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| Bob Hafer,
MIRM, CSP |
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Your Invisible Influence Orchestra
Imagine having a tiny, invisible orchestra, capable of playing music so beautiful that anyone who heard it would become instantly enchanted. Now imagine that this miniature orchestra, complete in every way, could travel with you everywhere you went.
And the best part is that whenever you wished to influence someone, the conductor would raise his baton, and the orchestra would burst into life, playing sounds so compelling that they moved people's emotions so powerfully, that they would do whatever you wanted them to do.
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
Well, the reality is, each of us has such an orchestra, and it's called ‘language’.
This month’s newsletter focuses on the power of ‘language’. The words you choose motivate and stimulate prospects - they can also anger and antagonize. It really is up to you to decide – your words move people toward or away from you.
Consider the following quote from Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” Are you aware of the words you use to greet prospects, discover what is important, build value, handle resistance, demonstrate, and gain agreement and follow-up? If not, I suggest you begin now to listen to your words carefully.
Your choice of words can either invite resistance or it can create trust. If you invite resistance, no one will hear your ideas. When you create trust, you gain the confidence of your prospect. People will stop and listen to what you have to say. People will align with you and listen to your solutions. The result will be additional sales and income. Like everything in life – you get to choose – my advice is to choose carefully – your success and future depends on it!
Send to a friend
Before reading further I have a favor to ask. I want you to send this newsletter to 5 people who you feel will benefit from these ideas and principles. 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 friends achieve their goals. I appreciate it and I know they will appreciate it.
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops, purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Email or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Not all words are created equal
Why should someone buy from you? What's the difference between your sales presentation and the other 5 to 10 presentations your prospect is likely to see and hear. When you have something to say, package your presentation to give it power.
A successful sales presentation is a combination of words and how you say those words is what makes the difference. It's your use of words that gives you an advantage over competition. When you use words the right way, you create the action you want. Failure to understand this important point leads to wasted and ineffective sales presentations. When you carefully select words, you have a distinct and measurable sales advantage.
Be heard because you used fewer words
There is a myth that salespeople are born not made. This myth is supported by the idea that a person who is talkative and full of energy was born to sell. In some cases this may be true but my experience suggests that salespeople who understand they were given two ears, two eyes and one mouth for a reason sell better. And that reason is they have learned to listen and observe twice as much as they speak. Simply put this is why a salesperson must carefully select words and speak them at the right time and place.
A perfect greeting
A perfect example of this is when you meet someone for the first time. This is the moment of truth. Never for a second should you think that you are the only builder the prospect has ‘in mind’. Your words must separate you from everyone else they might be thinking about now or meeting in the future.
I suggest you use the following greeting, “How may I be of service to you today”? This greeting is almost perfect. I can hear your skepticism – let me explain. ‘How’ questions earn you an understanding of the need, want or what the prospect deems to be important. On the other hand, when you begin a presentation with a question like this “What brings you to XYZ Homes today?” you get a different response. ‘What’ questions earn you justifications and reasons without providing needs and wants.
If you step back and examine these two greetings you will see or hear the difference lays in the words not the intent. Both are introductions but the first greeting earns you understanding not a justification. I addition, the word ‘service’ tells people you want to help and the word ‘today’ lets your prospect know that your goal is to provide a service today. This greeting postions you as a service provider in the mind of your prospect. And service is what every buyer is looking for in a salesperson.
The value of this greeting lies not only in the selection of words but also in its brevity. My promise to you is this – prospects don't visit model homes to hear salespeople talk. They come to look and compare. When you acknowledge what a person has ‘in mind’ they're more likely to listen to your presentation and develop a working relationship that leads to a buying-decision.
Key to success
My third article focuses on more precise questions with exactly the right words you need to move the sales presentation forward. The key to success in selling is doing the right thing at the right time, doing the right thing with precision and doing the right thing consistently. Doing the right thing starts with asking precise questions.
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops, purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Email or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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Precise questions - precise words
Do you believe that in life you get what you ask for? Maybe a better question would be to ask – do you know what you want from life? Stop for a moment and think about your answer. Did you think about what you wanted? I bet you did! Questions like these would make the most closed-off person in the world open up. Like most good questions, they’re irresistible.
The main reason questions are so effective is that most people are compelled to answer them. Questions stimulate the mind and offer people an opportunity to use their minds constructively. How else can you explain the continued popularity of question-and-answer quiz shows on radio, television, and in recent years, the Internet?
When you ask prospects for their thoughts and opinions, you give them an opportunity to talk. Most people prefer talking to listening, and when people talk, they give you valuable information. This answering reflex is fundamental to understanding what your prospect is thinking and feeling. And when you understand these two actions you will find it easy to satisfy needs and wants.
April's exercise
This month I want you to focus on asking two precise questions. The first will help you to understand a person’s visit motivation. People who visit model homes come for their own reasons. It’s your job to learn quickly the reason or purpose of the visit. The second question will help you determine if the model home compares with what the person has ‘in mind’. People know very quickly if what they see and feel matches what they have ‘in mind’. Remember people visit model homes to look, compare, evaluate and eliminate. The faster you know how are person feels about your homes the better it is for you.
Timing and urgency
I was conducting a seminar in Chicago and a salesperson asked me when was the best time to answer a question about product offering. I asked for a further explanation because her question was not clear. She went on to say because of lot size she could not offer two car garages and many of her prospects wanted more space. I told her to let people know immediately. By the look on her face, I knew my answer was not what she wanted to hear. Let me explain why I feel this way? I believe it's better to know the situation you face immediately so you can adapt your presentation to fit the situation. For some reason, salespeople prefer withholding information, hoping the prospect will let go of a buying condition and decide to buy anyway. My question is "What good does it do anyone to move forward with a presentation only to find out the product offering does not satisfy a buying condition?" It simply makes no sense.
This month I want you to ask each prospect this question, “Is this something you are considering doing now?” I want you to ask the question exactly as it is written. Please do not change the wording. If you change the wording you will change the response. When you ask the question I want you to say it with sincerity and curiosity. I want your prospect to feel, see and hear your curiosity. Then I want you to listen carefully to the words your prospect chooses to respond. I want you to watch for cues to how your prospect is thinking.
Last month I said ‘people cannot not communicate’. By watching and listening carefully you get a glimpse into how a prospect is thinking about timing and urgency. It’s important for you to understand timing because when you understand timing you understand 'purpose of visit'. Never forget people do things for their reason. When you ask, “Is this something you are considering doing now”, you begin to understand 'purpose and reason'. When you understand ‘purpose and reason’ you can begin to move people toward a decision.
Compare and eliminate
I believe people visit model homes initially to eliminate not to purchase. I believe that people visit to see if what you’re offering compares favorably to what they have ‘in mind’. If what you are offering feels right then I believe people will want to talk with you to learn more. For this reason I want you to ask each prospect this question, “How does this home compare with what you have in mind?” Then I want you to watch and listen carefully to your prospects response. The words, voice tones and physiology you see and hear will let you know if the home feels right or should be eliminated. Remember you are a solution provider – if the home does not compare to what the person has ‘in mind’ eliminate it and look for another solution.
Final thought
This month’s newsletter focused on the power of ‘words’. Your choice of words can either invite resistance or it can create trust. If you invite resistance, no one will hear your solutions. If you create trust - you gain the confidence of your prospects - they will listen to what you have to say.
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 these ideas and principles. 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 friends achieve their goals. I appreciate it and I know they will appreciate it.
Robert E. Hafer Seminars
To learn more about Robert E. Hafer seminars and workshops, purchase Building Results – The Ultimate How-To Guide For New Homes Sales, visit click here, email Bob at Send Email or call 972-795-5926.
Good Luck and Good Selling!
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