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When speaking to your pipeline clients, there are three pieces of information that you must know to help you have relationship-building conversations. With these pieces of information, you can cater your communication strategies to build trust and work towards gaining future listings for time to come.
- Timeline
- Destination
- Problem
Having an understanding of these simple points will set you up with ongoing resources for conversation, without asking the dreaded question: “How’s everything going with the house…”
Key #1 - Timeline
This is possibly the most obvious of the three but, what is your client’s timeline? Are they planning on moving soon, or not for another two years? Could their timeline change if their situation does? Do you have processes in place to effectively dispense relevant information to the clients on your radar to sell within the next quarter? Are you implementing a consistent stream of contact to build familiarity with your brand and the client?
If they are selling sooner than later, we need to communicate with them more.
Consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust!
Making sure you know the client’s timeline allows you (and us!) to tailor the communication for what strategy is relevant and practical right now. It is also important so you can know if there’s a chance that they could sell sooner than you (or they) might think.
Key #2 - Destination
Where is your client moving to? Do you have contacts in a non-local area that you can direct them to?
If they are planning on staying in the area, how are you demonstrating your local expertise? Are you recommending areas that have easy access to school or public transit routes? Are you inviting them to local auctions to show how well they can sell their house? What are you doing to make sure that you come out on top, regardless of if they buy back into your area? Can you offer them information on the area they are looking to buy, local or otherwise?
Utilising this information provides you with pressure-free talking points as you can approach the call to assist them in buying rather than waiting for them to sell.
Key #3 - Problem
The Problem is the key to understanding what influences Key #1 and #2. Why are your clients selling and/or why aren’t your clients selling? What is stopping them and is it a legitimate problem or is it a concern that can be quelled? Is retirement on the horizon? Is it of interest to the long-term relationship to encourage them to renovate for more space?
Is the timeline flexible?
“Oh no not quite yet, we haven’t found a place to buy!”
Or is it set?
“Oh no not yet, we really can’t sell until Pat retires in April. We’ll be ready after that.”
The flexible timeline indicates that the decision making time could be either tomorrow or next year. Knowing this, and capitalising on that indecision, means the difference between money in your pocket, or someone else’s. A set timeline however gives you the opportunity to build your brand familiarity with them up until they arrive at the point of sale, and can tailor your strategy towards that timeline.
Understand the importance of these three key points. Curate and implement strategies for facing each of them and watch your success soar. And as always, listen for that “not yet” as it may mean sometime soon!
