Identifying Your Primary Focus
If I were to ask you to quickly tell me where your primary focus would be classified what would you say? If I were to ask you to back that up with your daily routine would it agree? Often we want to have our primary focus be on quality. Hopefully, at sometime during your formative years, you were taught the importance of doing your very best. If not you may have come to the conclusion that it was in your best interest to do your very best, if nothing else because of what it would make of you. Well as it turns out, if you can make your primary focus on quality, you won't only make more out of yourself, you'll do very well in the long and short run.
Are You a Veteran Agent or a Rookie?
No mater where you are in your real estate carrier you've most likely figured out that being a real estate agent is HARD WORK. That's not to say that you can't work smart, but if you really want to excel and provide an excellent living for yourself, you have to work hard. As you work hard you can focus on one of two methods...
Quality or Quantity
Quality and quantity refer to methods of working with prospects and clients. This is where your primary focus comes into play. If your focus is in the best place and your methods are in alignment with your focus you can't help but do well. Often this is where the breakdown occurs. When that desire to focus on quality runs head-long into the quantity methodology and we find ourselves struggling to reconcile the differences. Let's quickly take a closer look at both methods and see if we can't find some distinctions that will make it easier to put our focus and methodology in alignment.
The Quantity Method
The quantity method is based on the saying "Sales is a numbers game". While there is a degree of truth in that phrase it paints an incomplete picture at best and a terribly mistaken picture at worst. Of course you'll talk to more people than you'll ever actually do business with in the end, but the quantity method is covered in collateral damage. If a prospect isn't ready to do business right now, toss them to the side...you might get back to them later. "Educate the prospect before they commit to becoming a client??? What do think this is?" In the quantity method you don't have time to spend educating anyone except the client that 'has' to know the answer to a question to move forward.
How To Identify the Quantity Method
This methodology is most easily identified by a lack of client loyalty and few to no referrals. Why? Because this method isn't really concerned about the client's or prospect's needs or goals, but with the numbers that the agent has to hit to meet their goals. If you've fallen into this trap then you're most likely find your prospecting pool to be empty periodically as you had to focus time on closing your last batch of clients. Occasionally you'll have a repeat customer and a referral, but only from those clients whose needs you accidentally met. Accidentally because if a majority of your clients are loyal and give you referrals then you are employing...
The Quality Method
The quality method requires a focus on the prospect's or client's experience. It is a matter of bringing value to the prospect before they become a client. It requires taking time to establish yourself as an authority in the prospect's mind before they even meet you. It requires the time to distinguish yourself and your business from everyone who considers themselves your competition. It means you take a contextual look at what you do and how it helps the client reach their goals. There is a lot more work up front for those who adopt or rather commit to the Quality Method. Weekly, you need to improve your skill set and knowledge base and express that to your clientele in a way that allows them to stay current with your advancements and what you bring to the marketplace to help them meet their goals.
How To Identify the Quality Method
Quality minded agents constantly evaluate their client's experience and take steps to anticipate prospects' needs before they meet them. By continually bringing real value to the market place they establish themselves as The Expert in the minds of their clients. This level of trust in the quality focused agent's competency breeds loyalty and referrals. In time you'll find that your business is always busy even though you spend much less time than your quantity driven competition.
Quality On The Internet
Quality is a scarce resource on the internet. I can't lay it out any more clearly than that. That is exactly why there is so much opportunity for those agents who know how to use internet technology to leverage themselves. A website that is focused on meeting the needs of the prospects and that accurately portrays the agent who is centered on quality will allow that agent to create a loyal and referring clientele which translates to a steady and growing business base. It is absolutely in your best interest to take the road of quality. I highly recommend it.