Making This Simple Mistake As A
Real Estate Investor May Cost You The Deal
By Sean Flanagan
The author has permitted the reprinting and redistribution of this
article.
Caution Making This Simple Mistake As a Real Estate Investor May Cost
You the Deal
When you meet with a prospect on a potential real estate transaction,
the way you dress will speak volumes about you. Just as certain clothes
in Florida tend to scream, “Tourist!”, what you
wear will have direct bearing over whether you’re shaking
hands at the end of your conversation with a seller as the new owner of
a property or as somebody who’s walking away empty-handed. By
dressing like your prospect as a real estate investor, you can forge a
bond that will very subtly send the message that you and the seller
have something in common.
Real estate investors shouldn’t overdress when they meet with
a seller because they will send a message – but it will be
the wrong one. If you’re wearing a suit and your prospect is
wearing a faded Bud Light t-shirt, a pair of cut-off jeans, and a pair
of sandals, your prospect is going to have trouble identifying with you
or relating to you. To him (or her) you’ll be pointing out
the glaringly obvious fact that you’re different.
At the same time, if a real estate investor meets with a seller who is
dressed much better than he is, a different – and just as
damaging problem – crops up. The real estate investor looks
unprofessional. If the prospect thinks you’re unprofessional,
any chance you might have had of doing business has gone out the window.
Why is being different such a bad thing
Look at it this way. If you look too different your prospect might
decide you think you’re better than they are. Looking
radically different than your prospect could cause your prospect to
look more carefully at you and get the wheels in their head turning
about whether you might be trying to pull a fast one on them. To them,
a real life real estate investor is an oddity. You could very well be
the first real estate investor they’ve ever seen in their
lives. People tend to reject that which they don’t understand.
The second half of that equation is that people tend to reject those
with whom they can’t relate. So whether you’re
dressed too well or you look like a hobo who just hopped off a train,
the way you look is vitally important.
If you can possibly find out before you meet with your prospect how
they’re likely to be dressed, it will make it easier to
mirror the way they’re dressed. This isn’t an exact
science, so don’t lose sleep over it or call the FBI to try
to get answers. Unless you know ahead of time how your prospect will be
dressed, it's always best to show up in business casual attire. This
will cover you no matter what. If they’re dressed in a suit
you’ll still be in the ballpark because many people who wear
a suit to work still find business casual to be acceptable.
The main point here is that you're trying to establish a psychological
bond with your prospect. By being dressed as much like your prospect as
possible sends a subliminal message to them that you're alike. If you
look at your own circle of influence -- your friends, colleagues, and
people you hang around with -- most tend to look much like you. Our
friends talk like we do, think like we do, and dress like we do.
By the same token, we tend to be distrustful and distant with people we
don't resemble or have anything in common. A critical component in
putting together a real estate transaction is building a bond. While
not impossible, it is considerably more difficult to build bond with
someone we feel is completely different than we are.
For that reason, it's also important to figure out what some of the
seller's likes and dislikes are while making small talk during the
warm-up period heading into your sales pitch. There's nothing wrong
with opening your mouth and talking, but don't forget why you're there.
By keeping the conversation focused on your prospect, you can learn
more about them by simply sitting back and listening for 10 minutes
than you could during an hour of intensive grilling.
The way you dress will build a bond, a bond can build a friendship, and
a friendship can close the deal. I'm not necessarily saying you should
try to plant the seeds of a lifelong friendship, exchange pictures of
your kids, or plan vacations together, but by mirroring the dress of
your prospects and being mindful of the psychological reasons that we
are the way we are, you can better prepare your prospect to at least
consider your offer – if for no other reason than because
they like you.
People like to do business with those that they like. The way you dress
could set the stage for a lucrative real estate deal. Don't blow it by
misunderstanding the importance of being as much like your prospect as
possible. Dress like they do, act like they do, be a friend, and close
more deals.
Sean Flanagan went from dead broke, to a self made real estate
multimillionaire in under 2 years time. He now shares his secrets with
thousands of students across the country. httpwww.YuckyHouseSecrets.com
also Visit his Blog httpwww.yuckyhouseleads.comblog
If
you would like to take advantage of the market and learn how to invest
in real estate and you are local to the Dallas Fort Worth area, I know
a really great teacher and mentor here in Arlington Texas. Please take
a look at his web site: DennisJHenson.com,
Dennis has a great Mentoring and training program, I know because I am
one of his former students. I learned a lot from his one on one
teaching technique. - Michael Harman 817-457-7572
mchfun.business@gmail.com
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