I always find that those with purpose are the most driven, successful, and happy people. Purpose is the why behind what we do. Why are you in sales? Why do you sacrifice weekends and evenings? What life goals do you have? (And I’m talking about the ones that go beyond what you’re going to do this weekend).
As we stay connected to our personal why, it helps us strive continually to be better. That’s why I love what one of the sales coaches I work with did with his team members. He had each sales professional create his/her own inspiration board–filled with images and words that remind them why they do what they do each day.
Not only does it help create trust and community among the team (this sales coach said there were a few tears as they each shared), it helps us stay centered on the things that matter to us–the very reasons we get out of bed and into our business suits each day.
Choose your base–cork board, poster board, an empty frame…a cookie sheet. It doesn’t matter–just as long as you fill it with your whys. You can even create it so that it can evolve and grow as you evolve and grow.
So what’s your why? Share in the comments below. Better yet–share what you learned from creating your own inspiration board!
Contributed by Jason Forrest
Jason Forrest (named one of 2012′s Top Young Trainers for Training Magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform builders into sales organizations that build homes. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market and 40-Day Sales Dare for New Home Sales. As a consultant for many of the leading homebuilders in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change. Learn more at http://www.jforrestgroup.com.
Last week, we talked about how important it is for us to partner with Realtors. I have heard lots of reasons on the other side of the argument, including, “Realtors don’t want to wait for commission,” or “Realtors don’t want to bring clients because they think we will cut them out of the deal,” and on and on.
But ask any X Factor Sales Professional about partnering with Realtors and you hear the flip side. You’ll hear that Realtors have qualified buyers (no more tour guides), that they get frustrated when they can’t meet their buyer’s needs, and that, just like the rest of us, Realtors want to make their lives easier.
So how do we convince a skeptical Realtor that a new home is the perfect fit for their client? Here are a few benefits you can present to Realtors who are considering working with new homebuilders and new home sales professionals:
1. We’ll take the lead! Bring us your pickiest clients and we’ll take it from here to help the buyer build their dream home! No more searching for a home that has the right combination of flooring, cabinets, colors, etc.
2. We’re open seven days a week! No need to call first!
3. We partner with Preferred Lenders to help your buyers with all their financing needs
4. We provide a 10 Year Warranty
5. We keep you and your customer informed with weekly updates
6. We facilitate a seamless transaction from start to finish
7. Our homes are NEW and CLEAN (you’ll never find anyone’s old toenails in our carpet)
Action item: Be sales ready by creating your own top ten list for your community and the service you provide. Use your list and contact the top selling agents within your submarket.
Jeanne Conger, J Forrest Group’s National Sales Coach, has 25 years in the industry; experience with public and private builders; and over 900 hours of real estate courses under her belt. She is truly an industry expert. While she has worked in design studios, marketing departments, merchandising departments, and sales management (she coached a sales team of more than 100), Jeanne enjoys nothing more than being in the trenches.
Jeanne specializes in turning around laggard communities, helping sales professionals generate traffic, providing hiring consulting for sales managers, and coaching design center sales professionals. Learn more about J Forrest Group’snew home sales training programs.
Here’s what I want you to do with your next be-back (someone who says they’ll come back and then does):
1. Start the conversation by recapping where you left off with them in the sales process.
2. Ask them if anything has changed since the last time they were out and if there is anything else that has caught their eye.
3. Set an agenda for the visit and put it in terms of something to be accomplished before they leave. You can say, “My goal for us today is to go over our home, community, area, and home site and help you decide if we are the best fit for you in the market or if someone else would be better. But either way, you’ll leave knowing whether or not we are the builder for you. How does that sound?”
Look, I know that sounds like you are putting everything on the line (which you are) but the odds are by starting that strong, you will own the process and presentation and probably win the sale.
Either way, you will be leading the buyer to make a decision on the best home that improves their lives today!
A couple comes in to a new home sales office and says, “We’re just looking.” What they don’t say is that they arranged a babysitter, filled up their SUV at $4 a gallon, and drove an hour to the community on a Saturday afternoon–the only day they both have off.
They say they’re just looking because they don’t know exactly what they want–they just know they’re not totally satisfied with what they have. The couple repeats the routine for six months and finally returns to the same community, arms crossed and brows furrowed. This time, they angrily say, “We know exactly what we want–do you have it?”
Why are they so angry and short? Well they’ve just spent much of the past six months unsatisfied with their current situation, but unsure what they want to change. As much as they’re afraid of being sold or of committing to something that isn’t right for them, they’ve walked into sales office after sales office, unconsciously begging someone to help them figure out exactly which home will improve their lives.
And now they’re ticked because nobody led them to a solution. Nobody had the courage to reject the “just looking” smokescreen and take them through the process like they would anybody else.
When they said they were just looking, salesperson after salesperson left them alone to wander the models aimlessly and return to their less-than-ideal home with an empty tank of gas and no answers.
Remember, an angry buyer today was a just looking buyer six months ago. And a just looking buyer today is just a solution away from being a contracted buyer. Because what they’re really “just looking” for is someone to guide them home.
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For more on this subject, see dare 21 (“Focus on the ‘Just Looking’ Buyer”) of my book, 40 Day Sales Dare.
Contributed by Jason Forrest
Jason Forrest (named one of 2012′s Top Young Trainers for Training Magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform builders into sales organizations that build homes. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market and 40-Day Sales Dare for New Home Sales. As a consultant for many of the leading homebuilders in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change. Learn more at http://www.jforrestgroup.com.
Let’s follow the logic. Realtors have buyers. We need buyers. We need Realtors who have buyers.
The majority of home sales in most markets come from used homes–in most markets, the Broker participation rate is at least 80% for all single-family residential transactions. Why? Because it’s nearly impossible to buy or sell a used (yep, I said USED) home without a Realtor. Buyers are conditioned to call Realtors to look at homes.
So what does this mean for us in the new home market? It means that new home sales professionals should aggressively target Realtors (and thus, buyers). Especially those who would not otherwise be out looking at a brand new home.
So how do we increase Realtor co-op and increase our sales? Stay tuned next week for 10 benefits to Realtors who sell new homes!
In the meantime, be sales ready by creating relationships with the top five Realtors in your sub-market. Show them how you can help them make more sales by partnering with you.
Jeanne Conger, J Forrest Group’s National Sales Coach, has 25 years in the industry; experience with public and private builders; and over 900 hours of real estate courses under her belt. She is truly an industry expert. While she has worked in design studios, marketing departments, merchandising departments, and sales management (she coached a sales team of more than 100), Jeanne enjoys nothing more than being in the trenches.
Jeanne specializes in turning around laggard communities, helping sales professionals generate traffic, providing hiring consulting for sales managers, and coaching design center sales professionals. Learn more about J Forrest Group’snew home sales training programs.
Getting on the scale every day forces you to objectively measure where you’re at because the scale doesn’t lie.
Otherwise, it’s easy to get in delusional thinking and get quite a shock when something that once fit nicely is uncomfortably tight. As Dr. Brackerman said, knowing what you weigh every day allows you to make different decisions and small adjustments.
It’s similar in sales–if you can measure the behaviors and activities that create the sale, then you’ll constantly keep yourself in objective reality. Instead of focusing on whether or not you made a sale, track the activities that lead to a sale. Track behaviors like:
1. Building houses on paper
2. Doing full home site tours
3. Introducing customers to a loan officer
The point is just to keep yourself on track day by day, instead of looking at a number at the end of the month and being disappointed or surprised. Another way to measure your process is to consider your performance after every interaction with a customer. Ask yourself questions like:
1. Where did the sale stop?
2. Who stopped the sale?
3. What will you do next time?”
If you ask yourself those questions every day, you’re going to push yourself to do the necessary behaviors.
That’s almost too easy, isn’t it? But believe it or not–success is easy. Like weight loss, it’s a result of decisions and activities. What’s your choice today?
Here’s to earning what you’re worth!
Jason Forrest
Jason Forrest (named one of 2012′s Top Young Trainers for Training Magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform builders into sales organizations that build homes. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market and 40-Day Sales Dare for New Home Sales. As a consultant for many of the leading homebuilders in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change. Learn more at http://www.jforrestgroup.com.
“Place your expectations in the upright position.” What exactly is United Airlines trying to say? All I know is that it set my alarm bells off with thoughts of: “Warning–don’t expect too much,” and “What exactly are upright expectations anyway?” This is likely in sharp contrast to what they were trying to go for–some sort of an exhortation to have high expectations, maybe?
Two weeks after seeing the ad, I am still not certain what they meant. All I know is that the warning bells are still ringing. I’d be willing to bet the ad didn’t hit the right spot with other members of United’s target audience either.
Critical thinking:
1. Are we guilty of sending unintended mixed messages to our new home buyers?
2. What type of messages resonate with our target audience?
3. What will our prospects be thinking and saying when they leave us?
Action items:
1. Remember that the most important conversations that a buyer has are those that you are not part of. The private conversations new home prospects have with themselves, friends and family.
2. Increase the odds that their conversations about you and your product are positive by helping them fall in love with your home and community. Jason said it best in dare one (“A Spoonful of Sugar”) from his book–The 40 Day Sales Dare. The dare reminds us to give our buyers a chance to fall in love with our home, neighborhood, amenities and us as sales professionals before we ask them to “place their expectations in the upright position,” for example.
3. Make sure your messages are clear–ask lots of questions to make sure the buyers are picking up what you’re laying down.
Be sales ready!
Jeanne Conger, J Forrest Group’s National Sales Coach, has 25 years in the industry; experience with public and private builders; and over 900 hours of real estate courses under her belt. She is truly an industry expert. While she has worked in design studios, marketing departments, merchandising departments, and sales management (she coached a sales team of more than 100), Jeanne enjoys nothing more than being in the trenches.
Jeanne specializes in turning around laggard communities, helping sales professionals generate traffic, providing hiring consulting for sales managers, and coaching design center sales professionals. Learn more about J Forrest Group’snew home sales training programs.
Until someone produces the iHome–some revolutionary product that stands apart from all the rest, you’re selling what everyone else is selling–a box with rooms, ceilings, floors, and walls.
But then it’s not about the box, is it? It’s about the memories of kids running around in Superman pajamas, of gathering with friends and family at the dining room table, and of helping kids do homework at the kitchen island. It’s about life.
In this commercial, Sleepy’s mattresses never once delves into springs or firmness or wine glasses. In fact, the only words are the lyrics in the song. The rest is just images of people living life and enjoying each other. Like in new home sales, Sleepy’s is selling life.
Because it’s not about the box–it’s about the life inside the box.
P.S. Thank you to Adam, sales coach with Richmond American Homes for sharing this commercial with us.
Jason Forrest (named one of 2012′s Top Young Trainers for Training Magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform builders into sales organizations that build homes. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market and 40-Day Sales Dare for New Home Sales. As a consultant for many of the leading homebuilders in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change. Learn more at http://www.jforrestgroup.com.
Even though Jill, a sales coach, called me for advice on a “disaster,” I knew she’d just been handed a gift from the coaching gods.
Jill described an interaction that ended with a top-producing sales pro leaving her office in tears. She said, “I know I didn’t handle this situation well and I need help. Have you ever dealt with anything like this before?” I had.
One of Jill’s top producers, Morgan, was offended that Jill hadn’t chosen her as a team captain. Jill practically scoffed, thinking the reasons she didn’t choose Morgan should be obvious. She rattled off her laundry list of frustrations (including Morgan’s chronic late and incomplete paperwork). She made a strong case. And Morgan walked out in tears–feeling defeated.
I saw an opportunity. Jill saw a disaster. What she didn’t see is that Morgan had just given her permission to be her coach–the most valuable thing a coach can have in a team member. So I advised Jill to call Morgan back, apologize for letting her emotions drive her response (leaders can never apologize too much), and work with Morgan on a plan to reach her goal.
She could say, “I didn’t know being a team captain was so important to you and I would be so proud to have you contribute in that way. Let’s talk about how to get you there and make a plan so that, as soon as you reach the following goals, we can make it happen.”
Can you see the difference? In contrast to the insecurity she left Jill’s office with the first time, Morgan now feels empowered and has the fire in her belly that comes with having a goal to work towards. And Jill has the best gift of all–permission from Morgan to be her coach.
Reflection questions:
1. Have you ever attacked a team member’s weaknesses without providing a plan or a goal to work toward?
Why do you think it’s important for a team member to want to receive coaching from you (rather than having to)?
The above excerpt is from Jason Forrest’s upcoming book on sales coaching. Stay tuned for more details.
Jason Forrest (named one of 2012′s Top Young Trainers for Training Magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform builders into sales organizations that build homes. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Housing Market and 40-Day Sales Dare for New Home Sales. As a consultant for many of the leading homebuilders in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change. Learn more at http://www.jforrestgroup.com.
To congratulate Jason or share why you believe the award is well-deserved, please comment below or visit our Facebook page. Give us a like while you’re at it.
“Jason deserves it because he is the most hardworking person I know and because he REALLY enjoys his job, believes in what he’s doing 110% and is making a difference in so many lives!” Laura, Client Development Coordinator
Why are you in sales? Why do you sacrifice weekends and evenings? What life goals do you have? (And I’m talking about the ones that go beyond what you’re going to do this weekend).
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