Grab a Shovel
There’s an old cliché that says “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.” I think it can be attributed to the business author and motivational speaker Harvey Mackay. Or perhaps it’s the proverb that says “When you’re dying of thirst, it’s too late to think about digging a well”
If I was paraphrasing those sentiments, they might be another way of saying “build relationships before you need them, solve problems, before they become bigger problems, and have fun instead of being miserable”….or something like that.
Getting Ahead of the Game
I met today with some new clients. They were referred to me by clients I helped last year. It’s always wonderful when you have a chance to get personal referrals, so when I originally called the husband back, I was excited to understand their urgency and motivations for buying. The motivations were easy; they have their first baby on the way. The urgency was the opposite of what you might think; they aren’t planning to purchase anything until next year. That’s almost 9 months away! Because they are in a lease until early next year, they wanted to make sure they were doing everything in the order they should be doing it…without feeling the pressure. Perhaps they could write a sequel to the famous pregnancy book and call it “What to Expect When You’re Expecting…to Buy a House“?
Now, many people might question why I would hold our first Buyer Counseling Session some nine or ten months before they are actually ready to buy. Sure, the current market conditions might be drastically different come next year. Interest rates could be higher, inventory demands might be more stabilized, and their wants and needs will possibly change once a new baby arrives. It’s safe to say that no home on the market today will still be available in 10 months…and if it was, there just might be something wrong with it.
The reasons why you should get the conversation started now instead of later are as follows;
- It’s never too early to start building a relationship.
- Building rapport before the process starts isn’t always guaranteed to make the process easier, but it could certainly increase the chances of having some fun along the way.
- You can’t exceed client’s expectations until you know what their expectations are. Anytime you can anticipate questions or concerns ahead of time, you can be ready to have the answers, solutions, or information needed available.
- Everyone can feel comfortable with the process and questions can be answered along the way, helping everyone make the best decisions at the moment.
- Trust is earned over time. Remember the “Three C’s of Trust” – Competence, Confidence, and Consistency can be seen in every action and conversation moving forward.
- We can begin to eliminate areas of town and specific housing styles that won’t meet their criteria so we aren’t wasting their precious time looking at the “wrong” properties.
- Timeframes may suddenly change so it’s better to have a good understanding of the process in case we need to accelerate our search, qualification timing, or expected closing target dates.
- Babies change everything. One of the greatest moments in life comes the day you become a parent. It’s also the exact moment when everything changes. This means that I won’t be surprised if their townhome today might not be enough space when the baby comes home.
- They might meet other people between now and the beginning of our search that could benefit from my assistance. Who would turn down a referral opportunity from pre-clients, let alone past clients?
So what are you waiting for? Those friends of the family that aren’t quite ready? Call them up and start the process. That guy at your spouse’s work who wants to do something later in the year? Schedule an appointment and have a conversation. That internet inquiry in your Inbox from last week that seemed like it wasn’t going anywhere? They could be your first closing of the new year.
If you’re feeling a little itch in the back of your throat, it could just be a little thirst coming on.
Distribution Note from Sean – To my regular subscribers, I am not sure what has been causing the delay in delivery of my “Monday Morning Match” coming to your Inbox on Mondays and my #ThirtyForThursday posts arriving on Fridays. I have checked the settings and everything seems to be the same. I’m going to try something a little different on this post so I’m not sure what to expect.
Either way, I am humbled and honored that you are a subscriber. It means a lot to me to know there are people out there who read my messages each week.