Show Ponies

Some real estate agents really look the part. Glossy brochures, impressive marketing delivered before, during and after listing presentations, luxurious offices, flash cars… you know the type.

Looking professional is a must, but professionalism goes far beyond appearance.

Agents who look good but who cannot back it up with competent service and proven results are nothing more than show ponies. And there are plenty out there. These people are good looking order takers.

You can only hide behind your marketing and your company image for so long. At some point you have to impress clients with what you can do for them. During your presentation you should give clients compelling reasons to choose you. This must be more than just because of the advertising you do. Advertising is the listing tool of the order taker.

How to blow 12 years’ work.

A friend told me about an agent that had been following her up for 12 years. Over that time he posted her some very expensive marketing, and to his credit he kept in touch with her by telephone too. Finally he set an appointment for a listing presentation.

And then he blew it.

He was two hours late for the listing. A simple basic courtesy of punctuality cost him a $20,000 fee. You could argue that his hourly rate is $10,000 an hour, because that’s how much he lost each hour he was late. Twelve years’ effort blown by one thoughtless act.

This salesperson turned out to be all gloss and no substance. A show pony.

It is my experience that show ponies often tend to believe their own press. They think they are so impressive that they can get away with being late, taking shortcuts, being all show.

Substance and competence.

People aren’t going to list with you because of your glossy marketing. They are going to list with YOU: and you’d better be competent – substance over show.

Your success lies in making people feel at ease with you, with your ability to convince sellers that you can get them the highest prices with the least amount of stress. Often, it’s those little things, such as being punctual, listening, asking the right questions – these things carry far more weight than glossy handouts.

I’ve seen many good salespeople of substance worried by show ponies. They shouldn’t be. Study, train, and let skill be your beacon of success.

Competence trumps show.