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Ever heard of Socratic methodology? (Kiiiiinda like your Classics classcome back to haunt you?)

The Socratic method is a technique of asking questions, rather than simply giving recommendations. In the business world, it can help your clients understand and buy into your offer.

Because telling your real estate leads what they should and shouldn’t do (like, “Don’t try to sell your home yourself; call me!” or “You should never house-hunt without an agent!”) doesn’t encourage the kind of change that converts them to clients, nor does it promote learning.

Your marketing goal is always to cut through preconceived notions about who Realtors are and what they can do, to help your audience discover new modes of thinking.

That’s where Socrates comes in.

Socratic reasoning — or what is called “anchoring” — works through the questions Socrates asked about truth and justice until his students arrived at the answer themselves.

Notice that’s the key. 

They arrived at the answer themselves. 

Anchoring is a way that we can help our potential clients arrive at the answer themselves and decide to like, choose, and trust us. 

Socratic methodology has made a huge impact on the OOOMPH and visibility of my own messaging as a small business since Day 1, and I want to show you how you can reap the benefits, too.

Here are 6 Socratic methodology steps you can use in your real estate marketing to encourage easier, smarter (and way less painful to write AND read, since no one likes a sales script) conversions:

01: LISTEN — Survey your audience on outstanding pain points and use that data to communicate with them moving forward)

02: IDENTIFY THEIR TRIGGER — What’s the tipping point moment for them? The moment the FSBO home seller, for instance, decides it’s actually worth getting help instead of going it alone?

03: TWIST THE KNIFE —  Show how painful the real estate problem is, in your copy. 

04:  ASK THE BUYER OR SELLER TO IDENTIFY THE COST OF THE PROBLEM NOT GOING AWAY —  For instance, you writing, “We need to ensure your home sells for top dollar!” in your latest marketing email is NOT the same thing as asking, “How would you measure the success and efficiency of a home sale in today’s market?” Or “What does an efficient, successful home sale look like to YOU?” 

05: ASK THEM TO IDENTIFY HOW TOMORROW WOULD LOOK IF THE PROBLEM DID INDEED GO AWAY

06: PRESENT YOUR REAL ESTATE OFFER AS THE SOLUTION TO HELP THEM FINALLY SUCCEED

Now for something really fun…

Here’s an example of the Socratic method at work in a real-life ad with good, seductive copy that helps its readers embrace the conclusion effortlessly.

Read this:

“Everybody has bad days. Even bosses.But when you’re the boss of a small business, a bad day can get out of proportion.In a big company, you’d probably be surrounded by experts in finance, sales,personnel, marketing, production, and so on. People you could talk to, argue with, try your ideas on, blame, have lunch with, confide in and who would generally make you feel better. But when you’re the boss of a small business, you’re on your own.”

Aaaand now we’re all asking…

What’s coming next here? A mentorship lunch invite? A software platform pitch? 

This is an ad for HSBC Small Business loans.

Incredible, right?

Because they COULD have started the ad off in THEIR world: 

“At HSBC, we’re pleased to announce…”

And guess what? You would have switched off. 

Because that marketing approach would have been about them, not you.

This ad stands out and does a beautiful job because it found the triggers and twisted the knife, WHILE establishing an empathetic tone in the process. You could sell anything off the back of that approach. 

Including real estate. 😉

Watch what happens when we apply this same sales copy to a FSBO marketing script: 

“Selling a home in this market isn’t easy. Even for the most experienced Realtors.But when you’re selling a home by yourself, the home-selling challenge can get out of hand. Partnered with a real estate team you trust, you’d be surrounded by experts in marketing, negotiation, strategy, logistics.But when you’re selling a home without a trusted team at your back, you’re on your own.Luckily, we’re here to help. [Welcome to XYZ Real Estate, specializing in the sale of…]”

Did you feel that shift?

It’s powerful. 

Today’s takeaway is simple…

Remember that in marketing, we often start in OUR worlds. At our desks, in our bubbles. With all the pressures and distractions. You may know what you’re promoting, but that’s YOUR world.

Not the world of your audience.

So next time you go to market yourself, imagine the reader and do not deviate – 

Where are THEY? 

What’s on THEIR mind? 

How can you use anchoring to seduce them with your copy?

That approach is exactly how, as a Realtor, you excavate your messaging + positioning from the ditch of salesy-scripts and start scaffolding a more seductive offer than is PEOPLE-DRIVEN and STURDY for the long haul.

To your brand success, always —

P.S – What’s BLUEPRINT, again? 

We’re a gaggle of designers, writers, and creatives on a mission to change the branding narrative in real estate.

We offer a signature branding service and the industry’s most elegant and high-converting digital products to help modern, stylish Realtors do three things:

➝ Communicate their worth;

➝ Become the obvious choice;

➝ Tell the right stories to stand out + SELL more.

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