The Lies We Tell Ourselves

CEO Colleen Barry on Counteracting the Mind’s
Inaccurate Messaging 

Most of us are terrible at writing our own bios. We fumble at
the keyboard, writing and deleting for 30 minutes, eventually
landing on the same blank page where we started. The reason is that
we lie to ourselves.

Each of us has special skills, value systems, and qualities that
make us stand out among our tribe. But, our brains assume that
EVERYONE has those qualities. So, they can’t possibly be
special; if everyone has them, no one would find them
valuable

I’ve found that real estate agents see their efforts for their
clients the same way. I’ve heard…
“Well, everyone helps their clients find a great mortgage
agent.”
“Any agent worth their salt would have let them know that the
neighbor just got $100,000 over the asking price.”
“Anyone would have driven to their unoccupied house in the
middle of a storm to check on the heat.”

Lies. Lies. Lies.

What you do for your clients is well above and beyond what the
typical agent would do. Every day you are helping people find a new
place of refuge from the world, a way to invest their hard-earned
dollars in a solid investment vehicle, and a way to prepare for
their future needs. You help them stay informed. You make a
difference.

But, you might not be great at talking about it.

We need to share with our customers and clients what we do and why
we do it. Don’t take for granted that they know it. Our friend
Thomas Wright from Summit Sotheby’s International Realty does
an excellent job of communicating value with his clients — so
well, in fact, that he rarely needs to defend his commission.
Checklists are a part of that conversation.

Going one step further, our good friend Jack Cotton in Osterville
has an impressive pre-listing brochure that details all of the
research and work he does to prepare for a listing appointment.
This establishes value BEFORE he has even started working with the
customer and sets him apart from the competition.

We can counter your brain’s inaccurate messaging with a few
tasks:

1. In your next few transactions, make a list of the things you do
   for your customer/client — from prior to the listing presentation
   until after they close.
2. Inquire with your colleagues which are your special skills or
   talents.
3. Ask your clients what were the most helpful things you did for
   them during the process. That would be a great time to ask for a
   review.
4. Read your past reviews!

Now that you have a clearer sense of what you do and do
particularly well, it’s time to talk about it. Here are a few
ideas:

1. Use it in your bio
2. Use it in your listing presentation
3. Create checklists for your buyer and seller clients
4. Incorporate brief client raves in your marketing