Brought to you by the Builder Relations Committee of the Sales and Marketing Council of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and Lennar
By Bob Fiehn MIRM, MCSP, CMP, CSP, CPST, AMA
Q: What are the best words or language to use in follow up?
A: One of the secrets of top sales professionals is that they take time, when working with a prospect, to gather information regarding the prospects personal interests and lifestyles. When contacting a prospect, begin your conversation with something of personal interest to them. It immediately sets you apart from the sales personalities prospects encounter in the marketplace. It says you are interested in them as a person, and selling real estate is a very personal profession.
Q: What communication styles do you think are best for follow up?
A: We are in an electronic age. However, too many salespeople rely solely on email for their communication needs. Bad habit! The computer is cold and impersonal. People do not buy from a computer (unless they are an investor). The most successful salespeople will use the computer, if that is the preferred method of communicating of either the Realtor or the site agent, with phone calls interspersed to add the personal touch. Just because your call was answered by a message center, the sound of your voice and the information you are offering will help maintain your top of mind awareness with the Realtor, site agent or prospect. Handwritten notes and birthday cards are also very effective ways of setting yourself apart from your competition.
Q: When is “too much follow up” too much?
A: Follow up intensity has to be parallel to the buyers’ urgency and need for information. Every buyer you come in contact with has different DNA, just as every Realtor and site agent has different DNA, so every buyer will either desire frequent follow-up or not. If the buyer does not appreciate frequent follow-up, you must back off or you will alienate them completely. Conversely, there are buyers that are “needy” and those buyers require your ramping up your follow-up activities to appease their need for constant contact. Just like the selling process, you must adjust your pace to the behaviors of the individual buyer.
Roger Fiehn & Associates, Inc.
Sales, Marketing and Business Management Strategists
www.rfiehn.com
281-481-0831