by Joe Klock, Special to Realty/Builder Conection
Here are some random tips that should help you in your sales efforts:
Playing (and winning) the name
If you ask for a prospect’s name and phone number early in the phone conversation and they choose not to give it to you, don’t make a big deal of it.
Instead wait until the very end of the conversation, when the ice has been broken a bit, and say something like this: “Oh, by the way, I want to check on one other house that I think you’d like. Where can I call you later today or tonight?”
Then, if you get a number, follow up with: “And who should I ask for?”
For some unknown reason, people otherwise unwilling to identify themselves feel less pressured by this approach.
Might be because they’re being offered a benefit (information) in exchange for their identity.
Be kind to you!
You tend to make allowances for your friends and for people you admire, so why not cut some of the same slack for yourself?
A good self-image begins with forgiving yourself for not being perfect, which is no more than you routinely do for others you care about.
Chances are, you’ve read something about loving thy neighbor AS thyself, which is another way of saying the same thing.
Or think about it this way: Since the size of your funeral will be largely determined by the weather on that day, why not start being nice to the one person you’re SURE will be there?
Dealing with that ‘think-it-over’ ploy
One of the more popular stalling tactics of potential buyers — almost always popping up when a decision appears to be imminent — is “We’d like to think it over.”
Rather than meeting this “objection” head on, handle it with a response something like this:
“That’s a good idea, folks; this is a big decision. Now, while everything’s fresh in your mind, let’s make a list of the things you should be thinking about.”
Then, reach for a clean sheet of letter-size paper, draw a vertical line down the middle, from top to bottom, and launch into a “Ben Franklin” close.
Head the left side “Pro” or “Why We Should” and the right side “Con” or “Why We Should Not.”
Start by asking if they agree with the statement, “It’s the best we’ve seen.” If they agree, write it in the left column. Follow with “We can afford it,” adding that to the list if you get their permission.
Then invite them to com up with their own pros and cons about making a decision.
DON’T argue with their choices …just write them down. (Discussion can come later; meanwhile, you’re picking up selling points and identifying future trouble spots in the closing process.)
Make your own suggestions, of course, but add them to the list ONLY with their consent.
This will reopen opportunities to deal with their fears, suspicions, hopes and — most importantly — their need for more information, more explanation, and/or more reassurance.
Sometimes, it smokes out a previously-undisclosed problem that can now be talked out.
It will also give you the opportunity to record the benefits that they should keep in mind, even if they still can’t reach a decision then and there.
Keep a copy (or make some notes) for yourself to use in later conversations – if they become necessary.
Wind up the session, of course, by asking a closing question like, “All things considered, doesn’t it make sense for you to go ahead with this?”
Even if the answer is no, both you and they will have a clearer grasp of the “why not” issue and an agenda for the next meeting.
Feelin’ low?
Even Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the late patron saint of positive thinking (his book on the subject sold seven million copies), admitted to having an occasional blue funk.
When that happened, he relied on the “ACTASIF PRINCIPLE,” which he explained this way:
“Whenever you feel discouraged, act as if you’re encouraged; if you’re filled with fear, act as if you’re courageous; if you feel you’ve failed, act as if you’ve succeeded; if you think you’re defeated, act as if you’d won.”
According to Peale, there’s nothing to be gained by acting the way you feel when you’re in the dumper, but if you “act as if,” you’ll hasten the arrival of that first ray of sunshine.
As Anna put in “The King & I, “when I fool the people I fool, I fool myself as well.”
(Snapshot verson: “Fake it until you can make it!”)
Positive thinking
The loser says: “If I don’t try it, I can’t fail.” The winner says: “If I don’t try it, I can’t succeed.”
Take your pick!
(Joe Klock is the author of “The Real World of Selling Real Estate” and a national speaker.)