Shared Life Experiences Are Relatable Questioned about how he trains people to communicate more effectively to form a bond with their clients, Robert is also asked if some of his examples are based on things he experienced as a new real estate agent and other scenarios he experienced while working in the other careers that have been a part of his professional journey. His reply is insightful: Robert acknowledges that you soon come to realize “that nobody is this monolith ... this one experience person.” He points out that most people have had to deal with universal issues. As an example, Robert poses a thought-provoking question: “We’ve all had pain in our lives, right?” He acknowledges, “We’ve all had challenges in our lives at some point. We’ve all had a moment where something was brand new or something was exciting.” It is the things that occur in life that everyone can relate to in some way or another that Robert trains those who attend his courses and presentations to focus on. His philosophy is to look “past the differences in people” and pay close attention to the commonalities we have based on a shared human experience. From a realtor’s standpoint, Robert suggests contemplating the house- buying experience and the common challenges people experience when going through what can be a stressful process. He theorizes that everyone freaks out about finances, whether their loan will be approved, or if some unforeseen problem will be found during the inspection, “That’s going to totally torpedo this dream house that I’ve had in my brain?” Robert reveals he tries to put himself in the shoes of
every buyer to identify all of the normal momentary misgivings, doubts, and fears potential homebuyers face to see how he can use these commonalities to connect with each potential buyer. Transactional Sales vs. Relationship- Based Sales Asked when and how he realized that relationship-based selling was superior to transactional selling methods, Robert took a moment to reflect on when he first got his realtor’s license. He was getting lots of advice including being told to embrace traditional marketing techniques such as going to your sphere of influence to grow your funnel and to start sending stuff [like fliers, postcards, and business cards] throughout the neighborhood. Robert saw these were the same standard marketing techniques every agent was using, and he asked himself, “How do I stand out or how do I make a difference?” The answer for him was storytelling. Robert acknowledges that storytelling does not come naturally for everyone. He notes concerns that trainees often voice when asked to craft a signature story such as, “I’m not a good storyteller. I don’t know where to find stories.” His response is, “There are so many places that you can find stories!” Robert then encourages them to recall a memorable event from their life, a time they failed at something, overcame a challenge, or had to take a test they worried they wouldn’t pass. Most people can relate to the anxiety surrounding taking an important test whether it was in high school, college admissions exams, or a test they had to pass to get a job.
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