Coaching Corner: Coaching your buyers to clarity
By "Coach" Marilou Butcher Roth
As REALTORS, at one time or another, we have all either heard or said the phrase that “buyers are liars.†We all laugh and commiserate with each other, feeling the pain that occurs when your buyers tell you what they want and then buy something totally different. The reality of this situation is different, however, than what it appears.
Our role, as professional REALTORS, is to assist our clients with making their own best decisions. This is the same with a professional coach. As a coach, I assist my clients with finding their own best answers. So, put on your coach's hat, and let's get to it.
When you merely take your buyer's order -- i.e., 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, etc. -- you run the risk of showing many, many houses that may fit the bill on paper but continue to meet a “no†with your clients. If, however, you ask quality questions about their wants and needs, you may find some greater insights that even they may not have realized.
Listening to them with open curiosity will lead you to questions that help both them and you get more clear about how to proceed in this so important house search. Questions such as “how do you see yourself using that space?†or “what is important to you about this location,†might bring answers that were not touched on initially.
Remember, this is THEIR agenda, their house, their money -- and, how cool is it that we have the honor to assist them in such an amazing adventure!
Happy coaching!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
