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Knowledge is power
Several years ago I was in my car listening to talk radio on my way to conduct a sales training seminar for a builder in Las Vegas. The announcer I was listening to was talking about 600 high school seniors that were not going to graduate because they had failed a 8th grade reading competency test nine times. He explained this group of seniors had failed the reading test once in their 8th grade year and two times a year from their freshman through senior year. This story has stayed with me for many years because I know these 600 students were doomed to mediocrity because they lack the basic knowledge to read.
I tell you this story because I want you to understand that knowledge is the foundation on which a successful sales career is built. Without knowledge you doom yourself to mediocrity. With today’s economic challenges sales success will go to the salesperson that is credible – knowledge gives credibility!
This month’s newsletter focuses on the knowledge you must acquire to be successful in new home sales. Gathering this knowledge is not easy. It will take time and effort but the information you gather will make the difference between you and a competitor.
Read the following story a couple times before moving onto the assignment. It was a story that was told to me very early in my career. It put into perspective the assignment that I’m asking you to undertake. I hope it will mean as much to you as it did to me … enjoy.
Chinese Bamboo Plant
Joel Weldon, a famous motivational speaker, once told me story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It seems that this tree when planted, watered, and nurtured for an entire growing season doesn’t outwardly grow as much as an inch. Then, after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasn’t sprouted. So it goes for four solid years. The farmer has nothing tangible to show for all of his labor trying to grow the tree.
Then, along comes year five
In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet in just one growing season! Or so it seems….
The question you need to ask yourself is did the seed lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation in its first four years it could not have sustained its life as it grew above ground.
Building knowledge patiently
The same principle is true for people. People, who patiently toil building knowledge, are growing a strong internal foundation to handle success and adversity that is sure to come. Had the Chinese bamboo farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the tree’s growth.
I want you to start today to build a strong foundation by gathering the information required to complete this assignment. Be patient with this assignment – don’t get discouraged if the information is hard to find – chunk the assignment into small pieces and before you know it, you will have acquired all the knowledge you need to influence people to buy from you.
Send to a friend
Thank you for reading my newsletter. You now have a choice to make - choose to use the ideas included in this newsletter now. My promise is that you will begin seeing, feeling and hearing results immediately. And do me a favor, choose to forward 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. If you have already made the choice to forward my newsletter, thank you. If you have not, please take the time now to help your friends become more successful. At the bottom of the newsletter you will find a ‘Send to a Friend' button. Just click and follow the easy instructions. Thank you in advance for helping me and your friends 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 www.BobHafer.com, email Bob at buildingresults@BobHafer.com or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Influence and persuade
In the early pages of Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement, Tony Robbins defines power. He quotes John Kenneth Galbraith, who said, “Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge”.
Knowledge is what gives you the ability to influence and persuade others. What follows are areas of knowledge you must obtain to separate yourself from all others you compete against. It will not be easy but if you take the time and put forth the effort you will be rewarded with additional sales and income.
Builder: When someone is going to make what may be the single largest investment in his or her lifetime, trust is an issue, and builder knowledge is critical. Critical areas of knowledge include length of time in business, financial strength, number of homes built annually, warranty and service policy and procedures, local or national management, and awards builder has received for outstanding customer service or unique style and design.
Builder policies and procedure: Over the years I have observed that in the area of builder policies and procedures, most building companies only pay lip service to this vitally important area. Critical areas of knowledge: sales agreements, earnest money, lot holds, conduct of employees, drugs and alcohol, performance appraisals, standards of business conduct, contract addenda, deposits, construction starts, customer relations, fair housing and contingencies.
Community: Every community is different. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is up to you to gather the knowledge that defines those strengths and weaknesses. Critical community information includes unique selling propositions per homesite, probable streetscapes, use of adjacent parcels, closest service businesses, community covenants and restrictions, homesite availability, local amenities, owner or developer, site premiums and options per site.
Area: To be as effective as possible, and to achieve maximum respect and credibility with prospects, you must have the following information, at a minimum, committed to memory. Essential school and community information includes location, national test scores, PTA president, principals, class size, phone numbers, facilities, shopping, fire and police departments, major traffic accesses, public transportation, recreation areas, tax information, service businesses, travel times to key locations and utility services.
Homes and options: Product knowledge of homes and options is a must. If you fail to understand your product, you will fail. Critical information includes square footage of each house, square footage of the living space, square footage of each room, options available per home and per home and homesite combination, product features and benefits, prices, unique selling propositions per floor plan and itemized cost of home ownership per plan.
Homesites: Tom Richey, a legend in new home sales training, is credited with saying, “Get your customers to the homesite and you will write”. Important homesite information includes the size of each homesite, acceptable homes and options per site, location of the building envelope, compass directions for sun orientation, driveway location, community map, unique selling propositions per homesite, premiums, precise corners, tree inventory, and possible walkout availability from basements.
Competition: You cannot optimize sales unless you know your competitors as well as you know your own builder. The minimum data that you should keep current includes the following: community, products and floor plans, prices and price per square foot, standard features and options, quality of home sites, delivery times, incentives to purchase, financing and sales staff.
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. My goal is to send this newsletter to at least 1000 people monthly. To achieve this goal I need your help. If you have already forwarded my newsletter to 5 friends or colleagues, thanks! If not, at the bottom of the newsletter you will find a ‘Send to a Friend’ button. Just click and follow the easy instructions. 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/B>, visit www.BobHafer.com, email Bob at buildingresults@BobHafer.com or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Preparing yourself to present knowledge
Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad wrote, “Most people in their desire to succeed are trying to build the Empire State Building on a six inch slab”. What sort of knowledge foundation do you have? The deeper your foundation the more sales success you'll experience.
To succeed today you not only need to have the knowledge reviewed in the previous article, but you need to prepare yourself and your community to use the knowledge you’ve secured. The following highlights areas that need your attention:
Prepare yourself: Prepare a specific plan for each day with a specific time noted for each activity. Have specific priorities for each day, starting with the most important and/or difficult items. Remember Paretto’s 80/20 Rule. 80% of your results are generated by 20% of your activities. Do the critical 20% first! Average performers wallow in the 80% non-critical items and are forever doomed to mediocrity.
Sales center preparation: First impressions are lasting impressions. Begin each work day by asking yourself the following questions: Is my sales center clean? Is everything orderly and neat? Are all sales and closing forms readily available? Have you positioned registration forms and brochures where they can be used most effectively? Remember that the environment you create reflects you. You hardly create a sense of confidence and trust if the sales center is not properly refreshed or you’re fumbling through stacks of paper or drawers to find things.
Physical environment of sales center: People want to do business with successful people. If you have evidence of success in selling homes, such as awards, diplomas, and third-party testimonials, position them where your customers can see them. If your builder has won awards from the local builders’ association of the National Association of Home Builders, display them proudly. Awards provide a perception that your builder is a company of integrity and stability.
Maintaining the model home: Everything in the model must work properly, without squeaks, scrapes or undue force. This includes lights, floors, windows, stairs, doors, cabinets and faucets. If not, get the item replaced or fixed immediately. Models must be exceptionally clean, both inside and out. They must be maintained continuously.
Sales forms: Essential sales forms and other materials should be carefully placed wherever they may be required. You never know when a prospect will be ready to say yes. Keep contracts in your car and carry them with you when you visit inventory homes. This simple act demonstrates professionalism and expectation.
Signage: All signage must be properly placed. Signs must be replaced when worn, damage, defaced or no longer applicable. One thing all prospects do before meeting you for the first time is tour the community. If your signs are lying dirty and faded in the weeds, you are sending a negative message to your prospects – a message that can cost you business.
Landscaping: Landscaping around the models and inventory homes should be maintained regularly. This is a benefit not only to new customers but also the buyers who have already purchased. As builders we have a responsibility to maintain the community and insure increasing property values. Always remember to be a good neighbor.
The Community: As a good neighbor you must work with the production department to keep streets, entrance areas and homesites clean and well-maintained. Ask your builder to keep weeds on lots trimmed and streets free from mud and construction debris. Communicate with production personnel to insure that trailers, compounds and garbage facilities are properly maintained and reasonably clean.
Knowledge – The Foundation of New Home Sales Success
In this newsletter first article I discussed the adage that ‘knowledge is power’. There’s another saying that is equally applicable: ‘knowledge is potential power’. The knowledge you gather will be powerful only if you use it. If you gather all the knowledge outlined in this newsletter and don’t use it, then all you’ve done is waste your time. On the other hand if you fail to gather this knowledge, you limit your chance for sales success. Gather the knowledge outlined in this newsletter and you have positioned yourself for success.
Send to a friend
Thank you for reading my newsletter. You now have a choice to make - choose to use the ideas included in this newsletter now. My promise is that you will begin seeing, feeling and hearing results immediately. And do me a favor, choose to forward 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. If you have already made the choice to forward my newsletter, thank you. If you have not, please take the time now to help your friends become more successful. At the bottom of the newsletter you will find a ‘Send to a Friend' button. Just click and follow the easy instructions. Thank you in advance for helping me and your friends 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 www.BobHafer.com, email Bob at buildingresults@BobHafer.com or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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