How to become a “helping professional” agent to overcome negative impressions
It’s horrendous what one TV news clip can do to an industry.
We’re talking about the recent ABC News story on real estate professionals that was beyond over-the-top when it came to defaming real estate brokers and agents.
As one blogger said, the National Association of Realtor needs to do some damage control and promote the assertion that 99% of agents are less “shark” and more “helpful professional.” (We’ll show you how the real estate map technology SpatialMatch can help you with this in a second).
First of all, the ABC reporter interviews someone from Million Dollar Listing New York. Now, there are 27,000 real estate agents in NYC, so sure it is going to be competitive and probably cutthroat as well.
But she interviews one of the agents on the show, Ryan Serhant, who supposedly reveals all these dirty secrets. Folks, when Serhant decided to be on that show, he moved from working as a true “agent” to becoming a TV celebrity.
And if you have figured out anything about reality TV, or click through the different varieties (NJ vs. Beverly Hills Housewives) you can figure out the one common theme very quickly – it’s that CONFLICT sells.
Trash talk, being nasty, verbal arguments, shoving. They are there to drive up ratings.
But that’s NOT what happens in real life and certainly not with the hundreds of thousands of decent and professional agents who work hard every day to help people with one of the hardest decisions they will make in their life.
The second flaw in the interview, is the liberal use of words such as “bamboozle, sucker, mislead,” etc.
I mean, come on, they make this startling revelation that when an agent uses the word “cozy” what they are really saying is that this is a “small space.” Are you kidding me?
Is that ground-breaking investigative journalism? More like TV hype.
We don’t know how many people watched that ABC clip. Or how many individuals have that impression. We hope they don’t, but you know how people are.
So one strategy to overcome this perception is for an agent or broker to put more emphasis on being a “helping professional.”
You can easily do that by adding more helpful, free tools to your website. One very helpful tool is the SpatialMatch real estate neighborhood and lifestyle search map.
Point out to prospects that you have a way to show them how they can check out the local amenities they prefer when searching for a house, so the property and the surrounding area better fit their needs.
For example, Mrs. Homebuyer really liked House No. 1, but when she saw how House No. 2 was located near her son’s school, her favorite yoga studio, a great gym for her husband, and the local hospital for her mom, she knew right away, that was the perfect place for her.
When you provide that kind of service to a customer, there’s no conniving involved, no deception, no shark attacks.
It’s just good old-fashioned customer service (combined with the latest, state-of-the-art technology).
That’s what makes a real estate agent or broker a who prides him or herself on being an honest business person, a true, ethical professional.
Sure, you might not find that on a real estate reality show where they are rewarded for backbiting and backstabbing.
But TV shows don’t last very long. Your rewards will come with a long career from sales and referrals in a job that puts a roof over the heads of a family and provides them with a shelter from the outside world.
A world of make-believe, made-for-TV sharks.
To see an interesting blog and angry reaction from one agent, click here.
