Clients First: The Two Word Miracle

In Our Clients’ Shoes

As soon as we made any deal, the first thing we did was go out and hang a SOLD sign. This became the symbol of the homeowner’s success. It told the neighbors they had won. It kept the buyer committed, and it made our phone ring with new sellers. I wrote some long paragraph about how clients wanted to get their house sold and that we could achieve that result for them, and it was awful. It was wordy and flowery and full of ego. So I cut and cut and cut some more. When I finished I had, “When you want a sold sign . . . ” We have used this line ever since. I’ve had clients repeat it back. I had one client who made a musical jingle out of it. We often have sellers ask the minute we make a deal, “When do we get our sold sign?” These six words have kept us in our sellers’ shoes. They keep us focused. Our sellers may want many things—advertising, open houses, Realtor tours, top dollar—but at the end of the day, they want a sold sign.

Put yourself in your clients’ place. See things from their eyes. Turn it around and improve your perception. If you are to put Clients First, you must care about what they want, and the best vantage point for what they want is from their viewpoint. Turn things around to see how your clients see you and your business. It will keep you true to their needs. It will bring you lasting success.