Real estate has a lot of terms. But two of my favorites are “rainmaker” and “closer.” Of course we’ve all seen Alec Baldwin’s character in Glengary Glen Ross and how he handles the “closer” role. Then there is the infamous Boiler Room scene with Ben Affleck. Neither of those are the “closer” I’m speaking of, of course. But let’s look at the Rainmaker versus the Closer.
RAINMAKER
To me a Rainmaker is the leader of a team through whom most leads flow. The leads for buyers and sellers flow because the Rainmaker has taken the time to learn his or her craft, they are effective networkers, good at their jobs and great with interpersonal relationships, at least at a business level. A Rainmaker consistently creates more business than he or she is capable of doing on their own so they must effectively hire and train team members to help them provide a level of service at the same quality that the Rainmaker would deliver on their own.
Rainmakers make a lot of money. Or, at least, they should. Effective leverage created through intense hiring practices and training allow the Rainmaker to increase their dollar productive hours exponentially in a systematic way. (Individual counseling and coaching is available on this subject.)
CLOSERS
A Closer is someone that has mastered their craft. A Closer, in my mind anyway, is someone that has learned the art of listening. Through careful listening and interpretation the Closer is able to deliver the most effective cost/value proposition that allows buyers and sellers to sign as soon as they can. Closing simply means that the Closer has delivered what the party expected and they are ready to consummate the deal.
Selling is really leading. Selling is really listening. Selling is not talking people in to things they do not want or need. But I digress. That is another topic for another time. The subject here is Rainmakers versus Closers. Both make a good living as real estate agents. In the long run though it is the Rainmaker that can more assuredly create a “Business worth owning, a career worth having and a life worth living.” Why? Because they include others in their dream…and then they can pass that dream along to those same people.
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