Category: Sales Training Series

[frame align=”right” border=”1″] [/frame]

LEARN BY DOING

Books, endless of the best sales books; almost as many as there are sales gurus and sales seminars, conferences, and incessant emails! However, what that means is that there is a great cry for understanding and a great need for help! This series is one method of helping you succeed in real estate sales.

In a way I have always been in the sales business. I would fancy myself a teacher by nature, but obviously not a great one because here I am in real estate! Teaching is in some way selling ideas and helping someone do better with them. I had my own home repair and remodeling business and I had to sell myself and my work experience to provide well for my family. Later, I went into professional sales in the technology sector and did well, but to do that I had to understand the market dynamics and the products. I worked ‘inside sales’ and later ‘outside sales’ and I loved them both. I moved into real estate sales and I love it the best- but it is the hardest work I have ever done, but so rewarding in many ways.

I learn best by doing because then my whole person is involved in learning. Doing, in turn, leads to analyzing, and then to perceiving if there is a better way to get the job done. I am certain I drove my inside sales manager crazy but I learned much, did well, and then had to leave to do things a better way. My hope is to help you do sales a better way. It begins with understanding and analyzing and then taking action yourself. I hope my way will help you, that you will then understand your success, and then do it all a better way than I did!

[blockquote align=”right”]There is plenty of room in our industry for really good sales people to do well.[/blockquote]

I love to interview new agents and I am always eager and optimistic about helping them become successful. There is plenty of room in our industry for really good sales people to do well and for some to excel; I never worry about more competition. There is room in our industry for many kinds of sales people in several functions so do not let me discourage you from being you and finding success your way. I hope that these articles will provoke questions, objections, and dialogue- that is the best way to learn and I welcome the interaction in person or in writing.

THE BEST I KNOW

I am giving you the best information I know. Sometimes I am hard-hitting and relentless because it comes out of my fundamental convictions. I never want to intimidate, and certainly not to scare someone off, but if I can save some people from spending money in vain, or wasting their time, I am happy to do so. Mostly, I am happy to give everything I have to help you accomplish your goals and do well in this wonderful service industry.

Some agents come to us from other offices where they believe they were misled, the promises were empty, and they were left on their own. They come with some knowledge and experience. Our brokers at Bella Casa and I are happy to help- we all needed a hand-up to get to where we are today.

At Bella Casa Real Estate Group we enjoy a culture of cooperation, sharing our experience, and helping each other. The group offers a multifaceted spectrum of support and wisdom which is priceless.

[space10] DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED

For the new agents, we cannot forget what it was like for us when we got licensed and had not even seen a sales contract nor knew where to find one! Much of what I write here is what you will grow into. Do not let it overwhelm you.

Because we are colleagues, you have liberty to take anything that is helpful and reject anything that does not fit you. I only ask that if you are wrestling over my dogma, or think I am too discouraging, or if I make you angry or even discouraged, then let’s talk about it. It is challenging to reduce complex training to simple articles but further discussion can clarify and could be good for both of us. Please go at this with an open mind.

Finally, where you end up and what you end up doing in our industry is yet to be seen. You are best served if you end up independent and autonomous and fit where it is best for you. Some may not be entrepreneurs who are going to start a new brokerage or build large teams. Some may want to play a specialty role on a team. Many of you will end up in one of myriad of specialties in real estate and you get to choose, after you learn by doing.

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

[frame align=”right” border=”1″] [/frame]

SALES IS A PROFESSION

That means that just like an accountant, an attorney, a doctor, a surveyor; we are professionals. It is not a hobby, a past time, a job, or a way to make money. We are those who achieve the necessary expertise (education, training, specialty knowledge, and experience,) for the benefit of others. Similarly just as other professions would require services such as banking for attorneys or clinic management for doctors, real estate executives might also need an array of services to make their work easier. We serve clients, not customers. People who are trying to sell something to a person, deal with customers. We help clients accomplish whatever they want, safely and effectively, regardless of the product.

The word ‘professional’ is used often in real estate business names and in much agent advertising. It is a subtle acknowledgement we are aware that some (many?) in our industry are not professional and we want to differentiate ourselves from them. But adding a label does not make a professional.

I have yet to meet a realtor who all their lives aspired to become a realtor someday! Most of us came from other fields, other kinds of jobs, and often from dire circumstances hoping real estate could improve our lives. Most of us did not enter this field with professional sales training or experience. This is something I have sought to contribute to our Professional Cooperative from the beginning. When getting into this profession the use of sales training is an important factor and can be a great way for staff to learn more about what they need to do to bring in leads. Speaking of real estate lead generation, companies might want to look for software that can be Ideal for their agents, teams, and brokerages looking to increase their productivity. Such software can help in lead generation, CRM management, etc. Thus, businesses in real estate can be equipped with the necessary tools that can support and manage your data. This can be helped by using resources like https://www.fusecomms.com/simulations for training purposes, making it easier for staff to learn and connect with what they are doing.

So… if I say, “We are committed at Bella Casa Real Estate Group to Professional Sales Training”, what do you hear in that? I hope it is not that we are going to train you how to control and manipulate people to get them to do what you want them to do, which is spend more of their money and do it quickly so you can make more money! If you have seen the awful movie Glengarry Glen Ross you know exactly what I mean by that. I hope you hear that being a consummate professional means you become better at serving the needs of our clients.

PROFESSIONAL SALES IS A “SERVICE”

If you cannot handle the fact that this work makes you a servant, then you should get another career. This is not a popular perspective in our culture. Our work is not about us, it is about our clients. We cannot be motivated by what is good for us, we must always, without exception, be concerned for what is best for our clients. When you keep the client’s interest primary, you will end up being a distinguished professional and you will do well and you will find the financial reward satisfying. Customer satisfaction is the end goal to making good sales. If your employees are not yet accustomed to this fact, it may be a good idea to train them with the help of hansen beck or other similar training companies. Get the cart before the horse and you will go nowhere. Even if you start well, I can assure you that you will have a fall coming in your future and it will not be pretty!

Human nature is naive and prone to arrogance. Some people get into real estate and ‘get a name’ with their picture everywhere. With the notoriety comes swelling self-importance. “People need me; I have all the answers. They love me; I am the best; I am a rock star.” That is the beginning of the end. Your lack of humility will make you unteachable and undermine any skills you might develop. Your colleagues will wince when they have to work with you because you are condescending and a ‘know it all’ (but you do not). Your clients will spread the word that you are miserable to work with because at the very least they sense it. You will compromise and fall because your motivations will be wrong and The Oregon Real Estate Agency and the National Association of Realtors are ready to nail you and make you pay for your foolishness. You join the ranks of the past disgraced.

THE WORK OF SERVICE

As servants, we do the hard work. It is often grueling and intolerable. We routinely sacrifice for our clients and for the cause of excellence and integrity. This affects our lifestyles and interferes with our priorities; it causes stress and frustration and sometimes fear. It can cost us money out of our pockets.

We are not motivated by money alone, we are motivated by a job well-done and the satisfaction of knowing we protected our clients. We want to know we served them the best information, problem-solved for them, saved them from horrible things that can happen in real estate, and made the stressful and complex ordeal better for them. Being a servant is about making the client successful, satisfied, and pleased.

Our tag line is our commitment to them: Buy. Sell. Be Happy.

Almost anyone can be successful in real estate. However, the cornerstone of building your business is understanding and commitment to the reality that you are a servant. Get this wrong and there is diminished hope that you will be successful. Get this right first, and you are on your way to achieving success and wealth the right way.

Sincerely, Randy

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

www.TheBellaCasaGroup.com
www.BellaCasaPropertyManagement.com
www.TheMcCreithTeam.com

[frame align=”right” border=”1″] [/frame]

SERVING OUR CLIENT

The sales profession is a service industry, meaning we are servants (I know some of you will still be cringing at the use of that word, but avoid it at your own peril).

In the first lesson we were introduced to the distinction between a customer and a client.

•  A customer is being sold to; a client is being served.
•  A customer comes to me to buy what I have; a client comes to me seeking a consultant to advise and assist them in accomplishing their goals of buying anything, anywhere.
• To a customer my mission is to sell what I have been told to sell; I help a client buy what is best for them regardless of who has it for sale.
• One of my goals in selling to a customer is to get them to spend the most money possible at my store (now and forever); my goal for a client is to professionally help them buy whatever they choose with the least risk and for the greatest value.
• My primary focus in selling to a customer revolves around my business and my income; my focus for a client is what is best for the client. I am not product centered or personally centered; I am client-centric.

DIFFERENT FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE

You get the picture… I am not saying that selling to customers is improper nor that it should be a despised occupation. It is just different. If I am the owner of a book store, then I want to hire employees to sell my books. I want them to be knowledgeable and strategic in selling as many books as possible for the hours they work. Of course I want them to be ethical and to encourage repeat business so I do not want them to be offensive in any way. But I am hiring them to get a specific job done.

[blockquote align=”right”]I am client-centric. My primary focus is what is best for the client.[/blockquote]

When I work for a client, I should not care if they buy a home listed by me or a home 25 miles away listed by another agent. If I am a good servant, I will close that sale and collect the commissions offered by the seller. In the same way, as a listing agent I will market the house I have I have been commissioned to sell to all of Oregon’s 14,000 real estate agents who could bring a buyer to my home! I am not ‘manipulating’ anyone, only doing the best job of exposing the listing to all the buyers’ agents out there (as well as to the public).

Even if I get a client who wants to buy my listing, I will still strive to do the best for that buyer. If I am a great servant, then even if the buyer chooses another home, I will eventually get paid; another agent will bring the right buyer to my listing and I will be paid from that sale.

Because you are working with clients, there is much to learn to become a skilled consultant and servant. We have much to say about this soon.

Sincerely, Randy

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

www.TheBellaCasaGroup.com
www.BellaCasaPropertyManagement.com
www.TheMcCreithTeam.com

[frame align=”right” border=”1″] [/frame]

WORKING WITH PEOPLE

Fundamentally, the sales profession is a service industry; that means we are servants. Secondly, our mission is to clients as professional consultants, not customers we want to sell them something expensive and quickly.

I am 60 years old as I write this. I have pastored a couple of Churches (all volunteer army) and worked in the community, and have a large and extended family. I am a workaholic by nature and I could describe my lifetime characteristic simply as ‘work’. I was trained in management with UPS (a company of workaholics for workaholics) and they have to be the most efficiently driven organization on the planet- they measure and engineer seconds and footsteps.

So, what have I concluded in my 60 years? The most challenging job on the planet is working with people! If I wanted to have a much easier life I would search for task-oriented work. To cope with the stress associated with people negotiations might require recreational drugs like these CBD gummies! Regardless of the difficulty of that work, the task-oriented works would still be easier and more predictable than working with people. If I were to stop writing now, I would lose a lot of clients!

EVERY KIND OF PERSON

In real estate sales, we work with almost every kind of person in the world. We serve people from all nationalities and cultures, all backgrounds, all races, all religions, and every worldview possible and opinion that never ends. Almost everyone buys and sells properties. Some rent, and we have a property management company, but even apart from that, our work connects us with tenants regularly. Some are buying real estate for the first time at age 20, and some are selling it to senior-care facilities (such as West PACE) to pay for assisted living expenses at 80 years old. If you are unsure about what assisted living is, let me give you a brief idea! The concept of assisted living is to provide a residential option for older adults who need assistance with some of the tasks of daily living, such as preparing meals, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or keeping the house clean. If you need more personal care services than you can get in your home or at an independent living facility, but don’t require the 24 hour care and supervision of a nursing home, assisted living facilities (you can visit the website here for more information) may prove to be a good choice.

We work with the poor and the wildly wealthy- each has its own challenges. We work with young and old, and the needs are radically different; so can be their attitudes and expectations. We work with people penny-pinching for good investments and others with a rich dream but a very narrow focus like equestrian, vineyard, rentals, stores and offices, particular neighborhoods, etc. We work with newly-weds, and those going through hostile divorces. Some are being hired and some just got fired. Some want more and some want less. Some are wonderfully pleasant people with whom we will become friends, and some will be irrational, picky, petty, nasty human beings. We see people under all kinds of stresses, at all times of life, in every conceivable condition and mood and with a wide variety of opinions and suspicions of Realtors!

[blockquote align=”right”]Most of the work we do is problem-solving, and we often do this in a hostile environment.[/blockquote]

We work with people of little formal education and the highly lettered. In either/both case(s) we can work with those completely ignorant of the world of real estate with its complex laws, frustrating regulations, incessant details, and intricate demands and inevitable struggles and disappointments.

Most of the work we do is problem-solving and we often do this work in a hostile environment where there is a conflict between the parties to the sale but also stress for everyone. Our job is to make this simple and non-intrusive for our clients, resolve conflicts, educate the clients, preempt further problems, and build trust. We find ourselves with overwhelming challenges with sellers, buyers, other agents, and in our own turmoil and frustration/anger. Sometimes we feel like screaming but we train to keep it in until we can express it in a better environment. However, do remember that salespeople make business for the company to stay successful. This is why a lot of companies with exceptional and top salespeople have keyman insurance to help them cope during the untimely death of these great performers. Our work is worth a lot for business success.

resolve conflicts | educate the clients | preempt further problems | build trust[space5]

WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD

As servants, we do the hard work. It is often grueling and intolerable. We routinely sacrifice for our clients and for the cause of excellence and integrity. This affects our lifestyles and interferes with our priorities; it causes stress and frustration and sometimes fear. It can cost us money out of our pockets.

We are not motivated by money alone, we are motivated by a job well-done and the satisfaction of knowing we protected our clients. We want to know we served them the best information, problem-solved for them, saved them from horrible things that can happen in real estate, and made the stressful and complex ordeal better for them. Being a servant is about making the client successful, satisfied, and pleased. Our tag line is our commitment to them: Buy. Sell. Be Happy.

[blockquote align=”right”]The best agents in the world are those skilled in working with all kinds of people and work to keep the peace.[/blockquote]

Almost anyone can be successful in real estate. However, the cornerstone of building your business is understanding and commitment to the reality that you are a servant. Get this wrong and there is diminished hope that you will be successful. Get this right first, and you are on your way to achieving success and wealth the right way.

Sincerely, Randy

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

www.TheBellaCasaGroup.com
www.BellaCasaPropertyManagement.com
www.TheMcCreithTeam.com

[frame align=”right” border=”1″ caption=”Sales people find and bring in new business.“] [/frame]

You might think the Professional Sales Industry is broad spectrum and includes almost any kind of sales work. It is true that ‘sales’ runs the world! At least it is fundamental to keeping the economy healthy, moving, and growing. Everyone is selling something! If not, then they are spending someone else’s money. Real estate is part of the Professional Sales Industry but its mission is not broad, it is single minded and focused.

WHAT WE ARE NOT

Many enter the real estate profession thinking that we are ‘order-takers’. New agents often expect this is true and they would be happy if this were true (so would I!). If I went to the office and people called me every day and asked me to show them houses they were ready to buy, I would be showing homes 75% of my time and this would be a very enjoyable job. If I could sit next to my computer and answer the phone all day from people wanting me to list their homes for sale, my business would explode with unprecedented success and very soon I would be wealthy (and could retire one day!). The truth is that none of this is reality for us. The truth is that order-talkers are usually paid by the hour often get minimum wage plus spiffs (modest incentives) for high sales volume to keep them motivated.

There are customer service professionals who can make a lot of money and remain in a warm and cozy office in the winter and enjoy air conditioning comfort all summer. These people often have regular and predictable hours. If you were a valve specialist for industrial applications and happen to have an engineering degree behind your name, then you answer the phone all day handling immediate emergencies or assisting in new plans. You research specifications, recommend the right valve, write proposals, send information and then send it all to the fulfillment center to complete the order so you can get paid a lot of money. Most customer service people a more modest income and some make low pay per hour and often work in a phone center (the modern ‘sweat shop’).

WHAT WE ARE

Professional Sales is about business development and business expansion. In the real estate world we are in this often means expansion into new regions, which is becoming easier and easier thanks to new software developments. For example, businesses can now use Cloud Pay (visit cloudpay.net for more information) to administer payroll remotely, meaning they can manage an international body of staff from one central location. It is always about new and more business. Professional sales people are normally independent in nature and usually quite autonomous people who are smart and driven. We are tasked with creating new work and new money out of nothing! Since sales runs the world, the more we are successful the more successful the business is and the more money everyone in the business earns.

We get paid by commission. Commission income is normally reserved for professional sales people because the more business we bring in, the more work everyone has, the more money the business has, and therefore the more money everyone in the business makes. Of course, we do rely on outside factors, like how well the real estate market is performing, to determine how much money we will make. So, that’s why we’re even considering utilizing the idea of sensitivity analysis, (learn here for information) to create a lot of what-if scenarios so we have a proper plan in place to help stabilize our financial future, but only if it comes to that. We have to be prepared for anything seeing as we get paid by commission. But we seem to be doing ok so far.

Professional salespeople often make more money than the CEO of the company; really??? Why? Because for every bit of business that the salesperson brings in the more and more there is for everyone (including the CEO) and the more the business grows in a competitive marketplace and therefore also gains critical mass for future security. No company cares how much money a sales professional makes because it always means that he or she also makes more money. In fact, most companies want their sales people to be rich because that means that they all do better and have a better hope for future stability. Professional Sales is the highest paid profession on the planet for these reasons.

It is a win-win when professional sales people do their work effectively.

Let’s apply this to real estate. In spite of what recruiters tell new agents about how much business they will have just because they select their brokerage/brand, the reality has always been (I assume nothing has changed for the better) that it will take 2 years for most agents to begin to make reliable money! 80% of the new agents are gone, vanished, working customers service somewhere, within the first 2 years. Of course many cannot last that long.

No one is going to hand you success. You will earn it and achieve it (with many helping hands-up) by your motivation, your drive, by knowledge and understanding, and my endurance and persistence. The first lesson in success is that your focus is always on finding new business. Even when you are successful, you will realize that in working with your sales funnel is going to be your most important task. (maybe you use clickfunnels templates to help with this process). Introducing new prospective clients into your sales funnel. Without this? Expect a famine.

THE FIRST LESSON IN SUCCESS

Let’s apply this to real estate. In spite of what recruiters tell new agents about how much business they will have just because they select their brokerage/brand, the reality has always been (I assume nothing has changed for the better) that it will take 2 years for most agents to begin to make reliable money! 80% of the new agents are gone, vanished, working customer service somewhere, within the first 2 years. Of course many cannot last that long.

No one is going to hand you success. You will earn it and achieve it (with many helping hands-up) by your motivation, your drive, by knowledge and understanding, and my endurance and persistence. The first lesson in success is that your focus is always on finding new business. Even when you are successful, you will realize that in working with your sales funnel (future articles), the most important task every day for your life is not closing sales but introducing new prospective clients into your sales funnel. Without this? Expect a famine.

Sincerely, Randy

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

PEOPLE

[frame align=”right” border=”1″] [/frame] I have interviewed many new agents and my first question always is, “What caused you to choose real estate?” The answer is usually, “I love people, and I would love showing homes!”. My response is predictable but not very ingratiating. “Ask anyone who has worked retail (with the general public) for even one year and they will likely say, ‘I hate people!’ because people cause a lot of problems. As for showing properties? That is the easiest and most enjoyable part of my job and constitutes about 5% of my time”. I am not trying to be offensive, just trying to make a profound and fundamental truth of real estate stick.

Successful agents work diligently and smart; the good agents work long hours as needed, and we are on-call almost 24/7/365 (or we have help covering for us). But what actually are we doing?

A study I read about 10 years ago noted about 180 tasks that a Realtor is responsible for. It can be overwhelming for one person and challenging even for a team approach to real estate sales. Here is a sample of areas of concerted effort:

• Learning to use a thousand business tools like sharepoint permissions management software for business proficiency…
• Researching properties either for showings or for valuations…
• Setting up, showing properties, and following up on showings. Using an appointment setting service to ensure we never double book our clients…
• Knowing the product- visiting properties (Realtor tour, open houses, prospects and leads) to learn more about houses, of every kind of property, understanding differences in values and why…
• Prospecting for new clients can include networking, cold-calling, farming (seeding) in targeted areas of the community, mailing, emailing, talking on the phone, walking neighborhoods, online research for referrals, advertising, social networking, even looking at expired listing leads…
• Business building with websites, vast online promotion, meeting with legal and accounting professionals, developing a business plan, improving computer skills…
• Continuing education, reading and learning about all aspects of properties, communities, neighborhoods, and professional sales; attending local classes, online seminars, going to conferences, reading books and articles, expanding expertise in real estate specialties…
• Endless emails to read about related industries (inspection, title and escrow, mortgage) and responding to inquiries, leads and prospects…

This is a sampling of what takes our time. I want to focus on a couple of aspects that deserve extra attention:

COMMUNICATIONS

[blockquote align=”right”]Start off right with communications, and make talking with people the first thing, not the last.[/blockquote]

Communication is the most important aspect of good service. It is the easiest aspect of our service to keep putting off until later (and never) because of the ‘tyranny of the urgent’. However, relationships are built and maintained by talking. It can be hard to know how to do it, but there are lots of online tools that can help with communication with customers nowadays. Clients want to hear from you regularly and for a busy agent already compromising time with family, for health, or for other legitimate priorities, this feels like a burden. There is much to learn about how to do this well and we will deal with this in detail down the road but this will always be a challenge when one reaches a level of success that is desirable. Start off right with communications, and make talking with people the first thing, not the last. Remember also, there are many great reasons to text and email, but most people still want to hear your voice and see your face.

PROBLEM-SOLVING

When success offers you the ability to work with numerous clients simultaneously the consequence will be that this achievement comes with a cost; you have multiplied your problems! Previously we discussed the challenges of working with people but now we address the next tier or problems that present themselves. Negotiations, transactions, and closings are relentlessly challenging. They present difficulties, complexities and changes which have to be agreeable to all parties.

Unexpected eruptions of issues is normal.

Paperwork problems, appraisal value issues, lender requirements, repairs and inspection negotiations, timing issues not working, changes in peoples’ lives on either side during the transaction, conflict issues; the list can go on ad-infinitum. At this point in my career, working my own sales team and also oversight of the brokerage, my time is spent at least 60% of my long hours in problem-solving.

The good is that I am becoming an expert at this. The bad is that it is challenging, intimidating, frustrating, and scary at times. These issues can make us vulnerable to risks that threaten so they must be handled efficiently and cautiously and wisely.

Become good at these two issues and you become a consummate professional!

Randy

Randy McCreith, Principal Broker
Bella Casa Real Estate Group
Direct: 503-310-9147
randy@thebellacasagroup.com

“Something needs to change around here! Someone needs to change or this is not going to work…” Sound familiar?

In professional sales, in spite of you being the expert, YOU need to be the one to change. This is going to sound to some like I am talking about manipulation, or being a phony, but it is not; I am talking again about being a servant to your client and doing what is best for the client.

YOU AND YOUR PERSONALITY

Good sales people often have vibrant, extraverted, and exuberant personalities. They can dazzle people, be the life of the party, and bring laughter and inspire confidence. They are filled to the brim with knowledge and are efficiency experts, therefore are directive and decisive people. These agents also are superior at making friends and are in their element at networking events where socializing is a skill and an art.
Of course these agents win friends and become successful easier than the rest of us. However, as is often the case, one’s strength can also be one’s weakness. Surprising to some agents, not everyone is attracted to these personalities. Agents can turn-off and offend many clients inadvertently just by being themselves. To assume everyone will love you as you are is not even close to reality!

We work with every conceivable type of people. Remember, much human conflict is everywhere and often is attributable to personality conflicts! You might win many people by your charisma but I guarantee you will also lose many people by the same charisma. Unfortunately, none of us can please everyone, and some people just can’t be pleased by anyone. We have to recognize that. You will become much more successful in sales when you learn to adapt to a broader scope of human beings and learn to work with any and all types of personalities. It takes patience, humility, listening and learning, and then adapting your manners and methods to your clients.

Most people take the real estate sales process very seriously because so much is at stake for them and their future. The complexities of transactions are sobering to the most optimistic personality. The bottom line for most clients is that they want serious and expert agents to work hard for them. They want expertise not friendship. They want to be protected and informed and for you to make the process as smooth as possible. They want to be comfortable working with you.

FROM THE FIRST CONTACT

A wise sales professional learns to adapt to the client from the first contact. You can’t go wrong if you begin your relationship with a professional and business-like manner. Ask questions and listen to what they say, but pay attention also to how they say it. Watch how clients interact together for clues. In many cases you have to fit with two personalities which are quite different. After the relationship is built, the conversation comfortable, and trust is established, then you will find liberty to be more of yourself. However, overwhelm them with you and about you and they may dismiss you early and once you offend and lose them, you will never get them back.

LISTEN AND LEARN

The primary method is to listen to and learn about your client. Ask thoughtful questions and initially listen more than you talk. Unfortunately, the occupational hazard of sales people is that they talk incessantly and have few listening skills. We have so much to say, so much information to contribute, and yes we want to impress the prospective client to win them. Before we run off at the mouth, it serves the client best, to learn about them and hear what is important to them.

Professional sales people are trained to read their clients and adapt to them and their style:

[ul_list icon=”tick”]

• If your client is assertive, driven, and time conscious… then you need to be efficient and direct yourself. This person wants you to get to the point and work quickly.
• If your client is mellow and a story-teller… then your aggressive efficiency will make them crazy and they will find someone else. You must relax and match the style of your client. Be conversational and relaxed.
• If your client is nervous and worried and needs assurances and signals from you… then you need to be methodical, thoughtful, careful, and detail-oriented while you address risk issues more prominently. Show wisdom and caution in your manners.
• If one spouse does all the talking and is driving the sales process… then you need to focus on that person without making the other feel ignored. He/she likely wants you to satisfy the other’s issues. Of course it can be the opposite. Know who the final decision-maker is.
• If the client is introverted… then understand you might bowl them over with your exuberance. Look before you leap!
• If you answer the phone and the caller is a slow talker… adjust your pace to match your client.
• If the client is fun-loving and jocular… then you can be free to be likewise but always pace yourself according to your client and it is better to err on the side of moderation.

[/ul_list]

This is about being all things to all people that you might win some. Is it a bad thing for you to make your client feel at home with you and more comfortable to work with? Is this being fake? No, I have found that if I build a solid foundation of adapting to my clients then doors opens the door for more opportunities and the story has a happier ending.