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People Buy From People
The
salesman greeted me with a friendly smile as I approached the
shiny SUV on the showroom floor. “That’s a pretty one,
isn’t it?” he asked. “It
sure is,” I agreed, “But can you tell me about its towing
capability?” “Well,
let’s take a look,” he responded as he walked around to the
rear of the vehicle. Pointing to the rear bumper, he explained,
“there’s a hole right there for one of those little silver
balls, so it looks like this oughta tow pretty well.” Hoping
for more specific information than this, I questioned further.
“Is this built with a full frame or is it unibody
construction?” “I’m
not sure about that, but I can tell you that it’s a real
sturdy son-of-a-gun” Moving to open the driver’s door, he
continued, “And check out this interior – it’s gorgeous!
And the backseats have plenty of room for full-sized adults!” At
this point, I had learned a few things about this vehicle – it
was a pretty one, had a hole in the rear bumper, was a sturdy
son-of-a-gun and had a gorgeous interior that would carry
full-sized adults. Although this was good news since the only
adults usually riding with me are full-sized, I still hadn’t
learned how much weight this SUV would tow. Would
you buy a vehicle from this salesman? I didn’t either. I
won’t buy a computer from someone who can’t intelligently
discuss RAM, ROM, DVD, megabytes or gigabytes. I won’t buy a
suit from someone that doesn’t know fabrics or the details of
proper tailoring. I want to do business with someone who knows
the parts and pieces and details of the product. And on the
basis of my research, I believe I’m not alone in these
attitudes. Why?
The answer I share in my seminars sounds ridiculously simple: people
buy from people! Unfortunately, in the process of working
personally with thousands of salespeople, I’ve found that a
majority somehow see themselves outside the buyer’s
decision-making process. They seem to think that sales come
about solely on the basis of a relationship between the features
of the product and its selling price. In effect, they remove
themselves from the sales process. If
this were true, how is it that some individuals selling the same
type of products in the same market areas under the same market
conditions sell so much more than others? Because these
individuals recognize that people
buy from people. Of course, the product and pricing must be
right, but the buying decision for most of our customers is only
made once the deal feels
right. And for most of them, the deal feels right when they feel
good about the salesperson. For
a real estate professional then, the goal is to be the kind of
person that helps people feel good about their home buying
decisions. One of the most important keys to this is to know the
details of the products we sell. Whether selling a new home or
an existing one, it’s important to be able to discuss the
parts and pieces along with correct methods and terminology. We
need to win our customers confidence by knowledgeably dealing
with their questions and concerns. Many of our customers today
are glued to the TV screen watching an ever growing number of
shows teaching them about the construction of their homes.
There’s more to satisfying them than simply showing them a
“lovely” home with “spacious” rooms in a “nice”
neighborhood. If we’re to earn their respect, if we’re to be
considered truly “professional”, we need to be knowledgeable
and informed. As
a sales trainer, it’s part of my job to “shop” for real
estate wherever my travels take me. Sadly, I’ve found that
very few in the business seem to grasp the importance of real
product knowledge in selling homes. Those that do, however,
stand out from the crowd. Those with product knowledge handle
themselves with more self-confidence that takes their customer
relationships to a higher level. Because they more effectively
win the confidence and respect of their customers, these
customers feel better
about the decision to buy this
home in this community. Several years ago, we surveyed graduates of our Certified New Home Specialist™ Training Program and found that 100% of them felt that not only did the course help them work more successfully with builders and new home buyers, but significantly benefited their existing home business. The benefits came from applying a sales approach that emphasizes truly caring about what’s best for their customers, maximizing organization and follow-up, and increased confidence that comes from understanding the details of the products they sell. They became the kind of people that helped others feel the confidence to buy. Other Articles by Dennis Walsh:
I'd
Rather Shoot Myself in the Foot!
Mixing Oil and Water
Making
It Easier To Buy
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Dennis
Walsh & Associates, Inc. Website
Design, Graphics, Product Logos and Product Interfaces |