By Kevin Hogencamp, Contributing Writer
Nearly everyone in sales needs inspiration from time to time.
That’s precisely why Tyler Shields attended motivational speaker and sales trainer Darryl Davis’ “How to be a Power Agent in Real Estate” seminar in December.
About 300 people packed the free half-day workshop at Embassy Suites Jacksonville Baymeadows. The event was sponsored by the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
Davis is a part-time New York comedian who has parlayed a successful sales career into being one of the National Board of Realtors’ conventions’ most popular speakers.
Shields says Davis provided her with a much-needed shot in the arm.
“I needed a boost to my enthusiasm level and he’s certainly providing that,” Shields, a Realtor with Watson Realty Corp., said during a break. “He’s reminding me that real estate can be a whole lot more fun than it has been lately for me.”
Among other coaching tips, Davis emphasized that Realtors focus less on prospecting and more on listing homes.
“I’m not saying listings are the name of the game. I’m saying if you have no listings, you have no business,” he told the audience.
Davis also encouraged the Realtors to focus more on for-sale-by-owner properties. Many, he said, are overpriced because owners have an unrealistic opinion of what they are worth, he said.
He also encouraged trainees to learn to overcome customer objections such as, “We have a friend in the business” and, “We’ll give you a short-term listing and extend later if we are happy.”
In handling objections, Davis encouraged the Realtors to have a repertoire of stories, metaphors and analogies at their disposal.
“You should be prepared with at least five different ways to handle each objection,” he said.
The training motivated Shields to continue Davis’ training program by purchasing some of his CDs.
“The learning never stops,” she said.
That’s another point Davis drives home to Realtors. He claims that participants in his full training program make an additional $33,000 a year on average.
“You have to know your material upside and down and backward and forward,” he said.
Davis says that’s the same advice he received long ago in a personal conversation with famed motivational speaker Zig Ziglar.
“He said … when you are front of your audience, you’ve got to throw your notes away and talk from our heart. It’s not human doing, it’s human being,” Davis quipped.
Cindy Foley, NEFAR’s education director, said Davis’ reputation is so great in the industry that the Jacksonville event quickly booked more than the 100 or so people she initially expected would attend.
Davis connected well with the NEFAR audience, she said.
“Quite honestly, if you do what he says, you’ll be better off,” she said. “Everybody needs some coaching.”
Armed after the seminar with Davis’ sales material, Coldwell Banker Realtor Becky Mendenhall said she’s particularly inclined to listen to his advice on how to respond to prospective customers’ objections.
“Being prepared with metaphors and stories helps you be more comfortable and helps the customer be more comfortable, too, because it’s a big decision – whether it’s buying or selling,” she said.
Mendenhall bought Davis’ entire sales package, which retails for $497.
“You have to invest in yourself,” she said. “The more knowledge that I have, the better Realtor I can be and the more people I can help.”