A catchy slogan is easy to remember and often makes people sound like they know what they are talking about. But a lot of real estate slogans sound like clichés. After a span of time, they lose their impact and start to come across as cheesy and overused. When customers hear a clichéd slogan, it can push them away rather than entice them to learn more. Here are some of the biggest offenders of overused phrases that you should eliminate from your marketing and your client interactions:
“Motivated Seller”
This does nothing to help the home owners. By calling your client a motivated seller, you are potentially undervaluing their profits for their home and lengthening the time it sits on the market. Potential buyers or investors may try to offer well below market value and your client will be thoroughly discouraged. On the flip side, cautious buyers see the words motivated seller as a red flag about the condition of the property or the trust worthiness of the home owner.
“Mr. or Mrs. Clean lives here.”
While selling a clean home is easier than an untidy or cluttered home, the sellers will be leaving once the documents are signed. Making a statement about the cleanliness of the prior occupants does nothing to appeal to the potential buyers. It can have a reverse effect if the potential buyers are more laid back in their home care when it is pointed out how fastidious the current home owner is. Using the terms well-maintained, landscaped, or impeccable will appeal to the buyer’s feelings about the property and not the sellers.
“You are working with the #1 team in the area.”
Describing yourself or your team as number one can be intentionally vague and misleading. What precisely are you number one at and among how many other groups? How long have you held that title? What really matters to your client is what you can do for them rather than meaningless rankings. Tell your clients what you do to make your company number one. Your statements should be laser focused on the needs of your buyers and sellers and not a list of achievements and awards for which they are not familiar. Make your “pitch” about showing your clients how qualified you are to help them based on their personal needs.
“Location, location, location.”
This is an antiquated phrase that should be cut out of all agents’ lexicon. It sounds dated and too generic. What about the location? Is it good or bad? If you are going to point out something about the location of a property, be prepared to back it up with concrete descriptions – “This home is in an amazing gated community” or “You are so close to shopping and dining.” Be sure to express why the location is outstanding rather than repeating the word to drive home a point.
“It’s better than new construction.”
This can sound like an aspirational statement made in order to reassure a client that might be on the fence. A quality agent should not be in the process of trying to convince clients to lock in a decision that they need to think on. Your job is to deliver honest information in an objective way. Make sure that they have all the facts they need in order to make an informed decision but you should not be pushing them in one direction over another. Saying an existing home is better than a new home is not necessarily true. If you are the type of agent willing to say anything to your clients, you make them question your integrity.
While a great slogan can be thought provoking and memorable, the longer that it is used, the less it remains effective. If these real estate catch phrases are familiar to you, it’s because they have been circulating for a long time and are ready to be retired. It takes time and effort to develop a quality slogan. But more important than a slogan, is authentic relationships you can build with clients with that same time and effort. Those relationships will last longer than a catch phrase.
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