Let’s talk about how to create certainty as a real estate agent.
“If you can’t create certainty, you’re dead in this environment.”
Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? I said those words during an exclusive webinar with KCM’s David Childers… and I stand by them. Because the ability to create certainty is everything.
The last 29 months have taught us that anything can happen at any time. Interest rates are now going up as high as 7% and the market is filled with uncertainty. When are things going to calm down? Is it still a good time to buy or sell? The fact of the matter is that uncertainty creates fear, and fear is not good for anyone.
What can you do? Who do you have to become in order to properly serve your market?
In uncertain times, people follow certainty. That’s the word we’re going to be talking about in this week’s blog, “Certainty,” and how to create it for your clients, your market, and yourself.
Let’s dive in…
No. 1: Have the Data, Know the Data
The first part is easy, but the second part is going to take some effort on your part.
Uncertainty stems from a lack of knowledge. To be uncertain is to not know what’s going on or how it affects you. That’s where your market needs you most.
You should be subscribed to a REPUTABLE real estate news source. Keeping Current Matters will give you not only the information you need but make the next steps here super easy by giving you printable data slides to share with your leads and clients as a visual representation. You can get them here.
Take those slides, laminate them, and always have them on you. I’m talking every appointment, every consultation, have them ready on your phone when you’re going out to lunch – always. Because when it comes to a complicated field like real estate, SHOWING is always better than TELLING.
But that’s just the first part. The most important thing you can do is know the data inside and out to be able to explain it in the simplest, most effect way possible. Look for correlations and historical trends and be ready to answer any questions your clients might have before they even have a chance to ask them.
No. 2: Show Recent Sales
Leverage your transactions by getting testimonial videos, posting to social, and sending out case study post cards.
But a simple post on social media with a picture of a home that says “Just Sold” isn’t going to cut it. Instead, you should take a page from the playbook of Winnipeg agent Nicole Hacault, who creates what she calls “Sold Stories.”
A sold story is a social media post that tells the full story of the transaction, from how Nicole managed it to the families whose lives it transformed. These are emotional human stories that make people connect with Nicole as a professional and as a person – and they create a huge amount of certainty in her market.
No. 3: Daily Informational Videos
If you’re not posting videos DAILY, then you’re not creating enough certainty. If you’re not posting videos at all, well… remember what I said at the beginning about being dead?
You’ve already heard me say that all it takes is one day to create an entire month’s worth of short-form content. And if you need some help with that, you should be watching our weekly show which is practically dedicated to it as well as checking out these detailed blogs:
- The Ops Side of Creating Highly Effective Real Estate Video
- The Best Vertical Video Strategies for Each Social Platform
- Advanced Tools to “Next Level” Your Video Production – Without Breaking the Bank
No. 4: Make Your Calls
Do it. Just do it. Make your calls.
Nothing is going to replace this, even if you do everything else. Watch any of my shows featuring some of the top agents working in real estate today – they’ll all say that no matter how busy you get, this step is essential.
Tim Smith, who brings in huge numbers every year and practically has luxury business flying at him, is still so dedicated to making his calls that he got a young family member to drive him around as a sort-of real estate internship so that he could make focused calls every time he’s in the car. Even when he was driving me to visit a property as HIS CLIENT, he couldn’t resist making calls to care for his database the entire time (WORD OF ADVICE: Only do this if it’s your coach in the car)!
When consumers see you actively trying to reach out and educate instead of backing away, it’s confirmation that now is as good a time as ever to take action in the market.
No. 5: Create Certainty in Yourself
Take an honest look at yourself, your skills, and your performance. What are you good at and what are you missing?
These are the areas to focus on:
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Mindset
- Playbooks
- Community of support
- Execution
When you narrow it down to these five areas, the issues become easier to identify and the gaps easier to close. If you need to boost your knowledge, we already talked about following KCM. If you need help with mindset, there’s a show for that. And if you need help with execution or community support, maybe what you’re looking for is…
No. 6: Up Your Accountability
Execution happens at a heroic level when you have people who you are accountable to, especially when those people are holding you accountable to yourself.
Set hard goals for yourself and then tell them to the world. Announce them to your database and then offer some sort of gift to your community if you achieve them, like Dee Martin of Tyler, TX did. At a past Success Summit, I bet Dee $10,000 that she couldn’t reach a certain number of transactions in one year’s time. That should’ve been enough, but Dee doubled down and announced that if she won the money, she’d make an even bigger donation split between four local charities. This not only motivated her but announced her level of certainty to her market which pushed her numbers over the edge.
But I’m not saying you need to gamble big money. If you want real certainty, accountability, and practical help in your business, you can find it here or by calling 800.624.9575
In Uncertain Times, Create Certainty
I hope that this has been helpful, and if you’re still uncertain, there are more than enough links throughout this article to give you exactly what you need.
So, take the time to ask yourself, am I certain in my own ability and am I providing reassurance to everyone in my market? If not, what am I missing?
Because knowing those answers is where real certainty comes from. Good luck!