The F.O.R.M. Acronym: How to Create Analogies On The Spot
Creating powerful real estate metaphors and analogies isn’t magic, but with this formula, it might seem like it! These 4 simple ideas can get your creative juices flowing to invent powerful analogies on the spot.
We often talk about using metaphors and analogies during listing conversations with potential clients, or when handling objections from homeowners. and I recently came up with an acronym to make it easier to remember how to create these in seconds.
I am often asked how I have gotten so good at coming up with metaphors and analogies on the spot, and I want to share the F.O.R.M. acronym that I created recently to help you remember – think about forming connections with people.
TIP: For an in-depth look into the anatomy of an analogy, read this Masterclass article here.
“F” For Family
In the F.O.R.M. acronym, F is for family. When you’re talking to a homeowner, you can look around at their family, maybe they have children, or parents, or find something in the family dynamic to come up with a metaphor. Are their children in grade school? Just starting kindergarten? In college and starting out on their own? Are the parents or grandparents living there? Planning on moving in? Is the couple newlyweds? Just celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary? Look at the various family dynamics and their current situation and draw an analogy from that.
“O” For Occupation
This is my favorite. When you can draw a metaphor from the homeowner’s occupation. Whether they are a professional, or have a job in the blue-collar sector, the wide variety of job types out there lends itself to many different analogies. A homeowner knows the ins and outs of their job and profession, so being able to relate an example in this way is powerful.
TIP: This related blog article gives a great example of using a client’s occupation in the price reduction conversation: “Using Metaphors and Analogies To Connect With Your Seller”
“R” For Recreation
What is your client passionate about? As with vocations, recreation is another vast world of potential analogies. Are they avid golfers? Do they enjoy boating? Maybe they are part of league bowling, or love to play chess. Taking the time to find out what they enjoy doing in their free time during the listing appointment will give you plenty of ideas on metaphors to use.
“M” For Memories
Did the homeowner share a memory with you about a moment in their life? Maybe they mentioned their vacation to Hawaii, or the spontaneous trip to Las Vegas they went on and shared some of their experiences with you. At some point in the conversation, you can use that memory to create a metaphor because they already have an established emotional connection to it, which means that any metaphor you create using that memory will hit a little closer to home than others might to make your point.
Whether you have a favorite approach or enjoy making use of each point in the F.O.R.M. acronym — family, occupation, recreation, or memories — keeping these four points in mind will let you create brilliant analogies on the spot to get your point across to your buyers and sellers.
TIP: This Copyblogger article on The Persuasive Power of Analogy dives into why an analogy can be just the thing you need to get your clients to hire you.
What’s Next?
Are you ready to start taking things to the Next Level®? If you don’t already know what you need to do to get to your next level, we can help!
Power Agents®, for more examples of dialogues, metaphors, and analogies for coaching your buyers and sellers, check out the Objection Handling tab in the Classroom. Whether you need a boost of confidence or empowering strategies, Darryl will help you get the skills you need to be the go-to agent for the buyers and sellers in your farm area.
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