Identify the triggers that are causing their objections

Key Takeaways

• The more time you take to understand your client’s motivations and objections, the less time you’ll spend showing them houses.
• Pay attention to the features your client responds to. Do your research and preview similar homes before you take them out again.
• Help your client uncover helpful information that may not be readily available to them.

You’ve been driving your clients around all weekend, and none of the houses you show them seem to catch their interest. What’s your next move?

If the buyers don’t seem to like anything, try to identify their triggers. What is causing them to say “Nope!” and move on? Is it something controllable?

The more time you take to understand your buyers and their objections, the less time you’ll ultimately spend driving all over town showing them houses. Really, you should be saving them time. You should be helping them find the best houses faster. That’s not taking a shortcut; it’s doing your job.

It’s worth the investment of time to really understand your buyers so you can hone in on what properties will and won’t work for them. Sure, they’re going to ask to see homes that you already know are not going to work for them — but you’ll oblige them so they can understand the process better.

Afterwards you can say, “I have another home that I’d really like you to see. Based on what we’ve seen, I think you’re going to like it — and if you don’t, it will help me understand more about what homes might work best for you.”

The better I understand my clients, the more I can help them. As I get to know them, I learn what they respond to. I can often find their ideal home by digging deeper and previewing more homes before I take them out again.

If I find or recommend a home not on their list and get them to look at it, they often say, “Wow! Thank you!” They think I’m amazing, and I get all kinds of referrals from them because I helped them find something they weren’t able to find on their own. They see and appreciate the value my service brought them.

Showing homes to buyers is not as simple as showing up and opening the door. If you’re just opening doors, you’re not adding value to the potential buyers.

Make yourself more resourceful. Pay attention and listen. Help them discover information they can’t discover on their own, such as details from the MLS data sheet that may not be readily available to the buyer, or details you’re aware of about the community. Help them learn about other properties they might have overlooked.

There are a lot of great homes out there that aren’t listed well, so people reject them based on the online marketing of the home. That’s a shame — but YOU know it’s an awesome location, you’ve previewed the house or showed it to another buyer, and you can tell the buyers, “I looked at this house. The pictures suck, but you really need to give it a look for yourselves.”

Most times, the buyers will take your advice. You might find a house that’s now a great deal because the agent did such a poor job marketing it. It’s seen a few price drops, and now it’s a great price for your clients.