May
8
Nine Dead-Simple Ways to Persuade People
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Negotiation | Leave a Comment
“Show business is not hard. It’s all just basic Dale Carnegie stuff,” Jay Leno once said in a Selling Power magazine interview.
Easy enough for Leno to say. The thing you should know, though, is that Leno’s back-of-the-napkin statement is supported by decades of smooth, polite and consistent relationship building. And nine easy-to-follow techniques.
1. Try to make a good impression that lasts. That Leno’s everyday personality is nearly identical to his nice-guy image on television doesn’t detract from his success. It adds to it.
2. Get guts. Don’t be afraid to tackle more than you think you are capable of handling. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you’ll never grow.
3. Take the high road. If during a conversation with a client or prospect someone insults you, avoid the temptation to retaliate. One up them, in fact, by responding in praise and affection. “Gee, I’m hurt that that was said about me, especially since I admire <so and so> so much for his family values, etc….”
4. Ignore failure. Failure will come. That’s a given. What you need to do is bounce back as quickly as possible and keep truckin’ as if nothing even happened.
5. Love what you do. When you love what you do, everything else just seems to fall in place. It’s easy to get out of bed, it’s easy to do the hard things.
6. Fake it before you make it. Even if the ink is still wet on your real estate license, give people the impression that you are the best person at what you do.
7. Treat everyone as a potential customer. This is particularly true for real estate: everyone buys or sells houses, and your market is probably made up of the people you run into everyday.
8. Treat your team as if they are stars. Whether it’s your lender, listing coordinator or buyer’s agent, make the people you work for, and who work for you, feel like your world would collapse without them.
9. Give back to the community. Volunteering your time to worthy causes proves that you are committed to the area you live and work in, which, by the way, provides a good way to meet potential customers.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Apr
2
Make Sure You Know the Answer to This Question Before Your Next Presentation
Filed Under Leadership, Persuasion | Leave a Comment
I don’t know about you, but I think this market sucks. I know people who are flailing. I know people are are failing.
You probably know some people, too. Maybe you’re flailing. Or even on the point of bust.
Whatever your situation, good technology and talent can help you endure a tough market. But that alone won’t do it.
You also need a good attitude. No…you need a super attitude. A superstar attitude. Let me show you what I mean.
Superstars don’t think like everyone else.
“The average person has 2,000 to 3,000 thoughts a day,” says Jim Fannin, performance coach for big name ball players like Alex Rodriquez. “And 60 percent of the average person’s thoughts are in chaos.”
How many thoughts do you think the superstar has? The superstar, says Fannin, has 1,100 to 1,300 thoughts a day. How do they do that? They eliminate worry, envy, jealousy, embarrassment and anger.
The superstar thinks a lot less. But holds a thought longer.
Here’s my point: Most of your thoughts don’t matter. Most of your thoughts are of the “Air conditioner just started” and “Breeze is cool this morning” breed.
And because of the randomness of some of your thoughts, you probably don’t focus on any of your thoughts. And that’s a problem. Let me explain.
If you ignored all your thoughts, you could miss out on great ideas when you have them. Like taking that much-needed vacation or placing an ad in that new homes magazine.
Worse, however, is when you focus only on your negative thoughts. This can literally cripple you at the negotiating table, the listing appointment or even at the cocktail bar.
My question for you when approaching any situation is this: where are your thoughts pointing? Are they surplus or scarcity?
Scaricity thoughts look like this:
“I don’t deserve this listing when I’m going up against that agent.”
“I bombed my last presentation. I’ll probably bomb this one.”
“If I don’t get this seller, I’m sure to foreclose on my own house.”
On the other hand, surplus thoughts look like this:
“I deserve this listing.”
“I can’t wait to deliver a killer presentation!”
“I love real estate and the thousands of opportunities to make thousands of dollars!”
As a rule, never believe your negative thinking…especially if it limits what you think is possible.
If you tend to be a scarcity thinker, stop right now and admit that your habit of thinking needs to be changed. You’ll need to do this because just being aware of limiting beliefs and thoughts is a major step in the right direction. And awareness alone can be curative.
Then begin to work on affirmations like the ones above in the surplus category. Also simply doing something different that counters limiting thoughts can work wonders.
For instance, if you typically avoid or neglect selling situations, hunt them down. And throw yourself at them. You’ll be amazed at the level of confidence you gain from simply doing something you’ve always dreaded. Even if your initial results are less than you expected. Practice makes perfect.
Only when we weed the limiting beliefs from our subconciousness is it possible to plant the seeds of new beliefs.
And new beliefs are the pathway to prosperity. Abundance. Surplus.
To help you on your new journey, we recommend you pick up two classics: Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins and Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill.
Both can be read in a weekend. And both will have you climbing the walls…hungry to make big money.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
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Apr
30
Get Attention: 10 Unorthodox Ideas That Really Work
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas | 2 Comments
P. T. Barnum once said, “Without promotion something terrible happens. Nothing.”
Barnum was probably called an “attention junkie” repeatedly throughout his life for his outrageous stunts and hoaxes for promotional purposes. But you know what? He probably wore that label like a badge of honor.
Of course he had to be an attention junkie. He was trying to make some money.
But he was also insanely focused on delivering exceptional value to his customers. He even crusaded against schemers and charlatans that swindled people out of money.
So self-promotion isn’t evil. Just another way to generate business. And it can be fun. Especially if you take an unorthodox slant, as you’ll see from the following list.
1. View blog comments as a network tool.
Maki at Dosh Dosh had this to say: “See blog comments as a way to network with the author, so that you’ll be able to obtain a particular benefit in the future. Think long-term: not just incoming traffic today but exposure down the road. Don’t just focus on getting an immediate return (visitors via your link drop) but use comments to develop relationships of ongoing value.”
2. Ask and answer questions on LinkedIn.
Using the Answers feature at LinkedIn brings your name and profile around to people you’re not exposed to directly. This means more opportunities for someone to recognize your authority in some field, and to reach out and contact you for something further. It means sharing the fruits of your networking with others, and potentially connecting 3rd parties to each other for something bigger. This comes in handy when it becomes obvious that you’re also a good connector. [hat tip]
3. Advertise on MateOne.
I got this one from marketing black sheep Ben Mack. He listed his business profile in this saucy dating community, emailed his house list the link and hauled in a load of attention as the thing spread around the country. Now, whether he got any business from it or not is another question. Just depends on how good he’s at closing.
4. Create or sponsor a community event.
It doesn’t make sense for you to sponsor a rowing event…unless of course you are a rower. Same goes for a young adult’s chess tournament, a scuba clinic or a simple Mother’s Day breakfast.
5. Teach a class outside of real estate.
When you jump out side of your comfort box and rub shoulders with other people–and do it passionately–you are bound to make some good, lasting friends. One easy way to do that is to share your knowledge on a topic that does not deal with real estate. It could be a class on gardening or dealing with grief. Maybe it’s self-defense or guitar lessons. This is also a great way to take a break from the rigors of hard work and enjoy one of your hobbies while nurturing possible business contacts.
6. Write a book.
Sound too hard? Scott Berkun says, “There is no license required. No test to take. Writing, as opposed to publishing, requires almost no financial or physical resources. A pen, a paper and effort are all that has been required for hundreds of years.” He goes on to say If Voltaire and Marquis de Sade could write in prison, then you can do it in suburbia, at lunch at work, or after your kids go to sleep. Here’s some practical advice to get off the ground.
7. Do mission work.
It’s says something exceptional about you when you volunteer your time to help someone less fortunate than you. It’s easy to get picked up by the news. And it’s bound to dim the accusation that real estate agents–at least you–are no better than lawyers and used-car salespeople.
8. Approach strangers.
I struggle with this. You might not. But most people I know think people who do approach strangers and talk to them like they’ve known them for years a little crazy. Of course, these are the people who don’t know a stranger. Who, every where you go, knows just about everybody. And probably have no problem finding leads, business and clients.
9. Volunteer for a political campaign.
Whether local, state or national, volunteering your time for a political campaign will get you inside circles otherwise closed to you. It could be as easy as sticking a sign in your yard or stuffing envelopes. I’d suggest you volunteer to walk the streets and knock on doors and introduce yourself as a real estate agent who is helping to nominate a political candidate. Very low key way to start conversations because you’ll probably have a checklist of issues to talk about or a script.
10. Join a book club.
Sure, no one looks down on a trashy novel at the beach, but when your in a book club it’s time to dust off that thinking cap and tackle some seriously awesome reads. And make some really good, like-minded friends while your at it. From globe-trotting fiction to gray graphic novels to political nonfiction and British mysteries, scour your city for the best book clubs around and get reading.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
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How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiation Reputation
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Apr
16
How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Negotiation | Leave a Comment
Thomas Edison, considered the inventor who harnessed electricity, originally believed that the best way to harness electricity was to use a direct current (DC).
When the Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla appeared to have succeeded in creating a system based on alternating current (AC), Edison was furious.
Edison determined to ruin Tesla’s reputation. He determined to make the public believe that the AC system was inherently unsafe–and Tesla irresponsible for promoting it.
To this end Edison captured all kinds of household pets and electrocuted them to death using an AC current.
When this wasn’t enough, in 1890 he got New York State prison authorities to organize the world’s first execution by electrocution, using an AC current. But Edison’s electrocution experiments had all been with small creatures. The charge was too weak, and the man–only half killed.
In perhaps the country’s cruelest state-authorized execution, the procedure had to be repeated.
It was an awful spectacle.
This is not the kind of reputation you want to follow you into any sales or negotiation setting.
Although in the long run it is Edison’s name that has survived, at the time his campaign damaged his own reputation more than Tesla’s.
So he backed off.
The lesson is simple–never go too far in attacks like these in negotiations, for that will draw more attention to your own vengefulness than to the person you are slandering.
There are better ways to build a fearsome reputation.
How to Create Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Your reputation is critical. There is no exception to this law. You must build it, layer by layer, maintain it and protect it. Then it will proceed you in any negotiation.So you have to start at the foundation.
Since we must live and work in society and must depend on the opinions of others, there is nothing you can gain by neglecting your reputation.
By not caring how you are perceived, you let others decide this for you.
Back in October, the New York reported on online reputation management:
“There is all type of damage by miscreants on the Web to a business,” said Marc S. Friedman, chairman of the intellectual property practice at Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross in Manhattan. “The number of methods depends only on the creativity of the wrongdoer.”
While you shouldn’t shoot for stifling constructive criticism, you should definitely be the the master of your fate. And also of your reputation.
In the social realm, appearances are the barometer of almost all of our judgments, as a Chinese University of Hong Kong discovered a few years ago.
And you must never be misled into believing other wise. This is the reason for the supreme importance of making and maintaining a reputation that is of your own creation.
Sustainable reputation optimization requires going back to the root cause of what influences people’s opinion of you and what creates the buzz–whether online or offline–about you.
Then you must figure out how to set the conversation in the right direction.
The solution here may have less to do with paid media [read: billboards, banners and ballyhoo] than with such foundations as customer service, education, Web infrastructure, and personal mission and philosophy
If you think you can build a fearsome reputation with gimmickry, manipulation, or next-day PageRank, you’d better think twice.
And your blog, while it might allow you the opportunity to dialogue about how you’d like people to think about you, will only go so far if there’s isn’t a compelling, credible message.
It better be a message that bloggers can’t pick apart by comparing (via hyper links) disconnects between what you say and what consumers actually experience.
How to Build Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
In the beginning, you must work to establish a reputation for one outstanding quality, whether generosity of honesty or cunning.
This quality sets you apart and gets other people to talk about you. You then make your reputation known to as many people as possible. Step back, and watch it spread like wildfire.
A solid reputation increases your presence and exaggerates your strengths without having to spend much energy.
As they say, your reputation inevitably precedes you, and it it inspires respect. A lot of your work is done for you before you arrive on the scene, or utter a single word.
How to Protect Your Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
Reputation is a treasure to be carefully collected and hoarded. Today, this afternoon or tonight: take the time to discover what you will be known for.
[It helps, if you haven't already, to get to know yourself through a profile test like Myers-Briggs. You can learn your Myers-Briggs profile free here or pay for it here.]
Make your reputation simple and base it on one sterling quality. This single quality–efficiency say, or leadership–becomes a kind of calling card that announces your presence and places others under a spell.
Then take the time to cultivate it. This happens slowly: steady but sure.
And remember, avoid Edison’s mistake: always take the high road when it some to reputation and never appear desperate or vengeful in your self-defense.
Never transgress this law. Learn to protect yourself from hurtful rumors. Confront people. Blog or post a response. Trademark your name.
And if all else fails, initiate legal action. But take action to protect the reputation you’ve so tenderly cultivated.
Like Jesus said, “When among the wolves, act like a sheep but play sly like a snake.” [Rough paraphrase. Forgive me.]
Ancient Observance of a Fearsome Reputation
Robert Green tells a fascinating story about a Chinese general who uses his reputation during China’s War of Three Kingdoms to avoid certain death.
General Chuko Liang of the forces of the Shu Kingdom dispatched his army to a distant camp while he rested in a small city. He kept with him only 100 soldiers.
In no time scouts returned shouting that an enemy army of over 150,000 troops was just over the hill.
Without wasting time Liang told his soldiers to fling the city gates open and to go hide. He put on a Taoist robe, grabbed a lute, lit some incense and sat on top of the highest wall, strumming and chanting away.
Minutes later he could see the massive army approaching, swarming the countryside. Pretending not to notice, Liang continued to strum.
Soon the army stood at the town gates. At its head was Sima Yi, who instantly recognized the man on the wall.
As his soldiers itched to enter the unguarded city, Sima hesitated, held his men back and eventually retreated.
Why?
Chuko Lian was commonly known as the “Sleeping Dragon.” His exploits were legendary. His reputation proceeded him. And Sima figured it was a trap.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
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Mar
13
Boy in the Bubble: How to Entice Even the Most Preoccupied Person
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Negotiation | Leave a Comment
Breaking news: You have to break through more than just clutter.
What do I mean by that? Let me explain.
Attention is the new economy. That means the barrier is preoccupation.
Yet, it’s hot stuff to rattle off how many ads CEO’s see a day, the average person sees a day, the left bank bookseller sees a day.
This is commonly known as clutter.
But it doesn’t explain anything about what’s inside a person’s head. That is the real obstacle.
But if you learn how to split through someone’s preoccupation, it doesn’t matter if the he’s barraged with 1 million messages.
You will strike him dead. But it’s not that easy.
Combating Tangible and Intangible Preoccupations
Think of preoccupation as a boy in a bubble. Inside that bubble?
His iPhone. His laptop. His email inbox. His magazines. His television. His notepads, pencils, drafting compass.
Those are the tangibles.
Intangibles include dreams, lusts, fears, worries. All things that keep his vision very short-sighted. In a nutshell, he sees, rarely, no farther than the inner edge of his bubble.
Unless he’s interrupted. Or enticed.
You, my friend, have to entice him. Interrupting him will only piss him off. Piss him off and he hunkers more.
Enticing him involves waiting for him to ask a question.
Why would he do that? He has a problem.
Enter the sales process.
That Irresistible Scent
The first thing you need to have is a clear understanding of is how your prospect arrives at a buying decision.
Here’s a very simplified flow of a buying decision:
- Recognition of need or problem
- Search for information
- Evaluation of alternatives
- Decide what to purchase
- Purchase
- Evaluate the purchase again
With that in mind, let’s now consider how you sell to your prospect.
Keep in mind: Sales is not a push-method. It’s a pull method, where you entice your prospect to follow you by an attractive scent you are offering.
This scent has to appeal to him. It has to satisfy a craving he has. That craving he got before he decided to crawl out of the bubble.
And the overall decision has to be a win-win scenario: both you AND your prospect feel good about the outcome. He must feel it is delicious and think it divine and you must think it fulfilling and feel like you didn’t feed him your arm and leg.
So let’s look at the sales process with a clear goal in mind: matching the what you have to offer to what they want or need.
Defining That Complex Relationship with Clients
A complex relationship, like the one you want to develop with your prospects, goes through stages, like this [with each bullet followed by a little narrative]:
- Suspects–the entire universe of potential buyers for your product or service.
The boy in the bubble runs across your blog posts because he’s decided he wants a new home. You have an article called “11 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a New Bubble Home.”
- Prospects–those suspects who have expressed an active interest in your service.
He’s decided to follow you at this point. The 11 Mistakes article was good. So was the article called “How to Sell Your Bubble for the Most Money in Less Time and Hassle.” But he really liked the story you told about another boy in a bubble who you helped successfully and safely buy a new bubble.
- Leads–those prospects who are actively engaged in the buying process your service.
At this point, he likes you. He joined your email list. You have his permission. Eventually he wants you to help him find that dream bubble. In a matter of days, he’s calling you on the phone.
- Buyers–those leads negotiating with you and who have made a commitment to buy in principle, but have not yet bitten the bullet.
Your relationship gets a little rocky at this point. He doesn’t feel like you understand what he means by “leg room.” Nor does he feel like you are listening when you show him a bubble with fist holes in the door. You listen, re-engage, probe deeper with questions, find out what he really is thinking. You are negotiating.
- Customers–those who have paid for your product or service.
You did it. The dream bubble. You found him the dream bubble. He’s happy, you’re happy. So you buy him a wreath to hang on his bubble. He gives you a sketch of his foot. And then you follow up with him regularly through out the year. Why?
Post mortem, you still want him to love you.
Your advertising–not just your blog, because your blog simply can’t do it alone, neither can your email–must compel potential customers through these five phases.
To do so, they must not communicate not just information–but benefits. Benefits cinch the deal. It’s that attractive scent that snaps him out of his preoccupation to look at you.
Benefits are cream.
3 Questions to Find Out What They Desperately Want or Need
Benefits will provide the momentum to move potential customers along. This needs to happen, by the way, at every stage, both in an individual blog post or email through text ad or postcard through negotiations and post mortem discussions.
Now consider these three questions to determine your objectives every time you communicate with a prospective customer, whether via your website, phone or blog:
1. What actions do prospective customers need to take that will lead to a buying decision?
2. Who do I have to persuade to take action? The wife? The father in law?
3. How do I persuade them to take action?
The running theme here is “taking action.” Keep that in mind.
Truly powerful communication always addresses the recipient’s needs: What’s In It for Me?
If not, then you will never break through their mental preoccupations and get their attention. [They are thinking about dinner now, last week's Lost episode, not about you or what you have to offer.]
Always anticipate and ask the question, “Why should he buy from me?”
But be sure that you are addressing people at their level of interest and in the language that best suit their dominant personality styles. You want to give them information that convinces them to write a check, not write you off.
Conclusion
There is a huge difference between information and persuading. Persuasion is designed to move readers to action, to get results–whether it’s subscribing to your blog or pulling the trigger on a $800,000 home.
To persuade effectively you must take their point of view. You must answer questions correctly and fully. You must ask questions. And you must answer objections. Before they say them, if you can.
Breakthrough their preoccupation, maintain momentum, and actively lead your prospect through the decision process and you will survive.
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Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
Feb
8
Images Are Powerful Symbols but Not Communicators
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Copywriting, Web Design | Leave a Comment
At the Visual Ideology site, you can take a visual political test that suggests which images portray political ideas the strongest.
Be prepared to be confused.
The “test” is rather frustrating, and I gave up, clicking through images without thinking because I did not know what I was supposed to do [possibly this is part of the test] just so I could get through the end.
What was most confusing is that there were no instructions. In my mind, this was a good example of something crucial we have to understand about images:
Images are powerful symbols that work on our souls, but images alone are incapable of communicating what we want people to do.
With a simple task we need at least a little coaxing. On the other hand, on a more complex task we need more coaxing. Otherwise we are asking people to interpret images on their own, which can be dangerous [read: they leave the website].
And whether visitors read all of the copy or not is not the point–it’s there if they get confused and need instruction.
Now, an elegant combination of copy and images was done well at the Interface Research survey.
Simple tasks with simple instructions.
Way back when David Olgivy proved repeatedly that long copy always outsold short copy with photo…but–and here’s why we need both copy and design–the right amount of compelling copy with the right photo doubled the previous results.
Political consultant Frank Lutz has made a fortune on a simple idea: it doesn’t matter what you want to tell the public–it’s about what they want to hear.
For a case in point, watch the video “Give Us What We Want” to see how one word increased public opinion from 50% to over 75%…
“Estate tax” versus “death tax.”
This simple change brought a bland, background issue screaming to the front of politics.
Just one word. By itself.
Just curious: Can you think of any images that have revolutionized an issue on its own merit?
If you haven’t already, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog today either by email or news feed.
Jan
7
Cooking Up Persuasive Copywriting with These Two Crucial Ingredients
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Copywriting, Real Estate Marketing | Leave a Comment
On Friday I wrote about Copywriting and the Art of Persuasive Advertisings and in other articles I go into detail the help you craft successful, lead-building, client-accumulating mail, ads, emails, web sites and more.
But here are two of the common and most powerful copy ingredients for effective direct response marketing, regardless of medium.
The One Thing You Cannot Forget
It seems so obvious and basic that you can’t imagine anyone would fail to do this, but I have to say upfront because writers frequently and regretfully neglect this point: Present your offer–the thing you are selling and the terms you’re making–as soon as possible.
And after you say it once. Say it again. And again.
Copywriting is like storytelling. You create drama. And you can create drama one of two ways:
- Demonstrate how you can achieve their desires
- Show how you can conquer fears
But in one very important way, direct response copy is not like a story…you give away the end at the beginning. That is the offer.
Even when you have a lot to say about your offer, you bring the conclusion [your offer] into the story right away.
And then backfill with persuasive material as you move along.
How to Achieve Your Greatest Desire
This is a a rough sketch of a marketing strategy when you’re making an offer for something desirable, such as a beautiful home or knowledge about the worth of their home.
1. Show the readers the vision.
Within the headline or the opening copy, tell the reader about the benefit: living well, saving money, entertaining grandly.
2. Offer the “prize” inside.
Either within the same headline or within the first few lines of copy, introduce your offer as the means for obtaining the desired end: the infinity pool that makes you to live well, the low property taxes that allow you to save money, or the finished basement with wet bar and 50 inch plasma screen.
3. Go on the quest.
Show the reader how and why your offer, in Step 2, fulfills the desire in Step 1. And bee sure to restate the offer along the way.
Now, the flip side of desire is fear. That’s the other persuasive ingredient of successful copywriting.
Overcoming Pain and Fear
This is the formula for benefits that help you overcome things you don’t want, such as high taxes, foreclosure, drop in property values, ill health or being left behind:
1. Make the readers hurt.
Describe the pain to be avoided: the rising property taxes, the crush on their credit if they foreclosure, loss of equity of they don’t move, diseases from contaminated soil or being the only one who didn’t invest in a rising market.
2. Show readers the cure.
Introduce your offer–the market with low tax dollars [maybe a way to lure people from one state to another], short selling, healthy lifestyle in your city or system to sell their homes fast for the most money.
3. Prove it works.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Your lofty promises better be backed up. Use testimonies, statistics, reports, anecdotes, professional statements. Anything you can get your hands on that support your claims.
Without evidence, your claims will be ignored. So do your homework. It will pay dividends.
Conclusion
One more word: In each of these approaches, it’s important that you repeat the offer often.
The reason? You want people to remember it.
In the next post, I’ll describe how to write good offers, offers that articulate the favorable consequences of accepting your offer and the undesirable consequences of doing nothing.
See you then.
Dec
21
Political Pollster Spills the Beans: How to Find Those Hidden Desires
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Prospecting Ideas | 2 Comments
Republican pollster and strategic researcher Frank Luntz advises politicians on the language they should use to win elections and promote their policies.
Here’s how you can use his secrets to work with more clients…sell more houses…and grow your business.
His Work Proves One Very Important Point
Although he works on one side of the aisle, he says that what he does is essentially nonpartisan, seeking clarity and simplicity in language.
His critics disagree…and have accused him of using language that misrepresents policies to “sell” them to the public. Frank Luntz is the author of Words That Work.
But whatever you think about Luntz, what he does proves one very important point: it’s not about what you say…it’s about what they hear.
That is, potent persuasion is built around finding and using words that hit people at the gut level.
It’s interesting that one little word can have such a influential impact on an entire population…
But it can.
The Most Controversial Word
Take the term “estate tax” for instance.
Before Luntz, this tax was relatively non controversial. Luntz said that only 50% of Americans thought such a tax should be abolished.
What he discovered in his word lab, where he used focus groups and polls, was that when he replaced the word “estate” with the term “inheritance” 60% of Americans thought such a tax should be abolished.
However, with further research he discovered that 70% of Americans wanted the tax abolished when it was referred to as a “death tax.” [via PBS video "Give Us What We Want"
"Death" takes it to a whole new, deeper level...
When people think of "estate" or "inheritance," Luntz explains that they think of people like Warren Buffet and his billions of net worth...they think of JR and the 70's television show Dallas.
They think of people who deserve to be taxed...
However, "estate" or "inheritance" puts an emotional distance between people and the real issue. They are cold, unemotional words that obscure the fact that this tax does not occur until you die.
And that is justifiably hard to defend.
But what does this have to do with real estate? Good question.
Heed This One, Simple Piece of Advice
Bottom line, be the person in your real estate market who has their finger on the pulse on what people are saying, feeling and thinking.
And keep this rule in mind: cab drivers and antique dealers know more about the world and what is going on than anybody else. And when the cab driver feels a certain way, you need to listen.
In smaller towns where there aren't cab drivers, it's probably owners of the coffee shop or corner deli who know the pulse of your market. Hang out with these people...visit their spaces...and interview people in these places.
And if you want to get real technical, poll people in your community. Or hold informal focus groups.
This rule is built upon a simple idea: It doesn't matter what you want to tell the public, it's about what they want to hear.
And you have to find that out.
Discover the Hot-Buttons That Compel Us to Act
Luntz, when talking to clients, gives them one consistent piece of advice: Heed the public will.
And there's one technique that's more important than anything else: listening. That's exactly what you have to do.
You have to listen to what people are saying, how they are saying it, their body language when saying it, where they are saying it and figure out why they are saying it.
I know most of the public is down on real estate agents...so what are the words, the facts, the data that would get people to say, "You know, my real estate agent, he's okay"?
You have to find those words when working with the public, clients or prospects.
A few, carefully chosen words can make all the difference. These are words that grab our guts and get us to move on an emotional level.
It matters what you talk about. And it matters what you name things. For example:
- Don't talk about "energy efficiency." Talk about "lower bills."
- Don't talk about "square feet." Talk about "breathing room."
- Don't talk about a "long commute." Talk about a "rolling university."
- Don't talk about "house." Talk about a "home."
How to Get Those Words
When you are with people [and make sure you are hanging out with people from all walks of life, not just a certain strain]…
…talk about a wide range of community subjects…broach controversial topics…and watch people nod there heads and look at each other.
When they all do that at the same time…at that point you’ll know that you’ve struck an emotionally charged issue that people are willing to fight for.
At that moment…that is your Eureka moment. Those are the words that you want to use, those issues. Those are the words that resonate with those particular people.
And don’t forget, just like fire, use those words for good and not destruction or ill gain.
Nov
7
If you’ve ever wondered what The Bridge on the River Kwai, psychotic strangers, Abraham Maslow, concrete rebar and flaky surgeons have to do with persuasion and sales skills then you’ll want to read this…
The Surprise Hero of the Story
In the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai Alec Guinness plays the part of the British officer who is tortured by the Japanese to force his men to build a bridge that has military value to the Japanese.
Guinness finally consents when he thinks that perhaps allowing his men to build the bridge would be good therapy for them.
His men on the other hand think its some kind of trick. They think they are supposed to sabotage the bridge. What they don’t understand is the mindset of this British officer.
Guinness plays a character who takes pride in his country, his army, his work. Delivering anything less than the best is not in his thoughts. In fact, he wants to prove to the Japanese that the British build the finest bridges in the world.
The interesting turn in the story occurs when an American solider arrives trying to destroy the bridge. Alec Guinness fights to keep the solider from blowing up the bridge, a bridge that is helping the Japanese fight the Americans.
Now let me ask you: who’s the hero of the story?
It’s not William Holden. It’s Alec Guinness. Why is that?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow years ago presented an idea known as the “heirarchy of needs.” In his representation of this hierarchy of needs, he’s set up a pyramid:
1. Survival
2. Security
3. Social
4. Self-Esteem
5. Self-Actualization
The idea is that through life you gradually work your way up that pyramid.
As a baby, your only concern is food, water, sleep. As you get older, you realize that your parents and the house you live in protects you. About age 3 you understand that the world does not revolve around you. About 13 you kind of return back to yourself, craving to feel important, to be independent.
And finally, you want to have purpose. Not only that, but you want to achieve all of your dreams. You want to burn up, not burn out.
Later in his life, though, Maslow added to more needs: the need for consistency and the need for order.
This is the answer to why Alec Guinness is the hero of the Bridge Over River Kwai.
He’s a person that is consistent and predictable. He has a set of values that he does not waver from.
In fact, if you remember, in the early part of the movie you see this as he endures enormous torture from heat and isolation, but never backs down from his original statement. It’s not until he’s relieved and allowed to determine their fate.
This means he’s a person who can be trusted.
How This Applies to Real Estate
Imagine if this happened to you:
A surgeon says, “Sorry to say this, but you are going to need a quadruple bypass surgery.”
And you say, “Can’t we just do a double bypass?”
He then replies, “Alright, we’ll do a double and see how you do after that.”
How secure would you feel after that?
The same applies in business and persuasion. In fact, a huge part of persuasion deals with consistency.
The rule of thumb is this: we tend to trust the people who are reliable, consistent and predictable.
Say you live in house on a street with just one other house. You’re not going to trust the total stranger who moves in there until he demonstrates he’s stable, consistent or predictable.
If he proves himself to be off his rocker or strange or unpredictable, do you think you are going to trust him if he comes over and says, “Hey, can I borrow your car? I need to run to the store.”
I hope not.
Neither should your clients trust you if you blow off phone calls or cave in at every suggestion. Don’t be surprised if you can’t get them to agree with anything you suggest.
I find it impossible to respect, let alone trust, someone who is flaky, shallow or weak. What about you?
On the flip side of it, demonstrate that you are a person of consistency and you will have people eating out of your hand [okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but you get my point].
Consistency in behavior, especially in difficult or tense times, is the biggest part to influencing people.
That’s why it’s so imporatnt to figure out what you stand for, what your values are, what makes you tick, what ticks you off.
Create that marketing plan, dust off that personal mission statement.
Then it’s important to get a backbone as rigid as rebar. If you want to be a person of influence then you need to have what it takes to stand the heat.
If you don’t, then you are making a big mistake.
Expect people to walk over you. More importantly, expect to feel like your life is out of control, that you are a victim.
Oct
26
The Curious Secret to Getting People to Believe You
Filed Under Persuasion, Real Estate Sales Tips | 11 Comments
Ever wonder how you could get more people to believe you?
It’s easy, actually. And quite odd the way it works.
What’s the secret? Never tell a man more than he’ll believe.
Sounds like a moron statement, right?
Let me explain why it’s not.
The Law of Diminishing Credibility
There’s a law of diminishing returns directly tied to the law of diminishing credibility.
Even if you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that a home will triple in price in the next 5 years, if you have any concern that the buyer might find what you say hard to believe, it’s best to leave that information out.
See, the moment your claim passes the point of believability, credibility drops off like a rock.
In the 60’s some brilliant ad men took advantage of this.
Selling the Ugliest Car in the World
Remember the old Volkswagen sedan with the rag top that hadn’t changed in 20 years, the round top one?
One of the ugliest cars ever made.
In addition, it didn’t have any extra features that any ad man could talk about. Only later years did it have a gas gauge.
You could get so many miles on a tank of gas that you simply drove it until you ran out of gas and then switched to a small reserve tank that held more than enough fuel to get you to the closest gas station.
When the Doyle, Dane + Bernbach agency was given this account, they must have groaned.
What could you say about the car?
It only had two features: it was cheap to run and it was reliable. But everyone already knew that.
What more could they say about it?
Then they hit on a brilliant flash of inspiration: they decided to tell the truth.
I can imagine every ad man in America coming off their chairs and saying, “You are going to do what?”
Doyle, Dane + Bernbach ran a whole series of ads that said, “This car is ugly. It looks like a bug. A beetle.”
“This car is slow. You’ll be lucky if you ever get a ticket.”
The results of the campaign?
Phenomenal. People loved the campaign and sales shot up.
The truth. Simple, pristine truth is an astounding force. And these ad men had touched on a very important key of persuasion: if you point out the disadvantages, it makes everything else you say more believable.
How This Works in Real Estate
In real estate this might mean being frank with others about a house with some real issues, like its small, only has two bedrooms or one bathroom. The roof hasn’t been shingled in 25 years. It’s so old there isn’t central air and heating.
But once you have the disadvantages out of the way, then you can share the advantages.
“Quaint cottage with a historical background. Nice for one, maybe one-and-a-half, with ambition and muscle and a tad bit of cash.”
Isn’t that curious how that works?
By positioning the disadvantages first, you view the advantages in a whole different light. And it is a whole lot easier to swallow.
Besides, when we see an ad for a home that says “great home, lots of potential” don’t we immediately think, “Money pit.”
This rule of persuasion says this: never tell a person more than you think they’ll believe.
In fact, tell them the truth, share with them the disadvantages first, then move onto the advantages and you’ll have a captive audience.