Welcome to another episode of Golden Nuggets, Tips and Tales,
powered by Property Finder, the leading property platform and #1
property app in the region, driving more leads and
transactions than any other platform.
This is where super agents and smart home seekers meet Even
smarter tech. Because behind every great
listing and every hot lead is technology that works harder so
you don't have to. Today, joining me on the Golden
Nuggets Tips and Tails show is Laura Adams, the sales director
at Provident Estates. And you're leading quite a few
property Finder super agents in your team, aren't you?
Yeah, we are. We're very grateful for that.
It really does make a benefit for our lead generation, but it
also teaches some kind of self-discipline because the
KPI's are kind of what we set anyway, like answer your phone.
Quickly. Yes, 101, but also making sure
that you're presenting the property.
Online. Like I did a survey one time
like trying to. Find out the best places and the
best way to list a property. And I did it in like there are
Facebook groups on Brits in Dubai, things like that.
And although I wasn't shocked, I was shocked at the amount.
Of percentage 80. 5% of people said they click on a listing
because of a photo, not because of a price.
Mm hmm interesting. And that's where the good
quality score. Comes in because then it pushes
people. To do better imaging and it.
Presents the country at the Emerald.
Yeah, a lot better way. You just can't post a iPhone
picture. No.
Or the lovely. Toilet photo.
Everyone loves a. Toilet photo.
But yeah, people. Click on because of the picture.
Because I suppose the pictures you can't change and this.
Obviously, nowadays you can. But you can't change a.
Price, you can change a price, you can negotiate the price.
So that's one of the reasons why it's really beneficial and it
helps us do our job because that part's done for.
Us, you know, and. Where your job kicks in consumer
facing is that first phone call. And first impressions matter, as
you know, and this is something that I used to obsess over when
I used to run Teams. And I know you obsess over it
too. All calls on Property Finder are
recorded for training control purposes.
So we as management have access to those call recordings and we
can use them for training purposes or to give someone a
telling off, which in those cases it might be, you know,
like you answered your phone, but you sounded like you were in
the middle of doing something or whatever in bed.
So it actually used to be a very important part of my weekly
routine. I'd make sure every at least
once a week I'm listening to the core recordings.
But it also sometimes was really depressing, sometimes really
rewarding because you get a really great call and you're
like, I know why this agent is top performing because they
deliver first impressions like that.
So what's your experience been like of listening to the well,
the playback? It's the ones that I think who
are going to be good aren't like the stronger characters.
It seems like face to face may be the better on the phones.
They can just be a bit that not really much listening.
So we have two ears, one mouth, right.
And then one of the most importance of our job is to
listen to requirements. I run by man motivation,
ability, need. OK, Yeah.
Old school. And if people aren't asking the
questions and then, or if someone's asking for something
and they're offering three different things totally out of
their scope, like my kid wants to go to school in Barsha.
Oh, well, we've got a nice townhouse in the valet, right?
You know, I mean, come on. Yeah, you're listening.
The other side, obviously, is the good 'cause I mean the
people that add value the second that someone answers the phone.
Or just send me a WhatsApp. That's probably one of my most
annoying ones. That's the worst.
Maybe it's a confidence thing. They're not.
They're confident behind the keyboard, but they're not so
good at speaking. No, if it's another agent as
well, it. Annoys me because.
To me, another agent is a client as well.
And like you qualify the agent as much as you would qualify a
client to make sure that you're not wasting our time, et cetera.
So listening to the cause and retraining is amazing in the way
that I can save time like in the secondary market at the moment.
I worked out that if you work a 40 hour week and you do 2 sales,
just general affordable 1-2 bedroom apartments say like in
Dubai Hills. We're in a seller's market, so
we'll be lucky to get the 2% as much as anyone says, you know,
4% every transaction. Let's just.
Count it. We're we're negotiating
ourselves out of it at the moment.
So let's say we're getting 2%. That means your hourly rate is
about 1600 dirhams an hour. Oh, I've never broken it down in
town. So interesting.
Yeah, if. You're not gonna ask the right
questions on a phone call, or overqualify, or create urgency
or tell them without being mood. Bring a check.
This is what the market's like right now.
You're just wasting your time. Or if they've only offered one
property and they haven't said lined up 3.
For example, that's a huge issue.
Because you're going to show that property, they're going to
go to the other agency and then leverage off your hard work and
then go and close another property.
So there's a lot of things that we can pick up on to save time,
which as a business then results in more sales.
I want to frame the perfect first call.
OK, so with some do's and don'ts.
So let's start with how it's answered.
Let's fall quickly. Hang in it a seller or a buyer?
Let's start with the buyer. OK, let's start.
With the buyer and if we have time we'll get to a seller.
So stick around till the end so the buyer calls up.
How should the intro be? Very.
Bubbly and night. Hello, how are you?
Thank you for calling Night. This is business.
This is. Customer service, like you both
need each other, whether it's a rental, whether it's a studio,
whether it's a signature villa, treat everybody the same like
and how you want to be treated. And that's one of my golden
walls. You know what I don't want to be
asked? What's the reference?
Number. Oh gosh.
Yeah, well, no, luckily. You get what's up at the same
time. So if you've got half a brain or
if you're at least sitting in front of a computer, I usually,
Well, yeah, I mean, someone who doesn't know their own stock
really is in the wrong game. Know your stock, Yeah.
And know what they're calling about.
Yeah. Unless you're like, yeah, unless
you have hundreds of lists, you know what I mean?
What's the most listings an agent can?
Handle. I think a professional agent in
more than five years experience 40 listings is enough.
That's the cap you. Think that's, yeah.
That. Is a real cap because otherwise
sellers don't get feedback. I'm afraid.
Most sellers in Dubai only get called with offers, they don't
get called with updates. And then you did the London
market as well, like religiously.
We called our sellers Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays.
You know, feedback. Even if it wasn't good news.
Yeah, every offer should be put forward anyhow.
But going back to the 'cause I mean, it's just like people can
hear in your voice what your mood is, what your desperation
is, what the seller's desperation, whatever.
Just keep it neutral, professional, give the
information that you've got. Make sure that you ask them what
have you seen already. I guarantee if we listen to
every single call that was recorded last year, I bet you
that question was asked less than 1% of the time.
You'll be. Pretty sure.
So what would be your killer questions to make sure you're
qualifying? Be like, if they haven't seen
anything, I will push them to drive through the community
first and identify buildings. I mean, no one's going to get a
feel of anything. Obviously, I'll pick a viewing
with them, but I make sure that I have more than multiple
options. But the killer question is, what
didn't you like about it? What did you like about it?
What in your dream would you have?
What is the top, top budget you can go to?
And don't give me 20% lower, I'll give you what you can get
for your money. From the get go, what is your
real budget? Correct.
Be honest with them, yeah. Because I mean, it's not cheap
nowadays and people's aspirations and dreams tend to
not really match with budgets. And so you have to be realistic.
And the more honest they're with you, the more you can help them
because the more that you can say, look, I have this option.
It's not your dream, but it can be your dream.
This is how much it will cost to be your dream.
There's how much it cost to buy. Then you can bring in renovators
you can help. People with strategies.
Of exit and then maybe then make appreciation to buy their dream
in 2-3 years time. You know, but you can't help
someone if they're not willing to give you the information.
At the beginning. So try to be completely honest.
So we've got a few killer questions we've got.
What have you seen so far? What did you like?
What didn't you like from them? And what is your real budget?
Don't give me the discounted version.
What else should you should every agent be asking on that
first call? Facilities seem to be like a key
thing at the moment in Dubai, a lot of the developers, as you've
seen in Arjan and JVC, in paddle courts or out in cinemas and God
knows what else. And I've seen people take
properties just because of a lobby, right?
Because they're keeping up with the Joneses and they want people
to think when they walk into their building it's luxurious.
And I've lost viewings from being at the front door of the
lobby before because people haven't wanted to be there.
So really get into the nitty gritty of what they want, what's
their motivation, what's their ability and what's their need,
their requirement, MAN. Yeah, man.
Or old schools, sellers, buyers, anyone, anyone.
You can use it. On motivation, ability and need,
yes. So the other step to a
successful first call would be to create some a bit of urgency
somewhere. What are you picking up on the
playbacks where agents are creating urgency?
So there's some that sound like the typical agent.
Which is. Just it's going to go, the last
project sold out that no one's going to believe that, I'm
sorry, a salesperson at the end of the day, as a salesperson,
they have a job to do. So basically I'm a bit sarcastic
in my way and I'm, I use my cheekiness.
So luckily we're from London, so we kind of get away with it
quite a bit and quite a few people here get us.
But I just say, look, I'm going to be honest with you.
I've got a viewing at 2:00. Bring your checkbook or you're
going to miss out. And then they do miss out.
And then two weeks later they phone you and they say I want
that property, so will you listen to me now, don't you?
But people don't create urgency. No one does.
I don't hear it on any calls. I hear the flimsy sales pictures
like, oh, it's going to sell, it's going to sell.
We've got this person and we've got this buyer, but nothing like
right, here's the data, here's the facts.
I use data Finder analytics. It will show you the amount of
listing percentage on property Finder for that area.
So let's say Marina keys into by Marina, it's got .2% of listings
right, but it's got .8% of searches and 1% of leads, which
means it's over demand undersupplied.
So we use that in course. Look you're after this property
and look how much stock there is, general economic supply and
demand and look how many people are looking because.
You can't argue the the data if. People are going to argue the
data. They're not your client if
they're not going to look at the facts.
And you can use it on sellers as well.
Like I don't want to put my property online.
Your market is online. That's where your buyer is.
If you don't let me put it online, how am I going to bring
in your buyer? I swear, some of these sellers
think that I've got like villa buyers under my desk or hang a
minute. I'll just pick this one out.
Actually, let's do an episode about pocket listings, off
market listings. So stay tuned for the rest of
your series because that needs its own conversation.
Yeah. I've never understood it.
OK. So to wrap up the phone call,
yes, the first impression, we've introduced ourselves
enthusiastically. We've built some rapport, we've
asked the killer questions or some good questions.
We must be at least 4-5 minutes in by now and then created a bit
of urgency. How do you wrap up?
So I would say, listen, I'm going to come together with an
investment proposal for you and I would compare one or two or
three listings, maybe 3. There is an old shoe guy, shoe
shop guy in New York. And it's a theory I learned a
long time ago. So he was a tiny little shoe
shop, not branded or anything like that.
And if someone came to try on. Shoes in his shop.
And they asked for a pair in their size, which you do, and
then they bring out two boxes and you try on those two.
And then you saw another pair and you said, oh, I'd like to
try them on in my size. He would take a box away and
then replace it. Rather than adding a third hit,
remove the 2nd and replace. That so you don't end up with
boxes and boxes. It's much easier to decide
between two things and three things, so.
It's a paradox of choice or whatever.
It is, yeah. It's like having that large menu
in a restaurant. So the stuff.
How do you apply that to real estate then?
Because most agents aim to show a selection of three properties,
yes? Are you saying?
I do two to three, yeah. But then it's how you dress, how
you prepare the viewing. So I think the preparation of
the viewing is more important than the viewing.
Oh well, let's do a separate episode about that one too, OK?
The next thing will be preparing the the appointments, making
sure that we've got everything on time, maybe arranging a car
for them. Why not just do the extra
service? Then you don't have your
problems with security and God knows what else, you know.
So I think that that's probably the last couple of minutes we'll
be preparing for the for the properties.
Why do I have a feeling that your calls went on for a lot
longer than 6 minutes? To be honest, most my calls
would be setting up meetings, bringing them to the office of
arranging what what would be now Zoom.
To be honest, I'm much better face to face.
You can read people a lot better, people over messages so
different to when they're face to face.
But yeah, that's how I would do it.
Thank you so much for those tips and tales.
Got the playbook there on first impressions on that call.
Drop it in the comments. What was your favorite take
away? Which one are you going to start
implementing soon? I hope you enjoyed that episode.
Make sure you watch all the rest of Laura's episodes.
And while you're at it, why don't you binge the whole
season?