DOWN, SET, ...huh?

By Kimberly D. Mackey, MCSP, CMP, Realtor®

As any good football widow knows, it is football season again. And, since every good sales trainer needs a sports analogy-here’s mine: Imagine you are the quarter back. You have driven your team down the field, and now it’s 1st and goal to go. You huddle with your team, line-up... "Down, Set..." The center snaps the ball; you catch it and then just sit down on it and wait to see what happens next. Chaos is what happens next! No one knows what to do, players are going off in all directions and you, as the QB, get sacked! Fans start BOOing... Even a self-professed football widow knows that this is NOT GOOD.

You ask, "OK, but what exactly does this have to do with me or with sales for that matter?" As you realize, you are the QB on this Team and any time you have a sales encounter with prospective buyers you are "driving the process" down the field.

• THE HUDDLE: This is the Meet & Greet/Discovery/Qualification stage. The part where you establish the relationship with the buyers, and uncover their needs and wants, and even how they are going to pay for it. As the QB in this relationship, after you have listened and learned from the prospects, it is your job to determine the PLAY that will be run. This is your opportunity to make recommendations to your prospects regarding product, financing, and other options available to them.
• THE DRIVE: Now is where you run the play(s), making your initial presentation, fine tuning as your buyers reveal more and more of their wants and needs. You overcome objections and listen intently so that you are able to make the right recommendations to satisfy their needs. You move further down the field, toward the goal line. If you are doing your job right, you have gone not just for the 1st down, but are going for the TOUCH DOWN (CLOSE) multiple times. Some of them may be "Hail Mary’s", perhaps even a field goal attempt or two, but the point is you know you have found THE solution for your buyers and keep working with them until they are as certain of it as you.
• 1st & GOAL TO GO: You are in the RED ZONE! The scenario we discussed above plays out; you sit on the ball. WHY on earth would anyone do that, you say???? It happens every day. Example: Mr. & Mrs. Buyer say something like, "Super Sales Person, we have really enjoyed our time with you and we agree that you have the solution to our situation, but we really are not the kind of people to move quickly into this kind of decision. We need to think about it." Dejected, you wish them well and ask them to call you once they have made their decision. Sound familiar?

If you had a PLAY BOOK, this scenario should have looked something like:

• Rather than letting the buyer call you, schedule the next appointment with the buyer BEFORE they leave.
• Immediately send a hand written, personalized thank you note referencing something you learned about them, something that is important to them. Do this even if you set the appointment for the next morning.
• A personalized appointment reminder should go out both via e-mail and phone, letting your buyer know how much you are looking forward to your upcoming appointment and how you have set aside that time especially for them. If you have done any research on their behalf, be sure to reference that you are looking forward to sharing the results with them at this appointment. Request a confirmation that this time still works for them as you are also scheduling time with other buyers and want to make sure that each gets your undivided attention.
• ...And, on and on until you get the TOUCHDOWN, the WIN/WIN!

The point is to HAVE and USE A PLAY BOOK. The days of buyers lining up for a lottery to purchase your homes are gone. Having an extensive follow-up system allows you to stay in the game, because the prospects you see today are the buyers of tomorrow. The question is, are they your buyers or someone else’s?

*Kimberly Mackey, MCSP, CMP, Realtor® is the founder of Creative Sales Solutions. A company dedicated to providing the Sales and Leadership Solutions You Need Right Now. For contact information and for a free subscription to SOLUTIONS E-newsletter, please visit www.creativesalesnow.com.

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My Bad...I thought this article had pretty much run the circuit, but in talking to many of you this past week, I discovered that a lot of you who were not familiar with this VALUABLE INFORMATION as a selling tool. So, here you go (pay careful attention to the table):

Read the Full Story At:

Time Magazine Article, February 2008

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You can always find resources and articles you can use by visiting our new "Positive Press" page on our website: http://www.creativesalesnow.com/positive-press.php

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I would like to issue a big shout out to blogger, "Jonathan Doe". Thanks for the plug! If you would like to check out Jonathan’s blog, click here: http://tbbblog.wordpress.com/

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