21st of November 2011

A champion in the making. Already winning the quarterly award for the Top Individual Lister over a career that hasn't yet seen its first birthday! For Steve Spurling it is not a question of 'if he'll make it to the top' but rather a question of when for this sales professional in the making. 

The advantage that Steve has over his competition, many of whom have years of experience in listing property, is that he is focussed on adding value to the sales equation and therefore earning the fee rather than charging it.

Steve's attendance to the Adelaide Sales Trainer Session on The Ultimate Listing Presentation (in conjunction with the LISTiNG PAD demonstration) caused him to make some  radical improvements to the way he presented and then delivered his product to property sellers. He learned how to never lose a listing on comparative sales pricing, sales commission or marketing costs.

Here is what Steve posted on facebook not long after the session...

"The listing presentation course you did in Adelaide the other week was great!! I got a lot of great things out of it.

"I walked out of a listing with the agency in hand and didn't even discuss the past sales, just spoke to them about how I was going to leverage the price using marketing - I didn't believe it was possible until I did it. I have a totally new perspective of the listing presentation!!!

"Also a lot of other things I picked up which I have since implemented and they have worked really well for me, I cant wait till you come back to Adelaide!! Thanks heaps mate!!!"

And of course salesmanship applies to all facets of real estate sales productivity and this is the theme of the next session aptly titled after the fast growing facebook group of like minded individuals...

Sales Trainer Session: The Return of the Salesperson!

In this session we are going to present the sales protocol in a rather confronting fashion - you'll have a better understanding of what the real estate consumer sees and why the pressure on fees need not be there. You'll learn how to activate buyers to make decisions and control negotiations between the parties to successful conclusions. Importantly we'll show you some clever techniques to controlling price expectation with sellers in this unstable market.

In other words we'll get you selling again rather than telling!

Sessions are scheduled for Brisbane on December 6 and Sydney 8 with other dates yet to be confirmed. This is it - if you're serious about ramping up your productivity and earning capacity then this is a must see event!

List n' Sell ;-)

24th of October 2011

In this market how would you imagine a buyer would feel? Look at

the market conditions and surrounding circumstances…

* A glut of available property and more coming on everyday

* The media reporting a fall in real estate prices house

* Most real estate agents saying the market is tough

* Banks reporting a drop in housing loans

* Speculation of inevitable future interest rate rises
* Politicians ‘talking’ it up’ to win votes
* Accountants suggesting to hold off for better bargaining power

*Consumer advocates ‘scare mongering’ a market collapse
Pretty harrowing isn’t it? All they want to do is buy a home and well…..Aaaaaggh!!!! Irrespective of our frustrations, this is the buyers point of view. Basically they are…

SCARED and CONFUSED

With so much conflicting advice dependant upon who

is giving it the buyer doesn't know whom to trust. Do I
listen to my bank manager? Or trust real estate agents?
Or perhaps, just maybe the media is right? Oh to hell with
it ...better to not make a decision until the perfect house
at the perfect price, in the perfect location, with the
perfect timing arrangements comes along...other than
that we’ll wait and see what happens…
A professional salesperson is only ever focussed on two things when working with buyers...
1. Creating sales activity on listings to stimulate vendor receptiveness
2. Presenting purchase opportunities + persuading buyers to explore these
Here are a few tips for better more co-operative buyer behaviour…

*SELL HOMES NOT PROPERTY/HOUSES
Buyers buy homes and Clients sell houses. Buying a home is based on feelings not price, and salespeople often forget this. Salespeople do not. Home is where the heart is and that is an emotional decision! Buyers will not buy a property they do not feel they can make their home - at any price! This point unlocks an opportunity to establish an empathetic relationship with any buyer.

*FOCUS ON ACTIVITY NOT RESULTS
Create the activity and the results will come. If you show plenty of homes to buyers and provide price driven communication to clients then prices reduce. This in turn opens new markets and creates sales. Quite simple really; focus on activity, which in turn forces reactions, which then generates more sales activity.

*DO NOT INTERROGATE—ACTIVATE
The majority of buyers resent typical qualification - especially the ‘how much do you want to spend question’. Why? Because the price is not nearly as important as home. A salesperson is focused on the emotion of the purchase. Use dialogue that promotes a bridge to how they feel.

*SERVICE NOT SWERVICE
Assume that all buyers are qualified. Who else would take on all this confusion? If you have no success with a buyer other than a few inspections and some price indication then it is a success. Give service without obligation. Make ‘lookers’ feel welcome. This will create goodwill, more listings, easier price reductions and of course sales.

Check out this example dialogue for empathetic control with a buyer…
Salesperson: Good morning Mr. Johnson my name is Mark Dwyer; I understand you are looking to buy a home, Is that right?
Buyer: No, not straight away. We’re just getting a few
address and looking at a few open homes at the
moment. We don’t want to waste your time until
we’re ready to do something.
Salesperson: Well you are most welcome to browse until your hearts content. I’ll bet you’re a bit confused with all the conflicting reports and so much property on the market and no rhyme or reason with the asking prices - I know I am, are you?
Buyer: Yeah, it is a bit hard to work out. How are you finding it?
Salesperson: It is still the real estate market and we are still selling plenty. It is just that so much emphasis is placed on price all of a sudden. It doesn't make sense! I have been selling homes to buyers for years and experience has taught me that finding a home that feels right is the first step and then we worry about price...don’t you think so?
Buyer: Well the prices are falling aren’t they?
Salesperson: No, not really, they are just coming back to reality. What I meant was that no matter how well priced a property is, if you don’t feel at home in the place then you wouldn’t want it at any price really, would you?
Buyer: No, I see what you mean.
Salesperson: So the real issue is finding a place you can call home first. Now getting back to what I said earlier - it is confusing. There are a lot of houses on the market, but as far as you’re concerned very few that might be suitable as a home to you...sound about right?
Buyer: Mmmm...yeah.
Salesperson: Now this is not to say that the market advantages aren’t in your favour, far from it! It just means that in order to take the confusion out of it we have to work out what type of home you are looking for and then find it. Once we do then we’ll worry about the price...OK?
Buyer: Fair enough.
Salesperson: So lets talk about the type of home you are looking for…
Try it you may get a pleasant surprise as buyers become more cooperative!

List n' Sell ;-)

Mark Dwyer

13th of August 2011

A Professional Salesperson will understands that listing the property comes before a focussing on improving the quality of a listing. A large quantity of property listings will always translate to higher sales productivity.

Too much emphasis is given over to price expectation in determining the quality of a listing property ahead of actually obtaining the listing! Worse we even placate ourselves by allowing the loss of a listing due to 'overly optimistic pricing' as acceptable - this is nonsense!

The quality of a listing is determined by the sellers motive. WHAT they are trying to do, WHY they are doing it and WHEN it has to be done by... and the answers to these questions are rarely revealed at the point of listing!

(...when was the last time you asked a seller where they were off to and had them reply, 'bankruptcy court!' without batting an eyelid?)

The motive is revealed over time as a professional relationship is developed and the seller trusts the salesperson and their opinions.

At the point of listing most sellers, although they'll suggest they're realistic, are optimistic on price expectation - they're full of hope!

A salesperson knows that the word 'realistic' is a no-no at a listing presentation. A sales based listing presentation emphasises MARKET VALUE ahead of Comparative Value (the dreaded C.M.A.) to win the listing with no absolute placed on price expectation.

An immediate focus on quality of listings before obtaining a large quantity of listings then becomes costly - how? Consider the sale of 100% of 4 listings against the successful sale of 70% of 12 listings...whilst the list:sell ratio or clearance rate is lower the productivity is twice as good!

I know which statistics I'd rather take to the bank!

Sales Trainer's recognition platform called The Biggest Lister has as its sole intent to direct, assist and support aspiring members to reach DOUBLE FIGURE MONTHLY LISTINGS which effectively takes your real estate sales career to another level. One of the major protocols we teach you in pursuit of reaching double figures is to LIST INDISCRIMINATELY - which effectively means IGNORE price expectation, list the property and then focus on motive.

Ignore the critics who inevitably will accuse you of over-pricing or buying listings. Just go ahead and list quantity, then improve the quality and you'll not only be out-listing but also out-selling your competition. It worked for me listing 12-15 a month and selling ten!
List n' Sell ;-)
Mark Dwyer

4th of June 2011

Great salespeople understand the purpose of prospecting is to locate and more importantly list property everyday!

Real Estate Sales Educators identify dozens of ways to locate sellers most of which if followed result in listings. But at what cost in time, effort, degree of difficulty and money? Some produce better results ratios in numbers listed and then sold than others.

Before embarking on prospecting strategy there are the four considerations that ought to be made on the possible methods to be engaged, I call these...

The 4 Prospecting 4 Tests

1. YIELD
What is the number of contacts necessary or people spoken to that actually result in an Exclusive Listing? Any method that demands high input for low yield will not have longevity and will also be seriously damaging to enthusiasm. Basically low yield means unnecessary work.

2. QUALITY
The percentage of properties sold against those listed using a particular method indicates the quality of listing that method produces. We are obviously biased toward those that produce a high list:sell ratio!

3. COST
How economical is the method? It is easy through laziness to ‘throw money at the problem’ but high costs is low margin and high risk. You want methods that are time efficient and more dollar productive with low cost.

4. EASE
Choose methods that are the easiest to consistently perform and structure process around so that they perpetually produced results. The more cumbersome and complicated a method is the less likely they were to become habitual. Stay away from methods that require you to 'psych yourself up' before utilising them.

Let’s apply these 4 Tests to traditional prospecting methods like...
ο Letterbox Leaflet Dropping
ο Cold Call Telephone Prospecting
ο Random Door Knocking
ο Other Agents Signs

If nothing else the work for reward ratio alone makes these methods unviable and unsustainable for any length of time. Little wonder they rely on the driving force of a manager or owner of the agency to ensure they are visited!

As a salesperson I listed between 12-15 exclusives every month. I achieved this by understanding my singular focus was to find an Active (ready to list) Property Seller daily.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Focus on the high yielding, efficient, economical methods that ultimately produce sales and you will find yourself prospecting habitually and happily!
List n' Sell ;-)
Mark Dwyer

25th of May 2011

The 'IT' Factor?
A tough environment calls for skill knowledge and more importantly the right attitude. As this market continues to tighten the separation of mediocre salespeople from high producing sales professionals is evident as the listings and sales lean to the latter.
Just what is the right stuff? What makes the difference? As a salesperson I eventually had ‘IT’ although I found it difficult to articulate just what that difference was.
In the early 90’s I studied twenty of Australia’s top producers in listings and sales at the time. My research revealed the common denominator between these salespeople that had them producing three to five times more than average regardless of the market condition.
I'd like to explain just what the ‘IT Factor’ is. It could hold the key to getting your productivity escalating while others suffer the effects of a current downturn.

What is IT?
We often hear the phrase bandied around when referring the aptitude of sales or leasing professionals, ‘she/he has got IT’. Early in my real estate career I would hear this and, apart from the desire to have IT, I began to wonder just what IT was.
To begin with, IT is the common denominator of success. Salespeople with IT are highly productive, effortlessly efficient and proudly professional but most of all enjoy their career and the rewards that come with IT.
Those with IT are also sought after by clients and customers, eager to leverage the IT factor to their advantage when selling or leasing property. In fact, buyers and tenants are also attracted to those with IT, cooperatively agreeing to higher prices and better conditions for those they are purchasing or renting from.
Employers of real estate professionals are constantly on the lookout for those who have IT. Investing a great deal of resource and energy in those that potentially have IT and offering attractive employment packages to lure those who already have IT.

So as I am certain you can see whatever IT is – we all want to have it!

Sadly the common belief is that the IT factor is inherent. You are either born a great salesperson or you are destined for mediocrity at best. The truth is once you define and understand the IT factor then you have the power to develop IT for yourself. You will still rely on some fundamental characteristics common to all sales careers but the IT factor is the key to greatness. Yes, you too can have IT!

So What Exactly is IT?
There are a myriad of different attributes held by those who have IT. Over the two years that I spent searching for the common denominator in those that apparently had IT the one characteristic that kept emerging was the ability to effectively communicate. But more importantly was how these salespeople felt about communicating with those they dealt with. I’ll explain.

Don’t Get Emotional – it Affects Your Judgement !
The residential real estate transaction is typically an emotional one and both parties feel the pressure of this. After all home is where the heart is, which is the core of emotion. And when buyers and in particular sellers, feel the emotional duress of the process, their sense of logic eludes them. This largely explains why we often feel our clients fail to listen to reason.
The key to communicating with people under emotional duress is to understand how they are thinking and feeling – through empathy. An empathetic disposition creates a communication conduit between you and your client. Most salespeople know and understand this. The problem is not all salespeople establish this correctly.
The mistake ordinary salespeople make when engaging in empathy is that they begin to emotionally invest in their client’s dilemma. In other words they too begin to feel the emotional pressure of the transaction. I call this the sympathy trap.
Becoming sympathetic to your clients situation can lead to disaster – especially when the clients is selling in adverse circumstances (which is often the case in an oversupplied market!). A sympathetic disposition is one of emotional duress that causes one to stop thinking logically. For a salesperson this can only lead to poor advice and a lack of positive action however unpalatable this may be.

Communicate Effectively Through Empathy.
The difference with the greatest professional salespeople is that they never confuse empathy with sympathy. They keep each separate. This is not to say that they don’t care for their clients because they do and very much. But they understand that their primary role is to fulfill the client’s objective and this is only achieved if they continue to think and communicate logically. Their clients don’t need sympathy they need solutions and action!
So there it is, the IT factor is the ability to employ empathy without sympathy and work toward solid solutions to relieve the pressure of the real estate transaction.
And now you have IT. Work on becoming better at IT and you’ll have of more of IT which will lead to greater success.
Go for IT!

List n' Sell ;-)

Mark Dwyer