What Does Your Intention Show?

Listening is one of the most important factors in the sales process, as well as one of the most commonly overlooked. Listening is not only hearing what is being said, but also includes your response to the message. The way you move and react as you listen to a potential buyer reveals your true intentions. In short, your actions speak louder than words.

According to a UCLA study, 93 percent of communication is expressed through nonverbal cues. Of all the nonverbal cues you can exude in sales, appearance, body movement and facial expressions send the strongest messages about your level of interest in a potential buyer. Critically, body movement and facial expressions reveal acceptance, caution or disagreement between salesperson and potential buyer.  

Think for a moment about how you listen and respond to potential buyers – and how your potential buyers listen and respond to you. In which category do your actions fall?

Acceptance
Successful salespeople recognize that selling homes is a process to help improve people’s lives. An accepting sales person takes a genuine interest in the potential buyer and is open, patient and sympathetic to his/her needs and concerns.  

The accepting demeanor of the potential buyer is relaxed, patient and calm. If you want potential buyers to be accepting of your message, keep your intentions focused on them and pay attention to how they are responding. Are their facial expressions warm and engaging? Do they maintain strong eye contact? If so, you are on the right track. If not, don’t be afraid to change your approach. Small adjustments like facing toward the buyer, smiling or softening use of hand gestures, may be all that’s needed to get you back on the path of acceptance.

Caution/ Disagreement
The cautious or disagreeing sales person is more focused on him or herself and less sensitive to what others need. This salesperson’s lack of sympathy comes off as disinterest, and maybe even judgment.

You will know a potential buyer has questions or disagrees with you if they move around a lot and constantly look away. They may have a puzzled or blank look on their face or fidget with their clothes or hair.  

To avoid this type of response, make sure you leave your personal opinions out of the sales process. It doesn’t really matter if you think a formal living room is a wasted space or a large yard requires too much maintenance. If that’s what the buyer wants, is should be your priority to help meet those needs.

What does your intention show?  Whether good or bad, your intentions will be revealed by how well you listen and nonverbally respond.

What Does Your Intention Show?

Listening is one of the most important factors in the sales process, as well as one of the most commonly overlooked. Listening is not only hearing what is being said, but also includes your response to the message. The way you move and react as you listen to a potential buyer reveals your true intentions. In short, your actions speak louder than words.

According to a UCLA study, 93 percent of communication is expressed through nonverbal cues. Of all the nonverbal cues you can exude in sales, appearance, body movement and facial expressions send the strongest messages about your level of interest in a potential buyer. Critically, body movement and facial expressions reveal acceptance, caution or disagreement between salesperson and potential buyer.  

Think for a moment about how you listen and respond to potential buyers – and how your potential buyers listen and respond to you. In which category do your actions fall?

Acceptance
Successful salespeople recognize that selling homes is a process to help improve people’s lives. An accepting sales person takes a genuine interest in the potential buyer and is open, patient and sympathetic to his/her needs and concerns.  

The accepting demeanor of the potential buyer is relaxed, patient and calm. If you want potential buyers to be accepting of your message, keep your intentions focused on them and pay attention to how they are responding. Are their facial expressions warm and engaging? Do they maintain strong eye contact? If so, you are on the right track. If not, don’t be afraid to change your approach. Small adjustments like facing toward the buyer, smiling or softening use of hand gestures, may be all that’s needed to get you back on the path of acceptance.

Caution/ Disagreement
The cautious or disagreeing sales person is more focused on him or herself and less sensitive to what others need. This salesperson’s lack of sympathy comes off as disinterest, and maybe even judgment.

You will know a potential buyer has questions or disagrees with you if they move around a lot and constantly look away. They may have a puzzled or blank look on their face or fidget with their clothes or hair.  

To avoid this type of response, make sure you leave your personal opinions out of the sales process. It doesn’t really matter if you think a formal living room is a wasted space or a large yard requires too much maintenance. If that’s what the buyer wants, is should be your priority to help meet those needs.

What does your intention show?  Whether good or bad, your intentions will be revealed by how well you listen and nonverbally respond.

Staffing Team Players You Can’t Live Without

http://bnmag.com/blognetwork/staffing-team-players-you-can’t-live-without

Super Bowl ??

As millions of people sat down to watch the Super Bowl, it made me wonder…..How many people are actually interested in the game, and how many people are watching purely for the commercials.

The anticipation for these legendary commercials makes viewers excited. For a 30-second commercial for the 2010 Super Bowl, it cost $2.6 million dollars. Why do companies spend so much money on such a short window?

If you think about it, it makes perfect sense to spend copious amounts of money and extend your best marketing efforts for a mere 30 seconds. Millions of people will be watching……millions of people who wouldn’t normally be watching commercials, so these companies better put their best foot forward to make their product stand out and convince these viewers  to run to the store and buy them up.

The same is true for a good sales presentation in a New Home Community.  We could wait hours before someone walks through those sales doors….. so why not treat them like Super Bowl viewers. They may not be there for all the right reasons, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t electrify them with an awesome sales presentation.

The next time you have traffic walk through your door, bring out your “big guns”. Do something different that you have never done before. Keep your customers talking about you and entertain them with your sales pitch. Anyone can go through the critical path of sales, but only a few can give them a commercial of a lifetime. 

What to do when homebuyers “Self Diagnose”

What to do when homebuyers “Self Diagnose”

Over the Christmas break I came down with a strange illness and instead of just calling my doctor and making an appointment, I “Goggled” my symptoms. After reading many articles and web pages I was convinced I knew exactly what was wrong with me. Who needs a doctor when you have the internet?

These days it seems like homebuyers feel the same way about New Home Sales People. When was the last time a buyer walked through your doors without doing any internet research first? I’m not talking about your average “looky loo” coming in to view the decorations, but an actual qualified homebuyer.

When I went to my doctor, I quickly told her my findings, asked for my prescription and figured I would be on my way. She kindly laughed and told me that I was completely wrong. She asked me questions about what was troubling me and took the appropriate tests. Come to find out…. my self-diagnosis was completely wrong.

This made me think of all the people that walk through the doors of a New Home Sales Office and tell us exactly what they need in their new home. They have “Googled” what they are looking for and now they are at your community. Should we just write them their “prescription” or should we “play doctor” first?

Even though the majority of today’s buyers have done their research online, this doesn’t mean that the salesperson does not have to ask the appropriate questions, listen and comprehend what their true wants and needs are. The buyers may be technologically advanced, but that doesn’t mean our sales process can’t go back to basics. We are here to help the buyers find the perfect home, even if it means their own “diagnoses” was wrong.