7 Phrases to Avoid with Clients

Change your words and you’ll change your results. Here’s a list of weak phrases to stay away from, along with more powerful alternatives.

BY HOWARD BRINTON

Words are powerful things. When speaking with prospects, clients, and colleagues, your choice of words and phrases shapes their perception of you; it tells them if you're can get the job done effectively and responsibly.

However, many people don’t realize they have a habit of using weak phrases that undermine their professional image. Some of these phrases are: “I should,” “I want,” “I need,” “I have to,” and “I don’t know.”

These phrases imply that you’re giving up control and accountability and are placing it on someone or something else. Consider using these more powerful phrases instead: “I am,” “I choose to,” “I can,” “I will find out,” and “I’ll create.” A subtle change in word choice puts you back in control and allows you to regain ownership of the outcome.

The next time you’re talking to a client, pause for a moment to listen to the language you’re using — are you subconsciously putting a negative spin on the situation and giving them a reason to doubt you? Or are you demonstrating that you can get the job done professionally and effectively?

Here are seven phrases that that can negatively affect the outcome of your conversations, along with some better alternatives. By paying close attention to the words you choose, you're taking control of your relationship with clients.

Phrase 1: “Here’s the Problem”

Your clients don’t want to hear about a problem associated with selling or buying their home; they’d rather know what you’re going to do to solve it. Instead, use words like challenge or opportunity. These words imply action, as in “Here’s our challenge — we need to fix up this house on a small budget! Let’s talk about where to start.”

Phrase 2: “I’ll Try”

This phrase is laden with doubt. It gives the impression that you’ve already concluded that you will not be able to help them. Instead, consider using I will. If you aren’t positive that you can deliver on the promise, explain what you’lldo to achieve the goal. Then provide a few paths you will take as an alternative approach, if necessary.

Phrase 3: “But”

This word is often an “I can’t” in disguise. For instance: “We’ll market your property at this price but I can’t guarantee it will sell.” Instead, use the word and, as in “I will market your property at this price for four weeks and if we don’t receive any offers, I’m going to ask you for a price adjustment.”

Phrase 4: “You Should”

This phrase kills marriages as well as sales. Down deep, you may want to say, “You should paint the exterior and remove all of these dead shrubs,” but instead consider ways to rephrase it so that you're creating a sense of empowerment. This is a better way to phrase it: “If we paint the exterior of the house and work a bit on the landscaping, we'll be in a better position to increase the asking price.”

Phrase 5: “You Have To”

As in, “You have to list at this price if you want to get any activity." Phrases such as this one often make people mad simply because it takes away their sense of control. Instead, say “You can position this property anywhere in the market that fits your needs, remembering that homes sell faster at one price compared with another.”

Phrase 6: “It’s Not My Fault”

This phrase is a quiet killer. Odds are good that you don’t say it out loud to your clients, but even when you think it they can hear you. If something goes wrong, forget whose fault it is. Instead, focus on a solution by affirming “I am in complete control of the outcome and responsible for what I do next.”

Phrase 7: “No Problem”

Sounds harmless, right? Not so fast. I’ve always believed that you should never answer someone’s request with “no problem.” It implies that the request could have been a problem, or that it was almost a problem. Indirectly, the phrase can evoke negative emotions, whether you meant it or not. Instead, try answering with a simple It’s my pleasure.

Expired listings a goldmine for agents

Why do listings expire? Normally it's because they are overpriced. You may be reluctant to confront these sometimes-unrealistic sellers, but learning to prospect expired listings can keep your income strong for years to come.

Even as the Web continues to grow in importance, focusing on the basics is still the name of the game. The term "right now" business refers to expired listings, for-sale-by-owners, referrals, and tenants in occupied listings. Each of these represents the best type of real estate lead -- the person who needs to buy or sell a piece of property now. In contrast, Web leads take six to 18 months to incubate. While Web leads purchase faster once they decide to take action, incubating them can often be difficult. Even though traditional leads interview more agents and/or look at more houses, they lack the long incubation period that Web leads require.

Because the sellers are often angry that their property hasn't sold, many agents are unwilling to approach a seller who may be confrontational. Others are afraid to compete with multiple agents who regularly prospect recently expired listings. Many also do not know what to say when the seller complains:

Where were you when I was listed with XYZ real estate? No one showed my property and now every broker in town is calling on me.

The answer is,

I focus on selling my listings. If you were listed with me, you would want me to focus on selling your listing rather than a competitor's listing, wouldn't you agree?

To effectively prospect expired listings, here are the steps that you need to take before you contact the owner.

First, you must be prepared to deal with an angry seller. The best strategy for coping with angry owners is to help them understand why their listing did not sell. A great way to do this is with the following script:

One of the reasons that listings expire is because they did not receive adequate exposure on the Web. If you were to place your property on the market again, would having it marketed on more than 20 different Web sites be a service you would want?

This script does a number of things. First, this script offers a service and then asks whether the seller would like the service. This is quite different from using manipulation or telling the seller how good you are. In fact, the most effective closes work with an offer of service followed by a question. Second, this approach provides an explanation for why the property did not sell -- it didn't have enough exposure on the Web. Third, you eliminate virtually all competitors because very few agents have figured out how to achieve this level of Web exposure. Instead, they send out an expired-listing package or offer to provide a competitive market analysis (CMA) as their primary means of motivating the seller to contact them.

You must also be prepared to address pricing issues. If the seller is overpriced, use the amount of inventory on the market to motivate the seller to be realistic. For example, if you are in a market where there is 10 months of inventory, this means that only 10 percent of the inventory sells each month (100 percent of the inventory divided by the total months of inventory = the percentage of inventory that sells each month.) Here's how to present this to the seller:

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, there is currently 10 months of inventory on the market. This means that if no new listings come on the market, it will take 10 months for the existing inventory to sell. In other words, in any given month, the probability that your listing will sell is 10 percent. The probability that your property will still be listed next month is 90 percent. Consequently, you have an important decision to make. Will you price your property in the top 10 percent of listings that will sell next month or will you price it in the 90 percent that will still be listed next month?

This is an extraordinarily powerful script that I have used since the 1980s. Most sellers understand that the market may be slowing. When they realize, however, that they must be priced in the top 10 percent based upon their condition and the amenities that their property offers, they normally will decide to be more realistic about their price. This script works not only with expired listings but on all listing appointments. It is also a powerful approach for getting price reductions.

You now have a way to approach expired listings, a powerful offer of service, and a simple pricing script. Master these and you are prepared to go on an expired listing appointment. The next step is to locate expired listings and make the actual appointment.

How the downturn impacts the economy, consumer confidence and future pricing

Real estate markets have slowed without question and the effects of the slowdown are now being felt by brokers and agents who are struggling through tougher negotiations and buyers and sellers who are aware of changing times.

Concern among economists and federal officials has been whether the housing slump will be drastic enough to pull the economy into recession. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke fields this question nearly every time he gives a public speech.

Housing slowdowns also have the potential to muck up property appraisals, since changing market conditions can create difficulty in relying on recent comparable prices.

Among consumers, the slowdown has shaken up expectations and attitudes toward home buying, causing buyers and sellers to worry about future price decreases.