John Palumbo is a national speaker and has written numerous books on sales techniques. He is a past recipient of the National Association of Home Builders' Sales Manager of the Year Award and The Million Dollar Circle Lifetime Award. Additionally, he appears regularly on the WJXT Morning Show in Jacksonville as their financial guru – "The Investment Gambler." His newest book can be seen at www.SellingInAnyMarket.com
Q. What should Realtors and site agents do now to prepare for 2013?
A. Stop focusing on negotiating skills. Most agents hate the idea of having to negotiate when, in fact, they're not negotiators at all — they're simply the messenger between a buyer and seller. The agent of tomorrow will leave those old negotiating tactics behind and realize the new winds of change as they begin to learn influence and persuasion skills. The masters of tomorrow will understand the power of how to influence their customers to their way of thinking and persuade them to make a good decision rather than miss a great opportunity.
Q. Are there new technologies that agents should be using?
A. Absolutely. It's called Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 3, better known to us as MP3 audio. Okay, I admit the technology is not that new and the strategy is as old as the hills however, the blueprint for sales mastery is simple. Step 1 - Face to face selling; Step 2 - Listen to MP3 audios on the subject of sales; Step 3 - More face to face selling; Step 4 - Read books on selling; Step 5 - More face to face selling; Step 6 - Understand the compound effect of this simple formula; Step 7 -Become a master of selling at the top, middle or bottom of any market.
Q. What ways can agents separate themselves from their competition in this sea of social media?
A. You'll see in my answers in the next two questions on the way to segregate yourself in social media.
Q. How important are networking events for agents to consider in their schedules for 2013?
A. Networking events are obsolete. Most agents attend networking events and walk away with nothing. The people that you really want to network with are rarely at these events. Take a lesson from some of America's most successful companies. It is much more effective to nurture the relationships around us, which include our existing customers and their network of contacts. I encourage agents to harness the power of their existing relationships and customers. This is the secret to some of America's top-producing agents and it's called referrals. While most agents never understand the secret of how to obtain referrals, the very best agents attend networking events for the social aspects and rarely even pass out a business card. They spend time building their network internally through trust, credibility and learning the AIR formula. AIR is the acronym for Absolute Information Resource.
Q. What other tips do you have for agents looking for a successful 2013?
A. Like I just mentioned, learn how to become an Absolute Information Resource warrior. This means knowing your customers so well that you regularly search for information that will benefit them. An example would be an article in USA Today about effective tax strategies for home ownership. Information like this and many other topics could easily be found online and then forwarded to a variety of contacts and customers. Provide something of value that fits a topic of conversation you've recently had with them and simply include a note stating " I thought you might find this article interesting. Best regards." I recommend sharing these digital articles 12-18 times a year and sometimes even clipping the article and snail mailing to friends, colleagues and customers. Simple strategies such as this send a clear message to your network that you're not only high-tech but also high-touch. The agent of tomorrow will master the AIR formula by finding ways to stay in touch by providing value to their customers and will watch their business grow exponentially. Information resources will have an average 3.2 pass-on rate to others and over time you'll see how the power of referral will take hold and build a massive network. Once agents master the concept of building their network from within and utilizing the AIR formula, they will begin to build their own social media buzz and never look back on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest again.