Shut Up and Listen: Sales Tactics for Introverted Realtors — Barry Karch, TX

In this episode of Marketing in Other Markets, Matt Muscat talks to Barry Karch, a veteran real estate professional and top-performing agent.

Barry has a whopping 37 years in the real estate industry and has built his business into a small empire in El Paso, Texas. In 2021, Barry managed over 400 transactions between 25 Realtors, with an average deal size of $275,000! He’s the real deal.

Barry’s secret weapon? He’s an introvert. Seriously. He turned being an introvert into a tool to build his business—being an introverted Realtor is his greatest asset as a manager and salesman.

Realtors far and wide are known to be pushy, aggressive, and overly excited to get your business. It’s the defining characteristic of salespeople across the board—Car Salesmen, Real Estate Agents, Loan Officers, and Sales Reps are all hungry to close the deal. After nearly four decades of business, Barry has figured out that doing the exact opposite as the traditional salesman is the key to success. As a salesperson and/or Realtor, building trust and putting your clients at ease should be the top priority.

As a Real Estate Agent on a sales call, you should be listening—not selling. An introverted Realtor spends at least half their time listening to the client and letting them speak their mind. When a client gets on the phone with a soft-spoken, introverted Real Estate Agent, they immediately realize they are talking to a normal, friendly, regular person. Not a hungry salesman. The introverted Realtor isn’t pushing anything onto the client that they don’t need or want, but instead is strategizing a way to help meet their goals. It’s a trust-building sales tactic to play the long-term game.

Realtors often receive cold leads online, whether it’s through organic discovery or paid lead generation. Those leads, who are real people, don’t need an instant race to the closing table, but rather prefer someone to help them through the process. When receiving those leads, Barry’s advice is not to rush, push, or overly excite the process. Don’t brag about your business or credentials. Introverts win at winning over cold leads every time.

Networking can be tough as an introvert, but it is vital to building a real estate business (or any business)! When you’re out in the world meeting people for the first time, one of the best tactics to gain business is to talk to other people about themselves. You heard right—don’t talk about you, but rather talk about them. But stay in contact with them. Friend them on Facebook, follow them on Instagram. People latch onto the people who are interested in them. Shut up and listen!

One of the other strengths of an introverted Realtor is the focus on taking care of current clients, instead of trying to source new leads. Barry no longer advertises for new clients, nor has he advertised in years. It’s not profitable to spend money on people who have no clue who you are. Instead, reward the folks who do.

Barry’s top trick is giving away Girl Scout Cookies each year to his clients. For $5 a client, he wins over past clients year after year, and it makes the Girl Scouts ecstatic, too. Barry’s referral business increased exponentially the year he started giving away cookies door-to-door.

Long story short, being an introverted Realtor is a superpower.

If you’re a Realtor: shut up and listen. Take care of your clients. Build meaningful relationships. Reap the rewards of a fulfilling career.