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| Bob Hafer,
MIRM, CSP |
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Happy Holidays!
It’s hard to believe but another year is almost over. It seems the older I get the faster each year passes. 2007 has been a GREAT year for my family. We celebrated the birth of our sixth grandchild and the weddings of a son and daughter. Yes, life is good!
My business continues to grow and my message of positive selling resonates with salespeople and managers who are willing to think differently. I thank all the companies I worked with and especially thank all the people who purchased my book, Building Results.
In Building Results I take the reader step by step through a surprisingly uncomplicated program, teaching readers how to create an environment in which they psychologically embrace the buyer and develop a profound understanding of customers' needs and desires. I believe Building Results will positively revolutionize the sales process for sales professionals throughout the nation.
If you haven’t already purchased Building Results, I hope you consider doing it now. You can go to my website and order a copy for you and a friend. If you don’t feel Building Results advances your sales career return it and I will return your money. Even if you decide not to purchase, please continue to visit my website, I update it frequently with new sales tips.
Be willing to do what others are unwilling to do
My wish is that you take the month of December to think about what you are willing to do in 2008 to make it GREAT. I know many of you who read this newsletter are experiencing tough markets, but if you think and plan now, and are willing to do what your peers are unwilling to do, you will succeed.
I want you to consider who your competition is. It is not the builder next door; it is not the home or homesite down the street; your competition is and always will be another salesperson. Never forget that people buy from people. And the salesperson who is willing to align with the customer, develop a foundation of trust, and is willing to do what others are unwilling to do will always outsell the competition.
Success is a choice. Choose to be successful. Choose to be willing to go the extra mile. Choose to smile and be positive when others focus on the negative. Remember that choice not chance always determines success. And remember what you think about you bring about. Begin thinking about what you are going to do to make 2008 GREAT - don't delay, start today!
Sales presentation objectives
This month’s newsletter introduces you to the last two sales presentation objectives. In October I wrote about the first two sales presentation objectives:
- Understand visit motivation
- Ask precise questions
In November I wrote about sales presentation objectives three and four:
- Build value
- Create urgency
This month I write about sales presentation objectives five and six:- Lead people to minor decisions
- Develop a follow up strategy
My promise is that if you begin practicing all six sales presentation objectives your sales and income will increase.
Think about it for a minute. If you chose to understand a prospect's visit motivation you will focus your sales presentation on what is important. If you ask precise questions you will understand what is important. If you build value on what is important you will earn your prospect’s respect. If you create urgency your prospect will act now. If you lead a prospect to a minor decision you make the buying decision easy. And if you develop a follow up strategy you reconnect to each prospect in a way that is expected and welcomed. The choice is yours to make – choose wisely!
Send to a friend
Before reading the next two articles I have a favor to ask. I want you to send this newsletter to 5 people who you feel will benefit from the ideas and principles included. My goal is to send this newsletter to at least 1000 people monthly. To achieve this goal I need your help. At the bottom of the newsletter you will find a I>‘Send to a Friend’ button. Just click and follow the easy introductions. Thank you in advance for helping me and your friend achieve their goals. It is appreciated!
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops and purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Emailor call 972-795-5926
.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Sales presentation objective # 5 - Lead people to minor decisions
The more prospects say yes, the harder it will be to say no. Get your prospects to agree that your homes, homesites, community, location, financing and builder satisfy what is important to them. Ask affirmative questions or tie-downs throughout your sales presentation and especially during discovery. A tie-down question is any question that asks for an agreement. Use tie-down phrases such as these:
- Don't you agree?
- Wouldn't it?
- Isn't it?
- Right?
- Doesn't it?
- Don't you?
This is an easy way to lead customers into minor decisions, isn't it? You can gently influence them to nod their head in agreement, can't you? The result is a series of yes responses that will lead to a closing, don't you agree?
Use trial closes to lead to the close
Throughout the sales presentation, test your customer’s mindset by asking trial close questions. A trial close question is any question that requires the prospect to make a conditional commitment. Some examples follow:
“If you were to make a decision today, do you think you would prefer the white or oak cabinets?”
“I have shown you several homesites today. Do you prefer the one on Kennedy Lane or Whiterbone Court?”
“When you make the decision to purchase, will your front elevation be stone or brick?”
If a prospect answers any of these questions, you are moving toward a partial close. Your prospect hasn’t bought the house but she has purchased a color for the cabinets, selected a particular homesite or decided on elevation. Each response by itself represents a partial decision. and when all the minor decisions are combined, you’ve earned the right to ask for the order.
Close Constantly
If you do not close early and often, you run the risk of losing a prospect's respect. People know why you are there; they expect you to close, they even expect you to close many times. If you do not close repeatedly, they will see you as weak and unprofessional.
When you close again and again, they will respect your drive and tenacity – even if they don’t buy. They may complain that you are pushing them too hard, but remember – if you don't push, you won't close.
Of course, you may feel that pushing for action is inconsistent with the Building Results approach to selling. You have learned to slow down, avoid pushing and how to relate to prospects on their terms. Why, then, should you push now? Because you don’t help your prospects unless they buy. The best house in the world is worthless if it’s never built. Be prepared to give them that little push they need to overcome their fear of acting. And don’t hesitate to do it often.
Send to a friend
Before reading the last article, I have a favor to ask. I want you to send this newsletter to 5 people who you feel will benefit from the ideas and principles included. If you’ve already done it, thanks! My goal is to send this newsletter to at least 1000 people monthly. To achieve this goal I need your help. At the bottom of the newsletter you will find a ‘Send to a Friend’ button. Just click and follow the easy introductions. Thank you in advance for helping me and your friend achieve their goals. It is appreciated!
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops and purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Emailor call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Sales presentation objective # 6 - Develop a follow through strategy
According to research studies on the attitudes and actions of new home buyers:
- They typically inspect at least six to ten new communities or other alternatives before deciding upon a purchase.
- They typically narrow their interest to three or four homes, new and used. A good way to identify these homes is to call it the ‘short list’. These are the homes and builders about which they are serious. Clearly an objective is to make your prospect's ‘short list’. Once they focus on four or fewer, they’re ready for closing.
- They typically return two to four times to each home under consideration before making a purchase, unless they've had an unusual amount of product exposure or time is constricted, as in a relocation move.
- They typically spend four to six hours with a salesperson before the sales agreement is finalized.
It's no wonder the vast majority of sales you make will be to buyers who are not completely sold during their first visit. Thus you must develop a sales presentation that motivates them to return. And that’s where follow up makes a big difference between a sale and no sale.
Most new home experts agree there are four steps to an effective follow up program. Each step is dependent upon the successful completion of the step before it. In essence, you need to:
- Think about your follow up.
- Justify your follow up.
- Implement your follow up.
- Follow up your follow up.
Think about your follow up
‘Minnesota Fats,’ the renowned pool hustler, advised: "If you're going to win at this game, you hit the one and think the two." What's true in the pool hall is equally true in the sales office. A sure-fire way to increase sales is to think in terms of setting up your follow up during your initial sales presentation. This means during your prospect’s first visit, you must watch for telltale signs that they aren't quite ready to buy. Once you receive these signals, it's time to start thinking about your follow up.
Justify your follow up
When a customer asks a question for which there are several answers, it often is wise to withhold some information as a reason to make a future appointment. Occasionally, you'll find you really do need more time to research or update your facts and figures. Often, additional time may not be absolutely necessary, but could be helpful. And there are times when you could provide a detailed answer immediately, but you and your prospect are better served by waiting until later. A warning: You must, of course, maintain your credibility with your prospect and not appear to be purposely withholding information.
Occasionally, prospect's will fail to ask the kind of question that lends itself to the partial answer. Then it's up to you to create a need by making the unsolicited promise. For example, you may have read your prospect's cues and decided it's time to justify your follow up, but the customer has quit asking questions. That's when you need to suggest that more information is necessary, offer to track it down, and end your presentation by promising to get back in touch.
Whether you use the partial answer or the unsolicited promise, certain types of information are particularly suitable to follow up justifications. These include: school enrollment information, availability of certain homesites, current administrative time, estimated dates of completion, possession dates, etc.
The key to the impartial answer or the unsolicited promise is speed. Immediately secure the information you promised and contact your prospect to report. Take too much time, and you risk losing credibility. Follow up quickly and you demonstrate professionalism. Never, ever forget that people want to do business with professionals. Use this opportunity with immediate follow up to differentiate yourself from all the other salespeople your customer is likely to meet.
Implement your follow up
Once you've thought about and justified your follow up, the next important step is to implement your strategy. In short, follow through on the action you promised in your justification. That's where the telephone, mail or e-mail comes in handy.
Whether you place a phone call, write an email or letter be prepared to follow up on your last conversation, building on the groundwork previously laid. Thus you can personalize your comments in a warm, friendly manner. If you’ve taken good notes during your initial sales presentation, this will be easy because your message will be structured to produce a specific result – persuading your prospect to return for a second appointment. Such structuring requires thorough pre-planning and a polished telephone performance
Follow up your follow up
Fundamentally, this means finding new reasons to contact your prospects. It means staying in touch. Successful salespeople never say die. Once they get a prospect, they stay in regular contact until the prospect either buys or makes another choice. Even months after the initial interview, they continue to mail or email out ‘ticklers’ just to stimulate renewed interest.
New information of any kind gives you a legitimate reason for contacting past customers. For example, you may want to update a past customer with new information about, new models, financing plans, homesites, any changes in pricing, design changes in models, new products, lower mortgage rates, etc.
The point is to keep the messages going, don’t give up. Today’s market is tough. When people hear from you consistently they know to consider you when they are ready because you come to mind. Follow up is hard work but the results are always worth the effort.
Send to a friend
I have a favor to ask. I want you to send this newsletter to 5 people who you feel will benefit from the ideas and principles included. If you’ve already done it, thanks! My goal is to send this newsletter to at least 1000 people monthly. To achieve this goal I need your help. At the bottom of the newsletter you will find a >‘Send to a Friend’> button. Just click and follow the easy introductions. Thank you in advance for helping me and your friend achieve their goals. It is appreciated!
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops and purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Emailor call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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