What makes you the best agent your prospects could choose? How is your service better than the service they’d 
receive from one of your competitors? You do need to know the answer. Otherwise, you won’t be able to convey it to your prospects.
I’ve learned that many agents do not know, and in fact many believe that they do the same job everyone else does. With that in mind, this week we’ll go exploring.
The first clue that you’re the best agent…
In case you hadn’t considered it, begin with the fact that you’re eager to learn more. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading posts like this one. Since you read my posts, I’m willing to bet that you also read others. You’re willing to invest more time and thought to your career – and many agents aren’t.
I remember when I first went to work at an agency that was associated with NAR, and so I became a REALTOR®. Every month we’d get the REALTOR® magazine and everyone one but me (including the broker) would send it immediately to the round file. They’d do the same with the quarterly magazine from the Idaho Real Estate Board.
The prevailing attitude was that they had passed the real estate exam, took the mandatory CE classes, and didn’t need to learn more. They weren’t even interested in the rule changes that were featured in the Idaho publication. I’m going to guess that YOU keep up with the rule changes in your State.
Next, take some clues from your past clients.
Think about the compliments and thanks you’ve received from clients – either past or present. When you heard those compliments about your service you may have thought “Anyone would have done the same,” but that’s not necessarily so. The reason your clients noticed and mentioned it could be because their last agent did NOT do it.
Do you have testimonials, email messages, and notes of thanks from satisfied clients? Re-read them. You’ll probably find a common thread running throughout. For instance, you might find variations on things like “You were so attentive, you made us feel like we were your only clients,” or “You really listened,” or “Your patience in explaining every step of our purchase helped ease our fears.”
You can also begin to realize which of your traits and routine practices really matter to clients by thinking back to the complaints you’ve heard about their last agent. How often have you thought “That’s ridiculous” or “That’s outrageous!” You wouldn’t dream of treating anyone the way some agents do.
Now look to other agents to see why you’re the best agent.
Part of what makes you the best agent is your reputation among other agents. When other agents think highly of 
you, your listings are shown more often, and your offers are well received.
Do other agents thank you for the part you played in the transactions you had with them? Are you well-known for your cooperative spirit?
Remember that some agents have poor reputations. They’re sloppy in filling out paperwork and MLS information, don’t present offers in a timely fashion, don’t pay close attention to deadlines, don’t make it easy to show their listings, don’t return your calls, and don’t pitch in when there’s a problem between agreement and closing.
You try to avoid working with them – and so do other agents. Unfortunately, prospective clients don’t know that.
You may not be the best agent for every possible client…
While you could likely do an adequate job for every client, you will be the best agent for only some of them. So think about what you enjoy most and when you feel most confident in your abilities.
- Is educating first time buyers fun and rewarding for you?
- Do you love finding fixers for investor clients?
- Are you really good at helping clients through an emotional time – such as divorce or a probate?
- Do you enjoy spending time with elderly clients who need to relocate and who love to tell stories?
- Are you best at helping with military or corporate relocation?
- Do you get really enthused over helping move-up buyers and sellers?
- Can you handle short sales with ease and enjoy negotiating with lenders to benefit your clients?
Think about your favorite clients and why they’re your favorites. You are the best agent for them, so make sure everything you say, write, and do demonstrates that fact.
Someone else is the best agent for the ones you don’t really enjoy, so let them have them. In fact, if you know that someone else is a better fit for a certain prospect, refer that prospect to them. You’ll all be happier, and your reputation will be enhanced.
Last – consider your strongest skills.
These will make you the best agent for many clients. They, along with the traits your past clients have pointed out, should be emphasized in your bio, your listing presentations, your personal brochure, and your buyer and/or seller web pages.
It’s easy for you to see your strongest skills, because they revolve around the tasks you feel most comfortable and confident in performing.
- You could be skilled in doing the research and comparisons to find the correct listing price.
- Your negotiation skills may be beyond compare.
- You might be a master at solving the problems that come up between agreement and closing.
- Perhaps you write compelling property descriptions that result in more showings.
Now that you’ve looked at the clues… can you possibly think that you’re just like other agents?
I hope not.
Because – going back to the first clue at the beginning of this message – I KNOW that you’re not just like every other agent. In fact, I know you’re better and more valuable to your clients than a very large percentage of them.
So – don’t get arrogant, but do go forward with confidence, knowing that the clients you choose to serve will enjoy the very best service they could possibly have.
Blue man chosen graphic courtesy of stuart miles @ freedigitalphotos.net
Top agent Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
