We're really getting to know and love the supplier partners we're working with. Today we are recording a webinar with Charlotte Jeffrey-Campbell from The Able Agent as part of our kerfuffle kampus series. Charlotte is an experienced estate agent and inspiring estate agency trainer.
The following blog post was written by Charlotte. It reflects on her life experiences and how she now uses those experiences to help agents develop better sales skills.
I’m a 'sales skills trainer'
But lockdown, coronavirus and life, in general, has made me reassess whether this is an accurate reflection of my job role.
13 years ago, I found out my husband at the time had been having a long-term affair and had fathered a child with another woman. I became a single parent to a 3 year old and a 6 month old. I’m happily remarried now (7 years together!) to a man who tragically lost his first wife to a sudden brain haemorrhage which left him with 3 small daughters under 8.
Life has occasionally been rubbish and I have needed advice from experts - solicitors, estate agents, and financial advisers.
Why would I tell you this?
Over the years, life changes us, and our ability to empathise grows and develops. As a young negotiator I wouldn’t have thought twice about booking a market appraisal and writing “divorce “ in the notes OR “ deceased estate” OR financial difficulties.
I don’t think I would have given the human element to these words a second thought. I had targets to reach and listings to sign up. Having been through difficulties in life, I understand far better the impact life has on us as individuals and how trust with someone you need advice from can make a real difference during tricky times.
The ability to empathise and to be human is and always has been the best way to persuade and advise and therefore ultimately sell. So, whilst we are living in such uncertain times there are hard facts for us to consider as estate and lettings agents.
There will be more deaths, more divorces and more people struggling financially and as sad as this is, this creates more opportunities for estate and lettings agents. Pick up the phone, ask good open questions, follow the training you are given, offer help and support but never forget that this is someone’s life and not just their property.
Look at your database, if your file notes just state deceased/ divorce/ financial difficulties, how well have you considered the human element of these problems and how they impact people’s lives.
Being able to support and advise as an expert and having a curiosity to find out as much as possible to be able to help, in these uncertain and tricky times, will make you far better placed to be the agent of choice in the future.
So I don’t think I am a “sales skills” trainer anymore but more accurately an “empathy and curiosity” trainer.
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