Being a real estate agent allows me to meet many different people everyday. I have met people from all over the world. Just last year I met a couple, she was from China and he was from France. They were some of the most interesting people I have ever met. I learned very quickly that they had different expectations when it comes to real estate and I had to adjust in order to meet their needs.
To meet the different needs of my clients, it’s very important to understand their unique personality. Every client is different with different needs and different expectations. If you’re working with an agent that doesn’t understand your personality, it may be the reason you don’t feel comfortable with them.
To understand your personality, I have studied a system called DISC. This system was invented by psychologist William Mouton Marston in the 1920’s.
“The DISC personality system is the universal language of behavior. ” – Changingminds.com
The acronym DISC stands for the four personality styles represented by the letters:
- D (Drive)
- I (Influence)
- S (Steadiness)
- C (Compliance)
Understanding DISC From A Real Estate Point Of View
Drive – A “D” personality type is direct, decisive, has high ego strength, problem solver, risk taker, and self starter.
They are motivated by new challenges, power an authority to take risks and make decisions, freedom from routine and mundane tasks, they like change.
When working with a strong “D” personality type, I know that I must let them make their own decisions and just provide them information. They are focused on the future and base our relationship on results not methods. They prefer direct and to the point conversations. They focus on the bottom line of the transaction.
A “D” personality type might look at 5 homes and pick one. If I can’t find them a house they like quickly, they will move on to another agent. If your agent doesn’t understand how to communicate directly and to the point with you, you’re probably going to get frustrated with them pretty quickly and move on without thinking twice.
Influence – An “I” personality type is enthusiastic, trusting, optimistic, persuasive, talkative, impulsive, and emotional.
They are motivated by flattery, popularity, and a friendly environment. They don’t like control or the details.
When buying real estate “I” personality types are looking for a cute home they can talk about with friends and family. They don’t like to sweat the details of the transaction. They would rather get to know the neighbors and talk to them about social events. A high “I” personality is very creative in problem solving and they prefer to rely on instincts rather then data when making decisions.
Working with an “I” personality type, I have to understand how they process data. They rely on their emotions and intuition. When I’m working with an “I” personality type, they may take a longer time to make a decision and I have to be patient with them. If you’re an “I” personality type and your agent doesn’t understand you, you may feel they talk about themselves to much, use high pressure sales tactics, and are trying to tell you what to do.
Steadiness – An “S” personality type is a good listener, team player, possessive, steady, predictable, understanding, friendly, and very loyal.
An “S” is motivated by loyalty and dependability, safety and security, no sudden changes, and activities that can be started and finished.
When buying real estate, “S” personality types will be very slow and steady before making a decision. They want to look at every home on the market just to be sure they aren’t missing something. They like structure and don’t like change. When searching for homes, I can rely on an “S” to always be on time, schedule appointments with plenty of notice, and they won’t like it if I have to change anything.
Working with an “S” personality type, I have to be very patient with them. They require safety and security, they want to be comforted, and I know that if I can show them I am trustworthy, they will be loyal for life. An “S” will internalize their decisions and seem open at the same time.
If you’re an “S” personality type working with an agent that doesn’t seem trustworthy, knowledgeable, and they seem pushy, overly aggressive and demanding of your time, you may not feel comfortable with them. It will be hard for you to let an agent go and you may not end up buying a home because of a bad experience.
Compliance – A “C” personality type is accurate, analytical, conscientious, careful, fact-finder, precise, systematic, with very high standards.
A “C” personality type is motivated by high standards of quality, limited social interaction, detailed tasks, and logical organization of information.
When buying real estate, a “C” personality type will analyze every detail. They want hard data sets, actionable information, pro’s and cons, and they will check up on everything I say. A “C” likes information to make decisions on their own, they won’t talk much during a showing. They will go home and analyze all the data provided, research on their own, and come to a conclusion based on numbers not emotion.
Working with a “C” personality type, I have to give them as much data as possible, always be prepared with statistics, neighborhood demographics, school scores, and they like to know both pro’s and cons of any decisions they make. If they perceive risk, they will be critical of making any fast decisions.
If you’re a “C” personality type working with an agent that seems un-organized without concrete data to help you make a decision, you probably won’t feel comfortable working with them. You like your agent to know market statistics off the top of their head, have detailed and organized paperwork, and you like to stay focused on the task.
If Your Agent Doesn’t Understand You, Find One That Does
If a real estate agent doesn’t understand your personality type, it might be the reason you weren’t happy with their services. Many agents fail to understand personality types and adjust to their clients needs.
In order to be prepared for anyone we meet, we always have information on hand about the market, we’re always on time, and we stay organized. Once we meet a potential client, we try to determine what personality type they are, and we adjust on the fly. This tactic gives our clients a more comfortable real estate experience, and it’s why we do 90% of our business by referral.
People enjoy working with someone that understands their needs and tailor’s the whole experience to the type of person they are. Real estate isn’t about selling house’s, it’s about people, and if you’re working with an agent that doesn’t get you, it can make your real estate experience un-des
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