3 Secrets To Getting Lot's More Professional Real Estate Agent Referrals
If you're one of the home inspectors that believes that working with agents is a bad thing then I would encourage you to stop reading this article and check out this information packed article on how to Go Direct To The Public For Business.
With that said…
Lots of home inspectors want to get referrals for "Professional" real estate agents. When I say professional real estate agents I mean those agents that value what you do for the clients, find you a professional complement to their sales process and they want their clients to know what's going on with the property they are considering purchasing. I'll take business from these professional agents all day long.
Now let's reveal the three secrets you need to know to make this happen.
Secret #1: You Have To Select The Right Real Estate Office To Market
Your strategy should be to become. A big fish in a small pond… Not a small fish in a big pond.
If you're going to spend your resources, of time and money trying to get more business from professional real estate agents then you need to be very selective about the office(s) that you market because you're going to be spending a considerable amount of time in that office cultivating these professional agents.
For instance, I wouldn't want to market an office where I couldn't get past the gatekeeper at the front desk. If you can't get past the front desk in that office you have no opportunity to meet the agents and build relationships.
Also, if the broker in the real estate office is hostile towards home inspectors I would not select that office to market.
Side Note: We were actually marketing a real estate office in our area and they got a new broker. The old broker was a wonderful individual but the new broker had a chip on his shoulder about home inspectors. It wasn't long until we withdrew from that office because we didn't want to deal with this guy's attitude. ;-(
You should also look at how many agents are in the office. If you want to become a big fish in a small pond you need to market fewer offices so that you have more time each week to spend in that office cultivating relationships with professional agents.
Secret #2: If You Want To Catch A Certain Critter Then You Have To Use The Right Bait
Seriously… You wouldn't try to catch a fish using an old tennis shoe for bait would you?
So if you're trying to catch professional real estate agents to refer you, then we have to have the right bait (or message if you will).
Now ask yourself… What's the only message a professional real estate agent wants to hear from a home inspector?
You guessed it: That You Won't Kill Their Deal!
Okay, Hold On. Don't Blow A Gasket, Just Calm Down!
Before you go ballistic… Let's define We Won't Kill Your Deal!
We Won't Kill Your Deal Simply Means This.
1. We will do a thorough inspection, based on the standards of practice, so that the agent doesn't get callbacks from the home buyer about things that were missed.
2. We will deliver our inspection findings in a neutral non-scary manner.
Here's the real skinny.
As you know, in many cases whether a real state transaction moves forward or not depends on how the home inspector conveys his inspection findings.
Letting these professional agents know that you are not a deal killer is the key to getting more agents to refer you. Again, the house is the house but you don't have to be a scary inspector.
Secret #3: Turn Your Professional Real Estate Agent Acquaintances Into Friends
Is the three home inspector names on the ole "approved vendor list" kill your sales? Of course it is, here's why.
The approved vendor list has really turned home inspections into a commodity. In other words, many home buyers think that all three of the inspectors on the real estate agents list are equal good, otherwise the real estate agent wouldn't have them on the list, right? But you and I know that's the furthest thing from the truth. However, because the home buyer perceives that all of the inspectors on the list are equally good, the deal then turns on price in their mind.
Now, for the most part the real estate agents don't have a clue that this is happening. They have three names on the list because their broker told them to put three inspectors on it.
With that said, if you have turned your professional real estate agent acquaintances into friends you can have a discussion about this with them. You can share with them the unintended consequences of the approved vendor list. Then you can ask for them to give you a true referral instead of just handing out the list.
The true referral goes like this…
We have three names on this approved list of home inspectors and you're free to pick anyone you want. However, if I was getting a home inspection I would use (your company name) because they've done lots of home inspections for my clients in the past and the clients were very satisfied with their skill and professionalism.
Or this.
Here's our approved list of home inspectors to do your inspection. Please know that I have them listed in order for reason.
When agents gives you a true referral the client calls you to see how quickly they can get on your schedule and price becomes secondary issue.
If you haven't turned your real estate agent acquaintances into friends that type of discussion isn't going to be possible.
You build long-lasting relationships with professional real estate agents just like you would with anyone else.
- Professional real estate agents are small business owners just like you.
- Professional real estate agents need non-scary home inspectors on their team.
- Professional real estate agents are looking for home inspectors that are a complement to their sales process not a hindrance.