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  • How to Reap a Bountiful Harvest from a Tiny Geo Farm

    How to Reap a Bountiful Harvest from a Tiny Geo Farm

    99% of agents do NOT run a Geo Farm. But you should, even if it’s only a tiny patch.

    Let’s call it a Geo Garden! 

    It’s good to start small. Just make sure your Geo Garden is expandable because you’re probably going to want a full-fledged Farm once you start reaping the harvest.

    There are numerous factors to consider when you choose a location for your Geo Farm/Garden, but one of the most important is this:

    You like the vibe!

    You feel an affinity to the area. You like the local businesses, the type of predominant homes, and, most importantly, you like the people who like those homes.

    There are numerous benefits to running a Geo Farm/Garden—aside from the obvious (more moolah).

    One of the most important is the opportunity to practice and improve your skills.

    For example, I became a pricing expert in my first year of business by following the exact protocols I teach in the Geo Farming module of the Agent Skills Master’s Program.

    (Yes, you need a clear plan to learn the skill. It doesn’t happen by accident.)

    I could price any property in my Farm extremely accurately, more so than any agent, even if they had 20 years more experience than me. 

    But here’s the key point:

    I quickly realized that my pricing skills had transcended my Farm. I was now a highly-skilled pricing expert. Period.

    Being a Pricing Expert is a critically important skill that gave me a distinct advantage over my competitors for my entire career.

    I earned this skill through concentrated practice in  my Geo Farm.

    I believe that a Geo Farm/Garden to a REALTOR® is like the driving range and putting green to a professional golfer.

    A golfer doesn’t get better by merely smacking 500 golf balls a day. They try new things. They experiment. They think about cause and effect.

    Tiger Woods didn’t PAY for any of his trophies. He earned them. 

    Mostly on the putting green and the driving range. ‍♂️

    It’s the same for you in your Geo Farm. 

    By the way, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on advertising in your Geo Farm. Better to invest your time into earning the title, ‘Area Expert’.

    I learned waaaaaaay more than pricing on my Geo Farm.

    My Geo Farm was like a microcosm of my business. It’s where I honed ALL my skills. 

    Like, how to communicate more effectively, for example.

    How to hold an Open House. How to Follow-up. How to Market Myself. Etc.

    This is why Geo Farming is the very first module in the Agent Skills Master’s Program.

    It’s easier to hone your skills in your Geo Farm because that’s where you already have the most confidence.

    Earned confidence makes everything easier.

    You can spend money on flyers and bus benches if you want to. (I teach how to do that more effectively also.) 

    But your paid marketing efforts are secondary to:

    Step 1) Becoming the Area Expert

    Step 2) Making it known that you’re the Area Expert

    That’s the main thing I teach in Module #1.

    This article was inspired by module #1 – Geo Farming – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program. 

    Here’s another article inspired by the same module: The Bus Bench Conundrum

    In the Geo Farming module, I explain step-by-step how to determine the right Geo Farm for you, how to become the “go-to” Area Expert, and how to create a raving fan base utilizing numerous free marketing opportunities. Also, how to massively improve results from traditional marketing methods.

  • A Message of Hope From Future You

    A Message of Hope From Future You

    To my regular readers: The previous 14 Memos were inspired by the 14 Agent Skills Master’s Program Modules. 

    This is #15 in the series, so it’s a bit different. Yes, it’s a sales pitch for my course, but that’s not all.

    Some things are just an undeniable win-win. So, sorry. Not sorry.

    We’ll go back to the regular format next week, but this might be the most important Memo you read for a while.

    ——————–

    It’s me! Future You! It’s the spring of 2021, and I just wanted to let you know that you are doing AMAZING!

    For one thing, there’s no more stress about money. The commissions are rolling in, and there’s a sense of calm and freedom that we never had before.

    The biggest surprise? How easy it was!

    Honestly, I’m so confident; I feel like a completely different person!

    Knowing exactly what to do (and say) in different situations is life-changing. It seems weird now that these simple things were such a mystery before. 

    When you’ve got superior skills, people can sense it. It seems now like I’m attracting people without even trying!

    I love all our clients! Honestly, work is much more enjoyable when your clients genuinely respect and value your time and expertise.

    You know that listing you had with ‘Jerky Jerry’ back in December?

    I fired him—what a relief!

    Never again. 

    Hey, You, before I forget, we’ve got a full-time assistant now! Our systems and procedures, and customer service, have evolved to a level you would not even recognize.

    Suzy way more than pays for herself, and the bonus is I now have way more time to spend with family! ‍ ‍

    More money and more free time!

    We’ve got the cash-flow to implement the right marketing strategies now, which are working amazingly well. But at the same time, more and more business is coming from referrals.

    I can’t believe how difficult it was to get a referral before, and now it just happens naturally.  I don’t even have to ask! 

    Taking the Agent Skills Master’s Program was the smartest and most important thing you’ve ever done, and I thank-you.

    Keep your head up. It only gets better from here on out.

  • How to Educate Your Clients (and eliminate 75% of your stress)

    How to Educate Your Clients (and eliminate 75% of your stress)

    Has this ever happened to you?

    It’s five minutes after the first showing for your new listing, and the seller’s on the phone.

    “Did they like it? Do they give any feedback?”

    You roll your eyes.

    You tell them you haven’t heard anything yet, but you’ll follow up and get back to them ASAP. 

    ——————–

    Meanwhile, you’re thinking to yourself, “This is such a waste of time.”

    After all, here’s the kind of feedback you usually get, if any:

    The house was too small/too big…

    They didn’t like the floorplan/the location…

    Passing this feedback on to your sellers is indeed a total waste of time. But worse, it makes you look bad.

    Even though there’s nothing your clients can do about any of those things, you’re still dashing their hopes every time you deliver bad news.

    After a while, they start to associate YOU, with bad news! ☹️

    ——————–

    Here’s a super easy and obvious way to eliminate this problem forever:

    Educate your clients during the listing presentation. Give them the straight-up truth, like this:

    “Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I want you to know that I do my best to get feedback from every showing. However, despite my best efforts, my response rate is typically around 30%-40%.

    This is better than the industry average. However, out of all the feedback I do get, about 90% of it is completely useless!

    I mean, they’ll say the house is too small for them, or they don’t like the floorplan or the location, or whatever.

    Of course, there’s NOTHING we can do about any of those things, so if it’s okay with you…

    (drumroll)…

    I won’t waste your time (or my time) giving you USELESS negative feedback.

    Of course, the minute I get any useful or positive feedback, I’m going to let you know right away. Is that okay with you?”

    “Yes, of course. Thanks for the explanation!”

    ——————–

    Problem solved.

    The ‘feedback talk’ is just a single example of many different ways to set proper expectations ahead of time. 

    If you understand how to improve your client communication systems, you will eliminate at least 75% of your stress.

    Bonus: You can stop being the bad-news delivery person.

  • The HUB of Your Marketing and WHY it Sucks

    The HUB of Your Marketing and WHY it Sucks

    I don’t know for certain that your website sucks, but 99% of REALTOR® sites do, so it’s a reasonable assumption.

    Sorry. Not sorry.

    ——————–

    Here’s an example of how critically important your website is:

    You sold your last listing quickly, for a great price! Your clients think you’re the greatest and recommend you to their friend, Ricky-Bobby.

    Does Ricky-Bobby call you immediately?

    Nope!

    First, he consults ‘The Google.’ He wants to gather some Intel before he calls anyone.

    Wouldn’t you?

    ——————–

    What will he find? What is your online presence? 

    (Hopefully, you’ve got several glowing Google reviews, at least. But that’s another topic.)

    After a bit of sleuthing, Ricky-Bobby locates your website. Now, ask yourself:

    Does your website clearly articulate WHO you are, WHAT you stand for, and WHY your potential client should hire you?

    No?

    It’s confirmed. Your website sucks.

    ——————–

    Ricky-Bobby looks at your website, and he’s massively unimpressed.

    He decides to call your arch-enemy Gil Thorpe.

    Gil sells the property for top dollar and collects a sweeeet commission. 

    But you’re not mad. You know why?

    Because you have no clue that listing could have been yours. 

    ——————–

    How many times has this happened to you?

    Fifty? A hundred?

    There’s no way to know how many potential clients almost called but didn’t.

    If this gives you anxiety, that’s good news!

    Maybe now you’ll finally do something about your sucky website.

    ——————–

    Oh, wait. You thought I was going to tell you HOW to fix your website in this tiny blog post?

    That’s impossible. Stop looking for magic pills. They don’t exist.

    But here’s an important hint. (Sorry if this is repetitive, but it needs to sink in):

    Does your website clearly articulate WHO you are, WHAT you stand for, and WHY the potential client should hire you?

    No? Okay, start there.

    Remember, your website is the HUB of all your marketing efforts. It’s where people go to find out more about you. 

    You need to give them the information they want in a way that makes them think, “This is the person I want to hire.”

    ——————–

    Here’s a “side-story” about the origin of this blog post:

    When I was writing the Agent Skills Master’s Program, it wasn’t simply about spewing what I already knew. I mean, that was the foundation of it, but I knew that wasn’t enough.

    I felt a deep personal responsibility to master each skill, far beyond what I already knew. This took thousands of hours of study AFTER I stopped being a full-time agent.

    Then I had to learn how to be an effective teacher. 

    I spent thousands of additional hours figuring out how to deliver the content in a way that was easy to absorb.

    When you pour your heart into something, every once in a while, you have an epiphany.

    The biggest epiphany I experienced while writing this course was in module #13 – Marketing Yourself.

    I suddenly realized that I had invented the Perfect Real Estate Website!

    It’s all described in detail inside the course, but I’m so excited about it, I’m considering expanding Agent Skills and offering bespoke websites incorporating the simple but powerful design that I invented, including a customized Personal Brand Statement that I personally write for you.

    If this is something you might be interested in, please send me a quick note, and I’ll let you know more details if I decide to move forward with it.

    Whether I proceed with expanding the business depends on the level of interest, but I’ve already got three-quarters of my students signed up, which makes me happy and excited!

    Send me an email at ted@agentskills.com, and I’ll add you to the list.

  • The #1 Most Important Marketing Tool That Nobody Talks About

    The #1 Most Important Marketing Tool That Nobody Talks About

    Have you ever lost a listing to another agent and then looked at their MLS presentation and realized how awful it was?

    I have. I still have nightmares.

    The pictures were horrid, the grammar and spelling were abominable.

    Worst of all, the information was randomly spewed, with no apparent concern for what was critically important or meaningless drivel. 

    ——————–

    Yeah, but…

    “Anyone can post your listing on the MLS, right?”

    Yes. Also, anyone can cut their own hair. 

    Let’s take a step back and ask a fundamental question:

    How important is the MLS presentation, anyway?

    Answer: It’s the SOURCE of information for 99% of your potential buyers. Therefore…

    It is BY FAR the most important marketing tool we have.

    Nothing else even comes close!

    ——————–

    Ever since losing that listing, I kicked myself in the butt and upped my game.

    I modified my listing presentation and started speaking very specifically about our most powerful marketing tool, the MLS System.

    I explained how Real Estate really works from the buyer’s perspective, how they search for listings, and what triggers the decision to view a property (or not).

    I talked about the quality and order of the images, how I decide which images to use, and which images NOT to use. How my write-up is purposely designed to focus on the best features first and numerous other ‘buyer psychology’ strategies.

    I demonstrated to my potential listing client exactly WHY my listing presentations were far more effective than my competitors.

    And I never lost a listing I wanted, ever again.

    ——————–

    The other day, someone posted on a local FB group, “Who has the best price for professional photography?”

    I shook my head.

    You’re more concerned about ‘spending the least’ as opposed to ‘getting the best’?

    Guaranteed this same agent is the one who complains all the time when his clients ask to lower his commission.

    My clients NEVER asked me to lower my commission, and I NEVER lost a listing I wanted once I learned how to demonstrate exactly WHY I was the best.

    The trick is to actually BE the best, which is not as hard as you might think.

    It’s mostly about choosing the right attitude and having a willingness to learn.

  • The Only 3 Stats You Need to Simplify your Presentation and Make a Powerful Impression

    The Only 3 Stats You Need to Simplify your Presentation and Make a Powerful Impression

    As REALTORS®, we are deluged with a mind-boggling pile of statistics.

    It’s actually a thing now for some marketing companies to turn this data into beautiful, professional-looking charts and diagrams so we can then show them off to our clients.

    Those charts sure look impressive! 

    But consider the possibility that swamping your clients with statistics might be doing more harm than good.

    Fancy charts and diagrams might impress your most hard-core Analytical clients. But even they can get overwhelmed.

    You’ve heard of Analysis-Paralysis, right? The more information that you feed an Analytical person, the more confused they get. This leads to bad decisions.

    And what if your seller is NOT an Analytical? 

    Most statistical data is clutter to them. You show them, and their eyes gloss over.

    ——————–

    I find that half of Real Estate stats serve no useful purpose. The other half? I feel like I need to explain why they are inherently unreliable.

    “Days on the market?”

    Unfortunately, this stat doesn’t tell you how many times some of those properties have been on and off the market.

    “Sale price to list price ratio?”

    Unfortunately, this stat doesn’t tell you how many price reductions there were before some of those properties finally sold.

    I suggest you skip all that explaining and instead show your clients the only statistics that truly matter when it comes to understanding the market:

    Supply and Demand, and Absorption Rate.

    ——————–

    The absorption rate is simply the ratio between supply and demand. When the absorption rate changes, it affects all the other statistics.

    For example, if the absorption rate declines, the ‘Days on Market’ goes up, and the ‘Sale Price to List Price’ goes down. 

    Every Real Estate statistic is essentially a derivative of supply and demand. So why make your analysis of the market more confusing than it needs to be?

    Just use the root information. You’ll look like a genius, and your clients will understand how these statistics directly affect the saleability of their listing.

    ——————–

    To demonstrate supply and demand effectively, you’ll need to make monthly graphs. 

    It will take some effort, but when you’re done, you’ll have a powerful and insightful set of charts to show your clients that your competitors don’t have.

    The month-to-month inventory and sales numbers are all available from your local board. Just gather the information for 3-5 years, input it into a spreadsheet, and export the data to create yearly graphs. 

    You can also indicate the absorption rate (sales divided by inventory expressed as a percentage) on the same graph.

    If you don’t know how to build graphs from a spreadsheet, either consult The Google or hire someone much younger than yourself to teach you!

    That’s what I did.

    ____________________

    You’ve got your graphs. Now what?

    You’ll see…

    You’re going to start noticing how supply and demand directly affects pricing and saleability.

    After a while, you’ll become skilled at predicting the future quite accurately, and before you know it…

    You’re a market expert!

  • The Target Buyer

    The Target Buyer

    When you’re advising your seller clients—on both price and presentation—the most important thing to keep in mind is this:

    WHO is the target buyer?

    For example, let’s say it’s a starter home in a newer suburban neighborhood. 

    The most likely Target Buyer is a young couple with little kids or planning to have kids.

    So what’s important to them?

    ——————–

    One thing could be the proximity to parks and schools. Whether it’s a plus or a minus, this needs to be considered when determining the list price.

    Another thing is that young buyers probably prefer more modern finishings. And, they want as many bells and whistles as they can get (within their limited budget). 

    For example, some starter homes have master ensuites, and some don’t. Does your Target Buyer want an ensuite?

    You bet your sweet bippy!

    All the arguments from your sellers about why it’s better not to have an ensuite (bigger bedrooms, one less bathroom to clean) mean diddly-squat when you try to convince the Target Buyers that they don’t need one.

    They’ll stare at you like you’re a blithering idiot.

    “OK, fine. But the difference in cost between a house with an ensuite or without an ensuite is probably less than $10K,” says your prospective seller with no ensuite.

    Resist. Urge. To. Roll. Eyes.

    The difference in cost at the time of construction is ancient history. We’re talking about perceived value TODAY, and it’s a LOT more than $10K. 

    ——————–

    But it’s not always about price. What inexpensive improvements could be made to increase the value of your new listing, from the perspective of your Target Buyer?

    A Home Staging Consultant could provide some great ideas for maximizing value. Perhaps they’ll recommend a splash of bright paint on a highlight wall or a powder room. Or, maybe your sellers need to freshen up their artwork with some modern pieces? ️

    Remember, it’s your job to define the Target Buyer and determine the best pre-listing prep and marketing ideas to maximize the property’s value. Bringing in another professional to help will only enhance your image.

    By concentrating on catering to your Target Buyer, your clients will sell quicker, for more money, and you’ll get more referrals.

    ____________________

    This article was inspired by module #10 – The Big Picture CMA – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program.

    Within this module, you’ll learn all about a simple but highly effective simplified system for determining the right price, developed by Ted, and now offered exclusively to Agent Skills students. The Price Adjustment Method? Throw that ridiculously complicated system in the garbage where it belongs. Keep it simple, and obvious.

    Here’s another article inspired by the same module: The Big Picture on the Competition.

  • The Simple Business Tracker Spreadsheet

    The Simple Business Tracker Spreadsheet

    If you can accurately answer these questions, there’s no need to read this article.

    1. What percentage of your listing presentations did you win last year?
    2. What percentage of the buyers you worked with purchased a property?
    3. What is the breakdown of all sources of your business?
    4. What’s working for you, and what isn’t?

    So, how’d you do?

    ____________________

    OK, you’d better keep reading, then! 

    Don’t feel bad. 99% of all Real Estate agents already know they should be tracking this information, but don’t.

    It’s because they spend too much time reacting and not enough time being deliberate. 

    But think about this:

    How are you supposed to make sensible business decisions without accurate data?

    If you make your business decisions by the seat-of-your-pants, remember which body part fits inside the seat of your pants.

    ____________________

    But, seriously…

    You don’t need any fancy-schmancy software to do this, and it won’t take more than 2-3 minutes a day if you do it consistently. 

    Even when I was doing over 100 transactions in a year, a simple, sortable spreadsheet is the only business tool I ever needed to provide a clear picture of where to spend more (or less) time and energy, allowing me to run my business more efficiently.

    It’s not only the four simple questions above. You’ll be able to answer numerous other critical questions about your business, and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without this level of insight.

    ____________________

    All you have to do is write things down. In a simple spreadsheet. Consistently.

    Think about your last two or three interactions with clients or potential clients, and start a spreadsheet with all the pertinent information, including the date, business source, names, address of the property, and notes about what worked well or what you could have done better. 

    Add a new row every time you have a new potential transaction, whether it results in a sale, or not. Recording missed opportunities are just as important as successes. ____________________

    I urge you to set up a Simple Business Tracker Spreadsheet now and start using it. Then set yourself a daily alarm at the same time every day that says, “Update Business Tracker.”

    You won’t start to see the real benefit of this until you’ve recorded several entries, but believe me, once you realize the power of this simple tool, you will no longer need a daily reminder.

    There’s a bigger picture to this. When you start taking care of business deliberately, rather than in reaction, you become more aware of all the moving parts of your business. When you feel on top of things, it reduces your anxiety, and you’ll understand better where you need to spend your time and energy.

    If you feel anxiety because you’re unorganized, stop running your business by the seat of your pants.

  • Gifts of Gratitude

    Gifts of Gratitude

    I’m not Italian, but sometimes I wish I was.

    I’ve traveled to Italy three times, and I’ll definitely go back again. It’s astonishingly beautiful, with architecture, art, and history that is mind-boggling compared to North America’s relative newness.

    But what I love the most about Italy are the Italians. They know how to live.

    For example, they take great pleasure in preparing a meal and sharing it with family and friends. Every meal is an event for them. Time spent together with loved ones is the most important part of their day.

    I’ve been lucky enough to experience this first-hand, several times, and I’m grateful for it. Just writing this makes me yearn to return to Italy.

    ——————–

    I’m also a fan of old movies. There’s a scene in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1946 – Jimmy Stewart), where the Italian family is taking possession of their new home. They’re given a traditional Italian housewarming gift of bread, salt, and wine.

    “Bread, so your home will never know hunger, salt, so life will always have flavor and wine for joy and prosperity.”

    This scene inspired me to do something similar for my buyer clients. First, I stocked up on the following items, bought in bulk at wholesale (40%-50% off), which was surprisingly easy:

    • Hand-made cutting boards
    • Name-brand stainless-steel bread knives
    • Flavor-infused sea salts

    I also bought several cases of wine at once and negotiated a deep discount.

    My office was always stocked up, so there was never any scrambling at the last minute to buy a gift for possession day.

    On the morning of a possession, I would stop by my favorite bakery and pick up a freshly baked loaf of their crusty sourdough bread.

    Then I’d assemble whatever I was going to give the client, depending on the circumstances. For example, if it was an inexpensive condo, it might be a loaf of bread, a simple cutting board, a few different salts, and one bottle of wine.

    For an expensive home, it might be the loaf of bread, a fancy cutting board, the bread knife, several packages of salts, and 3-4 exceptional bottles of wine.

    I’d arrive at the home a few minutes early and assemble everything on the counter, along with a hand-written note.

    When they got there, I’d make the presentation, explaining that it’s a traditional Italian house-warming gift:

    “Bread, so your home will never know hunger, salt, so life will always have flavor and wine for joy and prosperity.”

    I can’t even remember how many of my clients burst into tears when I did this. And I’ll never forget the giant bear-hug I got from Mike, a 300-pound ex-linebacker.

    Was it memorable? 

    Hey, paisano. You better believe it.

    ——————–

    The purpose of this story is not to suggest you copy my idea. It’s this:

    You need to put some real thought into the gifts that you give your clients.

    Not just house-warming gifts, but also other gifts to show appreciation for a referral, for example.

    Whenever I saw something cool at a craft show, or when I was traveling, I would “stock up” on those items, so I always had an inventory of unique gifts in my office.

    You don’t have to spend a lot of money. It truly is the thought that counts. 

    And when it’s something of real value (like a hand-made cutting board or a high-quality stainless-steel knife), that’s something they’ll keep forever, and they’ll never forget where it came from.

    You may never see them again, but those happy clients could be a referral source for you for the next ten years.

    Never forget: You’re in a relationship-based business. Every little thing you do to nurture your relationships is important.

    ——————-

    One last thing: Please do NOT under ANY circumstances attach your name to any gift you give a client. It cheapens it. 

    Imagine if you worked for 50 years and were given a gold watch at your retirement party, and your boss wrote his name and phone number on the back of it, so you’d never forget who gave it to you. If it were me, I’d bring it home and throw it in the garbage.

    Ask yourself a simple question: Is it a gift of gratitude, or is it cheap advertising? It CAN’T be both. 

    ——————–

    This article was inspired by module #8 – Generating Referrals – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program.

    Within this module, you’ll learn all about how to develop a business with a never-ending stream of incoming referrals. Here’s the thing: You don’t get referrals by asking. You get them by deserving. When you do the right things, you don’t need to ask.

    If you’re not ready to make a giant leap forward in your career, you could learn a tiny bit more about Generating Referrals here: The $100,000 Commission

  • Communicating with Couples

    Communicating with Couples

    Is it true that opposites attract?

    Yes, and no. 

    Often, we are attracted to character strengths that are opposite to our own perceived weaknesses. For example, an introverted person might be attracted to a more out-going person and vice-versa.

    But having different communication styles doesn’t mean that we don’t hold the same values and attitudes.

    Rather than thinking in terms of opposites, it’s better to think about you and your partner as being complementary to each other. ‍❤️‍

    —————————————

    Relationship experts all agree that the “3 C’s” – communication, clarity, and compromise – are necessary for any successful relationship.

    This is not only true in marriage, but also with friendships and business relationships.

    In a relationship-based business, such as—oh, I dunno, let’s say Real Estate—understanding how to modify your own style to communicate better with a different style is arguably the most important skill you can learn. 

    It’s doubly important and doubly complex because practically every day, we’re dealing with two people at once—the married couple—who rarely have the same communication style as each other!

    So, how is it possible to communicate effectively with two different communication styles at once?

    —————————————

    Let’s say you’re doing a listing presentation to a couple. One is an Expressive, and one is an Analytical (polar opposites).

    How do you deal with that situation?

    Amateurs will present to the person they are the most comfortable with (the one with a communication style closest to their own).

    That’s a massive mistake. You may think, “At least I’ve got a 50/50 chance”, but that’s completely wrong.

    You think only one of them is the decision-maker? Ha! Maybe in the 1950s. 

    Today, couples have to AGREE on important decisions. If they disagree, the answer is NO. ‍♀️

    An expert presents to a couple by switching styles, back and forth, throughout the presentation.

    For example, with an Expressive/Analytical combo, you’d better sit down before the presentation and establish rapport with the Expressive partner before you even start talking about Market Stats with the Analytical partner.

    “But Ted! If I switch back and forth throughout the presentation, won’t that interrupt the flow and slow things down?”

    That’s amateur-thinking. Couples have already learned to appreciate their different styles and to be patient with each other.

    Sure, maybe it takes a bit longer, but it’s WAY more important to make an impression on both partners than it is to burn through your presentation as fast as you can.

    Yes, I’m talking to you, Drivers. (Drivers are the most resistant to modifying their own style).

    By the way, I’ve never met a REALTOR® who didn’t believe themselves to be at least a borderline expert on this topic. 

    And yet, the only ones I’ve met who actually were truly experts are those who devoted considerable time to study, practice, and developing their skills, specifically in this area. 

    It’s no coincidence that these were also the most “naturally” successful agents I’ve met.

    If you think you’re a natural at this, I can assure you, you are NOT. But it’s not hard to learn. Just make it a priority to learn more about communication styles. Take a course. Any course. Please!

    —————————————

    This article was inspired by module #7 – Communication Styles – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program.

    Within this module, you’ll learn about all four unique communication styles, what makes them tick, and how to modify your own style to build trust and deep personal relationships.

    If you’re not ready to make a giant leap forward in your career, you could learn a tiny bit more about Communication Styles here: Why Certain People Drive You Crazy.