If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right (eBook)

“ I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”

Woody Hayes

Chapter Two

The Reluctant Prospector

I’m naturally rather shy. Not wallflower shy—I’m not afraid to speak in public and I was even a cheerleader in high school, but shy as in... socially uncomfortable. Small talk is a foreign language to me. I’ve faked more than one twisted ankle to get out of attending a wedding or baby shower, and in college, I was placed on “social probation” by my sorority because I didn’t attend enough parties.

What’s the Difference Between an Extrovert and an Introvert?

An extrovert is someone who gets his or her energy from being around others; an introvert is someone who is energized by being alone. When an extrovert is left alone for long periods of time, he becomes lethargic. Conversely, an introvert will be exhausted and drained after a day of social interaction.

So in 1996, I made the obvious career choice and entered the world of real estate sales. Funny, huh? No, actually, I did it because, like many other budding real estate moguls, I planned to buy and sell my own properties and get rich. Perhaps, if I had time, I would try to squeeze in a few clients here and there to make sure the bills were paid while I was building my own empire. But I never planned to be a real estate agent. No, I knew I was too shy to succeed in a business dominated by charismatic extroverts.

It’s funny that no one ever admits to hiring a salesperson based on their ability to B.S. their way to a sale. Yet high-pressure, can’t–be–bothered–with–the –details salespeople get hired every day because they’re likeable. Bully for them. There are plenty of sexy programs and glitzy seminars out there for the extrovert to develop their natural skills of prospecting and networking. If you’re shy like me, don’t waste your time or money. The strategies directed at extroverts won’t work for you. You might even be discouraged from a career in real estate if they convince you that you can’t succeed without putting their high-pressure tactics into play.

Contrary to popular belief, you can succeed in a real estate career, even if you’re not an extrovert. In fact, you can be great, but only if you’re GOOD. Good at the details, good at the paperwork, good at negotiating, good at the follow up. If you can’t distract and dazzle them with your charm, you can still blow them away with your competency. And isn’t that more rewarding anyway?

If you, too, are an introvert, you are probably already a bit of a stickler for details. You are probably already reliable, organized and efficient. These skills will take you much farther than you might suspect in your real estate career. And you know what? Your shyness might actually be a big factor in your success. If you consider traditional real estate prospecting and closing techniques too invasive and assumptive for your personality, you will develop your own style that, as a by–product, shows respect for your prospects and clients. You will treat them as if they are intelligent human beings, which they will truly appreciate and find refreshing.

Do you worry if you’re too nice... or too thin-skinned... to be a real estate agent?

A lot of introverts do. We’re sensitive and easily hurt. Because we tend to put ourselves in the other guy’s shoes, it’s normal that we might be sensitive to others’ reactions to us.

But that’s okay! Sure, you might cry into your pillow every once in a while (literally or figuratively), but overall, your sensitivity will serve you well. Can you imagine a life where you truly didn’t care how you appear to others? When I meet someone who only cares about ME, ME, ME, I’m turned off. I bet you are too. So are your customers and potential customers.

Those who worry about what other people think of them are more likely to make the effort to ensure that other people think WELL of them! Nothing wrong with that.

Yes, the thicker-skinned may outshine us in some areas, specifically in their more aggressive self-promotion and pushy closing techniques. They may even sleep better at night. But I wouldn’t trade my thin skin for anything.

If you’re new to real estate, you may find yourself upset a lot of the time. The good news is that as time goes by, you will naturally become less sensitive as you realize that someone who hurts your feelings does so unintentionally—that is—it isn’t personal. At first, you may fret for 24 hours or more, but later, maybe 15 minutes.

Don’t try to change too much... you’re wonderful the way you are.

Stop Trying to Cure Us!

How old are you now—25? 32? 47? 65? It doesn’t really matter; I’ll assume that if you’re reading a book about selling real estate successfully, you’re old enough. Old enough for what? Well, to know who you are, what you like to do, where you like to do it, and how often, right?

In other words, you are who you are, and you’ll probably not change all that much. Agreed?

I read a lot of sales training material—not just real estate sales training; stuff by other gurus as well. What I often see is how the gurus advise salespeople to “get over their fear” or “stop wasting time on pretty brochures” or “suck it up and do it” (whatever “it” is that the salesperson doesn’t want to do).

This annoys me. Why? Because it assumes that there is only one personality or approach that will work when one is trying to find customers and persuade them to part with their hard-earned money; that if you don’t do it “this way,” you’ll fail miserably. And I don’t believe that.

I think that if you’re great at creating fabulous brochures, that’s part of your personality, and you’re far better off finding a way to harness that energy in your sales efforts. If you suck at networking events, there’s no reason to torture yourself by attending—but I’ll bet there’s something else you would enjoy that would allow your natural wonderful-ness to shine through. If you cringe at the thought of begging your friends for referrals (on the first Monday of every month), then it’s perfectly fine not to do it—and to use that natural reluctance to pester to your advantage.

You don’t have to become someone you aren’t... someone you don’t recognize... someone you don’t even like much to succeed in a real estate career. In fact, you’ll sell a lot more once you abandon the notion that you have to change, and work on capitalizing on the gifts and talents God gave you. There is a natural salesperson in there... but it’s probably NOT that person you read about in the last “How To Sell” book you bought!

Are You a Salesperson? Are You REALLY?

Let’s deal with the idea that just because we work on commission, we are automatically “salespeople.” Nonsense. To my way of thinking anyway, and since this is my book, I’ll continue with… well… my way of thinking.

To me, a professional salesperson is someone who sells something all day long. Whether it’s medical supplies, copy machines, mutual funds, encyclopedias or whatever, that’s his job—to sell, to facilitate the exchange of a product or service for money. This is not to say that professional salespeople don’t have customer service skills or aren’t knowledgeable about their product; oh no, but simply that their job is to create a need for their widget and then fulfill that need. And then to move on to the next widget-buying prospect. This is what they do all day, figuratively speaking, anyway, and they love it. They love prospecting. They love networking. They’d be in salesperson heaven if they could simply spend their days pursuing the next target for their well-rehearsed sales pitch.

Fair enough, but I don’t think that’s the job description of a real estate agent. What, exactly, do we sell?

Houses? Uh, no. We don’t actually sell the house.

Ourselves? Well, yes, but so do a lot of other self-employed professionals and we don’t call them salespeople. When you visit your accountant and he helps you through a complicated process (e.g. filing your tax return) and gives you professional advice, is he selling? When your general contractor manages all the moving pieces and parts of your construction project, is he a salesperson? When your dentist uses his professional expertise to do your root canal and oversees the process from start to finish... is he selling?