Questions that I’m getting asked often by the agents I coach are: What do I say to the people I already know? What do I say to my sphere of influence? What do I say to the people in my database? Well, a very simple way to communicate is the acronym FORD, which stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams.
FORD is the way we normally talk to people. If you call someone you haven’t spoken to in a few months, you will typically ask them about their family, work, and other things along those lines. These are organic questions that lead to real estate transactions.
Family. Families are either growing or shrinking. Either there’s a new addition, or the kids are moving out. Either we need more space, or we need to downsize.
Occupation. The average millennial will change jobs nine times in their working career. Job change. Marriage. Divorce. These are all things that we would call life events. Life events typically coincide with a real estate move or a real estate need, so this could be a conversation about a first-time home, or it might be a move-up home.
“FORD is the way we normally talk to people.”
Recreation. The average American goes to the same three places for their vacations their entire adult life. That’s a conversation about a second home or a vacation home.
Dreams. When I think of dreams, I think of retirement. Most of us have a dream of retiring at one point. Retirement is typically associated with a location. That’s a conversation about a second home, a snowbird home, or maybe a permanent move down south from the cold winters up here in Minnesota.
When you’re talking to people in your sphere, database, and even in your daily life; remember the FORD acronym. If you have any questions about how FORD could be helpful to you, or just about being a real estate agent in general, please reach out to me by phone or email. I would love to have a conversation with you.
