Are you tapping into emotional selling?

We like to have the radio on in the office, songs come and songs go, we may like a tune but we really don’t take the time to listen intently to the words. Last week there was a video going around in social media of Kelly Clarkson singing Piece by Piece on the last episode of American Idol. I had heard the song many times and loved the melody and the sense the emotion within the lyrics, but it wasn’t until I watched this video of her performance that they truly struck me. She wrote the song about her childhood and it begins….

And all I remember is your back
Walking towards the airport, leaving us all in your past
I traveled fifteen hundred miles to see you
Begged you to want me, but you didn’t want to

Singing accompanied only by a piano you could hear every word, felt her every emotion and, like many watching it, I began to cry.

Emotional decisions

Every day, we make decisions based on our emotions, the majority of the time we don’t think we just act as thought it was a song playing in the background. But what if we took the time to really listen, to really understand the message behind the words being spoken, would the outcome be the same?

One of the major emotional decisions we make is when we buy a home. We want the ‘feeling’ as we walk through the door that tells us in no certain terms that this is the property for us! Yes, some may argue that it is a decision between the heart and the head, but although we listen to our ‘head’ we know that what the heart wants…. As an estate agent, why wouldn’t you want to tap into this emotion when selling a property.

Warm vs Cold

I always talk about content in terms of it being warm or cold. To me warm content speaks to the reader, it provides an emotional pull no matter how small, it engages you and you want to know more. Let’s take property details for example, why do all (I know there are exceptions) estate agents write the same cold and factual description? Why are you not taking the opportunity to seduce the home buyer not just with the images that you use, but the description?

In home staging, we are encouraging vendors to create a lifestyle to attract potential buyers, this lifestyle allows them to visualize themselves in the property thus making an emotional connection. So imagine the difference you could make by describing this lifestyle before they actually viewed, how you are enabling a potential buyer to already form an emotional connection before they have even entered the property?

Content overload

With so much content being produced you need to take stock of every element of your marketing. According to data last year, it was estimated that Facebook users share 684,478 pieces of content every minute. There is no way we can digest that amount of content so what do we do, we scroll through our timeline until something catches our eye. Now let’s translate this to buyer psychology, they are scrolling through property over property on a portal and will only stop when something catches their eye, but what will make them click through to find out more? The images, the headline, the description or a combination?

Avoid the cold call

One of the pains in my life is the Cold Call. “Hi, is that Andrea Morgan, how are you doing today?” Those dreaded words.  Yet written they sound warm and inviting, but spoken by the stranger on the line you know that they want something. Although they may try on the phone to connect and get you talking, we are always suspect and listen with caution – that is if you haven’t already put down the phone! Cold calling is the perfect term for this kind of selling because it is cold, there is no emotional connection and no you haven’t been in an accident over the last 6 months.  I often read content that feels like a cold call, it is a hard sell, it feels like the product of service is being shoved down my throat before I have had a chance to digest what they are selling. Don’t sell, tell stories.

“People are attracted to stories because we’re social creatures and we relate to other people.” Keith Quesenberry, HBR

Tell stories

Storytelling allows us to tap into emotional selling, but your stories have to be authentic, honest and true. Not every story is a good one, it is about choosing those scenarios that the majority can relate to. Just like Kelly Clarkson, she told an honest and painful story through her song that captivated people’s emotions, so don’t just tell the story of your business, but also the properties that you sell.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Popping the Asking Price Bubble

Where in the Uk Can Buyers Snap Up Property Bargains and Where Properties Go for a Premium Above Asking Price   New research from fast selling property company, Upstix has uncovered the UK’s most surprising postcodes for snapping up a property at bargain prices this year, highlighting a widening gap between sellers’ expectations and the…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Highest demand to lease office space since pre-pandemic

The latest insights from the UK’s number one commercial property website Rightmove, reveals that the number of unique enquiries to lease office space is at its highest point since pre-pandemic, as businesses look for spaces that meet modern requirements. Demand to lease office space is 19% higher than the same period a year ago and…
Read More
Planning disputes on new build land
Estate Agent Talk

Planning consultations for major infrastructure to be streamlined

Robert Bruce, a planning and infrastructure partner at law firm Freeths LLP, said he: “Welcomed the change as a significant step to speeding up the DCO process and the focus on the quality and effectiveness of the consultation, rather than box ticking and a risk averse approach to pre-application consultation due to the current legal…
Read More
Breaking News

‘The property ladder pulls further away’ warns Open Property Group

For many first-time buyers across England, the dream of homeownership continues to slip further out of reach. Despite rising wages, soaring house prices are making it harder than ever to get on the property ladder. A leading UK professional house buying company ‘Open Property Group’ based in Buckinghamshire UK, has raised concerns over the ongoing…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

How Long It Takes to Buy a House in the UK: 5 Common Delays That Can Slow Down Your Home Purchase

Wondering how long it takes to buy a house in the UK? The average timeline ranges from 8 to 22 weeks, but even that can stretch significantly due to unexpected delays, especially if you’re a first-time buyer or caught in a chain. That’s why working with experienced professionals like Belvoir — one of the UK’s…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Breaking News

Rightmove to host Renters’ Rights Bill webinar with Guild of Lettings

Rightmove is hosting a live and interactive webinar session with the Guild of Lettings to help agents get Renters’ Rights Ready. The webinar will take place from 10:00am – 11:00am on Wednesday 23rd April. Susie Crolla, Managing Director for the Guild of Lettings, will be joining Rightmove to help agents with questions they may have about…
Read More