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If you want to be an agent known for offering real value to your clients, you have to get comfortable with having critical conversations.
Akin to ‘tough love’, these often difficult discussions come from a place of kindness and authenticity.
They separate you from those who simply tell vendors and buyers what they want to hear, and instead enable you to establish yourself as someone who offers insight and expertise that allows people to make informed decisions.
Only when you master the art of the critical conversation can you brand yourself a true professional real estate agent.
But, as any experienced agent will attest, having these critical conversations is easier said than done.
Finding comfort outside your comfort zone
Getting comfortable having critical conversations isn’t necessarily easy, but a great agent understands their importance only too well.
And I’ll offer a bit of a reveal here – their importance took me a long time to truly understand. I didn’t want to come across as too pushy, and I didn’t relish the idea of having ‘uncomfortable’ discussions.
Spoiler alert: it’s the same for most agents. They’re really not the type of conversations that people look forward to and enjoy.
But that’s also what makes having them so very, very important. They’re not about the fluff, they’re not about sales technique, and they’re not about ego.
These are professional interactions that are had because they’re needed.
They are genuine human conversations conducted in the interests of the people you serve, at critical junctures in the property sales process when your experience, expertise and insight are the deciding factor in the outcome.
When to have a critical conversation
Chances are you know when a critical conversation is required. It’s the moment where the market reality and your vendor or buyer’s perception simply don’t align.
And they go a little like this:
- “Mr and Mrs Vendor, we are simply priced too high.”
- “Mr and Mrs Vendor, the following would be required to achieve the price you envisage…”
- “Mr and Mrs Vendor, your dream price is not where the buyers see value.”
Mastering the art of a critical conversation
The art of mastering critical conversations is often misunderstood. It’s not about trying to ‘manipulate’ an outcome.
Their purpose is to provide informative and compelling advice for the benefit of the recipient.
They are not about how you look. They are not about fear of losing the listing. Nor are they about being polite and trying not to offend.
Critical conversations are about imparting important information that allows the recipient to make the best possible decision, with all the facts they require laid out before them.
They come from a place of kindness
Critical conversations come from a place of kindness, and this is not the same as politeness.
The reality is, our innate desire to come across as ‘polite’ can actually create more harm than good, seeing us hold back essential information for fear of causing offence or not being liked.
That’s not to say critical conversations are delivered abruptly or minus any tact and diplomacy.
Instead, they involve ensuring the necessary facts are presented openly, clearly and frankly, so the recipient is fully abreast of the lie of the land.
Great agents have critical conversations
Great agents always speak from a place of kindness, unquestionably offering advice for the benefit of the recipient to make an informed decision and without fear of ‘offending’ them.
It’s another aspect of having an ‘abundance’ attitude as opposed to a ‘fear of loss’ attitude.
When you can, put the needs of your client first and have those critical conversations at the right time and in the right place – that’s when you can brand yourself as a true professional real estate agent.
That’s when you establish yourself as a trusted professional whose value lies in their expertise, insight and a genuine commitment to serving the clients you represent.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency.
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