Springfield, Missouri agent Kari Wyrsch will tell you there are plenty of buyers to be found in today’s market. And she knows first-hand. After all, Graddy Real Estate, the team where Kari is the Lead Buyer’s Agent and director of Sales is on track to close 500 units this year.

Kari shares that she believes systems are needed to find motivated buyers wanting to take the next step, to help them pinpoint their needs and motivation, and get them under contract. These actions are foundational pieces of the buy side puzzle and once they are systematized and done well, they can be repeatable in any agent’s business to move the business forward.

What actions are necessary to consistently work with buyers at a high level? Read on for Kari’s eight key insights.

• Put aside time to learn the craft. Knowing how to handle buyers in any market sounds easy enough, but it takes definite skill. If you don’t know the process buyers will experience, it shows. Take the time to learn by exposing yourself to different educational opportunities, whether it’s taking buyer-side focused classes, studying contracts, or shadowing a successful agent. It will pay off.
• Document your transaction process. Take notes on what you do throughout the process of finding a buyer a home. If you allow yourself the ability to start slow and build the process from the get-go, you can look back and realize that you do actually have a contract-to-close system that can be duplicated for each transaction.
• Outsource your documentation. Does the idea of notating your system overwhelm you? It doesn’t have to be your job. Have someone else record your process for you. Then, if and when you leverage responsibilities out down the road, what you do is already documented.
• Provide buyers with metrics. Your sellers have metrics to follow, such as days on market and pricing, why shouldn’t your buyers expect something similar for their side of the transaction? Kari shares that she tells buyers if she shows them 10 houses and they haven’t made an offer on any of them, she knows something is off and they will need to revisit motivation or the home and location filters they are using to search for properties with because something needs to change.
• Pipelines matter. Kari is clear that businesses need pipelines of buyers to be successful. Revisit your nurture system to categorize potential clients as to whether they are “right now” or “not now” buyers. Then, have a systematic plan in place for how to handle them if they aren’t ready to purchase yet.
• Talk to more people. There’s no question that this market is a tough one. You’ll likely need to talk to more people to get the same results of year past. Even motivated buyers feel more hesitant because they want to feel like they are making a good decision.
• Start with a strategy session. During this meeting, Kari helps buyers understand what the process will look like, how often they’ll hear from her, and what to expect at open houses. She’ll set expectations and understand her buyer’s perspective so that they are immediately on the same page with their approach.
• Keep your finger on the buyer’s pulse. Just because you are meeting someone who is “ready, willing, and able” to buy doesn’t mean their motivation matches yours. Every time you show a buyer a potential home, you should also be asking them prequalifying questions to make sure their search criteria hasn’t changed.

Kari knows that when markets change, buyer behave differently. Your approach to buyers will likely also need to change. The systems that worked three years ago aren’t necessarily the systems that work today, and the systems that work today will likely need to evolve again.

Start small, develop a consistent nurture system, and remember, buyers aren’t looking for someone to simply unlock doors. Buyers need your professional approach to home buying so that can trust your process and be confident you’ll get them into a great home.