12.
So here’s your challenge for the day: Think about the who, how, and where that I mentioned above. Then create a 10 or 12 word script that conveys your value to your clients.
For instance: You might say “I help homeowners in Mytown sell their homes for the most money in shortest amount of time.” Or perhaps, “I help first time home buyers in Mytown find homes that suit both their lifestyles and their budgets.”
Once you think it’s perfect, print it out and memorize it. Tape it to your monitor. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. Tape it to the visor on your car. Say it until it flows naturally.
Have I done this myself? Yes. When I left real estate to write marketing copy full time I learned pretty quickly not to say “I’m a copywriter” when someone asked “What are you doing these days?” Some people looked at me with a blank expression that said “What’s that?” Others jumped on the idea and told me they might need help securing the rights to a song they wrote.
In our small town, no one had a clue what “copywriter” meant.
I had to learn to say “I write marketing messages that help other people succeed in business.” The funny part is the response. More than one person has looked at me in astonishment and said “You mean people actually pay you to write things?” In our town, the ladies at the newspaper write the ads, and they do it for free. (They’re not very good and they might be missing a few vital elements such as your address, phone number, email address, website, etc. – but they’re free.)
Be sure to follow up…
If the person you’re speaking with shows an interest, offer to send him or her a copy of your market report. That will allow you to ask for a mailing address and/or an email address. Then… that day or the next day, send a hand-written thank you note, saying how much you enjoyed talking with them. You can either enclose your latest report or let them know when to expect it. After that, put them in your database to receive the same information as your past clients and others in your sphere of influence.
Of course – if they indicate a need for an agent right now – you know what to do!
