9 minute read
BUSINESS GROWTH HACK
Business Growth Hack: Absorb Your Clients’ Stress!
Your business coach or a CRM software sales rep has probably described a number of products or services to help you grow your business. But sometimes the easiest way to increase the deals you’re closing is to simply be present for your clients. In doing so, you’ll find have the power to decrease the stress they feel. And when you decrease their stress, you increase your value to them, leading to new referrals and organic growth. You may be thinking, “I have enough stress; how can I find the emotional bandwidth for other people’s stress?” But consider this: As their day-to-day point of contact in this life decision, you are already a strong presence in your client’s lives. Why not allow yourself to be the only seemingly calm part of this process? By asking them what’s on their mind, by truly listening, by showing that you truly understand and even by rolling up
your sleeves to relieve some of their grunt work, you’ll prove yourself invaluable.
Think of yourself as the equivalent of an anti-anxiety pill to your clients. All you have to do is form a few easy habits.
Laura and Raj, their agent and their loan officer soon came to learn that Laura’s 80-year-old mother may eventually move in with the family. This news not only helped the agent best meet Laura’s and Raj’s needs for a new home; it gave both the agent and the loan officer opportunities to go above and beyond for their clients. Their REALTOR ® connected Laura with a senior services nonprofit near Laura’s mom’s current home that may be able to assist the family. And their loan officer outlined various, detailed options to Laura and Raj make smart, long-term financial decisions.
Meanwhile, the agent and loan officer earned the trust of Laura and Raj, who felt less worried about the future.
Listen – really listen – with patience
Behind every home purchase or sale is a person or a family with a uniquely complex set of needs, motivations, objectives and priorities. Asking the right questions and truly listening to the answers are the easiest ways to learn how to make clients’ lives easier. In doing so, you not only show that you’re interested in them as people, but you help yourself discover ways to surprise your clients with service.
Take “Laura and Raj,” for instance – a couple in their 30s who wanted a larger home because their family of five outgrew their first home. By patiently getting to know
Empathize
Don’t be afraid to describe your own personal experiences as a homebuyer or seller, explaining how you felt at the time; let your client know you “get” it. The agent who is willing to open up and let buyers and
sellers know that they personally understand their needs and concerns will connect with clients quickly, break down barriers and help the process move smoothly.
Chayan Alavi, Broker/Owner of Alavi Agency in Long Beach, California, challenges himself and his team to ensure that every action of every day serves others. “If we can put ourselves in other people’s shoes with empathy, then we become stellar professionals and great human beings, too,” he says. “I like knowing that we remove the sales pitch from real estate and make it all about the customer.” Chayan and his team focus on customer advocacy and building trust. But they don’t take trust for granted. Instead, they know trust must be earned and nurtured over time.
mowed clients’ lawns, walked dogs and personally cleaned someone’s 8,000-squarefoot, $2 million home for a showing one day after his seller left the house. Two days before another closing, Matthew’s client was unable to move large amounts of unneeded furniture out of the house he sold. No problem! Matthew joined or created five online garage sales; sold or gave away most of the client’s belongings and had the remainder hauled away before cleaning in time for the closing. “The first time I sit with a seller on listing presentation or the first day I take someone on a buyer’s tour, they know I’m ‘all-in.’”
Meanwhile, in the Cincinnati area, Aaron Denton of Summit Funding considers himself and his team members to be concierges for their borrowers. “We’re like personal assistants,” says Aaron. “People are happier when you remove the stress.” Included in their standard services are researching moving quotes; arranging and organizing movein day; scheduling utility transfers; assisting with children’s school registration paperwork; and even connecting buyers with local resources like daycares.
Roll up your sleeves
“You can’t be afraid to do anything!” says Matthew Todd of d’aprile properties in the Chicago area. “People know there’s nothing I won’t do to get the job done.” He has If “rolling up your sleeves” isn’t your strongest skill, then an easy alternative is to get to know professionals in your area who can do these tasks for you. In the end, remember that by listening with patience, empathizing, and being willing to go the extra mile, you have the power to remove the stress your clients would experience without your help. When clients feel cared for, they remember the agents and partners who helped them.
ANA IVETTE MORALES
ANA IVETTE MORALES
Morales is a Licensed Mortgage Originator in Nevada and California, and works with a team of four other women. With a starting focus in the Las Vegas area, Morales and her team have expanded over the years, and are now helping families as far away as southern California.
Ana Ivette Morales became a lender 15 years ago after being introduced to the career by a friend. “She said that I could help a lot of families, that my heart was in the right place,” she says. “So I decided to give it a shot...and I absolutely saw a need, especially for Hispanic families, to get the right information on how to become homeowners.”
And not only did she see a need, she also loved the job. “I took as many classes as I could so I could learn as much as possible,” Morales says. “And I’m still here 15 years later!”
Today, Morales is a Licensed Mortgage Originator in Nevada and California, and works with a team
of four other women. “We make a great team, we support each other,” she says. “I couldn’t do it without them.” With a starting focus in the Las Vegas area, Morales and her team have expanded over the years, and are now helping families as far away as southern California.
She estimates that about 70% of her business is repeat and referral, and, having been in business for 15 years, she’s beginning to help a new generation of clients, as well. “I just got to help a 21-year-old, and he came because I helped his parents buy a house 15 years ago,” she recalls. “And it brought so much satisfaction because he remembered me when I first helped his parents [get] their mortgage loan.” Morales says that her team’s service is what keeps people—and their kids—coming back. “We don’t treat [our clients] like any other transaction or number. We understand the needs of the family. I take it very personally that we get to help a family so that they can become homeowners. We take the time to explain the process, we give them the information.” She also provides support for families who may not be ready to buy a home yet. “We give them a plan: ‘Okay, you’re not ready today, but if you follow the following steps, you will be ready in 30 days or six months. We’ve worked with families for over a year so they can become ready.”
“We’re very passionate about helping families achieve home ownership,” Morales says, and her long working hours, sometimes 7am to 7pm, prove that. But a 12-hour workday doesn’t faze her. “It doesn’t feel like work,” she says. “It’s perfect. I love it.” She does take Sundays off, though, to spend time meditating with her eight-year-old
daughter, which has become a little tradition for the two of them, and with her other kids hiking at Red Rock.
She stays in touch with past clients thanks to her CRM, which reminds her of birthdays and anniversaries so she can check in. The discipline of the CRM system helps a lot. “Honestly,” she says with a laugh, “I’m not very disciplined...I follow my system very carefully, otherwise I would get lost every day.”
And thanks to that organizational help, Morales can focus on what she really loves, which is helping families get homes. “I think it’s a dream for every family to become a homeowner, and for us to be part of that journey is very satisfying.”
She emphasizes the security and stability of home ownership, as opposed to renting, and how much of a relief that is for her clients.
To spread even more information and education, Morales holds home-buyer education seminars tailored to the Hispanic community. “We give as much information as we can,” she says. She’s also working to ensure that the future generation is financially responsible and literate as well, having recently become involved with a program for teens teaching good financial habits as well as information on things like credit and student debt. “Unfortunately they don’t teach any of this in high school, and I think it’s very important for teenagers to get this information,” she says.
Morales is hoping to expand her team, especially in California. “This year, the goal we set ourselves is to double the [number of] families that we help.” With 180 transactions this year, that’s an impressive goal, and Morales is confident her team can meet it.
“We’re just human beings,” she says of herself and her team. “We have our imperfections, but we do our very best. We’re passionate about helping families achieve home ownership and we will always give it our very best. There’s no hurdle we haven’t learned how to overcome.”
To learn more about Ana Ivette Morales,
please visit
www.facebook.com/LO4LIFE,
email ana@anamoraleslo4life.com,
http://www.justingrable.com or call (702) 850-2564 or (702) 234-7862
(NMLS #335932)
