Written by Mary Pallin

Sales dialogue is different than “scripts.”  Dialogue is about what you accomplish, not about the specific words you use.  There are some things, however, that an Agent should never say.

Here are three of them.

1. “You can’t get that price.”

2. “You should take it off the market for a while.”

3. “I’ll send you the offer. You take a look at it, and let me know what you think.”

Let’s take them one at a time, and figure out what you can say or do instead.

"You can’t get that price.”

We’ll start with a Seller who wants a price considerably higher than the property’s value.  Your competition walks in to a listing appointment, looks around the house, and shoots them a price.  If you’ve been Wickman trained, you don’t. 

You know pricing isn’t the same as showing comparables.  There are specific dialogues for helping Sellers understand how to determine a price based on the relationship between price and time.  The more a Seller wants, the longer it will take to sell.  So, instead of saying, “You can’t get that price” we tell a Seller they can, but it will take more time.  I

f the market is showing an average annual increase of 5%, then a Seller who wants 25% more than the current market value will need to wait approximately 5 years.  Now, you may decide you don’t want your sign in their yard for that long!  But the first decision is theirs to make, and it should take into account the time they are willing to wait.

“You should take it off the market for a while.” 

Two weeks ago, a coaching student of mine, mentioned he suggested his Seller take their house off the market until Spring.  He felt it was getting “shop worn” and that after the holidays would be a good time to put it back on.  Oh my.  Who’s to say the right Buyer has even started looking yet?  What if they begin shopping in three weeks, and this house isn’t even listed anymore?  Operate with this rule of thumb:  If it’s not on the market, you can’t sell it.  Do you want to sell?  Then get it on the market.

Besides, you have a legally binding listing contract.  You’ve spent money, time, and energy to promote the property.  Sometimes Sellers want to “take it off the market” because they have a Buyer in their back pocket.  Sometimes, when they put it back on, they do so with another agent!  If a Seller doesn’t want showings, fine.  But they are still in contract with you. 

Let’s be sure you get you paid for your services.

“I’ll send you the offer.  You take a look at it, and let me know what you think.”

Relationships are the key to giving and receiving real estate advice.  When your Seller trusts that you know what you’re doing and that you have their best interests in mind, they’ll take your advice.  Usually.  Of course, relationships deepen with contact and connection. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect when an offer comes in. 

Floyd Wickman always taught, “Get Face-To-Face whenever there’s money involved.”  It’s much easier to say “no” during a phone conversation; it’s much harder when you sit with someone and look them in the eye. 

So when the offer comes in, suggest a get-together to look it over and consider a way to make it work.  If you have a Seller who wants to sell, and a Buyer who wants to buy – it’s worth the investment of time and energy.

⭐️

Can you see how the way you think about the situation will guide your words? 

That’s how dialogues work. They start with the way to think, and the words you use come from within.

Did any of these surprise you?