Have you ever heard the expression Sell the sizzle, not the steak? It’s pretty well known in sales circles and means, more or less, that when you’re trying to sell something to someone, you should try to razzle dazzle them and not focus on the substance of what it is that you’re trying to sell because people are more likely to be convinced by a good story than actual facts. It reminds me of a piece of wisdom a senior lawyer once imparted to me: Bullshit baffles brains. The words are different, but the underlying theory is the same.

If you know me at all, you’ll know that I’m all about the steak (even though I don’t eat it) and that I have very little tolerance for bullshit. When someone tries to sell me the sizzle, I walk away. Trust is everything to me and that’s how I treat everyone else. One thing I can promise you: ask me a question and you’ll get the straight goods. I know some people choose to work with other Realtors because they like the sizzle, but that’s just not in my DNA.

When it comes time to buy or sell a home, it’s not uncommon for people to interview more than one Realtor for the job. While I always give them the straight goods, I can often tell from their questions that they’ve heard some sizzle.

Just the other day, a couple with whom I was meeting mentioned that another Realtor told them that one of the benefits to hiring him was that he had a large group of buyers with whom he was working and was more likely to sell their home on his own than the other Realtors they were considering. I’ve only been in this business for 22 years so I may be wrong, but I don’t buy this.

Not that this was the first time I heard it. I remember a real estate sales trainer mentioning it years ago. I thought to myself at the time “I can see the benefit to the Realtor if he or she has a buyer because he or she will earn a double commission, but I don’t see any benefit to the sellers. I could never say this to anyone.” And I never have.

Here’s why it’s not a benefit to you:

1. It shouldn’t matter to you if it’s the Realtor you’ve hired or another Realtor who sells your home. You just want the best offer.
2. If Realtor A does have a buyer who wants to buy your home, that buyer doesn’t care if it’s listed by Realtor A.  She’s going to buy your home even if it’s listed by Realtor B so there’s no benefit in having Realtor A as your listing agent. In fact, there may even be a detriment (see point 4 below).
3. There are more than 38,000 Realtors in Toronto. Let’s say it’s Realtor A who makes this statement. It’s true that he may be working with 10 buyers and Realtor B may only be working with 7 buyers, but how many buyers do you think the other 37,998 Realtors in Toronto are working with? Don’t you think the odds are pretty good that it won’t be Realtor A who brings you the buyer?
4. One of your Realtor’s primary jobs is to negotiate the best deal for YOU. It’s hard to sit on both sides of the table. Even if you trust your Realtor 100%, as you should, won’t you wonder if he or she is really negotiating for you, for the buyer or for him or herself to earn a double commission?
5. If Realtor A really had your best interests at heart and had a buyer for your home, couldn’t he ask another Realtor to represent the buyer so he could concentrate on representing you and you alone?

[3 notes: 1. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing if your listing agent finds the buyer. I’m saying that you should be wary of anyone who tries to convince you to buy goods or services on the basis of sizzle type statements. 2. If your listing agent finds the buyer and agrees to cut his or her commission, that brings into play a whole other set of circumstances, some good and some bad, that will be the subject of a future post. 3. If you live in a small town that’s dominated by one Realtor who really does have control of almost all the buyers, this statement could possibly be true. But that’s not the case in central Toronto.]

I could go on, but I think you get the point. When a red flag gets raised or your bullshit meter goes off, pause and ask yourself, and the person who’s trying to sell you something (not just Realtors), some pointed questions. Most importantly: “how does what you’re saying actually benefit ME?” It’s easy for them to say something benefits you, but if they can’t explain WHY it benefits you, then it probably doesn’t. I know it’s tempting to buy the sizzle, but don’t. Buy the steak. Because if you don’t, you may regret it later. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me “We should have listened to you instead of believing things that we knew in our hearts weren’t true.”

As always, if you know of anyone who’s looking for an honest realtor who really knows his stuff and won’t pressure them, Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret. I really appreciate your referrals. Thanks for reading and don’t be shy if you have any questions or comments!