If you have ever sold your home, you know that one of the key challenges is in picking out a real estate agent to work with. Now, there are no shortages of real estate agents. You could probably pick up the phone and have a bunch of them at your house on the same day. Finding one is not the problem. But determining who or what to believe gets much more challenging, in your decision of who to select.
My first experience in the process was certainly more enlightening than I had expected. As a first timer, I chose to narrow the selection based on a recommendation. I so optimistically listened to the bright and optimistic expectations that were laid out before me. Unfortunately, the reality turned out be something from a completely different storybook. There was absolutely nothing that happened. I barely knew that my home was for sale.
So I moved on to a second recommended agent. And this time, I could not believe what I was hearing. Just a ton of pessimism and negativity. It was as if I was dealing with the evil twin of the first agent. Things had been just too rosy the first time around, and they did not materialize. And now, things were just too despondent, and I expected that they would not materialize.
This is when I threw out this notion that a recommended agent would provide superior results. The scenario felt so much like all those great stock recommendations by a cadre of stock analysts. Not much of what they say ever seems to come true, within the timeframes they predict.
On my third attempt at picking an agent, I decided I was just going to have to make some semi-random picks, roll up my sleeves, and interview the candidates; not just listen to the pitches. Somewhat to my surprise, I was able to dismiss the non-realistic ones fairly quickly. Yet, I spent quite an extensive amount of time with the agent that I finally picked. To cut to the chase, the agent both listed and sold it, all within the listing period.
When it was all done, I had to reflect on why things had unfolded in such an idiosyncratic manner. It got me thinking when the last agent, who had sold the place, happened to mention that his greatest success was with re-listings, as opposed to original listings. It wasn’t really what I was expecting to hear. The guy was so good, that I really expected that he was able to win original listings and re-listings in equal proportion. But that was not the case.
I slowly came to realize that it as all about the messaging that was delivered at the various stages of the process. Or more specifically, the process that I went through as the home owner selling my home. The mindset that I had at the outset was not the mindset that I had once I had some real experience with the whole process. And hence, I might not have even believed what the most skilled and experienced agent would have tried to impart on me. Most likely, his words would not have connected as strongly with me as my initial listing agent. I just would not have been ready to hear it.
And so how does this all relate to establishing a demand generation system for what you have to offer? Well, the same applies to prospective customers of all types. The mindset that they have in the early stages of problem discovery, are likely going to be different than the mindset that they have once they have more knowledge and experience with the problem that they are dealing with.
From a demand generation perspective, it is important that the messaging that you create, fits within the mindset that the prospect is going to have at different stages. It would be premature to disclose everything to the prospect at the start. They simply would not be ready to hear it. But the messaging must grow, just as the mindset of the prospect shifts. It’s not about creating grand illusions with unreal expectations. Rather it’s about providing the right message at each stage of the process.