Convincing the hesitant buyer...

From “Tips and tricks on selling unfinished property”...

Have you ever had a client who appeared very interested in buying property from you, just to follow up with a crushing “no” the next day? We know it’s just as frustrating as it sounds!

What exactly causes such situations, how can they be avoided, and what to do specifically in case of real estate? Let’s see.

Why do clients change their minds?

According to the eminent social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, there are three major factors that influence our decisions:

• Systemic factors are hard-wired into our personality, developing within the geographical, political, social, and other overarching contexts.
• Situational factors are linked to temporary conditions and change over time, such as unfortunate events that mess things up.
• Dispositional factors have to do with our personal qualities: values, principles, beliefs — all the things that make us human.

So how do these factors apply to the hesitating real estate buyer? Let’s see.

Systemic factors

Everyone needs a home. In the comfort of your home you can feel safe, confident, and in control of your future. The concept of home is one of the strongest systemic factors, rooted in us at the deepest level.

However, spending a large sum of money inevitably leads to a lower standard of living. While having a home might seem like a great idea, many will reconsider after thinking of all the sacrifices they will have to make to get and keep one.

Situational factors

These include all kinds of unexpected trouble and can be crucial to your client’s final decision. A sick child? Problems at work? All this can make your client lose spirit and backpedal.

Dispositional factors

Finally, some people just can’t keep promises. So while they seem engaged when discussing the property with you, they can easily change their mind once left alone.

How to make them not change their minds?

So what do you do to not let your client steer away from the right decision?

Direct marketing gurus Bob Hacker and Axel Andersson mention seven key drivers that make people act. These are: fear, greed, guilt, exclusivity, anger, salvation, and flattery.

Let’s see how you can use these drivers to supercharge your proposal.

• Fear. Anyone who rents a property lives in the constant fear of having to move out. Having your own property will give them the stability and a relief from all stress.
• Greed. Everyone loves a good bargain, and your client is on the hunt for good deals too. Make sure to plant a vested interest for them to get hooked on.
• Guilt. Does your client’s family or employees have to cope with substandard living/working conditions? If yes, make them want to fix this.
• Exclusivity. Make your client feel like they’re among the few ones to get the chance to buy that property —make them feel unique.
• Anger. Remind your client of the cozy offices where their competitors run their businesses. Stirring envy may not be the most elegant approach, but it works.
• Salvation. Even though you’re selling an unfinished property, one day your client will walk through its door, and it will become their castle. Make them feel that sense of security.
• Flattery. Make the client feel like their conclusion is rational and practical, and, most importantly, entirely their own.

What to do if the property is not built yet?

The above tips are much easier to use when you’re selling a real, solid house. But how do you make a person buy something that doesn’t even exist?

One way you can do this is by using photorealistic collages. Here’s how we do it at Faraday 3D:

• First, we create 3D renderings using the client’s drawings or sketches.
• Then we take high-quality photos of the location, ideally from different angles.
• Finally, we integrate the 3D model into the photos.

Images speak louder than words. They offer more than mere ideas and are much more convincing. Encourage your client to keep the images to themselves if they’re still in doubt — this will create a lasting connection between them and the property.

How not to screw up with 3D visualization?

Alas, a whole lot of collages are made in a quick-and-dirty way, only repelling the client. And you’ll never know!

Take a look at this picture:

It does not provide any relevant information about the buildings depicted in it. They neither look like an actual residential area, nor invite the viewer to imagine living here.

Here’s another image:

This one looks better than the previous one thanks to the photo realistic surrounding area. But the 3D models are inserted into the photo without regard to proportion, perspective, or lighting. The details, although abundant, are poor-quality and out-of-context. As a result, the houses look cold, empty, and uninviting.

How is a good 3D collage made?

And here’s the third example.

We made it for a client who had to convince local authorities that a house they wanted to build would harmoniously blend into its natural surroundings.

We first built a 3D model without the landscape:

We put a lot of effort to come up with natural colors and lifelike materials. But we were far from calling it a wrap.

Next, we took high-resolution photos showing the breathtaking landscapes surrounding the area from different angles. It took us quite a while to examine all the aspects of the location and embed — not just paste — the 3D model into the photo.

Finally, we made two collages. Here is another one:

With these pictures at hand, getting the authority’s approval was an easy walk for the client.

Takeaways

1. You can’t affect the systemic and dispositional factors but you can neutralize the situational ones.
2. When engaging your client, work with the seven-faceted prism of fear, greed, guilt, exclusiveness, anger, salvation, and flattery.
3. When selling unfinished property, use photorealistic 3D visualizations to create a bond between your client and the property.

Do you have your own tips on selling work-in-progress property? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!