True story.
I was working with a client on helping him publish and market a new book he wanted to put out. And even though the book's premise was very interesting and likely to do very well, this was the first time he'd tackled a project of this size and therefore wanted to get some guidance from yours truly.
No problem.
I sat down with him, reviewed the story, the marketing ideas behind it, and let him know that there were some people he would need to make this happen (a graphic design person, copy editor, illustrator, etc.). He immediately understood where I was coming from and asked me to pull a team together based on my contacts.
No problem again.
So I called up a copy editor, a graphic designer, a website person and even had some legal council on "standby" just in case we needed help in that area.
Everything was running like a well-oiled machine … except for one thing: I didn't have an illustrator who could provide the cover art for the project. For all of my past books we simply found a stock image that I liked, and then bought the rights for its use. However for this project, what my client wanted was so unique that we needed someone to physically create a picture for us.
Anyway, after talking to a few colleagues, they recommended I post the position to a trade association of illustrators and graphic designers, since someone might see it and want the job. So we sent out a post and got some replies from a few qualified candidates.
And that's when things got interesting.
When I called one of candidates, his wife answered the phone and explained he wasn't there right now, but he's on his way back from helping a neighbor across the street install something.
All right -- it's nice to know he's "giving back" to the community, but having his wife answer the business line and tell me that doesn't exactly give me the impression he's got a bunch of other clients wanting to use his services.
That was Credibility Killer #1.
So he picks up the phone and we chat a little bit about the project and some of the work he's done in the past.
Turns out he's done a lot of work in general, but a majority of it fell outside of the specific artistic style we were looking for. (He had more of a black and white cartoon drawing style, while we wanted more of a "hard line" color graphic.)
No problem," I said, "Why don't you just send us a 'mock up' of an illustration that you feel would best work for a project like this. Don't spend too much time on it, but just something I can bring back to the client as being representative of your work."
"So you want me to do the work for free?" he asked.
"Oh, no no," I replied. "I don't want you to do anything for free. All I'm saying is that your style isn't exactly what we had in mind when this thing first started. But after talking to you it sounds like you might be able help us out in a way we hadn't thought of before. However, in order for me to convince the client to use your services, I'm going to need a quick little sample of what you had in mind."
Well, after spending another 10 minutes explaining what I wanted, it became apparent that he simply wasn't going to provide us with a sample since he wanted to be "paid for his services".
And while I absolutely respect that position, here's the thing: I explained to him that he was one of the "few" people we were talking to about the position, and if he just spent an hour putting together a quick sampler, he would most likely get the job.
But by insisting on not doing anything for free, he gave me the impression that he either:
- Just started out, or
- Wasn't used to working with "bigger" clients, since I can't imagine anyone hiring an individual without first looking at their work.
That was Credibility Killer #2: Appearing like this was the first time he had a "serious" client, and giving me reason to doubt his ability to get the job done.
Now here's the thing: As a New Agent, you've got a lot of strikes against you. Lack of experience, heavy competition and a down market, just to name a few. But unless you're walking around with a nametag reading "Sally New Agent," you still have a chance to come across as a highly credible resource to your clients simply by the way you handle certain situations.
Credibility Enhancer #1: During regular business hours, always answer your phone in an upbeat, professional manner.
I know you get a lot of telemarketing calls from mortgage guys, appraisers and everyone else under the sun trying to sell you stuff. But answering the phone with a guarded "hello" until you recognize the caller's voice is a surefire way to get off on the wrong foot with a potential new client.
Personally, I like, "Agito Consulting, Brian speaking" as a real good greeting for people calling my direct line. If you don't like that, try something else, but just make sure it sounds professional and upbeat each time.
Credibility Enhancer #2: Always be open to a demonstration of your work for a potential new client.
Now this sometimes flies in the face of conventional wisdom, since your more experienced colleagues might say they don't want to be driving around town with every Tom, Dick and Harry that walks into the office.
And that's absolutely right.
However, once you get them pre-approved (which you should be doing with all of your "buy side" clientele), then why not spend some time looking for houses? Again, you don't want to be out there all day, so make sure you ask a few questions up front to get a clear idea as to what kind of house they're looking for.
But after that, you absolutely want to spend some time demonstrating your expertise, and getting them comfortable in potentially working with you.
On the flip side, if we're talking about a possible listing client, then you'll want to do the same thing in the form of a listing presentation. Now we don't have time to get into all of the do's and don'ts associated with listing presentations, but just know that you'll want to bring some pictures of their house along with a Marketing Plan on how you would go about selling their home if you guys should work together.
(Caution: Never leave that Marketing Plan with your prospects until they've signed on the dotted line. The last thing you want is for them to hand it over to their cousin Jim and cut you out of the loop.)
The bottom line: Selling homes is a highly intangible, service related business. And as a result, most prospects can't identify the Realtor best suited for their needs.
Which means that all things being equal, the agent who instills more credibility in themselves over a relatively short period of time will ultimately take home the lion's share of the deals - even if that agent is just starting out.
So why can't that agent be you?
