I recently had a phone conversation with an agent who was unhappy with his results with internet leads from various sources, including those from his own real estate company.

He made a statement which absolutely floored me: "If these companies were smart, they would charge each person $50 to submit their information as a lead."

Yep. Let that sink in for a moment.

I asked this gentleman, "Would YOU pay $50 to submit your information to a website as a potential lead?"

He avoided a direct answer. "That's not the issue," he said.

That's EXACTLY the issue, and this is indicative of a mentality that I encounter with a lot of real estate agents who are frustrated with today's consumer. There are many agents with a sense of entitlement (i.e. above example) and this spells disaster with today's buyers and sellers.

If you've been frustrated with leads from different resources, internet and otherwise, and throw them to the side when there's any information missing, it may be time to re-evaluate your methods. What worked yesterday and in recent years is eroding away and those aggressive tactics are losing business for more and more agents every day.

If you've been accustomed to dictating progress throughout the sales process, and you're finding that your business is eroding, it's time for you to stop trying to pound the proverbial square peg into the round hole. It just isn't gonna fit.

Sure, there will always be those consumers that will give in to aggressive tactics, but I doubt they'll give you any referrals or repeat business. And they're becoming fewer and farther between because they now can protect themselves through vehicles like the do-not-call list and the internet.

Look at the big picture: call screening, the do-not-call list, spam filters, and protected social forums on the internet. They all exist because of the over-aggressive salesperson who doesn't respect the wishes of others. Over time and through various methods, consumers have pushed all salespeople back a distance and now have all the protection they need to make a decision in peace.

Who do you think is going to earn the business with today's consumer -- the over-aggressive agent or the service-oriented agent? Who would YOU want to deal with: someone who doesn't respect your person or someone who does?

As you deal with today's buyers and sellers, remember that they want the same thing you and I want ... to know that WE matter. Today's consumer simply wants you to treat them the same way YOU would want to be treated in the same situation.

After all, isn't that what business is supposed to be -- people helping people?

Published: January 9, 2009

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Mark was born in left field and continues to live there. He's the Internet Marketing & Strategy Consultant for clients at GetMyHomesValue.com and he has have a coaching blog on ActiveRain, which is gaining in popularity. Mark believes that technology has really brought business full circle back to its roots... people helping people, and this is the basis for his coaching. He is also currently writing his first book, set to be completed by the end of the summer.