We Are Selling with Lee Woodward

Managing Buyer Expectations with Danny Grant

• Realtair • Episode 13

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We unpack how to manage buyer expectations, handle price conversations, and guide nervous buyers through uncertain markets. With real scripts and live role-play, this episode shows how calm communication, preparation, and transparency lead to better auction outcomes.

• handling aggressive price questions with confidence
• giving realistic price indications without overcommitting
• managing pre-auction offers and buyer expectations
• calming nervous buyers on the lawn
• maintaining composure to influence buyer behaviour
• preparing buyers emotionally and financially for auction day
• nudging buyers up without pressure or confrontation

A practical masterclass in buyer psychology, auction communication, and staying in control when the market shifts.



Hosted by Lee Woodward Training Systems

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Lee Woodward:

Hello and welcome to our podcast, We Are Selling. My name's Lee Woodward of the Realtair Academy, the home of Pitch, Sign and Sell, the all-in-one real estate professional platform. Today, rejoining us is Mr. Danny Grant, and Danny's going to step us through managing buyer expectations, especially when the marketplace has transitioned and the buyers are nervous. Let's cross to Danny. Let's tackle the topic that many agents I won't use the word fear, but they get concerned about this conversation. Danny, you've had this conversation a thousand times. And it's the one about price indication. For many years we've had price guides. People have had surrounding sales. Now we've got price indications. Legislation is different all over Australia. Forgetting the legislation, not that we're going to break it, but just having that general chat with the purchaser who's asking that sometimes aggressive question because other agents have done the wrong thing. Other agents have baited them into property that they shouldn't have been looking at. So you can't always take their aggression as it's at you, it's actually at our industry. But I'd love to see how you actually maneuver that and keep them on side to keep them in the game with the property. So I've turned up, I've had a look at the property, it's my second time coming through. I say, Danny, you're the agent, you know what it's going to go for. What are the owners going to accept on this?

Danny Grant:

Look, Lee, the owners have chosen auction because they just want an outcome in price. So it they didn't want to put a set price on it, otherwise it'd be for sale. So it's good in a certain way because they'll listen to the market feedback and hopefully accept whatever it is on auction day. So really it's about what other buyers are going to pay. And I can never answer that 100% because as much as you won't tell me what the top end of your budget is, other buyers don't tell me either. But I do start to get indications and it seems like we've got a bit of interest around 800. Now that could mean that if I've got three buyers at 800, then they could be some could be thinking early eights, some could be thinking mid, some could be thinking high. Um some might think high and then buy something else next week we we don't know. So all I can really say is that m my gut feeling on indication is that there is interest at early eights, and I guess it's up to you from there on how much more you want to pay. So it really depends on buyers, and I think some buyers don't know until they get to auction day what they want to pay either. You know, they're waiting to see what the competition's gonna pay.

Lee Woodward:

Will they look at an offer before the auction if it was the right money?

Danny Grant:

Look, it's hard to say. If somebody put something up in front of us, I've obviously got to give it to the vendor and they're gonna react. You know, they may or may not, but look, you don't know until you put an offer in front of them. But look, if you do put in an offer, I just ask that you don't take it personally if they they knock you back because sometimes whatever you offer they will accept on auction day, and it doesn't necessarily mean they want more than that. For a vendor going to auction is a little bit like a lottery, you buy a ticket, you don't expect to win, but you hope to.

Lee Woodward:

Danny, as always, that was just beautifully said, and I like how you flipped it back to the purchaser that you're not opening up to me either, yet you want me to open up and let you know what's possibly going to happen in the marketplace. And what's fantastic now with the digital sale is the buyers are notified. That transparency is there, and finally, Danny, we're actually seeing some harmony come into the industry where digital is making that possible because no one can get angry at a system. Now, Danny, what about the nervous buyer? And I'm gonna take you back into that on the lawn street situation. Uh, digital is such a great assistance today, but you've done this for so many years. What do you do with the nervous buyer who could be our buyer but isn't responding the way you need? How do you handle that?

Danny Grant:

Yeah, the important thing is to look at all your buyers and pick up on that, and you'll tell that they're, you know, a bit red or sweaty and nervous. And sometimes some buyers they react differently, some just put their hand up and keep bidding, and some just stop and regret it afterwards. So it's important to go over to them in the correct way, not stand over them, not say, look, you've got a bid because that'll make it worse. It's just I say to them, look, take a deep breath. Really the best way to do is just ignore the buyers either side of you, focus on what do you want to pay for this property, and just focus on the auctioneer and where the bids are, and I'm happy to help you. The bid is at 1.82, are you happy to pay 1.823 or whatever it may be? Sometimes they're fine just with enough to say to calm down and then you go back next to the auctioneer and watch them again, or sometimes you just need to stay with them. This is where it's also important to have a bit of help. So Diane's at most of my auctions, and normally she's great at that. She'll go over to them and chat with them and just keep them calm. So really important, don't be a standover merchant. Don't tell them that, look, they need to bid, just tell them to calm, focus. What did you want to pay for this home? Sometimes that's also talking about another bidder, because there usually be a bidder there that's quite arrogant, standover themselves and doing quite fierce bidding, and there's a reason for that, and I tell them there's a reason for that. Look, they're there to bid and bid strong to make you think, you know, they've got loads of money to spend on this home. Whereas the reality is they're bidding like that because they're probably worried about the limit of their budget and they want to try and scare other people off. There's no reason why you guys can't be the same way. Ignore what they're doing, stick to your budget.

Lee Woodward:

Danny, do you believe you've had great success in auction craft or your craft of doing auction because you can remain calm?

Danny Grant:

Oh, it makes a huge difference. Buyers really pick up if you're panicked, if you're concerned about something, and you've really got to be poker faced about it and calm, really calm. And I know that can be hard because you know you you're not a good agent if you don't feel a little bit of it or a little bit of nervousness, but gotta realize that they're all watching you and how you behave, how quickly you move, how you react on if you've reached a reserve or you're not near the reserve, how panicked you are going from one buyer to the other. You've just got to relax so you can relax the buyers.

Lee Woodward:

I was watching a great interview with one of the wallabies, one of the young guys, and he was about to go into the World Cup, and they were saying, you know, are you nervous, are you anxious? And he actually explained to the interviewer that we spend a lot of time trying to keep our heart rate down because you can run out on that field and all your muscles can seize up, the adrenaline can kick in, and controlling that breathing is part of being a professional. I don't see this as any different.

Danny Grant:

Oh, not at all. It can really ramp up and and what I do with a lot of auctions is I think about them beforehand. So I get there in plenty of time to set up, so I'm calm because that's I know that if I'm running a little behind and I'm trying to set up and there's somebody at the door and I've got to get all my auction signs out, that will cause a little bit of anxiety and stress and I feel behind. I think about how the auction's gonna go. I think about well, okay, what if this buyer doesn't turn up? What if this happens? What if the bidding stops at this? I think through every scenario because that makes me more calm and I know what to do and I'm comfortable in what to do. Obviously, I've done hundreds of auctions now, so all the scenarios can be very similar, but it doesn't matter how many times you do it, it's like a listing presentation. Same thing when I go into listing presentation, I think about how is this going to go, take it through my mind, because then it's not the first time I'm doing it that morning.

Lee Woodward:

Excellent work, Danny, and for all our listeners, the future belongs to the prepared. Let's say we've got a purchaser, being me, who is through contract stage, done my building pest reports, I'm in tune with the property, and I think I've got an indication where it's gonna go, but you're prepping me now for the auction and you want to nudge me up on price. Ring ring, hello. Hi Lee, it's Danny. How are you doing? Good, Danny. How's the property going?

Danny Grant:

Good. Um look, no change, still going through to auction, but I just wanted to have a quick chat with you and check if there was anything else you needed, any change in terms or things like that. I've had a few people come back and make a few changes in settlement terms, so I just wanted to see if you were still the same. No, my settlement period's still the same, and I hope I get it. Excellent. Well look, I just want to have a final chat to you about price. Um when we spoke last week, I said to you that um, you know, obviously originally we started over 1.8. I felt that most of our interest was was mid-8s. Look, I think we've probably got a good three or four buyers coming to auction, including yourself. Now, look, not over the top, but good enough. I think everyone seems to be in that mid-eight range. Look, obviously I can't predict where it's going to go, but obviously, you know, if you were gonna bet you'd bet that it is gonna go over eight fifty, it's gonna be more closer to nine hundred would be my guess, maybe a little bit more. But look, I'm not sure, but I just wanted to, I guess, give you that indication.

Lee Woodward:

I don't want to go over nine hundred, Jenny. Do you think it will?

Danny Grant:

Look, I don't know. I'd love it to, I won't say no, but look, if you're thinking we're up to nine, that look obviously you'd be competitive because I think most people are probably thinking the same thing as you as that look, I don't necessarily want to go over nine, but look, as usual for an auction, I think you've got to have the price you want to try and get it at, and then there's the push come to shove so you can be prepared. So let's just see what happens on the day.

Lee Woodward:

Well, you know our feelings. We've spent a lot of money on this, and I'm hoping to get it for nine hundred or less.

Danny Grant:

I hope you get it too. But look, obviously sometimes auctions people can get carried away, but look, you know, the way I look at it is that I've had so many auctions where months later I've seen things sell for a lot more, and really, you know, have a think about if it does go beyond that, whether you're willing to part with it. You're much better off thinking about that now, rather than on the day walking away regretting it's a long drive home, regretting not paying a little bit more. Look, if you can get it for nine, great, but just be prepared just in case it doesn't.

Lee Woodward:

Danny Grant, absolutely outstanding information as always. We've had such great reviews about your work on the program we are selling. That brings us to another end of our program. For any information about Pitch Sign Sell, the Realtair All-in-One Platform, head to Realtair.com or call the Academy on 1300-367-412. I'm Lee Woodward. Thank you for listening.