We all want others to believe in us, our ideas and our services, yet as real estate professionals, to what degree do we believe in ourselves?
Nothing can demonstrate your confidence, commitments and beliefs more clearly than your willingness and determination to persist despite resistance. It’s not always easy, but it is always possible.
Some of our most influential real estate coaches, like Tom Ferry, Brian Buffini and other mentors and trainers, have exemplified and articulated the importance of persistence. If you know me my mantra is, “Never give up and keep going.” Heck, even the Bible contains dozens of inspired verses encouraging us to be persistent in all areas of life.
So, why is it then that so many of us fail to persist and even look down upon those who do when it pertains to sales?
Perhaps it’s because real estate sales or recruiting persistence is often confused with sales pressure. In actuality, they are entirely different. Sales pressure is communicating the same thing repeatedly regardless of the other person’s fears, worries, or concerns.
On the other hand, real estate sales or recruiting persistence requires that you empathize, adjust, and move forward with a new approach, better message, and more value. After all, who better to serve and take care of them than you?
When persistence matters
Persistence is not something that only applies to certain people, at certain times, under certain circumstances. The merits of being persistent apply universally.
Do you spend most of your time finding real estate deals or truly working to forge real estate deals? If the goal is to find enough people who will show up ready and do business right now, you operate in a tiny world. Expand your definition, and your possibilities expand as well.
By in large, people are naturally reluctant and not quick to act. The majority of our opportunities exist in creating interest, creating engagement, creating desire and creating urgency.
When you are persistent, you take time out of the equation and communicate in a way that allows you to bring value, add value, and become a person of immense value.
Persistence communicates that you:
Genuinely care about them. Do you believe that people are better off when they conduct business with you? You are changing lives, whether you realize it or not. What you do matters. I believe it, do you!?
Are confident in your abilities. Do you believe in yourself? It is you and your efforts that ultimately make the difference. It’s what you say, what you ask, and how you act that determines your success.
Understand their situation and are specific in your solution. Do you believe that your real estate services improve people’s lives? While energy is essential, your certainty is far more influential than your enthusiasm. The best sales close will always be your personal feelings about your services.
That there are many reasons to move forward. Do you believe that a value goes beyond just taking a listing or showing a buyer a home? The highest level of importance is the value that you create by leveraging real insights. What is personal and unique to each buyer, seller or investor will always be what’s most compelling.
4 habits of highly persistent people
- They Openly Celebrate What They Do
- They Fully Expect to Encounter Resistance
- They Intentionally Prepare for Resistance
- They Don’t Take Resistance Personally
Persistence cannot be replaced. There is absolutely no substitute. Either you will lean in, stay with each opportunity, and figure it out – or you won’t.
Don’t sell yourself short. Just because someone didn’t agree to move forward right away at the first ask doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel and prematurely give up.
Ask yourself: What do I cost others when I don’t hang in there and get past peoples’ concerns? If it was important enough for you to start, it is important enough for you to follow through. When you are persistent, you communicate in a way that allows you to build connections and compel your customers to buy.
Persistence is needed because:
Sometimes people need to hear it another way. There are six emotional motives to do business: Profit or gain; fear of missing out; comfort and pleasure; avoiding pain; love and affection; and pride or prestige.
The right message delivered in the wrong way will not produce the result you are looking for. Without a doubt, until it feels right, it will never be right. Sometimes all it takes is reframing and repositioning your message with the correct language that hits home.
Sometimes people need more reasons to move forward. Every sale requires the buyer to sacrifice. Before moving forward, they need to feel good about what they are getting in exchange.
Sometimes all it takes is to stack on another level of value and effectively connect the dots to another reason to move forward. My friend Tom Ferry and I call this “stack the cool!” If you give someone a big enough reason to move, they will impact every time, but it must be their reason and not yours.
Sometimes people just really don’t know how to move forward. Whether it’s making sense of the time involved, making sense of the effort, it takes, making sense of the cost, or something else, there are times when people just don’t know how to move forward.
There are times people need accurate guidance. Showing the way is just as important as delivering the why. Sometimes all it takes is holding their hand and leading them through the next step.
Sometimes people just need more time to make sense of it all. We have all been there. We have all procrastinated or even wholly ignored an opportunity only to decide later that it all-of-a-sudden makes perfect sense. Sometimes customers just need more time to make sense of it, whether five minutes, five days or five months. If asked at a different time, you can get a completely different response.
Persistence pays! I encourage you to adopt the four habits of highly persistent people to multiply your results.
Persistence, unlike pressure, always makes sense. You surely want others to believe in you, believe in your ideas, and believe in your offerings. Nothing can demonstrate your confidence, commitments, and beliefs more clearly than your willingness and determination to persist despite resistance.
It is you and your efforts that make the difference.
It’s not always easy, but everything changes when you empathize, adjust, and move forward with a new approach, better message, and more value.
Mark Johnson is the co-founder of CoRecruit and a business partner in Third Pool Recruiting, an author, speaker and thought leader in the real estate space.