If you’re worried about putting on a front to attract clients – stop!
Your clients will work with you because they know, like, and trust you. Be yourself!
Transcript:
Chris Bounds
You’ve been using the lowest of lows of this market been in that long and you’re definitely seeing a very robust market now. How have you been able to-throughout this time, survive and avoid becoming a lowest price commodity, especially in a hot market? I mean, that’s really when you start seeing those kind of things. How you avoid, avoiding being a lowest price priced flat fee agent commodity?
Steven Kinne 02:31
The way I survive is whiskey. But, the way I survive a market is-I’ve been here, I’ve seen all the ups and downs. I was hearing sub-prime. I was here in Wall Street reformed. I was here when George Bush was given the tax credits away. I was here in the Big Short, I lived the Big Short. You haven’t seen the movie, I’m sure you have. In the end, it’s personality and it’s knowing your stuff. I mean, since you’ve personally done transactions with me, I’m pretty opinionated on the process. Like, I’m going to tell you what I think or what it needs, what we need to do to get things done.
I’m going to lead you in there. I’m not just out to sell you a house. I let clients know that on the first, on the very, very first phone call. I’m not out to sell you a house, I don’t care. I don’t care if you buy a house this week, next week, and one month, two months, three months, six months. It’s got to be the right house. I’m going to let you know, you’re going to know when I think it’s the right house. You’re also going to know, if I think it’s the wrong house. That anybody can show a house, anybody can write an offer. It’s knowing the markets, knowing the neighborhood and people just know that. I think they know that, after dealing with you. So, just-I want to tell when I have new guys coming on.
I said you’re not busy right now. You need to print out, 5-10 houses and go look at. Then next day, look in a different area, different price points and memorize the market. Sometimes I get a little snide with my guys. I’m like you can try me, give me an address, give me a neighbourhood. I’ll tell you what the price per square foot is. I’ll tell you how much it should be listed for or what. Just got me doing for so long. That’s the way I think to get credibility not be commodity, know the market inside out. People would understand that.
Chris Bounds 04:28
Yeah. For any guy, you needed that with us too. We were so incredibly green. When we had that first rental, which that was a home run for us. But I heard you saying, I don’t know what the questions were. But we’d ask questions like, “nah, I don’t think you need to do this” I mean, it’s a rental. Like yeah, it’s gonna rent and it did. We had great tenants, they didn’t move out. We actually had to kick them out because taxes, started killing all over cash flow.
Then a completely different type of property where you’re like, man, this place is a mess. Like, there’s no way I can do pictures. I’m like, crap. You’re providing value, how are you being able to replicate yourself and show like your team. Because you’re successful. You’ve got all the years in your brain. How are you able to replicate that into another agent where they’re able to provide that same experience? Those same type of raving fans referrals that you get, how were you able to do that with your team?
Steven Kinne 05:32
It hasn’t been that difficult, because I’ve been pretty selective in who I brought on. As all my people that I’ve known or had a relationship. I’m not just running ads on Facebook or what have you to say “hey, I need a new agent come apply here.” I’ve seen, the track record and the personality of the people that I’ve brought on. And a lot of them have been my clients, to begin with.
Then they’ve come on, they’ve got licensed and come on. So it’s really just personality base and then having people learn the ropes in an effective way. Then see the service level. I have more five star ratings than any other agent in the entire city on clients experience rating.
So my guys know, the most important thing to me is a five star rating at the end. I don’t care if we had to buy garage clicker. I don’t care if we had to pay for the thing to be rekey. If the ceiling fan breaks that they are moving, try to buy a ceiling fan. I don’t care, you know. They know that and we don’t often have to do that but it’s that level of service to where they know that if things just need to happen. The client has to be happy, because most of our leads now come from clients experience rating. Now, a lot of times they’re just crazy.
Type in best real estate agent Houston, I come up. I google it and I don’t come up but lots of other people come up. And I’m like, why did not come up for me? You know, and I think it’s just 17 years of having that and the five star ratings have been very beneficial. That kind of answers your question.
Chris Bounds 07:01
No, it does. How are you setting that tone with the clients in – . I call it like, you’re laying bricks. It is a layers of communication and expectations and of course you’re having to meet them throughout the process. How are you doing that and setting the tone to where, you don’t have to beg them to give you a five star rating. There’s no like an agreement over there basically like given it. It’s all checked out, checked off already. Like they want to.
Steven Kinne 07:31
We’re in constant communication. I mean our clients, are our friends. As a matter of fact, my wife’s like-if you get any more clients, we can’t have any more friends. We have so many people that we know. It’s just treat people rigth. I mean treat people like a person, you know. You know me and my personality.
I’m pretty, I hug everybody. Even in COVID I’ve started to hug more people. People know, you know, I’m the hugger. Everybody gets a hug from me. It’s really not that hard. People know I’m not a commodity, because I’m a knuckle head. The people that are on my team, they’re the same way. They know how I operate and that’s kind of why I picked them because of their personality too.