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This post was updated Feb. 20, 2024.
Words have power, and the concept of magic words implies that certain words unlock opportunities that we may not have otherwise. These powerful words can lead to insight, a change in attitude or even taking more action.
The following are 11 magic terms that — when asked or applied properly — can help your business grow.
1. Who
The foundation of every successful real estate business starts with identifying who your ideal client might be. Many agents make the mistake of focusing on the wrong questions at the beginning of the process. They ask themselves, “Who are the people I would make the most money selling to or for?”
The correct question to ask is: “Who would benefit the most from my experiences, knowledge and expertise?” In other words, determine who you can serve best. Once you identify who you can serve best, you have the basis for a thriving business. Your newfound self-awareness will lead you to the next steps on how to best serve this group of people.
2. What
Once we’ve identified who our ideal real estate client is, the next step is to find out what their biggest obstacles and pain points are in the buying or selling real estate process.
Here are a few questions to ask to help solidify in your mind the “whats” for your ideal client:
- What questions do they have that I can answer?
- What would be of value to them that I can provide?
- What are they unsure about that I can answer and give them confidence that I can help them buy or sell their home?
Once we understand who our ideal real estate client is and what their biggest pain points are, we are headed in the direction of success.
3. Where
Now that we have identified this ideal client and how we can add value to them, the next question is where do they spend time? Answering this question gives us the ability to position ourselves and our solutions in the best possible place to garner their attention.
The question about where your ideal client is can be broken down into three segments:
- Where does your ideal real estate client live?
- Where does your ideal real estate client spend time?
- Where does your ideal real estate client move to or from?
Understanding where they live gives us the ability to position our marketing to them via direct mail, geofencing on digital platforms, or targeted circle prospecting or door-knocking strategies.
Our ability to identify where they spend time gives us the ability to build social media content for the platforms they use or to join clubs or organizations that our clients frequent.
Lastly, understanding where our ideal client moves to or from provides us with a clue as to the areas where we should build relationships with agents in these markets to build referral networks.
4. When
You can be in the right place (where, which we mentioned above), but if you aren’t there at the right time, your opportunity for success is diminished.
The question about when can also be broken into three segments:
- When does your ideal client buy or sell?
- When is the best time to reach out to your ideal client?
- When is the best time to post attraction marketing content for your ideal client?
Understanding when your ideal client is most likely to have a desire to buy a home or sell their home gives us the ability to ramp up our marketing when they are most likely to act.
Timing is everything when it comes to phone calls. Understanding whether calling in the morning or the evening helps raise your connection percentages and leads to higher conversion rates. Lastly, understanding the best time to post social media content, based on when your ideal clients are online, helps to increase the effectiveness of your marketing.
Many of the questions on “when” mentioned above can be discovered via a simple Google search.
5. Value
Value is a word that shifts the focus from the client to your actions. What is the value you will bring to your ideal client and the market as a whole?
Here are a few questions that might help you identify the value you will bring:
- Will you be the most knowledgeable agent in your market?
- Will you provide the most consistent and desirable information to a geographical farm?
- Will you develop a marketing plan that helps listing clients sell their home faster than other agents, for top dollar and with the least number of hassles?
- Will you go all-in with social media and become the recognized leader in your market?
- Will you provide video content while others continue to resist the need to go digital?
The agent who provides the most value will always have a growing business.
6. Consistency
Consistency is key to success in real estate. Consistency breeds trust, and trust builds conversion. Consistency also breeds relationships, and relationships are the lifeblood of our businesses.
Here are a few areas where focusing on consistency in your business leads to opportunity:
- In your follow-up with prospects and clients.
- Through a monthly or weekly newsletter.
- In your quality content on social media.
- In your availability for your clients.
Consistency compounds your business over time. By focusing on being an agent others know they can depend on, your business can’t help but grow.
7. Growth
If your business is not growing, then your business is dying. Let me go a step further, if you are not personally growing, then your business is dying.
Do you have a systematic plan for growth in your personal life? Do you have a daily schedule that involves improving your health, your skills as an agent, or your knowledge of this business?
Show me someone who is growing, and I will show you a person who is either successful or on the path to success.
8. Feeling
Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you say, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
How do you make people feel? Do they feel happier and more energized when they leave your presence? Do they feel more confident about the buying and selling process after meeting with you?
The way you make them feel will determine whether they do business with you and recommend you to others.
9. It’s my pleasure
“It’s my pleasure” is not just a phrase; it’s a mindset many successful businesses possess. The first two companies I think of that encourage employees to always say “It’s my pleasure” are Chick-fil-A and the Ritz Carlton.
One is a fast-food restaurant and the other is a luxury hotel. Even though they are completely different businesses, with different ideal client demographics, they are both known for incredible customer service. This mentality feeds into every interaction they have with their clients.
Is your business built on an “it’s-my-pleasure” mentality?
10. Thank you
From a young age, we were almost all asked, “What’s the magic word?” The answers were and always will be “please” and “thank you”. It is the same for our businesses. Whether it be simply saying thank you or sending a handwritten thank-you note, when you get the little things right, the big opportunities follow.
11. Wow!
Have you ever seen a great movie and just couldn’t wait to tell someone about it? Have you ever been to a restaurant where you received such great service and the food was so great that you couldn’t wait to tell someone else about it? These are the same “wow” moments we need to create for our clients in real estate.
Service beyond expectation is how we create these “wow” moments in our business. Darren Hardy, the author of The Compound Effect, said it this way, “Find as many opportunities as possible for “WOW” moments, and the speed of your accomplishments will astonish you and everyone else around you.”
If you can provide service to your clients in a way that makes them say wow, your business will grow like wildfire.
Choose your words wisely. They truly do set the course for your journey. Focus on your ideal clients and how you can best serve them. With these principles as your north star, success is inevitable.
Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Growth Officer for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida in Northwest Florida. Connect with him on Facebook or Instagram.
