(Note to self)
1. Show up. That means come sharp, prepared, and ready to help these people make a good Decision (even if that decision doesn’t involve you getting paid). You are focused on them, not distracted by your own trials and tribulations, ready to bring the great wealth of knowledge you posses to bear on their project.
2. Pay attention. Listen; really listen. Count your own punctuation: if at least 40% of your sentences don’t end in question marks . . .well, you are probably just doing a dog and pony show, aping some silly script you learned in a seminar. That’s not consulting. Listen to what they say, ask a follow-up question, and listen again.
3. Tell the truth. Once you truly understand their situation and their objectives, present the options as you see them. If the house is not saleable, tell them. Then tell them what would make it viable. If they want to overprice, explore it first: why? and based on what? The answer might surprise you. Then tell them everything you know about overpriced listings. Bring out your stats and graphs. But stay focused on them: It’s about them making a good decision about price, not about you getting a listing you can turn quickly.
(In my business life , at least 6 people have taken credit for those 3 rules. I hate to say this, but I think they may have originated with NLP (Ewwwww). No Matter: The Big Three have been very helpful to me, in real estate, and in life.)