Bestselling author and real estate agent Michael LaFido chatted about his book “Luxury Listing Specialist Book: Dominate Luxury Listings in your Market.”
LaFido is the founder of the Marketing Luxury Group. As a realtor with over 20 years of experience in the industry, LaFido knows the ins and outs of representing luxury real estate listings. e resides in Chicago and enjoys spending quality time with his family during his free time.
Q & A interview
In your viewpoint, how can a book be used as a tool for lead generation?
I wrote a blog post on this. There are really twenty-one ways you can leverage a book. It is a huge creditability booster. It could be a gift. It’s a great way to generate referrals. Again, the media might call you back if you’re an author.
It’s a good magnet to attract more opportunities, more buyer clients, more seller clients, more press opportunities, more feet in the doors with CEOs. It’s a great leave behind.
Your brand screams “luxury.” How did you develop the brand, and what is your advice to others on how to develop their own brands?
You’ve got to believe it. Lisa Hayes says be careful how you talk to yourself because you are listening. So, the biggest thing is what I call the foundation. Agents need to believe they can do it. It’s a mindset. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. What you focus on expands. You need to believe you can do it. Then, slowly, you’ll want to look the part. You “fake it, ’til you make it.”
I look back to when I was selling luxury real estate a few years back and my clothes have gotten better, my shoes have gotten better, and I dress more professionally now. I’ve never been a big tie guy and I don’t wear a tie as much now because I feel like my brand has a reputation for itself, but you might have to dress a little bit nicer and do things early on. You really need to work on your mindset.
In your upcoming book, ‘Secrets of Top Luxury Agents,’ what are some key takeaways a reader can expect to gain in the luxury real estate world?
Great question! The key takeaway is that it’s going to be a mixture of expert opinions from 20 top luxury agents that come from different backgrounds, from large brokerages and small brokerages. Some grew up poor and some grew up rich.
I think you’re going to have a melting pot of backgrounds and different perspectives. It is going to be like a food buffet where readers are going to determine what they’re going to implement and what resonates with them.
Did you ever have a showing that was not living up to your expectations as a top professional? What did you do to turn that around, and make it a success?
A great reminder to me. I almost didn’t get a 10.5 million dollar listing because I was a few minutes late. I will never forget. It was election day of 2020, and my heart dropped. I showed up to the office of the seller and they said, “you know what, Tom is very prompt, and you’re late. Reach out to him.”
It was a great reminder to get to appointments on time or early. In today’s day and age, a lot of schools are allowing kids to turn homework in late with no consequences. They are setting them up for failure. I’ve learned from that and now I make sure I’m not late. First impressions are important.
Tell us about the power behind securing a client referral within your industry.
You can’t assume just because you do a great job that they will refer you, but that is the first step. You need to do what you say you’re going to do and then some, especially with luxury clients. They’re used to the Ritz Carlton experience. Everything is on a silver platter.
You have to let them know that if you’ve done a great job and have earned that “5 out of 5” (that should be your goal to get a “5 out of 5”) you might ask them for a referral of anybody else that they know who is thinking of buying or selling, but only if you’ve earned that right to ask. Manage your expectations. Set them up for that when you ask so that they will be ready.
After a successful day at work, what’s the best way to celebrate?
I enjoy going out to dinner to a nice restaurant with my family and we have a fine dining experience together. That’s how I celebrate.
His bestselling book “Luxury Listing Specialist Book” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
