I recently spoke with a successful broker-owner who had been "coached" by one of our competitors to stop her mailing program because "mailings don´t work." The result: over a $50,000 bottom line loss in her business.

The question that immediately comes to mind is: "What went wrong?" The answer is one that applies not only to coaching, but to your business every time you are in front of a buyer or seller. Instead of focusing on what works for the client, the coach demanded that the agent shift to her business model rather than customizing a model to fit the agent´s strengths. Unfortunately, the same thing happens thousands of times each day as real estate agents work with sellers and buyers. It also causes agents who "show up" like this to lose millions of dollars of potential business.

To spot where you may "running your agenda" and losing business, examine each of the following areas in your listing presentation.

1. Do you routinely tell sellers at what price they "should" list their property? If so, you´re running your agenda. To shift, give them the pertinent sales information, what percentage of properties that sell each month, what percentage DON´T sell, as well as the average market time. Then ask, "Where would you like to position your property so you will be one of the properties that will be under contract next month rather than still being on the market?

2. Do you tell the seller how you will market their property? Granted this is our area of expertise, but it´s much more effective to involve the seller in the process. Ask for the seller´s input on the ads, the brochure, as well as which pictures they would like to post on the Web. Jointly determine when the open houses and other marketing activities will be. Marketing now becomes about their agenda, rather than yours. If you´re worried their "agenda" may be too expensive, control their choices by asking them questions that have "limited" choices. For example,

"It´s smart to show off the best features of the house on the Web-what five areas do you want to make sure we include in our photos to put on the Web?"

OR

"We´ve found that advertising on the Web produces 4-5 times more sales than advertising in the newspaper, especially if we have a 360 tour with beautiful color photos of your home. The Web also allows us to communicate more directly with buyers because of its interactive nature. But tell me, which do you prefer-marketing using the interactive format on the Web or do you prefer traditional passive newspaper ads?

3. Do you "Over promise and under deliver?" Real estate professionals are appalled to hear that we are perceived at about the same level as used car salesmen. A common trap for many agents is they get caught up in their agenda of "doing whatever it takes to get the listing." Once they´ve obtained a signed contract, what difference does it make if they don´t do everything they promised?" Of course the difference it makes is huge-they often lose the listing, they receive bad press in their market area, and they don´t receive future referrals. The smart move here is to promise about 75 percent of what you think you can deliver and then give the seller more than you promised.

4. Being "attached to the outcome" is another way your agenda can cost you money. Many agents fall victim to the "White Knight Syndrome" where they start acting as if they are the seller or the buyer. If you´ve ever said, "I´m not going to let my sellers do that!" your attachment evidences your agenda of wanting to control the transaction. To avoid this trap, be a conduit of information so your sellers can make the best decision possible. Remember, it´s their house, their money, and their decision.

5. Do you wait to follow-up with your sellers when it´s convenient for you? One of the biggest complaints about real estate agents is that we don´t follow-up with our clients on a regular basis. When you don´t follow-up regularly with your clients, you are putting your agenda above your fiduciary duty to your seller. Lack of follow-up is one of the quickest ways to kill future referrals.