Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Agent's Newspaper Quote Hurts His Own Business

Obviously there are still some realty agents around who think that any publicity is good publicity. When I provide Media Coaching for agents I always stress the importance of being ready to say the right thing at the right time.


Unfortunately, an agent in Washington provides an example of why. Skagit County home sales showed a decline for the month of September. A local agent, given the chance to comment on the story, clearly didn't think before he spoke.


He is quoted in the local newspaper saying: "People do not want to list through the winter months,” “The perception is that things slow down. You don’t have as many buyers during the winter months.”


No wonder they "don't have as many buyers"! If I was a potential buyer within that area reading the local paper or reading it online, I would now think that there won't be any properties to choose from over the next four months.


If I were an owner in that area and considering selling soon, this agent just told me there "aren't as many buyers". According to him, I'd be stuck.


Although this is one small news article, the point is that it is another instance of an agent doing more harm than good.


I can't help but think of the large number of stories in the media about a property up for sale or just sold, especially involving celebrities, in which the agent "would not comment". Those are lost opportunities for major publicity.


This time, the agent was getting publicity for himself and his company, and blew it by not thinking. If that were me, my response would have been "With all of the desirable properties in this area, I'm confident that more people will be looking to come here", or something to that effect.


We need more positive thinking when it comes to getting more homes sold.




http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/skagit-county-sees-slight-decline-in-home-sales-for-september/article_8b876f09-f35f-589e-b41a-ca775d9404d2.html

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