Tricking and manipulating does work...

This is another one of those posts that requires a ‘heads-up.’ 

I was at an industry event this week - and while there were some great takeaways, mostly I was completely riled up listening to some folks on the stage persuade, pitch, and sell. It was a lot of “Exactly what to say to keep tricking, manipulating and convincing people to do business with you.” 

I wanted to say to these folks, “How much do you like being tricked - sorry, persuaded, manipulated, or convinced to do something?”

“Oh, but I am doing something to help them,” is the reply. These folks say that they are doing what’s best for their customers. Really? How the heck (not the word I had in mind) do YOU know what is best for someone else? Because you used some “special” magic words to try and trick them into saying things you want them to say? 

The reason this baloney sells: lying to people who want to be lied to. What people? Real estate salespeople. The event I was at was mostly not real estate agents, but it could have been. Agents want magic. Agents need magic. Agents want and need shortcuts to success. ‘Please just tell me the thing to say to convert everyone I talk to into a paying client.’ Bam! I am successful now. Look at me, I am a rock star. Let me go on social media and tell everyone how amazing I am. Let me show off how proficient and productive I am. I can work a few hours a day, say some special, potent-inducing words, and voila - I am a total hero!

You know what doesn’t sell? The truth.

“The truth is like poetry, and most people fucking hate poetry.”

I have never been more present to that than this week. Watching people gravitate to shortcuts, hacks, “new” techniques, and “breakthrough” technologies that are going to change everything.

You know what stays the same?

Human beings (and salespeople specifically) who do everything they can to avoid doing the things that will absolutely make the most difference. 

Look at health and vitality. Why are so few people vitally alive? Like, at their ideal weight, with optimum flexibility, mobility, and strength? Because it’s f$&^ing hard! Too easy to skip the workout. Too easy to not have a workout plan. Too easy to eat the ready-made meal served at your favorite drive-through, with the right amount of salt, sugar, and other processing to taste delicious but do absolutely no good for your body’s optimum health. Don’t even get me started on working out - which I personally hate but do it anyway.

In twenty years of real estate sales, I am astounded that absolutely nothing has changed. The pitch of the shortcut - sorry, the shortcut itself changes, but the pitch is always the same.

“Now, finally, you can achieve all the sales you ever dreamed of by using ___________ . Convert more, get more, outpace your competition, crush your goals, achieve your dreams, you can have it all now that you buy and use [fill in the blank of the shortcut].“

Over my real estate career the ‘blank’ can get filled in with: postcards, Craigslist ads, Google ads, Facebook ads, websites, Zillow leads, QR codes, landing pages, funnels, video, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, email campaigns, social media campaigns, and now...AI. 

How about: BE F*&#ING GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO AND DEMONSTRATE THAT TO YOUR CLIENTS!

Oh wait, that requires effort and patience. F$&k those things! Who wants to deal with work and rejection, and learn how to deal with adversity? ‘Just tell me what to do and say that has me avoid those things and I will hand over the rest of the money in my bank account.’

Sure, some of these tricks “work” for a few people. They work for a while. Then they don’t. Do you know what has always worked? Work. Concentrated effort. Doing the right things consistently over time. And no one wants to do those things, and most people will consistently NOT do those things.

I met a new friend at this event, and it turned out we were flying back a little early on the same flight. So we shared a ride to the airport and were hanging out waiting for our flight and he shared some stuff he was doing on social media. He said, “I did two loans from these posts.” 

“Cool,” I said. 

“How many loans did you do last year?” He said over forty.

Where did those customers come from? His database and realtor referral partners. 

Exactly.

Who cares about the two from social media, and all the time he spent responding to deadbeat inquires from those?

Back to my point of doing the work. If you want to succeed, no matter what the technology or next new thing is, be willing to do THE WORK that matters. 

What is the work that matters? I don’t know! I mean that’s not true. I know what work matters in real estate. Competence and relationships. Are you good at what you do, and can you relate to other human beings in a way that is effective? Effective? Effective does NOT mean trickery. It does not mean being good at convincing. When I say effective, I am referring to producing an intended or expected result; producing a deep or vivid impression. What result? NOT YOUR RESULT! The result for the person you are dealing with!

Can your clients and the people in your database know with absolute certainty that you are the best person for the job should they have a real estate need or question? Do they believe you are always doing what is best for them? Can they tell in the way you interact with them that both of those things are true?

I am still sticking with the tried and true: being great, doing great, with and for other humans...works.