Your grasp of what your clients truly need from you can make or break your business.
But how do you go beyond the surface to identify those needs?
In a recent interview, Byron Lazine sat down with Dan Corkill, founder and CEO of Follow Up Boss, to dive into the best ways for agents to get to the heart of what clients really need and want from them.
The best method is simpler than you might think—yet so many agents get it wrong.
Read on to learn more about the problem agents need to be focused on solving and what they can do to solve it. Then make time to enjoy the full conversation.
What’s your process for learning what your customers need—or what they expect?
You can’t solve a problem you don’t know exists. And while there are a number of ways to learn what your customers need and expect from you (social media polls, surveys, emails…), Corkill’s method of choice is one every top agent can relate to: face-to-face conversations.
I think, as much as possible, face-to-face is the best. I think phone is the next best. I think email or surveys—I don’t think you can really go deep enough.
Corkill’s customers are real estate agents, many of whom are looking for ways to increase their take-home income without working every waking minute.
There’s a lot of reasons why an agent would need to do more deals—commission compression, NAR settlement changes, all these different things—but can you see a world where an agent will be able to maybe double their deal count and still have the same amount of time for their family, for the kids, for all the things that they care about?
As the founder of Follow Up Boss, Corkill believes in the power of technology to help real estate agents serve their clients better than ever before. That starts with providing tools agents can leverage to spend more time on the things that grow their business.
Technology won’t replace good real estate agents. But tools like Follow Up Boss enable tech-savvy agents to stay organized and save time—which they can then reinvest in having conversations and taking effective action.
What problem should agents focus on solving?
Lazine asked Corkill what he believes today’s consumers need and expect from agents, specifically what problem agents should be focused on solving. He added, “If they’re unclear on that, how should they go about figuring that out?”
As to figuring things out, Corkill recommended simply asking people, in person or over the phone.
Be curious. Talk to your customers or prospective customers and say, ‘What’s your biggest fear? What’s your biggest problem that you’re thinking about right now?’ And then see what answers you get back.
From there, it’s a matter of listening and identifying the intersection between what they need and what you can do—especially what you can do better than anyone else. Your value prop should be something that sets you apart from your competition, whether it’s something you’re especially good at or something you’re willing to do that your competition is not (or both).
Lazine asked Corkill what his customers want when they contract him for his services, which segued into what consumers want or expect from agents when they’re buying or selling a home.
For me, going through the process, I really wanted someone to guide me through it. Because I’d never been through buying a house before. I didn’t really know what area in Austin I wanted to live in, you know? So, our Realtor was showing us different areas, telling us the pros and cons of those. I didn’t know anything about how the transaction worked, how to negotiate that. And so I think a lot of what people want is…that trusted expert and someone to guide them through that process…
That answer reveals what consumers need from real estate professionals, which goes far beyond simply scheduling property showings and opening doors.
As Lazine put it in a recent sales training, “We’re not a connector of doorknobs; we’re a connector of people.”
Be the agent who leaves your clients thinking, “Wow! Worth every penny and more!” because you anticipated their needs, over-delivered, and earned their trust and gratitude.
It’s simple enough. But that doesn’t mean everyone does it.
How can they solve it?
Solving this problem for consumers—being their best advocate and guide through the home buying or home selling process—starts with asking yourself the question posed by Corkill:
“Can you stay in front of the consumer as a trusted expert?”
Think for a minute about what that means for you. For Corkill, it means:
- Don’t disappear on your client once the deal is closed.
- Give them a reason and opportunities to refer you to others and to choose you as their agent the next time they need to move/sell.
- Commit to one-on-one check-ins and property/market updates
Showing up for them digitally (email, text messaging, social media) can also help you stay in front of them and remind them of the good experience they had with you as their agent, as long as you’re providing value.
As someone who has grown his business and sold it to Zillow for $500 million, Corkill knows a thing or two about meeting the customer’s needs and standing out from the competition.
So, what will you do in this final quarter of 2024 to increase the number of conversations you’re having with leads and clients?
