What Makes A Good, Trustworthy Agent?

Bouncing off a conversation at FBS and my post yesterday, I'd like to explore what makes a good agent. We all know what makes a bad agent -- just read Zillow discussions for about a week and you'll discover everything you ever needed to know about bad agents, and more. It's been a sport the last few years to trash RE agents, a sport in which I've particpated. So, ok, a lot of it's true -- now what?

What makes a good agent? Anyone who wants to add to this in comments is welcomed, because I'm sure I'll leave out some important aspects of competence and trustworthiness.

I'll pretend I've been given the task of developing criteria for a site that wants to help the public decide between experienced agents who achieve results and inexperienced agents who don't (this will be part humorous, part serious).

Dear Agent, please complete the following criteria test so that we can determine if you will be accepted into our
Best Damn Agents In The Country Program.

How many years have you been working full time in real estate?

How many closed transactions have you had in the past 2 years?

Listing sides?

Buyng sides?

Both?

Do you have a parttime job outside real estate?

Answer this multiple choice question: A blog is....

A. A Web Log
B. A muddy spot in the back yard
C. Coldwell Banker's policy and procedures

How many online transactions have you closed in the last two years?

How may buyer and seller prospects do you have in your database?

Write an essay no less than 300 words describing your marketing plan.

Write an essay no less than 200 words describing buyer representation.

Write an essay no less than 100 words describing your best gimmicks to sell a home

Have you ever completely read a book?

Do you have a website?

How many people visit your website daily?

How many monthly leads do you get from your website?

The correct ways to follow up on a lead are:
A. Call them 5 times a week
B. Send them daily drips about proper linen selection and gardening tips
C. Email them and offer services - call if you have permission 

How many agencies have you worked with since being in real estate?

HTML stands for -- How To Move Listings       True or False

SEO is:

A. a fuel efficient car used by frugal agents 
B. Standard Exceptions Overview (related to agency disagreements)
C. A discount brokerage started in San Francisco
D. None of the above.

Give ten good reasons why we should accept you:

Add more if you like. The point is that there is criteria to begin separating good from less than good, or plain old bad. Whether this is useful or not, I'll leave open. But playing what-if, what-if a site set out to accomplish a recommendation list, what's the best way to determine good? I believe most of us could come up with a system that could detect quality. It most likely would develop into something more complex, and less humorous than mine, no doubt, but it can be done.

How Embarrassing!

I finally got around to my periodic check of my business website, to make sure nothing has gone awry with my links and to see if it needs tweaking. What I found was about five links that were going to the wrong destinations. How did this happen? I allowed an assistant to help with input and she didn't check what she'd done and I didn't check what she'd done, until now. While I've been lecturing, my fly has been open.

I blame myself. My bad. Another lesson to add on top of what I already knew - check, check and recheck. Now, for two weeks, people have been coming to my site only to get confused by wacky links.

So, today I'll be getting out my finetooth comb. I've given myself a verbal warning -- the next will be a written warning.

Arrogance vs Confidence

The company or individual that doesn't understand competition and the power of imagination is already slipping into obscurity. Power in a competitive world is double-edged, one edge used by those on the throne, the other edge being sharpened by an idea that time adores. Who is so ignorant as to proclaim the end rests in this position? Every Google came from nowhere, or so it seems. Competition comes from the blind side, the side of arrogance.

Confidence is another story and no man or woman should see the need for constant bowing before power, nor do any in power need to cower in gratitude to avoid the unseemly posture of confidence. If one is good, then confidence is a natural reaction and state of mind, but....

But, realization of what supports power is critical to sustaining power -- once a person or company thinks powers derives from an intrinsic source that transcends all other sources and is not granted by those who can take it away, it's over. But if the realization that power exists only through the satisfaction of those who bestow power, then a person or company can ride success for a long, profitable journey.

In the service industry, power derives from consumers finding greater value in your service than in your competitors - the danger is once you rise to a successful position the temptation is to think it's a permanent state, and then you are vulnerable to the corruption of power. Confidence tells a wise man or woman that whatever it takes, I've got it, but to keep it I must diligently satisfy the consumers ever-changing needs; Arrogance tells a foolish man or woman that they created power out of nothing and consumers are under their control.

Every day a small competitor is thinking of new ways to deliver something unique - if you aren't thinking right along with them, and if you think you have it locked because the gods of commerce have smiled and favored you, then you might as well buckle up for a bumpy downhill ride. Confidence is a gift we give ourselves for staying in touch, honoring the achievement of excellence; arrogance is spitting in the eyes of consumers and suggesting they like it.

Trust and Real Estate: Oxymoron?

     (photo is courtesy of pinpics)

With all the stories about RE agents being trusted less than axe murderers it goes without saying that any new approach to RE sales has to entail trust-building, but I’m going to say it anyway. The good news is that we have more tools than ever to begin building trust – the blog being one of the most effective tools. But just having a blog doesn’t ensure trust – voice is paramount. To make my point, I’ll draw some parallels with voice in poetry.

The Free Dictionary gives us this definition:

voice

In poetry, the speaking persona or personality of a poem produced by the stylistic choices of the poet. Voice is related to tone and mood in a poem, in that they are all determined by diction or word choice, syntax, line length, and other elements contributing to the poem's overall feeling. However, voice is considered more personal and, therefore, more unique. While any poet can use a tone that is angry or write a poem that is melancholic in mood, all poets strive to create their own individual voices. The pertinent part is the last sentence. Being a part of an online writers’ group, some of which write poetry, the difference between a novice pretending to be poetic and someone who has found their voice is the difference between trusting the poet and rolling your eyes. I’m not saying everyone who writes a blog must be a Wallace Stevens, but being real and having that come to life in words is part skill and part self-actualization, or, if you will, a humble confidence. Skill, oddly, is the easiest part, because, in blog writing, skill doesn’t need to be literature-worthy, just mostly mistake free and understandable. The self-actualization is another story that has to do with a person’s maturity and self-knowledge. Armed with certain facts about yourself and life and being a reasonable, thoughtful person goes a long way toward developing a voice that people trust, because it’s real. Being real is not something that can be simulated by attempting to develop an “authentic” persona for sales – if you aren’t real it will show, like a bad hairpiece. Over and over I see in sales, advertising and marketing, people attempting to “appear” real and it’s pathetic. Nothing will turn discerning, intelligent consumers off like fake sincerity or pretentious compassion. The more truly honest you are with yourself and others, the better the writing, because you choose words more carefully with intellectual honesty in mind. Some writers are genius at turning phrases and finding the most perfect words, but a good, honest person writing with a modicum of skill can instill trust in the reader. And, it doesn’t need to be a True Confessions style, just straightforward and honest, hopefully interesting. As a matter of fact, although a glimpse into the raw person every so often is enriching, the writer spewing their innards all over the page is actually crying “Look at me! I’m deep, emotional and flawed! I’m soooooo human!” To me, that’s inauthentic and staged. Another thing is that writing to appear “hip” can’t be staged, either. A person is hip or is not hip, and all the MTV flash and gyration in the world will not make hip if the writing is like Peewee Herman on a motorcycle (you can tell I’m not hip, because I use the word “hip”). “Hip” is something few possess but many crave. It’s best to know your limitations and come across as authentic. It certainly doesn’t hurt to show you are in touch with the new edge of the world, if you are, but the language of hip comes naturally and any insincere substitute stands out like a nun at a strip joint (why a nun would be at a strip joint is another story). Plus, what people get wrong is trying to guess what hip is and imitate it, when being natural is already there. Keeping with the poet analogy, it’s like someone wearing a beret, sunglasses and a scarf, posing as deep and profound, yet writing like a sophomore who just lost his girlfriend. Individuation seems to be the key – not separating yourself by gimmick, but by being who you are and allowing your voice to express that. It’s simple but difficult to do for many. Most people like to imitate because they don’t have the confidence to allow their own style to develop. It might be one reason RE agents are caricatured, because so many agents have in mind the idea of “agent” then try to fit that role. Consumers will trust when agents are real. Honest voices will reach consumers and little by little perceptions change. Word choice comes more easily when you are relaxed and not worried about manipulation or imitating a style. Inauthentic personas are the bane of the internet, something that hopefully will not infect RE blog writing. I’ll be writing about trust for awhile because I think it’s an important topic in RE, but it starts with being trustworthy.

Funky Styles

I'm into architecture and styles -- the amazing thing about Savannah is all the stylistic diversity, from new to very old. this looks Egyptian: