Serve To Sell

To be good in real estate you need sales skills. Mindset matters. So does marketing and motivation. At the end of the day, though, all the opportunities in the world won’t help if you can’t close.

Wait a second? Does this mean we are supposed to be slimy sales people? What about the whole consultant approach that I always talk about?

Sales does not have to be icky, or slimy, but you need to be clear about the intended end result. I see so many agents on the brink of success, but they just can’t sell. As a result they struggle.

Newsflash, people want to be sold. That’s actually part of what they come to you for.

But before we look at ways to sell, let’s re-define what selling is:

The process of truly listening to your client in order to guide them through an experience to their desired end result. Doing so in a way that makes them feel excited and empowered, so that they can create the life they want to lead.

In other words, sales is being of service.

When you look at it this way, service is empowering. You are valued, needed, respected.

When you approach sales from a turn ‘em and burn ‘em mentality it’s icky and slimy.

Here are 5 tips to help you serve to sell:

1. Ask for the sale: It sounds crazy, but if this is the only sales skill you ever master, you will be in good shape. People want / need to be asked. It’s how the brain filters things and makes decisions.
2. Objections are buying signals: This is not the time to be combative. It’s a time to listen and observe, knowing that objections only happen when people are trying to move forward. Remember, we buy with emotion and then justify the decision with logic. So if they are bringing up objections, it often means that they have already emotionally bought into something and are now working through the logic part.
3. Let go of the timing: You may have your goal for the month, but your client doesn’t care. They can tell when you are trying to force something. Be focused on the end result and moving in that direction, but don’t get too caught up in when.
4. Learn your clients style: The DISC profile is a great way to learn how different people think and make decisions. Once you can “get in someone else’s shoes”, it’s easier to understand where they are coming from. Which in turn makes it easier to communicate with them. As a result, they feel more comfortable with you, and they are more likely to take your advice because they feel like you “get them”.
5. Small cues and when / how to act on them: Often a decision to move doesn’t start with “hey let’s do this”. It starts with “we have questions about remodeling” or “we wanted to find out more about neighborhoods”. How you answer these questions affect whether they become a client or not. Do you just shoot off an email and wish them the best? Or, do you schedule a time to meet face to face to chat more about their questions. The 1st answer gets you “thanks”. The 2nd gets you “thank you, we were wondering if we should actually sell / buy”.

Remember, it’s Ninja Selling. Not Ninja Being.

I know that all of this can make sense on paper, but sometimes it gets a little sticky in the moment. If you are struggling with sales, whether it’s knowing how to read your client’s cues, connecting with them, or asking for the sale, I invite you to join us for the Fall session of the Mindset ~ Marketing ~ Sales mentorship group that starts on the 15th.

The fall market is here. There are 3 months left to really focus on your business and achieve your goals. Are you ready?

To your success!
Nicole

PS: Here’s the link for the Mentorship group.