They Said They’re Thinking About It, Now What?
“I’m thinking about buying something next year” or “We’ll probably sell next year”
Chances are it’s a phrase you will hear often at holiday gatherings these next 2 weeks.
When they say this you think to yourself, “Hurray, I’ve got a live one!”. Someone that could be a client. This is awesome! And then panic sets in. Uhhhh, now what do you say? You’re out with friends, drinking cocktails, now isn’t the time for the hard close, but at the same time, you don’t want to let the opportunity slip away.
So what do you do?
The first thing is to know that it’s okay to act interested and ask questions. They know you’re in real estate, and quite frankly even if they don’t it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to chat more about it. The finesse comes in with what questions do you ask.
Start with general questions about:
- Why this year for selling?
- What areas are you looking at to buy?
Admittedly you can’t go too deep, or they are going to start feeling like they’ve been cornered. When their eyes start darting around, you’ve gone too far. Your intention for the questions should be to find out ways that you can be of service and follow up.
Note: The key here is finding reasons to follow up. Adding the layer of service to it means that you will be doing in a way that is meaningful and engaging for them rather than just calling them repeatedly to say “are you ready yet?”.
Once you have that, it’s time to move on to a different topic, but before you do be sure to ask:
“That’s exciting. I’d love to get together for coffee next week / after the holidays / etc and chat more about it. Know that I’m here to help in any way that I can. I’ll send you a note tomorrow to see what works for you.”
Do not whip out your phone and start looking for dates that work. Keep it light, keep it social, but let them know that you are here to help.
This is an amazing time of year to fill your funnel for 2017. The more curious and engaging you are, the more opportunities you will find.
To your success!
Nicole
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