Archive for February, 2012

by Shirleen Von Hoffmann President and Sales Coach of Home Builders Edge and Vortex Sales Solutions  Copyright 2008©

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses it’s value.”  Jim Rohn

The single biggest obstacle you will encounter in a tough market is “fence sitters”.  These are people sitting on the side lines waiting for the best market to get the best deal.  It can be a real foe for the Salesperson who has never been through a tough market and not learned skills to push these buyers off the fence.

We are going to go over two steps to moving fence sitters, creating Value and creating Urgency.  In this article we are going to cover Creating Urgency.

When trying to move fence sitters always remember people want what others have and what they can’t have.  Fear of loss and anticipation of gain, thus the reason to create urgency.

We have to create urgency in a non urgent market because without it, there’s no movement. In other words, prospects have to believe that their needs and wants are going to be met and that there’s some compelling reason to do it now. » More: Creating Urgency

When I hear some of the sales tactics used in old school thinking I laugh to myself wondering why don’t people get that sales is all about relationships not about manipulation.  It’s so easy when you think of you and how you like to be treated when you are out purchasing something you really want.

What kind of Sales Person are you attracted to?

I will bet money it’s not the kind that gets in your face, blasting you with questions about the buy…you know those car sales types that you want to run away from.

No, a nice, friendly, easy approach, gently building a relationship, by asking what’s important to me and filling it in with some rapport building is what I prefer.  I also like someone who knows their stuff and can HELP ME get what I want, in the quickest manner.  I look for professionals who know their stuff in every aspect of my life, because I don’t have time to waste with people who don’t.

I have a financial planner.  The reason I like him is because we have a great relationship first.  He puts me first and calls me to let me know things I don’t know about. He calls me when I don’t ask him to call me.  I feel confident in his ability and knowledge, he is smart as he can be.  I don’t have the time or knowledge to know what he knows about the market so I have him in my corner taking care of my retirement money.  I know he is great at what he does, he constantly builds value by being interested in me and my needs, my statement proves he does a good job, so we have a trusted relationship that I don’t question, for life.

I have a vet who I feel the same about…

I have a banker who I feel the same about…

A hairdresser I feel the same about…

A dentist I feel the same about, the list goes on.

Here is the definition of relationships…re·la·tion·ship

Be an emotional connection for your clients.  Be the first person they think of when they think of real estate.  Be that trusted Advisor that they go to and the sale will be yours everytime! Not only will the sales be yours this time but you will have a client for life, if you nurture the the relationship over time.

Happy Sales

It has been a great week at IBS- the International Builder Show in Orlando.  With expected attendance at 50,000 people, it was sure good to see everyone walking the floors and attending the seminars.  And guess what, you really do see Builders and Sales People from all over the world.

The Sales Seminars were abundant and GREAT, performed by top notch sales pros from across the nation.  You could find the latest tech tools, sales skills, marketing tools, website tips, blogging tips, Ipad tricks, you name it, Sales Central had a session on it.  It’s all about making you better at what you do!

I had a great seminar with Mike Lyon and Scott Stroud on Maximizing the traffic you do have…and the room was filled to the rafters and we gave Builders and Sales Pros 100 new things to think about!

There was no negativity, no doom and gloom, in fact bad markets weren’t even mentioned.  There was definitely hope in the air, plenty of great speakers, vendors and great parties at night! The Sales Rally had plenty of new talent including real producers as well as inspirational speakers.

So if the aura at IBS 2012 is a sign of good times ahead, I say, ” Bring it on, we are ready for the next step!”

Having a great time seeing friends and attending the 2012 IBS in Orlando. If you are here I hope you sat in my session this morning with Mike Lyon and Scott Stroud.

We had a great session on maximizing your traffic, which was filled to the brim and standing room only. Unfortunately, the talk was so good, we ran out of time, but had a great time in any case…

Wish you all were here for the great sales stuff!

By Shirleen Von Hoffmann, Sales Coach and President of Home Builders Edge and Vortex Sales Solutions

Whenever I hear these words, ” I want a raise”, I am reminded why I loved being on commissions for most of my life. I have friends who work for the State and they wait all year for a raise. If there are hiring freezes, sometimes they don’t get a raise or just get a cost of living, 4% raise. Then I know others who work the normal 8-5 jobs and when they want a raise they must get a good review from their boss, which comes once a year and the raise lies in the hands of their boss and their opinion of their performance.

Which brings me to my point. In Sales, a raise, doesn’t need to come once a year. Nor does it need to come via your Manager or Boss. In Sales, if you want a raise, you simply do the extra things you need to do to create an extra sale and presto…you have a raise!

By doing one new habit a month, you may create one or two more sales.

• If you create one or two more sales a month that adds up to 12 or 24 sales per year.
• If you make $1,500.00 per sale and make one extra sale per month that adds up to $18,000.00
• If you make $1,500.00 per sale and make two extra sales per month that adds up to $36,000.00
• And just like that, you have a RAISE!

Being a commissioned sales person is a wonderful thing. It’s not meant for the meek and mild personality. The brave and bold seeks the fortune and the brave, are usually the ones you find on commission. Those hunters, who want to control how they spend their day and how much money they will make in given day.

So remember, no matter the market, no matter the time…be thankful you are in control of your life and your raises!

Now do what you need to do today, to write that “raise” check, yourself!