3 ways a real estate agent can keep a potential client engaged in conversation

19% of people believe real estate agents have low integrity and ethics. While we all know you’re not one of them, unfortunately, you have to work overtime to get people to trust you. That’s why having a strong relational foundation with a prospect is vital.

You can build a strong foundation with your leads in a way that makes them comfortable sharing information with you, without viewing you as a sleazy salesperson. It just takes a little bit of strategy and empathy. Here are three ways you can build a relationship with your lead:

The FORD Method

The simplest framework to get to know someone is called the FORD method, which stands for:

• Family
• Occupation
• Recreation
• Dreams

Ask questions about these categories and your prospects will be more likely to open up and share something meaningful.

If you tie the FORD method in with the next tip, you’ll easily get a prospect talking (so much so that they might not stop).

Open-ended questions

Open-ended questions keep people talking: there’s no right or wrong answer and prospects can’t answer with a simple yes or no. Plus, these questions show that you have more interest in them.

Some good open-ended question starters are:

• “Tell me about…”
• “Describe…”
• “Why…”

Tip: Sometimes an open-ended question can seem more like a statement than a question, but trust us, they’ll keep people talking.

Now take the FORD method and apply it with some open-ended questions. You’ll be carrying on more conversations than you can handle, but you can make them even better if you add in this third ingredient.

Share personal stories

Relationships are built on stories. They’re built on people peeling back layers about themselves so that they can better understand each other. If someone shares something about themselves and you don’t reciprocate, your relationship may not last long.

When your potential prospect shares something about themselves, try to relate it back to a story that will add to the conversation. If you can’t think of anything, just stay curious and ask more questions.

If you’re struggling to start a conversation, try starting with a story followed by an open-ended question. The anecdote may help the other person find a point of relation with you, further helping you build a relationship with them.

With these three ingredients, you’ll be able to hold a conversation with a potential prospect and gather the information that can help you with their housing goals — while building a relationship along the way.