Mike Browning

Tag: Real Estate Referrals

  • You Never Know Who Is Watching

    You Never Know Who Is Watching

    You can be sure God is watching, but besides Him you never really know.

    Years ago, I was riding around looking at deals with the acquisitions manager of a homebuilder.

    They didn’t have a local office back then, so I served as their eyes and ears up here. He’d come up maybe six times a year, and we’d drive the whole metroplex looking at land.

    There was a lot of windshield time, so we got to know each other pretty well.

    I liked picking his brain about how their business worked, they operated a little differently than the typical builder.

    One day we were talking about their salespeople, and he told me something that stuck with me.

    Their marketing machine was so strong that if a salesperson wasn’t making real money — six figures, and the first number wasn’t a 1 — they were sent to retraining.

    If that didn’t fix it, they were replaced. These were great jobs.

    A steady stream of prequalified buyers walked into the sales centers. The salesperson just had to follow their system and close.

    But the surprising part was who they hired.

    They rarely hired people with sales experience.

    Definitely not anyone who had sold homes before.

    Every office job applicant took a personality test, and if their profile matched what the company wanted, they were offered a sales job — even if that wasn’t what they applied for.

    He even recruited people who weren’t looking for jobs.

    The wildest example was a Taco Bell drive-thru. He said the woman working the window was sharp, fast, and personable. So he handed her his card and asked if she wanted to apply.

    She did, and she went through the process and got hired.

    Her income increased tenfold, all because she was doing her job the right way when someone happened to be paying attention.

    I’ve always thought of myself as a responsible guy who tries to do things the right way.

    But that story stuck with me. You never know who you’re talking to.

    So I’ve made an effort ever since to handle things professionally without slipping into performative BS. Just treating people the way they’d want to be treated.

    Most days, the results aren’t dramatic. Everyone just gets a little better service than they probably expect.

    Nothing wrong with that.

    But every once in a while, you get back way more than you gave. Happy clients refer people.

    Sometimes those people end up being prominent developers who were just getting started.

    Who handles a big chunk of his business now? Take a guess.

    And that’s even better.

    Get more like this in your inbox here!

    PS — You’re probably not ready to buy or sell land today, but the time to start preparing is before you feel like you need to.

    I offer a free, no-obligation analysis on any non-residential property. It never hurts to have the most current information.

    You’ll be listened to, treated the right way, and never pressured.

    I can’t promise you’ll never hear something you don’t want to hear, but you’re always in control when you work with me.

    Is it a terrible idea to at least check it out?

    Click below to get started:

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  • To Stand Out, You Have to Be Different

    To Stand Out, You Have to Be Different

    Not just say I’m different—actually do things different.

    Most agents will tell you the greatest compliment they can get is a referral. If not in person, then in their direct mail pieces or—definitely—in the PS of every email they send.

    I disagree.

    Referrals are great, of course. One of the biggest challenges new agents face is simply finding clients.

    Marketing ain’t cheap. Referrals are like free money. If you get enough of them, it starts to feel like clients are chasing you. That’s when you’re winning the game.

    But the compliment I like best?

    When someone says I do things different—and how much they appreciate it.

    I was recently talking to one of my clients, Craig C. He heads up an investment firm that includes some pretty heavy hitters. I won’t name them, but if you live in North Texas and drive around at all, you see their name all the time.

    They don’t buy everything—but when something checks the boxes, they can move fast and close big deals.

    The kind of client you love to work with—if you can get them to work with you.

    We were talking about a deal I’d brought him, and some of the issues involved. He said:

    “I know you like to sell things just like everyone else, but I really appreciate how you point out the potential hair up front. Not every broker does that, and it’s really a big help to us.”

    Loved hearing it.

    But here’s the truth—I’m helping myself just as much (if not more) than I’m helping him.

    These are sophisticated investors. All the issues I pointed out were going to come up anyway—along with some we probably don’t even know about yet. By flagging them early, I help them decide if it’s worth digging in.

    Saves them time. Saves me time.

    We’ve all got the same 24 hours, and nobody likes to waste ‘em.

    But more than that—it builds trust.

    When I send something over, they actually look at it. Because they know I’ve already done some filtering.

    And if they need help with something else, they may not call me every time—they work with a lot of good brokers.

    But I’m on the short list.

    Which is kind of like a referral on steroids.

    It also leads to traditional referrals. In this segment, you tend to deal with the same people again and again. Word gets around fast on the ones who cut corners. On the flip side, just being on good terms with a group like this is often enough for other large operators to take you seriously.

    It just keeps on giving—if you do it right.

    The best part?

    You don’t have to be a big shot to benefit from all this.

    If you want the same kind of straight-up advice and top-tier brokerage—just call.

    Or just go with the same old same old, and miss out.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
    Get a FREE, no obligation report on what it could sell for today.
    Get Your Lot Valuation

    Own land instead?
    Get a report for that here:
    Get Your Land Value

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