SANTO DOMINGO – Veteran real estate agent Reyna Echenique says that when a potential client doesn't raise questions about a property during the buying process, she uses the tactic of provoking objections. Her interpretation: if they don't object, they won't buy.
“If you don’t want objections, you don’t want to sell. A sale that comes to you without objections could fail in a short time. Those objections give greater clarity to your client and to you. Provoke the client to guide them towards a successful sale,” explained the real estate law specialist during her presentation at the “Master Real Estate Agent” course held this past weekend.
Objections are questions and fears that the customer expresses in a clear and transparent way, about the price, about needing to think about it more, about not being sure about the location, Echenique explained.
He called on real estate agents to persuade the client through objections, and to be prepared to answer them with absolute clarity: "If I am not prepared, neither is my client.".
For Reyna Echenique, follow-up is the key tool for closing deals. “We’re going to segment the list of potential clients, designing a proactive follow-up that fosters relationships,” she advised the more than 80 participants in the training session.
Reyna Echenique/External Source.
He suggested segmenting customers based on their expressed needs: by nationality, by category, and by "hot," "cold," and "warm" customer segments. "Use CRM tools and personalized digital marketing to better guide and assist them.".
The expert said there is a big difference between knowing about the customer and truly understanding them. “When we receive a call or a message, there are things we need to know: demographics, where they are writing from—Europeans don't think the same way as Americans, each nationality has its own way of doing things and a different experience, which is why it's important to know their background.”.
He added: “Another important piece of information is their occupation, their financial background, how they plan to pay, their financial capacity, why they want to buy, and whether they are prepared to make the purchase. That's where the real estate agent's interview begins, to understand why they prefer to buy in the Dominican Republic, or in the case of Dominican nationals, why they are drawn to that particular location, and what they will use the property for.”.
Furthermore, according to Echenique, the real estate agent should ask the client if it's their first investment, where they've invested before, what they know about the country, their hobbies, and whether they have children. "Details that will allow us to get to know the client better. We can't persuade the client if we don't know the product, and our first product is both us and them," he explained.
He added that another interesting approach is using guiding questions to understand the client's motivations, why they want to invest, and what their interests are, in order to determine which property to offer them. "We work with people to help them improve their quality of life, and through that, improve our own.".
He explained that when the client's needs are known, a good relationship can be established with them.
He emphasized the importance of conveying trust and how to strengthen it. “Customers don’t do business with people they don’t trust,” he commented.
He spoke about effective communication, which in his opinion is clear, open, and transparent. He recommended that real estate agents keep their promises. "If you promised a client a call, schedule it.".
Real estate agents must adopt the active listening model. “True success isn't about collecting the commission; that part of active listening is listening without interrupting, with the mind and heart focused on the client's needs, to understand them and be able to help them.”.
“If I don’t listen, I don’t know how I’m going to help them; if I don’t listen, I don’t know how I’m going to serve them. Involving the client in the conversation and guiding them toward emotions is key; most clients spend more time looking at properties than preparing to buy them.”.
