My Sales Superpower: Connections Over Commissions

Connections Over Commissions

I used to joke that my superpower was connecting with people. I've always been able to sit across from someone, find something we had in common, and keep an effortless conversation going for just the right amount of time. There was a period when my wife would jokingly tell me she had to be careful introducing me to her friends because after I would leave, there was always a comment of, “I like him. He seemed really interested in me.” or “He's pretty cool. I mean I thought you were cool but I like your husband a lot.” We'd get a kick out of it but it was always just a thing.

Who would have thought that this social skill would actually have some tangible, financial value? I've gotten deals done for clients before because the agent on the other side liked working with me on a previous transaction. I've gotten offers selected for my clients before based in part on my reputation for getting to the finish line. Too many times we see the caricature of the pushy or sleazy salesperson which leads to people in our industry thinking that is the only way to get business done, but let me tell you a story of a deal that definitely wouldn't have happened if I chose to go that route.

Recently, we closed on a beautiful row home in Capitol Hill for $100,000 less than the initial list price. The listing agent and I had never worked together before. We are at different brokerages and, to be fair, they mentioned that they don't really do a lot of business anymore so I hadn't seen their name around the city. I sent this home to my client over text letting them know that I thought it was overpriced but the location was great and we should keep an eye on it. If it was still on the market through the second weekend we should go take a look. As luck would have it, my client went to an open house and, while agreeing with the data that it was a bit high, we decided to take a chance and write an offer… $200k under list!

We all knew it was a shot in the dark but I was able to have a fantastic initial conversation with the listing agent and after an hour or so of back and forth and some tweaks on price, the sellers let us know that because of the short amount of days on market, they were going to respectfully decline and wait for something better. A few days later I called that listing agent again to see how things were going and they let me know of an off-market home that was coming up the following week. This home was in direct competition with their listing, in the same neighborhood, listed by another agent in their brokerage, and they told me about it. They said it was because they felt a connection with my client's story and their desire for a new home.

A week later I get another call from the agent. “Look, we've had another offer but my sellers keep asking me about you and your client. They want to make a deal with you.” By working for the deal and advocating for my client while also being genuinely open and connecting with this agent, we secured an amazing home for $100,000 under list after only 24 days on the market. This deal would not have happened if we had chosen to come at this from an adversarial point of view rather than from one of genuine connection, mutual professional respect, and a desire to find a deal.

The point of all this is that the “nice guys finish last” BS is, well, BS. Each negotiation is certainly different and there are absolutely times to play bad cop. If you genuinely try to connect and focus on the end goal, no matter what that is, you may just find that you do actually catch more flys with honey.

Marc Cashin is the Founder and CEO of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney, representing buyers and sellers in Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. This article was first published on LinkedIn.