|
|
|
LeBlanc
& Associates
|
Issue 7 Spring 1999
|
The Front Porch From the feed back we've been receiving, our newsletter appears to be successful in addressing those issues that are important to the sales and marketing efforts of the new home building community. We are pleased to continue to bring as much relevant information as possible to our readers. As some of you are well aware, I am always looking for contributors to our quarterly effort. If you have a particular subject that is important to you, I encourage you to contribute your thoughts. You can connect with me by telephone, fax or e-mail. I fully appreciate each individual's perspective and specific area of expertise that will help us all become better at our chosen profession.
In our winter edition, we featured the nationally acclaimed new home sales specialist Bob Schultz. Bob and I discovered there were several topics we felt were critical to the sales process. By each of us bringing our own experiences and perspectives to the sales table, we offer the following article of what we believe places sales agents in the superstar category. Home Front: Bob, speaking from the perspective of a professional company that measures the sales skills of agents, there are certain criteria we always look for in assessing the strength of a sales agent. Traditionally, this criteria is referred to as the Critical Path. From an overall perspective, what importance do you place on Critical Path skills in a relationship selling market?
Bob: Since selling at the highest professional level is both a science and an art, or better put, a process supported by a personal performance, some form of organized, planned presentation is essential. It can be called the Critical Path, or Sequence for Success, or whatever, but without a pre-planned objective and proactive process there is not a professional presentation, but rather a trial and error event. "Relationship Selling" I believe has been over exaggerated and the danger is that many salespeople fall into the trap of thinking that in order to develop the relationship they cannot and should not attempt to control the process. Notice I said, "control the process" and not the customer. All sales presentations are relationship driven. But if the focus is not on a beginning, middle and end to a presentation, clearly thought through and practiced in advance, you can build the greatest relationships in the world and not make sales.
Home Front: One of my passions for sales professionals is their ability to demonstrate enthusiasm and excitement about their builder, community and product. This can be a challenge for site sales agents on a daily basis. How do you impart upon agents the importance of enthusiasm? Bob: Enthusiasm and positive mental attitude are the bedrock foundation of any professional. However, they are not easy to maintain. No human being wakes up every day 100% motivated. I have discussed this with Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Nido Qubein and other colleagues and the consensus is that positive mental attitude is something that is developed. I believe that new home sales professionals are like athletes. They must condition themselves on a day-to-day basis to be "psychologically prepared to sell". Many times, the customer entering the sales arena is an interruption to what salespeople might be doing at the moment. Therefore, we teach that all salespeople must have internalized a "positioning mindset". This is created by salespeople answering these three questions: (1) Who Am I? (2) Where Am I? (3) Why Am I Here? The answers to each of those questions should be as short as possible, no more than two to three words. Then when put into a sentence, it must be repeated hundreds of times over the course of 21 days until it becomes internalized in the subconscious. Examples of great positioning mindsets are: "I am a superstar on stage to win" or "I am a master closer in my arena to sell" or "I am a professional communicator on stage to make sales." Muhammad Ali was the best example of this. He always knew that he was "the greatest."
Home Front: Of course, the greeting really sets the stage for the sales encounter. It is the "front door" to what follows. When I listen to audio tapes, I can usually tell within the first 1-2 minutes if the agent will be a superstar, status quo order taker or robotic fixture in the sales center. What do you convey to agents in your seminars so they know how to grab the attention of the prospective buyers as they first enter the sales center? Bob: It's been said that you never get a second opportunity to make a good first impression. Mary, you couldn't be more on target with your observations. When salespeople continuously have the subconscious mindset that I just mentioned and they have a planned process in mind as we addressed in the first question, the initial meeting/greeting process takes on a whole different picture. For example, we find that in than 50-60% or more of the time, a customer walks into a model center and immediately gains control of the whole process. They might say something like, I'm in a hurry or I want to take a quick look at your models or I want to get a brochure. When this occurs, the average salesperson is totally ill equipped to maintain their poise and control. We have created scripts that we suggest be practiced, drilled and rehearsed to mastery. These scripts are contained in my newest book, Smart SellingSM techniques. Home Front: As you and I know, product presentation is essential. Year after year, I find the majority of sales agents do not demonstrate their models. And when they do, they just present them as inanimate objects, never bringing the home to life for the prospective buyer. What message do you give your seminar attendees in this area?
Bob: For years I have been stressing that the model or product presentation and demonstration is one of the key essential components of a sales presentation. A decision to purchase a home is an emotional decision, sometimes more so than logic. Therefore, it's much like buying an automobile. Automobile salespeople know that when they get someone to test-drive a car, the probability of a sale is greater. Shoe salespeople know that when they get someone to try on a pair of shoes, the probability of getting them to buy shoes is greater. Since we are in the retail business and not the real estate or the housing business, the demonstration of a model or completed home must also be a planned event. It starts with the salesperson understanding the key features and benefits, being able to present them with emotion, and getting the customer's involvement. This is mastered by learning to effectively use involvement questions. For example, The view is lovely, isn't it? (-or-) Can't you see yourself and your family enjoying a home like this? Home Front: Sometimes I am amazed at the lack of listening skills in sales agents. For example, when one of our field evaluators will state that they are new to an area, the agent, even the best of them, will spend 40 minutes to one hour selling their homes, and never discuss the surrounding community (shopping, freeways, services, etc). How do you get agents to listen? Bob: The critical thing to understand is that not all salespeople are created equal. Also, it's important to know that based upon behavioral style analysis, most salespeople tend to sell using the same process as they use to buy. Therefore, in our management program we stress that salespeople must understand what their "behavioral style" is and know "how to adapt". Many people gravitate to sales because they "love to talk" or have the "gift of gab". Of course, the down side of this is that all they do is like to talk and they don't listen. In our training programs, we focus on specific listening skill development through the use of skill drills and stress that salespeople must be asking more than they tell, so they can listen more than they talk. Again, it goes to the essence of a planned, well-organized presentation process. Home Front: Most of us who have spent some time in sales understand that objections usually are a request for more information. Some agents understand how to turn that objection into a trial close. Most do not. What do you tell agents about handling objections?
Bob: You're absolutely right. Objections, when raised, are either a request for more information or sometimes just the customer blowing smoke. The salesperson must be able to tell the difference. Most salespeople do not handle objections well because they are simply not prepared. Back again to the idea of planned presentation. Here are the six steps that we teach to effectively deal with objections. STEP
1. Hear the objection out. Home Front: Closing is such a natural part of the sales process. Yet, most agents never attempt to test the commitment level of the prospective buyers. How do you get agents to overcome the fear of closing? Bob: First of all, my experience is that closing is the weakest skill of most new home salespeople. I think it goes back to the special emphasis and overexposure to the concept of relationship selling. They motion that "the buyer is not going to buy for me unless they like me" has become a syndrome.
Universally, there are three reasons why salespeople fail to close. (1) They don't know how. (2) They fear rejection. (3) It goes against their natural personality or behavioral style. The first thing salespeople must understand is that closing is nothing more than knowing what words to use, when to use them and how to use them and that closing is a good thing. To quote my friend and colleague, Tom Hopkins, If you can't close, you can't sell. The fear of rejection is really an inherent fear of the word "no". Therefore, we teach a series of progressive closing questions that are easy to learn, easy to ask and easy for the customer to respond to. For example, here is a closing question that I guaranty will work 100% of the time. The reason I can make this guaranty is because when you ask a closing question, you should only have two objectives. Either to get concurrence to take the next step, or to invite the customer to raise an objection. Here it is. Do you have any questions before we review the paperwork? You anticipate the answer to be "no". Therefore, I suggest that your ability to make money in new home sales is in direct proportion to your ability to get the customer to be willing to say "no" and your willingness to accept this "no" as good!
Home
Front: Finally, we both have talked about the order taking mindset
in today's selling market. What can you say to management that
will encourage them not be complacent with just the bottom line,
but be focused on their life line (sales agents)?
In a market like we have today, with interest rates as they are, sales will be made regardless of anything a salesperson does. Therefore, it's what salespeople do between the sales they make that greatly contribute to the additional sales they make. Bob Schultz, MIRM, CSP, is North America's foremost new home sales and management expert. He is the author of two best-selling books, The Official Handbook for New Home Salespeople and Smart Selling™ Techniques. His company, New Home Specialist Inc., a full-service management consulting and sales training program, produces books, manuals and systems for home builders, developers and Realtors. For information about how to increase your profits, contact New
Home Specialist Inc.
Who's Minding The Store? A
recent area of concern is how the buyer is being treated by
a builder's many vendors. Once the difficulty of the sale is
overcome, the challenge of buyer selections begins. So now you
send them off to the design center people, the landscape company,
the lighting fixture company, etc. How sure are you that this
process doesn't undermine your sale? Are the vendor associates
treating your buyers with Ratings
How do your agents rank in their selling skills? Many companies need to know how their sales teams rank compared to the industry average. Let LeBlanc & Associates chart your course! 1-800-838-1779 What
is a picture worth? Give
us a call! Romancing the Sale by David Harding Meet. Greet. Qualify. Build Rapport. Demonstrate Benefits. Overcome Objections. Close. Follow up and Follow through. We know these as the critical path to a successful sale. Usually, they need to be accomplished in approximately the order shown. After the greeting, the subsequent steps often need repeating. They MAY be repeated in ANY order. Top of page To help remember them, remember your early dating experiences. The processes are the same. We certainly cannot expect to marry someone we have not met, have no rapport with, etc. While the order may vary a little, it is most predictable, and most predictably-successful as shown above. They may not be canned approaches, but they certainly are PLANNED. And, we do not consider it demeaning to refer to it as a dating ritual. The ritual nature is not a condemnation. During the dating processes, we pay lots of attention to many cues. Is she wearing any rings? What kind of car does he have? How does she dress? What is important to him? Does he need to be approved or screened by anyone else in her family? How does he generally carry himself? Sound familiar? Top of page Many
of the cues are visual and not verbal. They are still valid. By
remember this analogy, we can add to our success. All of these
issues can contribute to our ability to better serve our buyers,
and hence our sellers and ourselves. Charles Clarke III so neatly
capsulizes the essence of our motivations and Before prospects even come in the sales office or model complex, we can be assembling information that can help us help them. Their body language, dress, grooming, jewelry, cars, family members in attendance, these can all suggest what is important to this buyer. Superstar sales professionals will watch for these cues and make some notes for future follow up on the critical path. Even a preliminary personality typing will be of more use than NO attempt to understand our customer. I recommend that be a key indicator in our prospect follow up system. Top of page Dave Stone used to say that prospects may change their SPECIFICATIONS, but will not change their dominant MOTIVATIONS. This explains our oft-heard refrain "Buyers are Liars." They weren't lying; they weren't discussing their MOTIVATIONS. Keeping an eye open for the many cues, then keeping notes about them, will help us avoid some disappointment with our customers. Don't we remember the (Bull) buyer who purchased in order to run for the President of the Community Assn.? Dave Stone would say "He bought the C.A. Presidency and the home came free." If we see a (Tiger) prospect drive up in a hot, red convertible, with flames, decals, and personalized plates, can't we already be planning how to serve this customer long before she walks into the office? Beginning the conversation with the local millage rate is not the most likely way to a sale! Top of page Doesn't a beat up van with baby shades and three car seats give you vital information? Even if the seats are presently empty? If it has an "honor roll" bumper sticker from an expensive private school, can you guess that the (Lamb) prospect will always compromise his own comfort for his kids? And so on. Watch for the interaction between the various parties within a buyer group. Do they walk side by side? Does one speak for the other? I recommend we keep extremely accurate notes on the first three "real" questions from a prospect? Not the square footage question, not the weather question etc. But if a prospect asks how soon these homes can be ready for move in, you know something about the dominant motivation: urgency. If he asks where the closest fishing stream is, or where the Montessori school is, or if you have any homes with a nanny suite, this is vital information. The questions tell you what is important to the questioner. Before arranging a date, the question whether we like opera probably means the questioner DOES. And so on. Top of page For optimum follow-up, and improved results, keep track of the personality type, the first few real questions, the dress, the type, amount and "message" of the jewelry, the dress, the body language etc. These
all allow us to show more respect to what matters most to our
customers. And, thus we can serve by
David Harding, Exchequer Consulting Corporation This site designed and hosted by Expedionet,
Inc.
Copyright© 2004, LeBlanc & Associates. All rights reserved. |
