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Video #1 ‘The Pretty Woman Principle’ — Introduction
Video #1 Transcript
Okay, welcome and thanks for joining in. In a minute, I’ll explain where this Pretty Woman connection comes from— you’ll be truly inspired.
With the crash and burn rate for new real estate agents currently predicted to be at least 87%*, follow this training and you won’t be IN that 87%.
*(NAR® statistics.)
There are 3 principal objectives you’re going to achieve— and fast— so just get these 3 right and you’ll be damn sure you’ll become one of the TINY 13% who make it. (Hence ‘13PercentClub.com’)
THAT’S what I want for you. (Just sayin’.)
The 3 objectives you’re going to not only achieve but dominate are:-
1— You’ll quickly establish you ARE 100% capable, competent and committed to help real estate buyers or sellers get what they want— which is to sell or buy a property with your expert help as a qualified, licensed, real estate agent.
2— You’ll rapidly develop a simple, rinse-and-repeat strategy you’re going to use every day. You’ll motivate folks you meet in such a way as to create— FREE— your own real estate leads, exclusive to you, you alone, and—
3— You’ll almost effortlessly gain the respect and trust you deserve— you got your license, after all!— and real estate agents who are both respected and trusted are the ones who MAKE IT in this business.
The Pretty Woman Principle will ensure you will achieve and even surpass all 3 objectives—and most importantly, achieve and dominate YOUR geographical location, whether that’s a small town, a city district, a countryside area or barrio.
This simple, single strategy just – plain – works.
Right up front, this is the first in your workshop, your training program of 15 videos. The actual ‘kinda-sorta script’ I mentioned comes later in the series.
Why? Because as I mentioned, it’s a ‘script’, yes— but it’s a script you won’t even have to learn. You do, however, have to understand it and how it works…
And that’s because if you don’t truly ‘get’ the massively powerful, psychological drivers that make folks desperate to buy (or sell) real estate, and most importantly— by using YOUR services and expertise, the ‘kinda-sorta script’ is just a collection of words.
When you do understand it, you won’t even need to learn the script. Faster than you can imagine, your mindset will change dramatically. It’ll be like someone has switched on a light in a darkened room.
At least, that’s what happened to me— and to my wife Sheila, too.
I can 100% guarantee that once you’ve seen the simple logic in this strategy, you’ll use The Pretty Woman Principle completely on auto-pilot— without giving it a second thought…
Why?
Because it’s based on a natural instinct we all share, and an instinct we can do nothing about— ‘The Law of Human Nature’.
What you’re going to come out of this training with today is a real, genuine, ‘Ninja Mind Maneuver’.
But I’ll warn you about something right here, right now: this is a strategy that will run completely counter to your every intuitive urge.
And the reason is this: our natural inclination when we meet folks is to talk about things we are interested in.
Our ‘human nature’ inner voice makes us tend towards talking about our lives. Our family and friends. Our hobbies. Our interests. Our hopes. Our dreams and our ambitions.
It can be a little counter-intuitive to go against our own natural tendencies.
But ‘Rocket Science’, it ain’t! All you have to do is to base your interactions with potential clients on the two words, ‘Tell me’.
Depending on how quickly you can absorb this incredibly effective technique, you’ll either start creating your own leads by tomorrow— (and no, I’m not kidding!)— or it may take a little longer.
Whatever: but it WILL work for you. What qualifications do you need?
If you flunked out of high school because you were a dozy, lazy, daydreamer nitwit (like I was), it doesn’t matter.
You don’t have to be super-intelligent. No college degree required. You don’t need an MBA or a PhD.
(In fact, if you don’t have any qualifications, that’s probably an advantage!)
But don’t let me belittle the awesome power of The Pretty Woman Principle. A huge part of what you’re about to discover is the very basis of FBI hostage negotiator training.
This is actually taught to trainee FBI negotiators. (I’ll explain why in a minute— this is almost unbelievable— and it applies to you! But not as an FBI Agent— as a Real Estate Agent! So you won’t be needing a SWAT team…)
So let’s get to a problem you may already have encountered…
Especially if you’re ‘The New Kid On The Block’ real estate agent in town, it can be frustrating.
It’s hard to get started. It’s hard to get respected. It’s hard to get believed.
It’s hard to get LEADS.
As human beings, we’re hard-wired to distrust people we don’t know. And so it’s damned hard to get people who don’t know you to actually trust you.
I mean, you probably wouldn’t automatically trust someone you’ve never clapped eyes on before, the very first time you met her or him… is that fair?
It’s even harder these days with so many new real estate agents getting licensed. (An estimated 9,000 – 13,000+ every month.)
Despite that, 2022, ‘23, ‘24 and on are going to create more millionaire real estate agents than ever before in the 100 year+ history of this business.
So let me just say this: if anyone has mocked you, made fun of you or tried to make you feel like an idiot for getting into this business…
They’re SO wrong. There has never been a better time.
So there.
The stats going back over those past 100 years 100% prove it, as sure as the sun comes up over New York City and sets after passing over L.A. …
And all that lovely REAL ESTATE in between!
(I mean, somebody’s gotta sell it— might as well be YOU, right??)
Of course, home buyers and sellers are aware that trainloads of new agents are being created daily: naturally, (back to human nature again!) most folks are inclined to look for agents who’ve been in the business for a few years.
And there’s something else…
People are even less trusting because when you get right down to it, you’re asking folks to entrust YOU— a stranger they don’t know at all well, if at all— to take care of both them and of literally hundreds of thousands of their hard-earned dollars.
Wouldn’t YOU be just a wee bit hesitant?
So let’s move on. In the next video, you’re going to find out how The Pretty Woman Principle will get you started, get you trusted, get you respected, get you LEADS…
And get you believed…
Hey, we’re talking real, hardcore, serious Street Cred in the community you serve… very, very quickly.
(It’s pretty cool!)
And by the way, as a proud High School Dropout, I’m going to explain why you DON’T need an MBA to make the Big Bucks…
See you in a minute!
Norm MacLoud
Video #2 — “Who IS This Guy?”
Video #2 Transcript
By the way, in case you missed it, my name is Norm MacLoud. I started out in this fantastic business wa-a-a-a-ay back in the late 80s, (OMG!) and I love it still.
I’m originally from Bonnie Scotland, (Linlithgow— the little town where a lot of the first series of the excellent Netflix show ‘Outlander’ was filmed.)
After emigrating, I did my training in Salt Lake City and Sacramento.
In this video you’re going to discover what this Pretty Woman thing is about and why it’ll work like gangbusters for you.
I would have to say the one major thing I learned over the years is that The Pretty Woman Principle is nothing less than life-changing.
The formula will work for you like a magic potion— and not only in your real estate business.
You’ll very quickly begin to see changes not so much in yourself, but in other people’s reactions and relationships with you…
And in a VERY good way.
People will remember you, even after meeting you only once. You’ll find folks you’ve never even met before will open up to you.
After a while, they may even begin to tell you stuff they wouldn’t share with their best friends or family.
But be warned: you might be shocked at some of the things they may tell you.
People will find you interesting. They’ll look forward to meeting you again. They’ll even seek you out and ask you for advice.
With a little time, you’ll become their ‘Go-to-Guru’ when they need to know something connected with real estate.
(And, as you’ll find, about other stuff too. Not just real estate-related, either.)
Plus— and this is wickedly powerful— they’ll tell other people how awesome you are…
About how you’re ‘not the same as all the other real estate agents’.
One more thing about The Pretty Woman Principle: from my personal experience, what you’ll discover today is that this works quickly— but with an unexpected, almost unbelievable bonus…
Once you’ve really got this principle down pat, you’re going to find something incredible is going to happen, you will have made both true friends you would never have otherwise made—
—And you’ll have clients who’ll still come back to you, like a faithful old dog, 20 years from now.
I can tell you this 100% for sure: it’s happened to me many times.
What you’re about to discover is that powerful.
I also need to assure you this isn’t some load of B.S. hype I’ve made up.
What you’re about to discover has been scientifically studied and proven to work by major West Coast universities:
Yet almost unbelievably, it’s used by (in my estimation) probably only 5% (or less) of the country’s top real estate agents or brokers in the land.
That said, this strategy is not widely taught in fancy, expensive, self-important business schools. (If at all.) And I think I know why…
It’s just too damn simple.
When you ‘get’ this, the ‘MBA’ thing goes right out the window. You don’t need it. The business schools would lose too much business.
I’ve met SO many people with an MBA who haven’t a clue about The Pretty Woman Principle and who have 100% certainly never even heard of it…
(Maybe because I’ve never published it before.)
And a word of warning: if you meet a Business School type with a MBA, he or she will without a doubt try to tell you this won’t work.
They’re wrong as a $9 dollar note, as you’ll find out.
But why would they even say this won’t work?
HAH!
Because they’ve spent many thousands of dollars (or their parents have) and years of study to get those letters after their names.
So a simple principle, based on just a few words, makes that massive investment of time and money look pretty stupid, don’t you think?
Something else I need you to understand…
You may or may not have heard real estate sales trainers or mentors preach a very flawed doctrine, a mealy-mouthed, misleading message along the lines of,
“Before you can learn to sell real estate, you have to learn to sell yourself…”
Flat-out, pure BALONEY.
Well-meant, maybe, but it tends to come from the mouths of highfalutin, self-important ‘Goo-Roos’ with all the theory and ‘book-learned’ knowledge they can peddle…
And most of whom have never made any kind of presentation…
Who have never met a real client belly-to-belly and…
Who have never even knocked on a client’s door and sat down on their damn sofa.
Get this straight:- ‘Selling Real Estate’ has almost NOTHING to do with real estate and it has nothing to do with ‘selling yourself’. It’s way deeper than that.
It’s all about getting inside your prospects’ heads— same as Julia Roberts’ character Vivian did to Richard Gere’s Edward.
In the next video, I’ll explain what I mean by that. And where the FBI comes into this.
(‘Cuz I know where the bodies are buried…
)
Video #3 — “Know + Like = TRUST”
Video #3 Transcript
So just where are the ‘bodies buried’?
Well, when I say ‘bodies’, I actually mean ‘real estate leads’.
And where are they ‘buried’? They’re buried in plain sight— they’re literally all around you, every waking moment of your life… as you’ll understand!
You may recall the FBI didn’t figure in Pretty Woman, did they? No hostage taking, no SWAT team, no mad shootouts, right? So where’s the connection?
One of the things FBI negotiators are taught is that in a hostage situation, there are 3 basics the negotiator needs to do to get the hostage(s) released, make sure no-one is killed and reach a satisfactory solution.
I want you to imagine, just for a minute… YOU are the FBI agent.
And that the crook, the villain, the murdering terrorist is your prospective real estate client. Yes, I know this sounds weird, wacky and way out there:
Bear with me, I may not be the total nut-case 
you’re thinking I am… (Mind you, that’s only my opinion… 
Others may disagree.)
The FBI agent has to establish a personal, emotional connection, and fast, with the hostage taker. They have to quickly, effectively, convince their ‘client’, they do NOT represent a threat.
That they’re ‘on the same side’. (Which you can bet your sweet bippy they are not.)
They have to show the kidnapper, bank robber or terrorist that although they’re FBI, they’re also a ‘friend’ who can be trusted.
To do that, they have to get through to the potential killer on a deep emotional level so that—
1— The hostage taker quickly gets to know the FBI agent.
2— The hostage taker quickly begins to like the FBI agent. And most importantly…
3— The hostage taker quickly comes to trust the FBI agent.
Keep those 3 words absolutely top of mind from here on…
- KNOW…
- LIKE…
- TRUST.
How do they do that? Get the bad guy to know, like and trust? It’s all based, like The Pretty Woman Principle, in those two deceptively power-packed words,
The two little words Julia Roberts’ character Vivian repeated to Richard Gere’s character
Edward in the movie… She said to him,
‘Tell me’… and a lot more than just once.
What might surprise you is the hostage situations they put out in TV shows and movies will often portray the hostage takers as clever, smart, but usually desperate thugs who really want to kill their captives.
They’ll show them as willing to die rather than give up their outrageous demands.
They’ll often show the negotiations as failing and a SWAT team rushing in, black masks, full body armor, guns blazing all around.
Yes, it does happen, but it’s rare. Most of the time, it’s pure, flat out, made-up, Hollywood-style fictional GARBAGE.
The cold, hard fact is that around 95% of these negotiation situations end up with the hostage takers giving in…
Which means the FBI agent involved has succeeded— and 95% of the time.
What has this to do with you? Simple… you also want to succeed, not as a Federal Agent, but as a
Real Estate Agent — and what’s more, to get a 95% success rate too.
We agree on that, right? Okay…
As I mentioned before, the National Association of Realtors is currently predicting 87% of all new agents will fail. And in my opinion, that’s being pretty conservative. It’ll be more.
There’s a very basic reason why this happens. It’s because when people are stressed out like crazy when they’re buying or selling a home, they’ll tend to shy away from us when we’re still ‘new’ real estate agents.
Instead, they’ll go to established agents— why?
Because a huge number of great leads always come from people who have dealt with an agent before. So if Uncle Bill and Aunt Margaret know the agent, that’s an automatic recommendation.
And because she or he did a great job, the chances are very high Uncle Bill and Aunt Margaret actually like that agent too.
So they pass this information on to others, agreed?
Then there are online reviews. In the retail trade, over 90% of buyers on sites like Amazon DO read reviews from other buyers.
When they do that, even though it’s flimsy evidence that won’t stand up in court, people get to know, even just a wee bit, real estate agents they’ve never even met.
Hell, maybe the agent has gone above and beyond and the review is phenomenal— so the browser immediately begins to like this unknown agent.
Now we’re in the Land of Oz where Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow have heard of the great Wizard of Oz. They now know him and they like what they’ve heard, right?
Here’s the equation:- KNOW + LIKE = TRUST.
Just the same as those FBI hostage negotiators!
What the FBI G-Men/G-Women do is to get inside their ‘clients’ heads by simply asking questions.
Don’t believe me? Just watch any movie or TV show where there’s a hostage situation and a negotiator— it’s an absolute, solid as the Rock of Gibraltar constant in those Hollywood scripts.
The first thing the negotiator always asks is “Hey, how you doin’? What’s your name?”
Check it out: it’s always the same. The negotiator asks questions and makes friends with the bad guy.
All you and I need to do as real estate agents is to ask questions. Ask the right questions, and you’re going to find you’ll quickly, painlessly, and cost-free, cause your prospective clients to get to know you.
Ask the right questions, and they’ll come to like you.
Add ‘know’ and ‘like’ together— BADDA BOOM— they’ll instinctively trust you.
Just like that. Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Here’s something I was taught many years ago…
As a 22 year-old door-to-door life insurance salesman, (long before I got into real estate), I was instructed to ask questions of my prospective clients.
Back all those years ago, I hadn’t the faintest clue why. I just did it because my coach told me to. It actually worked and I became top salesman within a year.
What I didn’t know back then was that this is exactly what those FBI negotiators are taught to do. Why?
To get a successful outcome. In their case, to save innocent people’s lives.
In our case, as real estate agents, we also want to get a successful outcome— no, not as noble as saving lives, but something massively important to our clients:
Getting them— those prospective clients we desperately need— the result they passionately desire…
To either buy a home for themselves, their family and their future, or to sell a home, make a move and open up a new, exciting chapter of their lives.
And all we have to do is to ask the right questions.
Here’s the thing…
When you show you’re interested in other people’s needs, wants and desires, you’re already connecting with their emotions.
When you can make a prospective client understand you know where their head’s at, that you get exactly where they’re coming from, what it is they truly, deep-down want…
When prospective real estate clients GET that unlike the vast majority of real estate agents, you actually DO give a crap about THEM…
You’ll immediately elevate yourself from the run-of-the-mill real estate agent who’s only interested in what he/she wants— a fat commission check.
Which obviously we need: but when you put that aside, when you concentrate 100% on your client’s needs, wants and desires, you’ll quickly become the Nº1, stand-out, extra-special ‘007’ agent in their eyes.
And they’ll tell other people too.
Now, the next video is about something I read in an old book I found. It was written way back in the 1960s. And let me just say this…
It weirded me clean out. It was spooky. It was like some kind of voodoo.
Mind-blowing, in fact, as you’re about to discover…😵💫
Video #4 — Students On A Plane
Video #4 Transcript
I have to tell you a wee story that blew me away when I read an old book, written in the 1960s. I read it in the mid 90s, (if I recall correctly.)
It’s the true basis as to how I discovered and developed The Pretty Woman Principle.
Something crucial for you here: I need you to understand this why? Because it made me a ridiculous amount of money.
Just this one tiny thing brought me in several hundred thousands of dollars in commission checks from just one client. Am I saying this will happen with you? No. I got lucky, I’ll admit— but I’m nobody special.
I was just another wet-behind-the- ears, greenhorn newbie in this business. brightest star in the night sky. Just a regular Joe.
It happened to me and yes, it could happen to you too. I’d actually love for you to get as lucky as I did. You’ve certainly got more chances of winning with what I’m going to tell you than winning big on the Lotto.
And just by meeting an old lady.
Her name was Gladys. 86 at the time. She had been a ‘Pretty Woman’ back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Whoa, wait a minute— don’t get ahead of me here! I don’t mean she’d practiced in the same profession as ‘Vivian Ward’ in Pretty Woman. I mean she had been stunningly beautiful in her youth…
And it turned out to be a pretty scandalous youth too— and she had, even at close to 90, a delightfully wicked sense of humor that would make a sailor blush. (I’ll be telling you all about her later.)
Anyway, I digress: back to that old book… It was all about human nature and psychology.
I was studying it because I’d hit a dry patch and I needed more clients. (Go figure…) In one chapter, I read something that made me stop in my tracks. I had to read it all over again. My jaw dropped.
When I found this, (maybe 25-30 years after the book was published), it was like a ‘HOLY MOLY!’ moment for me.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I remember saying to myself, ‘Why the heck is nobody teaching this? How come I never heard of it before?’
Still to this day, it’s one of the least-known scientific studies I’ve ever heard of. I can’t even find it online, which is weird.
But it was a total life-changer for me— and it will be for you too.
What you’re about to discover will probably weird you out. To be 100% honest with you here, when I read about it, I remember thinking, This can’t be right, it sounds like total BS…
Until, that is, I actually tried it…
What you’re about to learn is without a doubt the most powerful ‘Weapon of Choice’ you could possibly choose in the constant battle to get real estate leads.
This effectively ‘Cracks the Code’ to being a successful real estate agent in this tech- dominated, 21st century.
And understand this…
The reason this will work for you is that you’ll soon see yourself kicking and screaming, your fingernails scarring the ground I’m going to drag you across, the ‘No-Man’s Land’ of high tech—
To the calm, peaceful, surreal reality zone of not just low-tech…
But NO-tech. You don’t need a computer. You don’t need the Internet. You don’t even need a cellphone.
First, I need to confess something.
A True Confession
I should really be able to back up with what you’re about to discover by quoting the actual source of my information. I can’t do that.
And believe me, I’ve tried!
I’d picked up this dusty old book in a second-hand book store someplace, literally for pennies. For the life of me, I cannot remember which damn book it was.
It bugs me, big time.
And I can’t even go back through my library of books because I tend to give them away to fellow real estate agents I help or coach.
From memory, I think the university mentioned in this video was UCLA. I’ve trawled their online materials, but I can’t find the case study.
I even sent an email to them and not only could they not help— they said that not everything they hold is actually available digitally.
And that’s understandable, since they’ve been publishing scientific papers since 1919!
The fact is this: just because I can’t supply you with the scientific proof doesn’t actually matter.
Try this— it just flat-out works and it will cost you NOT ONE RED CENT. Or any other color of cent you can think of. (Just sayin’.)
The fact it works should be proof enough for anybody, don’t you think?
Annoying Airplane Passengers— Or Not?
Back in the 1960s— over 50 years ago— researchers at the university made an astounding discovery.
The Department of Psychology was running a study on intimate human relationships.
In particular, they wanted to discover why you and I can suddenly take an instant liking— or DIS-liking— to a complete stranger.
Part of their study involved a kinda weird experiment. (When I read about this, I realized the person who thought this up was either totally brilliant or off his/her trolley.)
Anyway…
The researchers took two groups of 50 volunteer students, male and female, 100 in total. They bussed both groups to the airport at LAX and booked them on separate flights to New York’s JFK.
It was a blind test using these volunteer students, and here’s what’s important…
None of the students were studying psychology. None of them knew what they were about to do. Not one was told it was an experiment in human relationships.
They were engineering students, architects and designers, music and art students, lawyers and doctors— but no would-be shrinks or psychoanalysts.
Here’s where it all starts to get very strange…
50 of the students were given seats on an early flight from LAX to JFK. The other 50, on a later flight.
Talking and Asking
At the airport, they were given their instructions on what they had to do. They were booked into random seats throughout the plane to JFK, and separated so they would be seated next to complete strangers.
The students in one of the groups were instructed to strike up a conversation with their fellow passenger— but with the specific brief that they had to make every conversation end in a question mark…
Meaning everything that student said would involve asking the person next to them about themselves or asking their opinion on anything.
Their family, their upbringing, their spouse, children, their hometown, their State, their State Governor or policies, TV shows, what kind of car they drove, what football or basketball teams they followed…
But obviously to avoid the ‘dangerous’ subjects such as religion and politics!
The students in the other group were told they had to similarly involve the poor passenger next to them in conversation the whole flight through, (some 7½ hours in those days) but with a massive difference…
Every sentence had to be a statement. They were instructed to speak to the person next to them continuously during the flight… but to talk only about themselves, their own interests and their own opinions.
What they thought about sports, cars, politics, family, kids, TV programs, whatever. No matter what their fellow passenger said, they were only allowed to make statements.
On arrival at JFK, the students were instructed that in the concourse, once disembarked, they were to indicate to another group of research students the passenger they had been seated beside.
The researchers then approached these passengers and informed them they had been part of an important research project for the university, and would they be prepared to answer just one question by the university’s research teams?
The vast majority of the subjects agreed and were asked just the one, same question. The researchers took notes.
Homeward Bound
Then the volunteer students were instructed to return to Los Angeles’ LAX and this time, do the opposite of what they’d done on the inbound-to-JFK flight.
So if they had asked questions about their fellow traveler on the first flight, they now had to do the opposite and talk about themselves.
If they had previously talked about themselves, they now had to ask questions.
On landing at LA, the same thing— the passengers who had been seated next to the students were told they’d been ‘guinea pigs’ and asked if they would answer just the one, same question.
Now, brace yourself, because this, (to me anyway), was totally mind-boggling… and it’s going to get you your own quality leads for literally years to come.
Video #5 — The ONE Question
Video #5 Transcript
Bear one thing in mind here: the initial drive of this experiment was to find out why we instinctively take a liking to some people and a disliking to others.
It wasn’t a study on ‘how to sell real estate’ or indeed, how to sell anything else— or even influence anyone.
It was just ‘Why do we instantly like a person or dislike a person?’
Just in case I haven’t properly explained the mega-importance of this concept, here’s something I learned after many years in this wonderful profession…
- People DON’T do business with real estate agents (or brokers) just because they have the fanciest offices.
- People DON’T do business with real estate agents simply because they drive the flashiest cars.
- People DON’T do business with real estate agents only because they wear the coolest designer clothes.
- People DON’T do business with real estate agents just because they have the physiques and the looks of movie stars.
- People DON’T do business with real estate agents simply because they have the best logo, the best branding, or even (I may get called out on this…) because they work with the most prestigious brokerage.
People DO do business with real estate agents they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST.
End of story.
And the shortcut to that, without spending the 10 years+ that I and most real estate agents waste, is to ask the right questions.
That said, and assuming you don’t want to waste 10+ years like I did— (D’OH!)—
The experiment I’ve described here was only part of the overall study. The important thing is this: for a real estate agent, the end result of the study doesn’t actually matter.
But THIS part of the study is absolutely critical for you (and me) as a real estate agents— and it’s served me very well for many years…
The one question the passengers were asked was this:
“What did you think of the passenger seated next to you on the airplane?”
Whether they had been seated next to the student who only spoke in questions, or the students who only spoke in statements, the results were strangely almost the same— but only percentage-wise.
The passengers who had been seated next to the students who talked incessantly about themselves, their lives and their interests, were over 99% negative in their opinion of their fellow traveling companion.
These opinions varied from ‘annoying’, to ‘tiresome, to ‘tedious’ and to other opinions that were way too offensive for me to print here.
Now we come to your takeaway from this experiment— and learn it well, my friend…
The passengers who had been seated next to students who asked only questions about their fellow traveler were almost 100% POSITIVE.
Their responses varied from ‘very nice’ to ‘lovely’, to ‘pleasant’ and ‘stimulating’.
But several of these subjects actually said something that blew my freakin’ mind…
A high number of the passengers actually said ‘One of the most interesting people I have ever met…’ (Or words to that effect.)
It also transpired on de-briefing the students that many of the passengers in the ‘positive’ group had asked how they might keep in touch with their ‘interrogator’!
Yet these students had told their neighbor on the flight almost nothing about themselves!
WTF???
How on earth could anyone say that such a person, who ONLY asked question, could be judged to be ‘interesting’???
Now, I’m no psychologist— I’m just a simple real estate agent like you, so I don’t have some highfalutin, highly educated explanation for this.
And I’m sure there IS one.
But you might be thinking, ‘How does this apply to me?’
And that’s just the question I want to hear from you— so well done!
Two Down, One To Go
This strategy of simply asking questions of prospective clients, very quickly and convincingly solves not one, but TWO of the biggest hurdles you have to cross when you’re new in this business.
I already said people use real estate agents they know, like and trust.
The Pretty Woman Principle is based on this strategy of simply asking questions.
Vivian, the ‘Pretty Woman’, won the heart and mind of Edward, the billionaire, by simply asking him questions.
He very quickly got to know her. After their first night together, the very next day, he had already decided he liked her— regardless of her profession.
And after just a few more days, he actually trusted her— the rest is the stuff of fairy tales.
The words, ‘Happily Ever After’ spring to mind.
But we’re not talking about fairy tales here. This is cold, hard, scientific FACT. 100% proven.
I’ve been doing this for years and years— but there’s a downside I have to warn you about…
I’m so used to doing this Pretty Woman Principle of asking people questions, when I go into a restaurant, I can’t help myself from using the principle on even the servers.
It’s a double-edged sword though— because you get better service, and they remember you when you go back— but we frequently get the servers almost inviting themselves to join us at dinner without sitting down…
In fact, nowadays, when we go to an eatery we’ve never been before, Sheila will whisper, “Promise me you won’t start talking to the server…”
That said, I’ve ended up with a LOT of restaurant staff, including the owners, as clients!
So let me tell you all about ‘Uncle’ Dave and the leads guaranteed to make you rich…
Video #6 — The Leads That Make You Rich
Video #6 Transcript
“Leads is leads is leads”, some might say. In my humble opinion, that’s B.S.
To rip off the genius of the great author, George Orwell, and coin a phrase from his book, Animal Farm—
“All leads are equal. But some leads are more equal than others.”
Sure, any lead is valuable in the real estate business. To an extent. Really though, at the end of the day, there are just two types of leads…
Leads that convert into real estate buyers, and leads that convert into real estate sellers.
Using your kinda-sorta Pretty Woman script will get you both. (You’ll choose!)
But there’s a problem: most buyer leads SUCK, Big Time.
Know what will screw you up? Due to the number of ‘Lead Vendors’ we see nowadays on the Internet, it seems to me modern real estate agents have been ‘programmed’, or perhaps even ‘conned’ into believing that buyer leads are of great value.
Okay, some can pan out to be hugely valuable, I don’t deny: but in my opinion, most are worth about as much as a packet of Oreos. (Come to think of it, a lot are probably worth a lot less.)
I think it’s safe for me to assume you want to make it in this business? Yes?
In that case, I would strenuously recommend you consider what I’m going to suggest here…
Concentrate your efforts on getting leads for home SELLERS over buyers. Getting your own listings.
Becoming a recognized ‘Listing Agent’ or ‘Sellers’ Agent’ vastly increases your probability of success— and long-term success— as well as regular, almost- guaranteed earnings.
Let me tell you two quick stories about how come I know this…
I started out in the real estate business even before the Internet was available. (Yep, I’m that old!) At that time, even MLS wasn’t that common. And I was working in a small town.
A friend of my parents was a former real estate agent. Dave. I remember him fondly: he was florid-faced, with long, gray hair, swept back, and he had a constant twinkle in his eye.
He always wore a dark, pin-stripe suit and tie, even though he’d retired (very well, cash-wise), years before. He drove a shiny, long, low, sleek, vintage Jaguar. (I remember the walnut trim and the leather smell to this day.)
He had been (apparently) a real ‘ladies’ man’ in his youth and had had (apparently!) many girlfriends. (Even though he’d been happily married for many years.)
I remember he always smoked a pipe with a lovely aromatic tobacco, too. When he heard I wanted to get into this super business, I recall him poking the end of his pipe at me. And I remember the old-school wisdom of what he said, clearly…
“Norm, the real estate game is exactly the same as the apple game. If you have all the apples in the county, then the only person who can sell them apples is YOU.”
That stands out as 100% true, even today. But what does it mean? Let me run this by you…
If you work in an area where there are a lot of apples, and you need to make money, you’ll concentrate on picking as many of the apples in your area as you can, right?
Now, if you could pick ALL the apples in your area, then the only person people could buy apples from… would be you, right?
So there’s no way you couldn’t be successful, agreed?
Bear with me here, there’s a point to this daft line of thought…
It’s not realistic for us to imagine you could, at this point, list every single property for sale in your area, fair comment?
But if you could, then the only agent people could buy a home from… would be YOU.
That’s just a fact. It’s powerful. And nobody can deny it’s the plain truth.
So getting back to reality, if you concentrate on getting as many listings (homes) in your area as you possibly can…
Then when it comes to selling those houses, (i.e. ‘apples’), the only person who can collect the sellers’ commissions is YOU.
Now, when I started, it was with a very tiny, mom ‘n’ pop brokerage. I got no training and zero help. So I had to work it out for myself. And they had virtually no listings, either.
My only option was to go out and get the listings myself! (Pretty logical, wouldn’t you say?) I followed Dave’s advice and went out looking to pick all the ‘apples’ I could find.
And to be honest, I hadn’t really appreciated how powerful his advice had been at the time: because I was too dumb, too inexperienced and too overconfident to realize something just drop-dead simple to understand…
When you get your own listings, you get the damn buyer leads on auto-pilot AS WELL.
And something else I hadn’t appreciated back then— but I know for sure now— the saying ‘You have to list to last’ in the real estate business is as true as you’re reading these words right now.
Just think about these 5 differences between buyer leads and seller leads…
1 – Buyer leads are really a pain in the butt to qualify. What do I mean by ‘qualify’?
Well, it’s a lot more difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff: it’s very hard to separate the motivated, ready-to-buy clients from the time- wasters, the tire- kickers and the wannabes.
That’s ‘Client Qualification’ in a nutshell for you.
In at least 80% of the cases, you’ll find there’s something that’ll prevent them from buying. It could be not being able to qualify for a mortgage, to deciding the house you show them is too far from the freeway, to the wrong color of ceiling paint in the lounge.*
*(I’m serious: I almost lost a sale because of “Eeew, it’s so BEIGE!!!)
Home sellers, on the other hand, already own the freakin’ real estate! It’s not rocket science to figure out whether they’re keen to sell or not. In over 80% of the cases, they are serious about selling, (for whatever reason.) And get this…
When you work with buyers, there’s no contract. You can end up showing them 10, 20, 30 properties. If they don’t buy, you don’t get paid.
Working with sellers, you have a signed piece of paper, a ‘Listing Agreement’, that guarantees you’re going to get a check at some point within a set period.
Plus working with sellers puts you in the driver’s seat. You’ll have more control over your daily schedule, your branding, your marketing, your buyer leads, and ultimately, your entire career from Day #1.
2 – As I mentioned above, having your own listings brings in buyer leads automatically.
And hey— it truly gets your name out there— that’s powerful, long-lasting branding. Experienced real estate agents will tell you, too, that on average, you’ll find you’ll automatically attract at least two solid buyer leads per listing!
The buyer leads will come to you effortlessly by marketing your listings: why wouldn’t they? Why pay for buyer leads? (Personally, I never, ever have paid a nickel to get a buyer. Maybe it’s a Scottish thing?)
There’s something else: there are agents who actually prefer to not work with sellers— but they’ll still go for the listings. Why? Because a) they’ll get their buyer leads and b) they can refer their listings to other agents and collect a referral fee. Win-win!
3 – There’s this guy you probably haven’t heard of. His name was David Ogilvy. He was one of the original ‘Mad Men’ of Madison Avenue, and an advertising genius.
Even so, one of his most famous quote remains, “99% of advertising doesn’t sell much of anything.”
Confession time: having lost literally thousands in advertising when I started out, I’ve swallowed the bitter pill. I’ve flushed more cash down the toilet than Elon Musk spends on rocket fuel.
When you work with sellers, you’ll save fortunes on expensive online and Facebook advertising which is almost always depressingly ineffective. (Believe me! I know…)
Why will you save money? Because it gets your name out there, literally ‘on the street’, for pennies compared to any other form of advertising.
Think about it: the first thing you do is to get your ‘For Sale’ sign out, right in front of the property!
You can publicize your photo, your brokerage, your website, your phone number, even your street cred for the price of a simple, inexpensive sign—
An ‘advertisement’ you pay for ONE TIME that you’ll use over and over again!
Hundreds, maybe thousands of passers-by in your area will see your branding and sales info every single day. That will keep you out in front and in the public eye— which is exactly where you need to be.
4 – Working with home sellers will save you weeks, maybe months of your valuable time. (Your life!)
The reality is you can handle a limited number of buyers in (say) a week. It’s time-intensive and can be a logistical nightmare— making appointments, changing those appointments, no-shows, traveling to viewings— it’s a lot of organization.
We’re talking a big ole chunk of your working day to get as far as an agreement to buy. Then you have to get the two parties together, which leads to more organization and time spent.
Get your own listings and you’re going to find marketing those properties, say online, on the MLS or on your social media, takes a whole lot less time than schlepping around other agents’ listings with buyers who may well be a waste of time!
And—
5 – You’re pretty much in control of your time (and your life!) when you work with sellers.
When you’re the buyer’s agent, you have to work around other people’s schedules. But as the seller’s agent, you’re normally not expected to even attend viewings. That’s the buyer’s agent’s job!
As a buyer’s agent, when you get a last minute call from a client asking to see a few properties over the weekend, you can kiss your Saturday game with the friends and Sunday picnic with the kids goodbye.
Me, I’ve been both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent, and sometimes, just sometimes, you can hit the gold— like I did with Gladys, the 86 year-old ‘Porn Queen’. (This is the second story I promised you— it’s pretty funny!)
Video #7 — Gladys The 86 Year-Old ‘Porn Queen’
Video #7 Transcript
First, that’s not my Gladys there in the picture. It’s just a ‘stock photo’.
Sadly, she’s passed now, and though I do have a great photo of her, I never asked for her permission to publish it.
What I can say is that she always wore her makeup and she always dressed
immaculately — and in the most expensive, exclusive designer outfits from way back in the day.
PLUS she was very cheeky, very naughty, with a wicked sense of humor.
I was most privileged to know her — and have her as a client.
Just before we get to Gladys’s story, (which you’re gonna love!), lLet’s keep things in perspective about getting those solid gold, diamond- encrusted listings…
I’ll be the first to admit the learning curve is steeper. You’ll have to study your local market closely. Know the prices, the area well.
You have to have plenty of self-confidence too— because sellers tend to be a tad more choosy about which real estate agent they list with.
But what you’re going to find is The Pretty Woman Principle has a hidden benefit I haven’t even mentioned till now— because it sounds kinda ‘too good to be true’……
When you take the time to really let your prospective clients do all the talking— I mean you just asking questions, like the students on the planes— home sellers will warm to you even if you don’t have hundreds of successful sales under your belt.
I have a wee story to tell you as to how I found this out. About a lovely lady by the name of Gladys. Who, as it happens, was an 86 year-old ‘Porn Queen’.
Delete any mental picture in your head that statement conjures up— bear with me— it’s my all-time favorite story. And it’s SO relevant to you in your business as a real estate agent.
A client I had years ago referred me to a resident of a retirement home. A pretty posh, upmarket place, I’d have to say. My client’s dad was a resident there and he’d struck up a friendship with another elderly resident— Gladys.
My client said that her dad had told her Gladys had a house to sell in a very smart neighborhood. She wanted an agent to list it.
I’ll admit right here I was not long in the business. A greenhorn. Newbie. Still wet behind the ears. However, I did have a little bit of cojones and decided, ‘What the heck… why not?’
I drove along the tree-lined gravel drive, pulled up in front of the home and went into reception. Oak paneling everywhere, fresh-cut flowers too. Barry Manilow songs playing quietly through the PA.
It was one smart place! And I didn’t even know the lady’s surname.
I said to the receptionist, “Hi, my name is Norm MacLoud. I’m here to speak with a resident called Gladys. Sorry, I don’t actually know her surname.”
The receptionist, a very attractive blonde lady, looked at me. A wee twinkle suddenly appeared in the corner of her eye. Just a hint of a smile raised the corners of her immaculately lipsticked mouth. (Or should that be ‘lipstuck’? Dunno…)
“Our Gladys?” she chuckled. “We only have one Gladys. She’ll eat you for breakfast…” she said, looking me up and down, all booted and suited. (I was younger and still damn good-lookin’ back then— or so my wife Sheila thought. Just sayin’….)
“Please follow me.” She marched off with a confident stride that made sure everybody knew she was not to be messed with. I followed on.
She led me into a very large, beautifully furnished lounge. There were maybe a dozen residents in there, some watching TV, some reading, a couple of the men puffing away one either a cigarette or a pipe. (Yep, it was still allowed back then.)
The receptionist took me over to a white haired lady sitting by herself in a wheelchair by the big bay window. She was dozing. A book on her lap. The nurse shook her gently.
“Gladys, you have a visitor. His name is Norm.” Gladys looked up at me and a huge smile spread across her lovely old face.
“Well, hello there. Norm?”
“Yes, short for Norman. I was told you had a property you want to sell, Ms. Gladys?”
“Why, indeed I do!” she exclaimed. “Tell me about yourself.”
Honesty being the best policy, I did admit I was pretty new to the game. But you might remember I said I had been trained as a door-to-door insurance salesman? And that I’d been taught to ask my prospects questions?
I was intrigued (and curious) as to how come Gladys (or her family) could afford for her to stay in such a highly exclusive, very expensive retirement home.
(And the fact is that wealthy people do tend to own a lot of real estate— so yes, I was being just a wee bit self-serving, I’ll admit.)
Anyway, she told me how come she had the considerable funds available to spend on her autumn years. And jeez— what a tale she had to tell! I was stunned. I listened to her, aghast and astounded, for well over two hours! To keep a very long story short…
Gladys had been a photographic and fashion model in the 1940s and 50s. I asked her to tell me all about it. She had lots of stories, even working as a film extra with the likes of Lucille Ball and Cary Grant.
WOW! Two of my all-time favorites— so I had to ask her all about them, of course!
She had met her husband Bill, a photographer, on a fashion photo shoot just before the start of the Second World War. They had married, and a few days later, he’d been shipped out to Europe.
Bill saw action in Italy as a ‘Combat Photographer’ on the front line. That sounded like a really scary job, so I asked her all about that too. It was scary stuff!
On returning from the war, Gladys’s husband was struggling to get work. One evening, just for fun, Gladys had (saucily) suggested he take some sexy pictures of her in a sheer, black negligé.
Bill, being a talented and now a highly-experienced photographer, had taken thousands of shots of female models prior to the war, but in formal fashion shoots. The closest he had come to anything remotely ‘sexy’ was for swimsuit promotions.
Tame stuff back in the 30s & 40s, as you might imagine!
So although he had never worked in the glamor business as such, he knew how best to shoot the female form— especially his very own darling Gladys, who had become the love of his life.
I still remember the first time Gladys made me giggle, too. She said, “In those days, I could turn Bill on like that!” she said, snapping her fingers. (You just wouldn’t expect to hear that from an 86 year-old lady, would you???)
Now, I can only assume that Gladys did indeed ‘turn Bill on’ back in the day… because they were both stunned at how well the photos came out.
Sexy, yes, but tasteful and very elegant— and so tame compared to what we see today.
How do I know this? Because of what Gladys did next. It was outrageous. (You’ll laugh!)
Video #8 — Gladys Uncut!
Video #8 Transcript
Gladys’s ‘Dirty Picture Book’
Now, at this point, Gladys asked me to press a call button on the wall near her chair. So I did. A nurse arrived in the lounge quite quickly. “Who called?” she asked, looking around.
Gladys waved a bony hand in the air. “Is that you, Jackie?” she called. The nurse came over. “Be a doll and get me my photo album from my room, honey,” she said.
Nurse Jackie smiled. “Your private one, Gladys?”
“Yes dear, my private one. I want to show this young man my dirty photos.” Jackie looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure, Gladys?
“Yes, dear, I’m sure. Don’t be long, either. I’m not getting any younger…” she chuckled.
The nurse turned and headed off to Gladys’s room.
Back to Gladys’s story. After her husband came back from serving in Italy, things were dire and they were low on money. Gladys had an idea.
At that time, so-called ‘Girlie’ magazines didn’t exist. It was considered ‘immoral’ at the time. But there were magazines that did show photos of scantily-clad women. They were marketed as being ‘Art’ publications— but they were still very hard to get, very scarce…
And very expensive.
Gladys suggested to her husband they send some of Gladys’s photos to the editors of the so-called ‘Art Magazines’ to see if they would publish them– but for a fee.
The photos were, at that time, sensationally sexy— plus the photography was outstanding. The editors jumped eagerly at the chance.
Best of all, they paid very well. Gladys and her husband began to prosper.
The nurse arrived back with a bulky, expensively-bound photo album. The cover was in a rich, soft, red, hand tooled leather. I’d guess it would have cost about the same as a modern, high-end mobile phone. A lot of money.
She placed the weighty folder on Gladys’s lap. She opened it carefully. “Come over here and look…” she ordered. I stood up and looked over Gladys’s shoulder.
Here’s where it got funny…
One of the older gentlemen in the room looked up. He called to his buddies, “Hey guys— Gladys’s got her dirty picture book out!”
To a man, they creaked to their feet and slowly shuffled over. They formed a respectful semicircle behind me, looking on expectantly.
“These are my fans…” said Gladys, tipping her head back towards the ‘boys’. She slowly, tantalizingly, opened the album. As she turned the pages, my eyes opened wide.
The album was filled with beautiful, and I’d have to say artistic, black and white prints of Ms. Gladys in all her stunning glory. Around half were in various states of undress, mostly in expensive, sheer French negligees.
(Gladys, by the way, stressed the point they were French… as if I would know! In any case, in her youth, Gladys was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. Very Sophia Loren. Even Marilyn Monroe-esque, in my opinion.)
The other half of the photos were of our Ms. Gladys, pretty much as naked as the day she was born. Not explicitly pornographic, you have to understand, like we see today on the Internet: classy, refined, beautifully posed and lit.
Elegant— classy— refined.
But so-o-o-o-o sexy too! Gladys proudly flipped her way through them, explaining when they’d been taken and even how much she and her husband had been paid for them.
At various points, members of her ‘Fan Club’ would mumble appreciative comments, like ‘That’s my favorite!’ or ‘I like that one best!’
All the while, I was asking questions. Like I already said, my training as a salesman had kind of ingrained that into my head as a hard-to-break habit. But this wasn’t any kind of a ‘sales pitch’— Gladys’s life had been so interesting!
She kept flipping through the book, chatting away, proud to show off her youthful assets and tell me the stories behind them.
Then she dropped the ‘P-bomb’.
“Yes, those were good days. They paid us well,” she went on, “But when I became a porn queen, we started making so much money…”
I nearly choked. WTF??? This was an elderly lady, close to 90, claiming to have been a ‘Porn Queen’? No way…
But it was a fact! Not ‘porn’ as we know it today, however. In those days, there was no ‘Adult Film Industry’ like there is now. What they did have back then— and it was virtually unknown— was a hidden, underground, adult book publishing world.
Couples would be photographed in (let’s just say) the acts of making love. All quite innocent by today’s standards, but back then, it was all highly illegal.
Photographers, actors, publishers, anyone involved could be hauled into court and thrown into the pokey for even taking part.
But entrepreneurial producers of these sexy publications found ways to distribute material— and they charged a lot of money because of the massive risks involved.
What Gladys and Bill had gone on to do was to establish a very lucrative business doing just that— producing and distributing ‘forbidden’ books with black and white photos.
Gladys made me laugh out loud too, when she said, “I paid the girls top money, so they loved the work. They were queuing up. The guys I paid not a cent— and they were queuing up too!”
So was Gladys a ‘Porn Queen’ as she loved to tell everyone? Not really— well, not by today’s standards, anyway. But she was a resourceful, savvy businesswoman, and very successful— which brings me to the point of this story.
All I had done in that posh retirement home was to follow up on a referred lead, that was all. The information I had was that an elderly lady wanted to sell her house. Nothing more.
Instead of doing what most newer real estate agents do, which is to tell prospective clients about themselves and their services, what they’re going to do for the client, how they’re going to find the ideal house…
Or how they’re going to work hard to market the property, collaborate with other agents, list on the MLS, have an open house presentation, print flyers, put it out on social media, blah – blah – blah…
All I had done was to introduce myself and then do what the students on the planes had done— ask questions.
Did it work with Gladys? Oh yes… and then some. At the end of our meeting, I simply asked if she would like me to list her house.
She said, “Of course you can, dear. In fact, you can sell all the other ones as well…”
“Other ones, Gladys? You have more than one?”
“Oh yes, Norm. We bought lots of houses. And an apartment block. Then there’s the big warehouse…”
I nearly choked— this sweet, old lady was a multi-millionaire businesswoman! I’d had no idea Gladys and Bill had put all their money into buying residential homes in the area, then renting them out.
As well as a huge warehouse and an entire apartment block, she and Bill had bought 39 homes. She had decided to liquidate the lot for cash. Why?
Now a widow, she’d had four kids. The businesswoman (and mother) in her knew there might be arguments among the siblings after she had passed— so she wanted to keep it simple, and leave a huge pot of cash so they could divide it four ways.
Guess who listed them all? And by just asking questions?
In the next-to-last video, I’m going to explain how my beautiful and smart life-and-business partner, Sheila, became ‘The Nº1 Hooker In The Real Estate Game.’ (In our area, at least!)
But not the ‘hooker’ in the way it’s usually known, I hasten to add…
Video #9 — “The Nº1 Hooker in The Real Estate Game”
Video #9 Transcript
She Became Known As “The Nº1 Hooker In The Real Estate Game”
hooker (n.) “one who or that which hooks”
Okay, we’re all accustomed to the word ‘hooker’ being associated with a sex worker, call girl, escort— call the job what you will.
The word ‘hooker’ is reported to have been used for well over 150 years now. It has more meanings than you might think.
It was originally the name for a type of sailing boat, over 500 years ago, in Holland. In the old-time vaudeville halls, if an act on the stage went over his or her allotted time, or was plain crap…
A stagehand, known as ‘the hooker’, would extend a large hook on a long pole, place it round the waist of the artiste, then physically pull him or her off the stage and into the wings.
(If an act was really good, sometimes the audience would stand up and give an ovation. Remember the old disco song by Gloria Gaynor, ‘I am what I am’? Part of the lyric was, “…Give me the hook or the ovation…”)
It was also used in fairgrounds to describe the people who were employed to ‘hook’ passers-by to go on the rides or watch the sideshows— so they were called ‘hookers’. (They were also known as ‘Carnival Barkers’ back in the day.)
It’s said, too, that it’s been known as a slang term for ‘sex worker’ for over 150 years— but today, we’re going to use the word ‘hooker’ to describe how to ‘hook’ people— your real estate leads— and we’ll frequently turn them into prospective real estate clients.
Why?
Because one constant in this life is that everybody needs a roof over their heads, (with very few exceptions.) So 99.9% of every human being you’ll ever meet is a prospective client!
So we need a wickedly effective way to ‘hook’ them.
Now I’m pretty sure by now you’ll have understood the principles behind The Pretty Woman Principle— so let’s tie it all together.
You’ll have understood the importance of getting your prospective clients talking about themselves, yes?
But how do you do that without sounding like a ‘Nosey Parker’?
Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Strategy
Like I said, all I did, all those years ago, was what my coach told me to do— ask my prospective clients questions— and it worked. Sheila, however, took it to cosmic levels.
She’s chatty at the best of times, but she showed me a far better way. And that’s why she’s ‘The Nº1 Hooker In The Real Estate Business.’ (At least in the county we serve!)
For both home buyers and home sellers, she came up with a seven-word ‘opener’— an ‘ice breaker’, a ‘hooker’, if you will— to get them to lower their guard…
But what’s really clever about it, (and I don’t think she even figured this out intentionally, at least not at first), is that in both cases, her seven-word opener (‘hooker’) instantly gives the prospect the idea that he or she is already dealing with a professional in the real estate business.
And that’s MEGA-important!
When she meets a prospective property buyer, the first words out of her mouth are:-
“What makes you want to buy here?”
Think about those 7 words: first and foremost, right away, you’re getting down to the core of their emotional reason for wanting to live in the real estate market you serve.
Secondly, you’re actually pre-qualifying them by asking them, in a very subtle way, whether or not they intend to actually BUY.
If they’re not ready to buy, for whatever reason, their natural tendency will be to tell you why they’re not about to buy.
So right away, you can tailor your conversation in such a way as to help them find finance, or help them with whatever reason they give you for not being in a position to move forward.
(We’ll come back to this in a couple of minutes.)
Now, I hope you’ll have remembered the massive difference between buyer leads and seller leads, yes?
‘Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Strategy’ works like a dream with home sellers, whether just on the market, or FSBOs, or expired listings.
It makes no difference— this works like gangbusters in every case.
When Sheila encounters anyone who owns a property, and even if they’re NOT thinking about selling right now, (and this is brilliant), here’s all she opens with— seven words:-
“Have you lived here for a while?”
I wish I could take credit for this but I can’t. Because it’s a simple question that’s a LOT smarter than it sounds…
First, people tend to stay in the same home for between 6 and 11 years. (There have been numerous studies done, and it’s not easy to get an accurate average. But 6-11 is reasonable.)
Let’s say they’ve only been in the house for 5 years— and you ask them the question, ‘Have you lived here for a while?’
They’re bound to answer truthfully— why wouldn’t they? They say to you, “Yes, we’ve been here for 5 years now.”
Now as I said, this ‘7-Word Strategy’ was Sheila’s invention, not mine. But I can say without a shadow of a doubt, these two ‘7-Word Strategies’ made the most enormous difference to our financial success…
And I’ll explain to you both why and exactly how in a few minutes.
This might just blow your socks off!
Video #10 — Mad Men and Elevator Chats
Video #10 Transcript
Mad Men and Buyer Scripts
Now to the ‘kinda-sorta scripts’. One detail I want you to bear in mind is this…
You want to keep asking very general questions about both the area and what your prospective buyers and sellers opinions are on pretty much everything…
Except politics, race and religion! Those can be argument-starters and you do NOT want to go there.
So keep it light, keep it general, and try to get them talking as much as possible about themselves, their area, their kids, their job, their interests, their hobbies, their car… you get the idea, right?
As I mentioned at the outset of this course, the main reason so many enthusiastic, ambitious and motivated new agents crash and burn, is in not understanding a career in real estate has never been a ‘Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ type of job.
And it never will be! If anyone tells you our profession is going to be replaced by computers and robots— they’re wrong. Ain’t gonna happen any time soon, believe me.
Now, you’ll recall at the start I said this was a ‘kinda-sorta script’— because it’s a ‘script’ you don’t have to learn. This is not Shakespeare!
So let’s get this thing done and start off with the leads that are actually less valuable— but they do allow you to quickly build up a database of possible real estate buyers for your future years in the business.
The Buyers ‘Kinda-Sorta Script’— Part 1— ‘The Elevator Pitch’
First you need what’s called an ‘Elevator Pitch’. If you haven’t heard of it, this was invented back in the 1960s, in the ‘Mad Men’ days on Madison Avenue, NYC.
Madison Avenue (and Manhattan in general) has a lot of skyscrapers, right? New Yorkers are world famous for being some of the best hustlers on the planet.
Everybody in New York has to hustle to survive. If you don’t hustle, you don’t make it.
In a skyscraper, elevator rides can last up to a minute or more. But most will be around (maybe) 20 seconds. So in order to attract a total stranger’s attention, the ‘Mad Men’ had to come up with a pitch, a ‘hooker’, to get a stranger’s attention— or better still, to ask for a business card.
Bearing in mind these were advertising people, an example might be this:- “No matter what kind of business you’re in, we make really cheap radio and TV ads that can easily double your inquiries every single month.”
If the stranger in the elevator is not in the least bit interested in increasing business— say the person is a scientist— then he or she probably won’t ask for a card.
But they just might be aware someone in their company would be interested in doubling sales: so the chances are they may just ask for details.
Of course, bearing in mind a high percentage of business people in Manhattan will be very interested in doubling their inquiries, that kind of pitch is pretty much guaranteed to get at least some strangers to actually say those magic words, “Really? Do you have a business card?”
How do you, as a real estate agent, put together an elevator pitch that you could use on a prospective client in your area? And create your own lead? Let’s say you’re talking with the owner of a small, local business. A place you might go to buy shoes, computer goods, the deli… or the hairdresser, barber— whatever.
And with the knowledge that 99.9% of everyone you ever meet needs a roof over their heads, let’s say it’s a cashier in the gas station. A girl on the checkout in the market. Or a sales assistant in a clothes store.
I’ll admit right up front I can’t write this for you without knowing a whole lot about the area you serve. Different places have different prices. Some places, there are a lot of properties for sale. Others have not enough.
You have to look at your area and decide how to put together an elevator pitch. (And hey— you can have more than one!)
But let’s say in your area, it’s difficult (for example) for younger people to get on the real estate ladder. And let’s say you’ve just spoken casually with a younger person. Say a server in a restaurant.
As you’re leaving, you could use something along the lines of this:-
“Thanks! By the way, you know how it can be really hard to get your own place around here? I help people looking to buy or rent a home, take away all the stress and do all the work. Here’s my card…”
And you give them a card even if they don’t ask for one— they might know somebody who is looking for a place!
Next training, a few pointers so you’ll understand how to put together your own ‘kinda-sorta’ script easily.
Video #11 — Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Speech (For Buyer Leads)
Video #11 Transcript
Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Strategy (Buyer Leads)
Whether you’re talking with a prospective buyer or a prospective seller, your objective is to engage emotionally with the person.
What you want them to say is, “Do you have a business card?”
That’s all. But get this…
If they don’t say those words, do not fret: instead, you’ll say, “Here’s my business card. Call me anytime if you think I can help.”
I can tell you from long experience that well over 80% of the people you meet with either ask for your card or, if they don’t, will actually call you at some point.
No, maybe not right away, but I can tell you if you’ve made (I repeat!) the emotional connection, they’ll get in touch when they need you.
And believe me, that’s a positive: because you won’t be wasting your time if they’re currently NOT buying or NOT selling!
Now at this point, when you get someone who responds to you positively, either using an elevator pitch or from (say) a referral, this is when you’ll use ‘Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Strategy’— you’ll simply say:-
“What makes you want to buy here?”
Maybe they’ll reply, “I can’t actually afford to buy yet. I just want to rent a place.”
This isn’t a bad result. It’s good on at least two fronts. You’ve just qualified they’re not prospective buyers— yet. But you also know they want to rent— and there’s commission in finding them a rental! PLUS…
Most people who rent do harbor the desire to buy: so now you’ll have created a valuable lead for the future, right? So your reply could be…
- “Well, that’s great! I can help you with that. Here’s my card— call me after you finish work.”
(*Assuming they can’t talk to you now, maybe in front of other customers or their boss.)
They might say, “It’s because I want to be closer to work.”
So a few responses you could use could be…
- “Really? How long have you worked here?”
- “Is it a good place to work?”
- “Do you work a lot of hours then?”
- “How do you travel to work?”
- “Is the pay good or could you do with more?”
- “Do you get a discount for yourself?”
- Etc, etc, etc…
Maybe when you ask them, “What makes you want to buy here?”, they say, “We want to get a place of our own.”
The logical line of questioning for you would be…
- “Oh, do you have a partner, then?”
- “Have you gotten married recently?”
- “Where are you living now? Near here?”
- “Are you renting at the moment, then?”
- “So will this be your first home together?”
- “Great! Do you have kids too?”
- Etc, etc, etc.
You’ve asked them, “What makes you want to buy here?” Their reply is, “I’ve split up with my partner.”
So you’ll say…
- “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have kids together?”
- “When do you need to move?”
- “Could you do with some help finding a place?”
Or even better…
- “That’s a shame. Do you have a place to sell, then?”
Let’s say you ask,“What makes you want to buy here?” and they say to you, “We just love it here and it’s the place we want to settle in.” You need to engage with them by asking…
- “Wonderful! It sure is a great place— what do you like about it?”
- “How long have you been here?”
- “Do you have relatives around here?”
- “What sort of property would you like to live in?”
- “Is there a part of town you like in particular?”
- “Do you have kids? Do you know what school you want for them?”
- “Where are you from originally, then?”
- Etc, etc, etc.
Maybe they’re business-minded and when you ask them, “What makes you want to buy here?”, they answer, “There are some great business opportunities here.”
Your questions might be…
- “You’re right! What sort of business are you in?”
- “Have you been doing this for long?”
- “Why is this area ideal for your business?”
- “Really? Do you work online or is it going to be on Main Street?”
- “Are there customers in this area you’re targeting?”
- “Is it because of the location? Or the people?”
- Etc, etc, etc.
Now I hope you’re getting the drift here. All you really have to do is to listen to whatever your prospective client says— then ask another question when they reply.
I won’t lie to you here— I did say at the very start this is pretty counter-intuitive and it takes a wee while to master— why?
For two reasons: first, we all have a natural tendency to talk about ourselves. It’s the human way of communicating. We want to show the other person we’re ‘good people’ and we’re not a threat.
And secondly, we almost all don’t want to be seen as the local ‘Nosey Parker’, sticking our snouts into other peoples’ business. That’s natural too. But when you make the questions about the other person, about what THEY want, you won’t be seen as being nosey in the least.
You’re being interested in what they have going around inside their heads— and that’s where you want to be— inside their heads. (But in a good way!)
If this seems a wee bit daunting, I have something else for you today…
In the last video, I’m going to give you SIX ‘prompts’. Just six little words.
They’re so simple, short and sweet, you could even write them on the palm of your hand till you’ve nailed this down rock-solid in your head.
Best of all, they’re drop-dead easy to remember!
Now we move on to ‘Where The Money Is’… in those cash-loaded listings! And remember…
“YOU’VE GOT TO LIST TO LAST!!!”
Video #12 — “The More They Tell, The More You’ll Sell”
Video #12 Transcript
‘The More They Tell, The More You’ll Sell’
You’ll recall I said at the outset the one thing you DON’T want to do is to go out there and try to ‘sell yourself’. Nobody I know likes ‘being sold to’, pretty much whatever the ‘product’.
You don’t, do you? Me neither.
However, there’s a phrase the ‘Mad Men’ of the 1960s came up with: ‘The more you tell, the more you sell’. What’s behind it is this…
You’ll have seen those late-night TV commercials that run for 30 minutes? You know, like an actual program, with a presenter talking to camera? QVC style?
When you’re selling a physical product, the more you can tell the prospect about how the
thing works, how it will make them more beautiful…
Save them time, or save them money, the more enthusiastic and likely to buy the
prospect becomes— and therefore more likely to order the product.
You might be surprised to learn these ‘30 minute adverts’ are the most profitable ads you’ll ever see. They work like crazy. (Or they wouldn’t be able to pay for the airtime!)
Now, whoever coined the phrase ‘sell yourself’ meant well— the problem is this…
If you try to ‘sell yourself’ like a ‘product’, like in those 30-minute ads, you’ll crash like an overheated computer with a full-blown virus attack.
And here’s the thing that’s important for you to remember…
I’m the first to admit I hit the Lotto with Gladys. A chance in a million (or more) I’d say. Over 40 listings by asking a prospective client questions, by getting her talking about herself, her career and her life.
And the more I let her talk, the more I encouraged her to reminisce, the more she told me, the more SHE ‘sold’ me to herself.
She never, for a second, had to listen to me boring her into the ground by blathering on about me and my services.
And remember, I wasn’t ‘grooming’ her to try and get her business.
I had NO IDEA this bright, chatty, elderly lady would turn out to be my best (and wealthiest) client EVER.
It was truly unintentional.
And what you’re going to find is this…
The less you talk about YOU, they more you’ll engage with THEM.
So in our business, ‘The more you tell, the more you sell’ doesn’t apply. For that reason, and to go up against ‘Don Draper’ and the Mad Men, I coined my own knockout motto…
‘The more THEY tell, the more YOU’LL sell!’
And I proved the point with Gladys, don’t you think? The cost? $0.00. Apart from a little gas, maybe.
But the point here is not that I hit the lucky spot with Gladys: the point is YOU can get your own private, exclusive buyer leads and listings exactly the same way as I do.
Or as Sheila does— by just asking the right questions. You create that all-important emotional bond with your prospects— you get inside their headspace— so they’ll know almost instantly that you’re only interested in them.
When that happens, they’ll rapidly start to like you. So don’t forget the equation:-
KNOW + LIKE = TRUST.
Concentrate On The Listings
What’s so massively powerful about getting your own listings is this: if all you do is sell real estate, then all you’ll ever be is a real estate agent. It’s a ‘transactional career’— your earnings are totally dependent on every damn sale you make, one after another.
But when you build your own list of real estate vendors, you’re in a whole different ballpark. You become a ‘business owner’, not just another ‘transactional’ agent. Look at it this way…
Every time you land a listing, it’s almost ‘money in the bank’. You’re building up a portfolio of properties constantly, day after day, for as long as you wish. And as I mentioned before, there’s no qualifying whether the client is in a position to proceed…
They own a freakin’ property already! Get the listing, and you know you’re going to get paid! It’s a win-win more than you know— because as a selling agent, all you have is a list of ‘possible’ clients. That’s of almost no value to anyone else but you— and a lot will be (frankly) tire-kickers and wannabes.
Whereas a list of properties is like a shop full of valuable goodies, each with its own price tag. You can even add up the prices of those properties and when the time comes, you actually have a valuable asset (a business) you can sell.
That’s huge. Companies will often pay massive money for a portfolio of listings!
So Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Strategy comes into play again. But in this case, it’s not only more valuable to you, but also it’s WAY easier to deploy— and it’s much more effective— you’ll engage with the prospective client. Why?
Because when you ask the homeowner, “Have you lived here for a while?”, first thing is this: you’re going to get a valuable answer right away. If they say, “No”, then you can be fairly sure they’re less likely to be either selling or buying.
But when they say “Yes”, you’ll know immediately they just could be a prospective selling client, bearing in mind most folks stay in a property between 6 and 11 years. So you pre-qualifying with just seven words!
And here’s where this gets drop-dead easy as pie…
When you ask “Have you lived here for a while? and they say they have, you follow it up with these killer words—
“You must have seen some changes then?”
(Hmmm… that’s weird! I just noticed that’s also seven words— spooky!)
Next video, the incredible power of “You must have seen some changes then?”
Video #13 — “You Must Have Seen Some Changes Then?”
Video #13 Transcript
“You must have seen some changes then?”
First and most important…
When you ask that question of a prospective client, you MUST say stuff like…
“Wow!”
“No way!”
“You must be kiddin’ me!”
…Even if you already KNOW what they’re telling you!
You’re not going to believe this, but that question will literally change your life. Let me explain…
- EVERYBODY wants to be recognized as having
special ‘inside’ knowledge. (Human nature.) - EVERYBODY needs to communicate with other people—
even if they don’t know them. (Human nature.) - EVERYBODY likes to be able to help other people who
ask them a question. (Human nature.)
Now get this: when you ask of a property owner, “You must have seen some changes then?”, that person will feel important and empowered because she or he is being recognized as having special ‘inside’ knowledge… and in their minds, they feel just a teeny weensy bit SUPERIOR to YOU.
Here’s the ‘human nature’ part…
People LIKE to feel that way.
And people REALLY like people who MAKE them feel that way!
So immediately, they’ll begin to like you.
Further, you’re fulfilling that person’s human need to communicate with someone they don’t know, someone ‘new’… and people LIKE to feel that way. So immediately, they’ll begin to like you.
Another strange quirk of human nature: people genuinely love helping other people out, especially when they’re asked a question they actually know the answer to. Have you ever had someone ask you for directions, and you knew exactly how to get to that place, and helped that ‘lost’ person out?
How did you feel as she or he walked away? You felt good, right? Empowered? Generous? Other people LIKE to feel that way too. So immediately, they’ll begin to like you.
This is mega-powerful because like I already said, KNOW + LIKE = TRUST, remember?
But wait— ‘cuz I’ve saved the best for last! You’re gonna love this…
What you’re going to find is that when you truly engage emotionally with property owners in your area, you’re going to unconsciously tap into two awesomely powerful lead sources that 99% of other agents will never discover…
First, (and this is mega!) you’ll learn stuff about your area that I’ll flat out guarantee you did not know. (Even if you think you DO know a lot!) It’s happened to Sheila and to me on way too many occasions to mention.
Why is that important?
I’ll tell you why… newer real estate agents often struggle because both they themselves and prospects know they’re new to the business. Your prospects know you’re licensed, yes: but they also may be of the opinion you’ve not been in the business long enough to be considered an ‘expert’.
Here’s a wee insider secret for you…
The definition of ‘expert’ in the dictionary is this:-
Expert (n) An expert is a person who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field.
Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain.
An expert, moreover…
Blah, blah, blah. On it goes. I’ll give you the true meaning of the word…
Expert (n) Somebody who knows stuff you DON’T.
In order to get your real estate career moving like an overcharged Tesla on steroids, all you have to do is to get yourself little-known knowledge about the area you’re doing your real estate work IN.
That’s all.
Now, when you ask a property vendor, “You must have seen some changes then?”, I can say without a shadow of doubt that person WILL tell you stuff about YOUR area that you didn’t know.
The more you know about your area, the local history, the increasing property prices, the local facilities, the movie theaters, the malls, the work situation, the schools… the more you’ll increase your knowledge.
You’ll quickly build up an internal Wikipedia of facts that you’ll be able to relay to other prospects— stuff they don’t know—and in their eyes, you become an expert on your area.
People TRUST experts automatically. But there’s more…
The second massive leverage point you’re going to get is this: everyone you talk to, everyone to whom you say the words, “You must have seen some changes then?”, will know something about their neighbors. (And even if they like them or not!)
You’re going to find you’ll get leads about who’s thinking of moving. Or who is about to retire and relocate to Florida. Or who’s just had another kid and needs a bigger house…
Yes, some might consider it ‘gossip’ but in our business, it’s valuable, ‘Inside Information’ that you ain’t gonna find on Facebook, on Zillow or online.
See where I’m coming from?
So let’s create a few ‘kinda-sorta scripts’, shall we? And oh, one thing to bear in mind here— it’s important, too…
No matter how well you actually DO know the area, you must act as if you know NOTHING about it.
You have to make THEM feel THEY are the expert on the area— not you!
So let’s finish this workshop with your ‘kinda-sorta scripts’ for home sellers, okay?
Video #14 — Your Seller ‘Kinda-Sorta’ Scripts
Video #14 Transcript
‘Kinda-Sorta’ Script– Home Sellers
Let’s complete this workshop with your ‘kinda-sorta’ scripts on how to land prospective home sellers, okay?
Now remember, you must start the conversation with Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Script…
When you say, “You must have seen some changes then?” and they answer, “Yes, the new mall has made a big difference to us.”
You go into what I call ‘gentle interrogation mode’ and ask…
- “Really? What year did it open?” (Even if you already know!)
- “What difference does it make to you personally?”
- “Is there one particular store that’s really popular?”
- “What do you think has made it so successful?”
- “Does everyone around here use that one or do they go someplace else?”
- “What’s your favorite feature of that mall?”
Perhaps they’ll say to you, “Well, the real estate prices have gone up a lot.” So you could inquire…
- “So your home must be worth a lot more than when you bought it?”
- “What do you think has caused that?”
- “Is that in general or just in this area?”
- “What kind of increases have you seen?”
- “Did you think that would happen when you bought here?”
- “So will you continue to live here?”
Maybe their answer will be, “The new Interstate has changed things.” So you ask…
- “Really? In what way? Have the house prices gone up?”
- “Do you think that’s been a good thing for this area?”
- “Has it made a big difference to your traveling times?”
- “So have people moved here from other towns because of it?”
- “How long did it take you to get to the Interstate before?”
- “Has that brought any businesses into the area?”
- “Has it taken away and businesses from the area?”
- “Do you have new neighbors from out of state?”
When you ask, “You must have seen some changes then?”
They think about it and reply… “The new factory over at [wherever] has made a big difference.”
You can get a lot of information from this one— so you’ll ask…
- “Has it really? It’s created a lot of jobs, then?”
- “Are there more people coming in from other areas to work there?”
- “Are the salaries good, do you think?”
- “Has that brought in other businesses too?”
- “So has the extra income meant City Hall has more to invest?”
- “Do you think it’s increased the standard of living?”
- “Have they built more homes because of it?”
You can even create leads when you get less than positive comments. Perhaps they’ll say something like, “It’s not the same as it used to be. People are less friendly.”
You can learn a lot from this too. You might say…
- “How so? Why do you think that is?”
- “Have there been less jobs available?”
- “Are people coming in from out of town, then?”
- “Have a lot of your neighbors moved away?”
- “Has something happened locally you think has caused that?”
- “Do your friends and family feel the same?”
Or even…
- “Does that mean you’re not planning on staying here?”
When you say, “You must have seen some changes then?”, sometimes your prospects will come back at you with sold gold, take-it-to- the-bank answers, such as, “Well, it’s just not the same since the kids up and left…”
This kind of answer is massive for you. Many older clients want to downsize— and that’s a double lead, because they’ll want to sell, and they’ll want to buy a smaller place too! That’s a ‘Kah-ching!’ moment right there— so you’ll ask them…
- “Oh, you have kids? How many? How old are they?”
- “What does your son do for a living?”
- “Where does your daughter work?”
- “Did they go to college? Or university? Or right into work?”
- “Do you have grandkids then?”
- “Where do your kids live?”
- “You must miss your son / daughter, I guess?”
- “Would you like to be nearer to them?”
Or perhaps, when you ask “You must have seen some changes then?” sometimes, sadly, you’ll get the answer…
“Since I my wife / husband died, it just doesn’t seem like the same old place as before…”
You’ll come across this one, of course. That person wants and needs to hear your empathy — so you might say…
- “Oh, I’m so sorry. How long ago was that?”
- “You must miss him / her terribly.”
- “Were you together a long time?”
- “What did he / she do for a living?”
- “Where did you two first meet?”
- “Did you always live here or someplace else?”
- “Will you stay here or move, do you think?”
And by the way…
…Don’t go thinking this is in any way manipulative. I can tell you now, from personal (and painful) experience…
Widows and widowers almost always want to talk about their lost partner. It’s actually part of the healing process, the gradual acceptance of their loss. And a healer of grief. Don’t be afraid —
Both you and your prospect will come away with a mutual feeling of — ‘A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved’— believe me! And remember…
A lot of the conversations I had with my dear Gladys were based on stuff she wanted to tell me about her beloved husband & partner, Bill.
Now to the final video in this training. I saved this till last because it’s an advanced concept. I wanted you to truly ‘get’ the basis of The Pretty Woman Principle.
Here you’re about to see how you can advance your career fast. How you’ll control any meeting you have with any prospective client.
And ultimately, you’ll establish yourself as a knowledgeable, professional and trusted real estate agent in the area you’ve chosen to serve…
And a valuable asset to the people you’ve chosen to serve.
Video #15 — 5W1H
Video #15 Transcript
5W1H
I’m absolutely certain that at this point you’ve ‘got it’. You’ve understood the massive importance of making the emotional connection with your prospective clients and how to do it ‘on the hoof’.
I’m sure you’ll understand there’s no way anybody can actually write a word-for-word ‘script’ that will cover every conceivable reply.
You just don’t know what your prospective client’s going to say. The trick is to listen intently to what they say when you ask them your version of Sheila’s Simple 7-Word Script.
Then you have to follow up with another question. And here’s a wee added bonus for you…
There’s something I want you to add to your 7-Word Script. It’s a little formula you could even write on the back of your hand.
‘5W1H’
What does that mean? Well, when you ask a prospect a question, you DON’T want just a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer: you want them to tell you stuff that’s in their noggin. You want to get in touch with their emotions.
A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ won’t do that.
This philosophy actually goes back thousands of years to the ancient Greek philosophers. (Aristotle is believed to have discovered this gem.)
More recently, it’s been christened ‘The Kipling Method’. Rudyard Kipling, the author who penned The Jungle Book, (among other greats), wrote these lines in 1902:-
“I keep six honest serving-men, (they taught me all I knew)
“Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.”
The formula ‘5W1H’ stands for ‘Five Ws and One H.’ Simple as that.
What – Why – When – Where – Who – How
The reason you want to use this little diamond in your business is that if you include one of these six words in a question, it helps the person you’re talking to give you a valuable answer.
Not just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.
For example, you might ask of a buying client, “Are you ready to buy now?”, all you’re likely to get is a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. There’s no emotional connection there.
It’s a cold response to a question every agent in spitting distance will be asking them.
But if you ask, “What makes you feel you’re ready to buy now?”, you’ll be touching their emotions.
‘What makes you FEEL…’ you see?
Let’s expand this a little further…
Imagine you’re speaking with the vendors of a home who’re ready to move on. You say what all the other agents would say: “You want to sell your house, right?”
That’s cold, impersonal and totally devoid of any emotional content, agreed?
Instead, you’re going to ask, “Why do you think you want to sell your lovely home now?”
You’re going to tap into their emotions instantly. Bring back memories. (Like Gladys.) Or touch on their hopes and dreams for the future.
That’s powerful and other agents don’t understand this. But YOU do.
And guess what? It brings us all the way back to The Pretty Woman Principle. And those killer TWO WORDS Vivian Ward used on Edward Lewis all through the movie…
Tell me.
When you talking to prospects nail them to the wall with those two little words from The Pretty Woman Principle.
“Tell me what…”
“Tell me why…”
“Tell me when…”
“Tell me where…”
“Tell me who…”
“Tell me how…”
Now you’ve got it, get out there and do it! use your Pretty Woman Principle day in, day out and I absolutely 100% guarantee you’re going to get leads for the rest of your career, on auto-pilot, at zero cost.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to talk with you.
You can get me on Norm@13PercentClub.com anytime. It may take me a few days to get back to you, but I will.
Thanks!
Norm MacLoud.
see major advances
What – Why – When – Where – Who – How
There’s no emotional connection there. It’s a cold response that’s not a lot of help
It’s been tried before and it doesn’t work.
Don’t believe me?
You know those junk calls you get on the phone trying to sell you something you don’t want?
(Funnily enough, I just this second got one from some guy trying to sell me a massage in some new place in town. I politely yelled, “No thanks!” and hung up. HE was reading from a prepared script and it simply didn’t work.)
I’ll forewarn you this approach doesn’t always work. Some people are very private. Some people are extremely wary about talking to anybody.
And some people are downright mean.
But I can tell you that in my experience, and with just a little practice, this ‘kinda-sorta script’ works well over 90% of the time…
Not that I’m saying 9 out of 10 prospects (or contacts, even) will convert into solid leads: but in 9/10 cases, you’ll get enough positive feedback to make it well with your while using this strategy.
So until next time, thanks for joining in. If you want to get in touch, my personal email is Norm@13PercentClub.com. Send me a message and I’ll try to get back to you personally ASAP. (Might take a day or two!)
See you soon— it’s been a pleasure!
Norm.
Video #16 — Jay Abraham and ‘The Pretty Woman Principle’
Video #17 — “The Pretty Woman Principle” Feature Length #1-#15 Complete
To download your bonus ebook, hit the image below. Enjoy!
