Real Estate Professionals in a Service Industry

I belong to an online group of real estate professionals on an interactive blog provided through one of my website providers. Recently I made post in response to the ongoing topic relating to new definitions of what charaterizes a real estate agent in today's ever-changing market. I thought it would be appropriate to post it here:

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There’s been some talk lately about the soul, or lack of soul, of salespeople, and how we maintain a centered identity in sales work.

First of all, I’d like to revisit the worn-out debate regarding how we define ourselves in the real estate profession. If we take the traditional, defining characteristics of salespeople, I would say the majority of real estate agents fall into that category. But I would like to define it by the ideal definition which includes:

1. Personable

2. Persuasive

3. Knowledgeable of the product

4. Energetic

5. Optimistic

6. Determined

7. Likable

8. Honest

There are other defining qualities and assets, but this broadly defines a good salesperson.

Then there is a category that falls into what I would call a Tweener. They possess some of the qualities of an ideal salesperson, yet they have only a vague idea of what sales is about. People in this category don’t succeed as well as the ideal salesperson because they misunderstand the role they play, or should play. They don’t have the sales instinct, the creative gift of making a deal, nor do they understand the changing nature of sales. Some do well, but they mostly linger in the middle and change careers after a few years. Their people-skills were used in the wrong profession. The ideal salesperson knows the art of a deal and in the traditional way naturally closes.

I see many traditional, ideal salespeople around Savannah and they have been at it for a while. They, for the most part, have been successful, not wildly successful, but they have become, and are, real estate salespeople.

I will exclude, for the purposes of this post, the high-pressure hucksters. Sadly this is how the profession is often characterized, but in reality the hucksters are relatively few and they fade after an initial rise.

However, lately I have witnessed the formation of a new kind of real estate agent. This agent understands the art of service and the limits of personality. Whereas the ideal salesperson, maintaining an ethical level of honesty, has been, and is, good at assessing the needs of a client and manipulating those needs to a close, the new agent realizes that needs are changing and manipulation (not dishonest manipulating, but the traditional sales dance) is getting harder. The new agent realizes clients are far more savvy today and far less impressed by personality pizzazz.

It was both client and salesperson that accepted and wanted the old traditional game of salesmanship. The client admired a good salesperson, someone who could understand them and magically meet their needs for attention and for what they accepted as a sales relationship.

Now, clients are less needy in the old ways, they are more bottom line and they are impatient with what seems like gimmicks or seduction. Their need is for good information, service, consultation and quick, easy ways to meet these needs. There are also more salespeople they have to go through and it becomes tiresome.

The new agent still requires some of the qualities, maybe all to some degree, but the new agent realizes more is required than personality and aggressiveness, or they are best used moderately and naturally.

We are full bloom in the information age and clients are looking for smart agents who perform more and talk less. The game has changed in that now it's less a game and more a true profession. The new agent learns how to research and process information, to be useful, to be natural and straightforward, to be a time-saver, a go-to guy or gal, a service provider.

The new agent is the future of real estate and works hard to stay at the edge of progress.

Mike from Savannah