Cleveland Real Estate And More

Letters Mean Nothing, You Need To SPELL It Out

 

 

 

Many of us have designations we have earned, as indicated by letters next to our names. They are a great thing to have, but the problem is that besides people in our industry, no one knows what the heck they mean.

Does anyone besides a real estate agent know what an ABR is? How about a CRS, or GRI? That's why we should all go out of our way and spell things out whenever possible. And for those of you who want to learn more about the benefits of earning a designation, I wrote a post a few years ago that should be helpful.

 

WHICH IS BETTER?

Dan Schuman, AHLS     or   Dan Schuman, Accredited Luxury Home Specialist 

Dan Schuman, E-Pro     or   Dan Schuman, E-Pro - Certified Internet Professional

Amy Schuman, ASP      or    Amy Schuman, Accredited Staging Professional

 

Think about it, these letters mean nothing unless the person reading understands their significance. When used properly, they can be an effective way to promote yourself and can be put in a ton of places, such as:

 

1. Our personal email signature

2. AR Signature / footer at bottom of the post

3. Signature when listings are sent to clients from our local MLS

4. Website

5. Business cards

Basically, wherever your name appears, you have an opportunity to highlight your designation.

 

In addition to spelling things out, many designations offer their own logo as well. Consider getting a copy and using it, especially in places where you have a lot of space, like on your website.

 

Showcasing our specializations is a good thing. It shows our commitment to education and may also be important to a consumer who is searching for an agent with a specific niche. We worked hard to earn our designations, so there's no reason to be shy about advertising them.

Overall, agents are great marketers, but when it comes to promoting ourselves we sometimes miss the boat.  If you want people to know about your area of specialty and differentiate yourself from your competition at the same time, all you have to do is spell it out.

 

If you liked this post, please subscribe to our blog. We always appreciate having new readers and more importantly, enjoy making new friends.

Also, if you think your readers would enjoy this article, please feel free to re-blog by hitting the green button at the top of the post.

 

Here are some others that may interest you as well:

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

5 Reasons Why Using A Local Agent Is Better

Cool Virtual Tool To Help Pick Out Paint Color

Is Social Media Killing Confidentiality?

Real Estate Agents Are Not Just Door Openers

 

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About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Cleveland Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Cleveland Oh real estate and homes see Cleveland OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

 

 

 

LET'S CONNECT:

 

Letters Mean Nothing, You Need To Spell It Out is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©October 2011

 One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients

 

We all ask our clients a lot of questions. The more questions we ask, the better we can hone in on what they want and how we can make that happen.  One specific question we ask actually has nothing to do with real estate but is sure to make your life easier and help elevate your levels of service.

Today, I'm going to share it with you in hopes that it will make a difference in your business. Here it is:

 

"WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION?"

 

Let's face it. what you say, when you say it, and the method in which you communicate are all important.  Knowing how your clients want to communicate can be incredibly helpful.

 

MORE OPTIONS TODAY

In today's high-tech world, there are a lot more options in which to communicate than there were 10 - 20 years ago. Everyone has their personal preference too and we acknowledge and respect that.  Some people love email, while others rather text. There are also many folks that still prefer speaking by phone.   And if your clients are real old school, face to face interaction still has its place.

With all these ways to interact, we feel that it's important to find out which methods our clients prefer and act accordingly. If our hip tech savvy clients prefer texting, then we text. The ones that prefer to talk on the phone, we call them. We have notes in our files and know how everyone wants us to communicate to them.

Remember, this isn't YOUR preferred method, it's about what YOUR CLIENTS want. By asking this one simple question, it could really make a difference in helping you communicate more effectively and in the end, lead to happier clients. 

 

 

If you liked this post, please subscribe to our blog. We always appreciate having new readers and more importantly, enjoy making new friends.

Here are some others that may interest you as well:

5 Reasons Why Using A Local Agent Is Better

Cool Virtual Tool To Help Pick Out Paint Color

Is Social Media Killing Confidentiality?

When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out?

Real Estate Agents Are Not Just Door Openers

 

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Solon Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Solon Oh real estate and homes see Solon OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

 

 

 

LET'S CONNECT:

 

One Question That You Absolutely Must Ask Your Clients is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©September 2011

 

 

When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out? - Originally posted at Cleveland Real Estate Blog

 

 

Most business professionals, especially those of us in sales, are faced with this dilemma at some point. Do we take on a client that we may not be able to properly service, or refer it to another professional?

Sometimes it's very cut and dry, while other times it can be an agonizing decision. After all, business is tougher than ever, plus people in sales are competitive by nature and don't like to give things up. Given the state of today's economy it can be especially tough to pass up on a nice piece of business. So, what should you do?

KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS

The key thing here is to know what your strengths are, understand what you cannot do and be consistent. No one can be everything to everyone. A foot doctor won't do open heart surgery, a real estate attorney won't represent someone in a criminal case and a real estate agent shouldn't take on a client they can't properly service either.  While these examples are fairly simple, the scenarios do get tougher. 

IT'S NOT ALWAYS THAT SIMPLE

Referring a $100,000 buyer is one thing, but would you be so quick to turn your back on a $1,000,0000 buyer that wants to buy in an area you don't service? Many people struggle with these types of decisions, especially when money becomes part of the equation. I do see a lot of agents take business that perhaps they shouldn't.

People will take any business, for a variety of reasons. Some are simply very competitive and want all the business they can get their hands on. Others really need the business, especially in today's tough economy, and then there are those that feel obligated and don't like to say "no".

A RECENT STORY

A friend of ours referred someone to us who wanted to buy a home in an area that we didn't service. With the buyer's permission, we referred them to a great agent who knew that area like the back of her hand. They ended up finding a home in just a few weeks and are thrilled. The person who referred the buyer to us was happy too, because we took care of her friend. Although we didn't personally work with the buyers, we did put them in very good hands, and everyone ended up winning.

 

At the end of the day, every business professional has to make their own decisions and I'm certainly not here to tell you what to do. However, I will say this, if you ever come across someone who wants to buy in an area that you don't even know how to pronounce, or you can't locate on a map, do everyone a favor and refer it out. As for the more difficult choices, I'll leave that up to you to decide.

 

If you liked this post, please subscribe to our blog. We always appreciate having new readers and more importantly, enjoy making new friends.

Here are some others that may interest you as well:

5 Reasons Why Using A Local Agent Is Better

Cool Virtual Tool To Help Pick Out Paint Color

Is Social Media Killing Confidentiality?

Is Your Message Being Tuned Out?

Real Estate Agents Are Not Just Door Openers

 

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About The Authors:

Dan and Amy Schuman live in Solon Ohio and specialize in Cleveland Luxury Homes, working with buyers relocating to Cleveland, and first-time buyers.

For Ohio and Solon Oh real estate and homes see Solon OH real estate

For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235 or email.

 

 

 

LET'S CONNECT:

 

When In Doubt, Do You Refer Out? is the property of The Schuman Team and may not be duplicated or used without their written consent. ©September 2011