Easy Commission? Not Even Close.
A month ago, I wrote about what happens when clients question your commission. The message was simple. Most clients only see a small fraction of what we actually do.
Last week, an agent showed me a comment someone left on one of their social media posts:
“My friend, in 17 years in Toronto you made a few million dollars of easy commission. Must be nice to get paid that much for so little work.”
Easy commission.
Those two words stuck with me, because that is how a lot of people see our business. Sell a house, collect a cheque, move on to the next one. They never see what happens behind the scenes.
And right now, there is nothing easy about it. Many markets are sitting at close to six months of inventory, and some are even longer. In a lot of areas, only about one in four homes is actually selling. That means most sellers are watching their homes sit while the right agent, with the right pricing, strategy, and negotiation, is the difference between getting sold and getting stuck.
I was in a mastermind this past week, and we spent a good chunk of time on this exact issue. Good agents create real value every single day. We are just not always great at showing it.
Here is the irony. The clients who are hardest to show your value to are often the easiest ones to get. These are the “come list me” clients. They already know you and trust you, and they call to say, “We are thinking about selling. Can you come over?”
Because the business is already yours, it is easy to skip the part where you explain what makes you different. You just get to work. Then one day there is a sign, some photos, a few showings, an offer, and eventually a commission cheque. What did they miss? Most of your value.
Your expertise needs to be visible. Show them how you arrived at the price. Explain what you are seeing in the market and why so many homes are not selling. Walk them through the strategy behind your marketing and negotiations. Point out the problems you are preventing, not just the ones you solve.
This week’s assignment:
- Write down everything you do. List every task you handle on a listing, from the first phone call to closing day. Aim for at least 50 items. Most agents are surprised by how long the list gets, and clients will be too. Keep it handy for your next listing appointment.
- Bring the market to your next seller. Before your next listing appointment, even with a “come list me” client, prepare a one page snapshot of their neighbourhood: months of inventory, how many homes are actually selling, average days on market, and what the homes that sold did differently. Walk them through it so they see how you think before you ever talk price.
- Schedule a weekly seller update. Block time in your calendar today to send every active seller an update each week covering showings, feedback, changes in the market, and your next move. In a slow market, silence is where sellers start to doubt you. Regular updates keep your work visible when it matters most.
Getting the business is only the beginning. Make sure that when the transaction is over, your client understands exactly why choosing you mattered.
Talk soon.