In the Zone | V II i 10 | Cram Your Inventory with Listings
In the Zone | Focusing on the 4 Profit Pillars of Real Estate
Volume II Issue 10
1. What Successful REALTORS(R) Are Saying
2. Motivational Quote of the Month
3. Prospecting: A Very Shrewd Short Cut to Creating Ads That Compel
Prospects to Call You
4. Negotiating: The Three Crucial Variables to Negotiations | Part 2
5. Listing: 12 Cheap Ways to Insure Your Inventory Is Always
Crammed with Listings
6. Selling: Ten Tips for Exploiting the Most Powerful Tool in Sales
Hey,
Famed real estate trainer Tom Hopkins once said, "You are in the
emotion-building business."
That is, you're not selling houses--you're selling swing sets,
fireplaces, backyards, school districts, swimming pools,
kitchens and Jacuzzis.
It's the order taker who says, "Do you like this house? Would you
like to put an offer on it?"
But it's the emotional-conscious salesperson who says, "Mary, I can
really tell that you like the fenced-in backyard...you would feel
comfortable letting your children play for hours back there,
wouldn't you?" When she says, "Yes," you've just sold a backyard.
The house just happens to go with it.
Listen, it's all about finding what moves the buyer or seller.
Find it and you will not only list and sell houses faster, but you
will also become more efficient and effective: you'll know the
precise needs and wants of your clients so well, you can easily
eliminate the unimportant and focus in on what's truly important
to your clients.
With that thought in mind--real estate as an "emotion-building
business"--this month's prospecting and selling articles zero in
on some of the oldest advertising and selling strategies that
create emotion and persuade people. But don't let their age fool
you. Their power to influence and win people over is just as
potent today as they were 30, 60 or 90 years ago. Just ask Tom
Hopkins. He's used every single one of them.
Enjoy and here's to your success,
Gary Elwood
Proquest Technologies
1-800-959-3959
Send prospecting, negotiating, listing or selling ideas,
strategies and tips to inthezone@proquest-tech.com.
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1. What Successful REALTORS(r) Are Saying
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"Your entire company is top, top, top professional. Your system,
both to set up and to use is very user-friendly. And true to your
instructions, the more I follow-through with the calls, the more
business I get.
"I am very grateful to have heard of your system. It has sustained
my business, and as I go forward, I know it will be a huge factor
in my success."
Debra Standley
Re/Max Northwest
Denver, Colorado
If you are ready to take the leap to the next level in your career,
then read our 21-page online report "How to Close More Transactions
in a Month Than You Now Close All Year":
http://www.realestategrowth.com/how_to_grow.asp
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2. Motivational Quote of the Month
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"Goals. There's no telling what you can do when you get inspired
by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe
in them. And there's no telling what will happen when you act
upon them."
Jim Rohn
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3. PROSPECTING: A Very Shrewd List to Make Emotion Your Powerful
Advertising Weapon
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Why is emotion so important to your advertising? In the end, every
decision--to list, to sell, to buy, to call--boils down to how a
decision makes a person feel. Let me explain.
Take the calculated, number-driven investor. She won't invest in a
condo unless the numbers make sense. If the numbers do make sense,
she'll invest. However she wouldn't be investing in the first place
if she wasn't driven by competition, power, pride or financial
security for her family--all emotions.
Here's a short, shrewd list to help you put emotion into your
advertising.
1. Focus on them, not you."I Am the Greatest Agent" creates a
ho-hum reaction at best. Instead, tell the reader what's in it
for her, not for you.
2. Focus on benefits. Why should someone list with you? "Quality
and service" is not an answer. "To sell your home for the most
money, in the fastest time and with the least hassle" is. But
this is not enough.
3. Focus on details. Explain to them exactly how you will
accomplish your goals. "I use proven techniques to bring more
buyers to your door."
4. Focus on active voice. The active voice is usually more direct
and vigorous than the passive. "I will sell your home for more
money" is much better than "Your home will be sold for more
money by me."
5. Focus on curiosity. "I will sell your home for more money by
creating a bidding war between buyers based on a marketing
strategy that blends psychological triggers and unique
technology."
Craft your ads and presentations with these five tips and I'm
certain they will have the type of emotional appeal that will add
a powerful punch to your marketing.
Next Month: 7 Powerful Secrets That Will Multiply the Success of
Your Ads
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4. NEGOTIATING: The Three Crucial Variables to Negotiations | Part 2
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Most people think of negotiations as having a definite beginning
and end--they think of it as an event. In this sense, time, or the
clock, becomes a crucial variable to the negotiation process.
Since time moves at the same rate for all of us, let's see how we
can use it to benefit your negotiations.
1. Most concessions and settlements will occur at or even beyond
the deadline. Therefore, be patient.
2. Never take quick action unless it's guaranteed to be in your
favor. Milk every minute you have.
3. Never blindly follow a deadline. Be flexible.
4. Never reveal your real deadline to the other side.
5. Cool and serene as they may appear, the "other side" always has
a deadline.
6. Evaluate the benefits and consequences of going beyond the
deadline. If it's obvious that the benefits outweigh the costs,
then go for it!
7. Look for the shift in power as you approach the deadline. Often
a creative solution, or even a turnaround by the other side,
will emerge during the eleventh hour.
Remember, people may not change, but with the passage of time,
circumstances often do. Utilize every moment.
Next Month: The Three Crucial Variables to Negotiations | Part 3
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5. LISTING: 12 Cheap Ways to Insure Your Inventory Is Always
Crammed with Listings
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1. Get an attitude. It's a reflection of who you are. Sellers want
to list with someone who looks and speaks like a winner.
2. Set specific, written, deadline-driven goals. The positive
pressure of a deadline for a specific, written goal can propel
us to maximum achievement.
3. Increase your value by asking endless questions, listening
carefully, consistently improving, writing and speaking well,
treating people right and appreciating everyone.
4. Start with your client's needs, not your listing inventory size,
how many houses you sold last year or your different designations.
5. Ask high-impact questions. In most presentations, your time is
limited. Maximize each minute.
6. Remember the question is the answer. "Can you sell it in 90 days?"
"Do you want it to sell in 90 days?"
7. Improve your skills. Get a mentor, read sales books, subscribe
to "Selling Power" magazine and invest in sales training.
8. Maximize the first 30 seconds. Arrive on time, wear clean,
pressed clothes, walk with your head lifted high, smile and
always say "Thank you."
9. Present proposals smoothly. Have a pen ready when it's time to
"okay the paperwork." Never dig around for the pen--or proposal.
10. Follow your plan. Remember, the procrastinator's favorite day
of the week is tomorrow. Follow-through with what you say
immediately.
11. Cultivate a habit of persistence. What's the alternative to
persistence? Losing. Consider the consequences of always losing
and you'll probably pay the price to win.
12. Appear professional. Always come prepared and practiced.
Next Month: A Proven Way to Snare All the FSBOs You Need - And
Never Ask for the Listing
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6. SELLING: Ten Tips for Exploiting the Most Powerful Tool in Sales
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Asking the right question at the right time is a priceless skill--it
can help you understand your prospect's selling or buying agenda.
And the closer you are to understanding that, the closer you are
to the sale or listing.
Here is a ten-step guide to help you develop and exploit that skill.
1. Prepare. Always know what you plan to ask your prospect.
Learn everything you can about your prospect and their neighborhood.
2. Start with friendly, easy-to-answer questions to encourage your
prospect to open up to you. "This is a lovely house. How long
have you lived here?"
3. Then, move to broad, open-ended questions. Your motive is to
get the prospect talking. "Help me understand why you would want
to sell such a lovely house?"
4. Next, shift to more narrow questions for concrete, detailed answers.
"When do you start your new job?" Answer: "This fall." "October?
November?" "September actually. September 22nd."
5. Phrase questions properly and you will see how your prospect
perceives their problems, needs or values. Ask "Does paying two
mortgages concern you?" instead of "Will you have trouble paying
two mortgages?"
6. As they talk, identify the common thread in your prospect's
answers. Then aim your questions to probe deeper.
7. Avoid offensive or insensitive language.
8. Maintain a positive tone--even during tense situations. When
under pressure it's easy to slip, but maintain composure and
don't bark things like, "I'm a professional. I get paid a
commission for a reason." Say, "That's a good topic. I'm glad
you brought it up..."
9. Control the dialog. Keep your prospect from straying, which is
time consuming and costly. "Before we talk about that, let's
finish talking about..."
10. Shut up and listen. It's difficult to pinpoint their hot
buttons when you do all the talking.
Next month: The Real Secret to Success in Sales - A "No Expectations"
Mindset
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Proquest Technologies, Inc.
inthezone@proquest-tech.com
1-800-959-3959
In the Zone: Focusing on the 4 Profit Pillars of Real Estate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"In the Zone" is a Proquest Technologies publication.
(C) Copyright 2005, Proquest Technologies.
