I'd say that everyone that is in business is a salesperson of some sort.  At a minimum, selling their value to their clients or boss(es)..

How many people attend weekly tours or caravans?  How can you sell something you've never seen?  I'm constantly amazed at how few of our local Agents ever attend a tour.  Sometimes a nice brunch will bring out a few.  Others will attend only if they have a property on the tour and many times they skip out after their listing is viewed.

Pictures and virtual tours are great, but they don't always give a good overall view of a property.  Now, of course, I've missed a few myself, but manage to make most of them.

I sell real estate.  Not as much as I'd like but it's getting there!

With tens of thousands of listings, Cathy, there is no way we could possibly see even a fraction of the listings available.  We used to go on tours and caravans but have determined it to be a huge waste of time... especially since we are showing homes to buyers constantly anyway which gives us a good knowledge of various areas, home styles and builder plans.

I suppose if we were in a smaller market or if we really concentrated on just one small area of town, it might make sense to do it but we cover a multi-county area of about 1.5 million people so it just doesn't seem a wise use of our time.

I can understand that in such a large market, Tim.  But mine is relatively small.  I can keep up on FSBO's, tours, etc.  Larger markets are quite different.

Nope, I'm a consigliore.

I'm like Arli$$. Get you what you need. Solve problems.

'Need' is the operative term.

The only thing we really sell is ourselves and our abilities.

Consigliore?  Dadgummit, Candice, you're gonna make me have to break out the dictionary again.  You and your big words! LOL

Better have an Italian to English dictionary, Tim.

We're ALL consigliores. With varying degree of 'cleaner' LOL!

Found it, but spelled a little differently:

A consigliere (IPA ) is the Italian term for adviser or counsellor. [From Latin consiliarius, from consilium, advice.]

Consigliore is the Italian term for the mob's attorney who isn't above going to unsavory characters to get the boss what he wants without getting his hands dirty.

Where is Vance? LOL

Shelly you’re right on the money with this post, but having said that I still do not consider myself a “salesman”. When I decided to get my brokers license, one of my friends remarked “Oh that’s just one step above a used car salesman”. His remark said a lot to me and got me thinking. The general public’s impression of a salesman is not good to say the least so although like you do.

I sell myself everyday.  I sell my services.  I sell my expertise.  I sell my knowledge.  and yes, I sell houses.

 It is never about just getting the sale or using high pressure tactics or any of those things that are associated with the stereotypical salesman the public pictures. In a post a while back someone was talking about the phone conversations with lead generators and how high pressure and nasty they got. I have been told stories by friends who attended a presentation on buying resort property just to get free tickets for some local attraction, and how high pressure it was and how nasty the salesman got when they didn’t buy. Those and similar tactics are what comes to mind for a lot of people when they think of a salesman and is why I want my potential clients to know I am not a salesman as they think of a salesman. After they have worked with me they understand the difference. And like you

I do help folks find what they are looking for. And no house is 100% perfect.  Ever.  Even if you build it from the ground up.  So, I help my clients see how the almost perfect house, can become their home.

So I do not reject the fact that I am a salesman, I reject being like the public’s impression of a salesman and I want potential clients to know that I will not just sell them something to get a commission, I am here to help them find the house they are looking for while looking out for their best interests.

I also agree that it is impossible to properly sell a house you have never seen before. I am always amazed at the agents who only attend the broker tours when they have a house on the tour. I have been embarrassed and had to apologize to my client when I have had to show a house that I did not preview (happens very rarely).  

Now having said all this, yes I know I AM A SALESMAN. Just not the kind of salesman that comes to most peoples mind when they think of the term salesman. I want to make sure that I do not have anything to be ashamed of.

Thanks for the post Shelly!

Tom

[Cathy sez: I'm constantly amazed at how few of our local Agents ever attend a tour.]

I LOVE tours! I wish I could get to more of them. Tours are a fun part of our job, in my opinion.

I like them a lot better when there aren't 20 - 30 homes on 'em, but we recently changed our setup to one that more resembles a bunch of open houses in a 3 hour time window.  

Before the caravan leaves, we all toss a dollar and our business card into a bowl, and take turns talking about properties we have that are (or are not) featured that day . . . or about classes we're teaching or news we have of interest. How's that for cheap advertising?

A card gets drawn before we leave and the winner gets the money in the bowl.

I think of myself more of a consultant than a Salesperson. Maybe it fits under the umbrella. Who knows.

Face it. Everyone sells themselves, in every job. Your doctor sells herself with her bedside manner. Teachers sell their lessons to kids.

The more successful you are a selling yourself, the more successful you'll be at whatever your job is.

As with anything in life, he who 'defines' the terms wins the argument.  I see a bit of a problem with the term "salesman" because it means different things to different people and some of the 'definitions' are not very flattering.

Unfortunately, the professional may call himself a 'salesman' meaning that he knows and understands his product inside and out and has the skills necessary to assist in the buying and selling of the product.  In our profession, the 'product' is often really a 'service' because so much of what we do is to manage the 'transaction' from beginning to end and makes sure all is done legally and thoroughly.

However, many consumers hear the word 'salesman' and they define it in a perjorative way.  So each is using the same term but meaning completely different things.  

So, am I a 'salesman'?  It depends on how you define the term.  I am just 'me' and I am the same 24/7 regardless of whom I am with or what I am doing. (Life is much easier that way. LOL)

I am not sure what i am, but i am having fun doing it.

"If you don't see it, you can't sell it."

i have a ton of properties here in my market also and it ranges in price from 100,000 to 15,000,000. I need to be on every tour to really 'know' my product. Boston may be small, but it is diverse in every aspect of the word.

I've never seen an agent tour in my area.  Maybe it's just too small.  I work in an area where there are about 300 listings at any given tim,e and that's stretching the boundaries pretty far.  How do these tours work?  With the market cooling in Alberta, I'm going to put up my first mass-fax and e-mail campaign to all local brokerages for an agents open house, and I'll see what the turnout is.. unless someone has a better suggestion.