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“The industry is short on stock” — talk about the most obvious statement going around currently and from my recent feedback from agents, there are plenty of conversations being had with home owners, but very few are coming on board unless they’re burdened with one of the three D’s (death, debt, and divorce). This is prompting immediate concern from agents and short-term (may I say, “desperate”) actions being taken.
I totally understand those immediate concerns; in fact, I share them to a degree because my auction book is looking a bit lighter than last year. However, this makes it the EXACT time to take our focus away from “right now” and look just a little bit further into the medium term.
Most of the stock coming onto the market now has already been pre-determined, so we MUST focus on what’s to come and set the wheels in motion so that you have plenty to work on at the start of 2023.
Sow seeds now, harvest Later
We could all learn by spending a day with a farmer. The intelligence that they demonstrate when calculating which seeds, how many, and whereabouts they need to be planted is mind-blowing.
A plant doesn’t grow overnight, so why do we attempt it as agents?
Home owners will respond to whoever can offer a semblance of security and familiarity, and if you can put in some solid and consistent brand work now, you’ll find your network will grow within your community, which will put you in the right place for when the market comes to life next year.
To assist, here are some growth hacks that I’d highly recommend that will get you onto more shopping lists as opposed to asking everyone if they want an appraisal.
Building your ‘digital goodwill’
What happens when you get a notification saying that someone commented on one of your posts? I guarantee that you’ll tap that little icon, and not only will you read the comment, but you will also like it, as well as dig a bit deeper into the profile for a look at who they are (and whether they’re a potential client).
You will remember who they are, and at some point, you will feel obliged to reciprocate (hopefully, you see where I’m going with this!).
If you do a search on Facebook for your suburb, a list of posts will come up that have mentioned something to do with that area. Filter them into “most recent” and spend 30 mins per day going down that list, showing some love in the form of an emoji and a relevant comment underneath.
Do that every day on Facebook and Instagram for 30 to 40 minutes a day (at any time of the day), and in 30 days, you will start to see more of an interest in what you have to say. Not only that, but you will also identify potentially useful network contacts based on the level of returned interaction.
Shoot video content from prominent places
Stop doing videos in front of your “Sold” boards! If they’re watching the video, they know you’re an agent and you want to connect with the community in a meaningful way instead of beating your chest.
Think about locations within your area that are easily recognisable, or in front of street signs so that people see something they recognise, which will make them more inclined to listen to you.
Attend public events (and share the fact around)
There are growing numbers of public events as we head towards Christmas. Reach out to organisers in advance and let them know that you’re going to circulate the event around and turn up on the day to show support. Make a point of connecting with organisers on the day and offer to buy them a coffee a week later to see how/if you can help them further down the track.
Be consistent
This is very much a case of “last person standing” when it comes to community attention, so you better make sure that you are showing up on social media (one to two times a day), in comments and across traditional prospecting as much as possible.
Let’s face it; we know that you’ve got spare time right now!
Target hotspots
Home owners need social proof in many cases before they have the courage to get moving, which will make any homes around a sold sign more susceptible to information than any others.
Don’t just provide them with a “we just sold” or “a neighbour near you just sold”, but instead provide them with solid, positive facts about either the sale, the supply-demand imbalance and/or the ease of your process. Let them feel like they can see a path during a time when they really can’t see more than a month ahead right now.
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