by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Steve Oniki says many professionals can botch a good deal with a bad handshake. Oniki was the speaker at September’s Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council.
“Trust is 90 percent of the sale,” said Oniki, adding that training seminars and other motivational seminars don’t address the issue of how to trust.
Oniki used this example of how to work trust: “If I know you better than you know me, I can usually control you. If I know you better than you know yourself, then I can make you do anything I want, and you think it’s your idea.”
Oniki said it’s important to add to your job description by adding a level of trust.
“If point A is the emotional low when they meet you, you want them to be on an emotional high at closing,” he said. “Take people who are scared of you and take them to their emotional high. The only way a client can get high is if you made sure you have their trust because then they have their real estate counselor to look out for them.”
The competition is fierce, he said: “Every client has a real estate neighbor. There are twice as many people in real estate than we really should have. The investors and flippers are not here to help these people.”
Oniki is a motivational speaker and hosted a seminar in Jacksonville last month, but he didn’t start out that way. He served in Vietnam and upon his return to the United States began working in the civilian world.
After three years of getting shot at, Oniki said his people skills weren’t the best.
“I was hardcore Army because I worked to save my life to go home. Why would I change?” he said.
But Oniki knew he had to change, especially after being quasi-forced into change. A co-worker would always put smiley face stickers on his desk. “She drove me nuts,” he said.
But then she gave him “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
After reading the book by Dale Carnegie, Oniki said he found a new hobby: find the grouchiest person and make them smile.
“People were starved for attention,” he said. “Wanna be great? Every client has a personal story they’ll share ù listen actively and you’ll have their business for life.”