IDENTIFYING
KEY DECISION MAKER-RURAL AGENCY
The
presentation consists of necessary data and documents that agents use
to present themselves to the seller and other important pieces of
information. We have already covered how the agent needs to find out
the seller’s motives, needs, concerns and desires however, for the
agent to ensure a successful presentation needs to find out more. The
type of presentation can be considered under 3 property classes:
1.
Presentation for small properties
Generally,
the presentation for the small hobby farm will be the same as for an
urban house as the sellers have similar needs and want, probably work
in the town and are not dependent on the hobby farm for a living.
For
small properties such as hobby farms the agent will find that married
couples will own the farm jointly, that is, each party is a joint
owner and therefore, each is the seller. The hobby farm may be an
investment company or partnership but here again, the most likely
shareholders are a husband and wife. The agent cannot obtain a
listing and cannot sell the house without the permission of BOTH
joint owners.
Upon
interview and property inspection the agent should have a good idea
about which owner is the decision maker or whether both owners are
jointly decision makers.
The
reason why you need to know the decision maker(s) is that on
presentation you can expect questions from that person or persons. By
judging their personality types (eg “sticklers for detail”) you
can make sure you have the answers to the questions you expect.
However,
do not make the mistake of prejudging the decision maker. Although
one party may appear to be the leader when you are present, the other
party may exert greater influence after you leasve. Therefore, it is
important that during your presentation you address ALL parties and
people present. Even Uncle Joe, with no interest in the property,
sitting at the rear and saying nothing during the presentation may be
the sage and adviser the owners turn to, as soon as you leave!
2.
Presentation for medium sized properties
As
we move further out of town to medium sized properties the agent will
find decision quite different to the simple decision makers
encountered by for the hobby farm. Very often the ownership is in the
name of a family company so that the ultimate decision makers are the
shareholders. For some family companies encountered by the rural
agent this could include an extended family of a dozen or more. In
this situation it may be impossible to determine the decision
maker(s) and therefore, the agent must be doubly sure that all
parties are being addressed.
In
this situation you may have to make a number of presentations at the
homes of the extended families. Although you should make sure that
you present the same information at each, you may have learnt some
material fact or piece of information at the first presentation
allowing you to improve the next presentation.
3.
Presentation for large remote properties
As
we noted in learning outcome 1 there is a large range of possible
rural properties starting with the small hobby farms near the town or
city and ending with a large pastoral holdings in the Western
Division.
As
you move out into larger and efficient farming units the decision
making is more business and investment oriented and the agent is
presenting to companies and partnerships. Shareholders and partners
may not be present for a personal presentation and therefore, the
agent should be prepared to communicate with non present owners by
either mailing or e mailing relevant material and inviting those
parties to contact the agent if they need any further information. In
extreme cases you may have to present by way of video conferencing.
The
use of modern communication systems such as email and being able to
refer the owner to you firm’s web page could be the deciding factor
for the owners choosing you over a rival agent. The use of modern
technology shows professionalism!
When
dealing with company or partnership decision makers there is also a
strong possibility that the company or partnership may refer the
decision to their farm managers. These will be professional people
well versed in rural economics looking at maximising profits and
benefits of their clients. In this case you will be asked a number of
questions on costs of selling and benefits to the owners of different
sale options. The agent must be armed with facts and figures to
satisfy such decision makers.