Sales Tip 123: " Tables Turned… Your Turn to Teach”

Have you ever been asked to give a presentation or teach a class for your colleagues? It is known that the best way to learn something is to teach it. So pick a topic you know a little about and ask your manager if you can teach it at the next sales meeting (allowing 2-10 minutes for this topic). The advantages are phenomenal:

• You simply learn better when you teach. As a teacher your take a far more responsible attitude towards learning

• When you teach something you feel good about, you increase the likelihood of living it. Teaching creates a social support system, a social expectation for you to “walk the talk.”

• When you teach what you learn, you promote bonding in the relationship. Every time you have an authentic teaching experience with another person and good comes of it, that new learning experience causes teacher and student to become bonded.

• When you teach something that you are learning, it hones the change and growth process for yourself. It makes change legitimate. You see yourself (and others see you) in a new light; and when you see yourself in a new light you experience more and faster growth.

So go ahead… take a step up and share your good knowledge with those around you.

Sales Tip 122: “Avoid Information Gaps and You’ll Get the Sale”

Don’t let yourself get caught not knowing the following:

• Do I have all the information about  the buyer's needs?

• Do I need information about the customer’s buying procedure?

• Do I need information about the competition including a “No Buy” option?

• Do I need information about potential resistance?

The last question is the most important. Remember that people don’t resist their own ideas…only ideas that someone else is trying to foist on them – ideas that they don’t own. The most successful sales people are the ones that have answers to all of the above questions and successfully gets the prospects to “Own” the idea of buying a new home.

Sales Tip 121: “Testimonials – How to Get Them and Use Them"

• Ask

• Say “thank you” for their testimonial and let them know how much it means to you.

• Community Surveys – send out your own

• Extraordinary customer service – give it

• Make copies of your surveys and have them available for prospects to check out

• Make a Community Fact book about your community and put testimonials in the book

• Leave Community Books out – Leave them in places in model other than in Sales Office for customers to peruse

• If you plan a community event, invite happy homeowners to attend… watch them talk up the neighborhood! Introduce neighbors to each other to create a sense of community

Sales Tip 120: "How to Increase Communication and Follow-Up with Your Customers"

• Alert them to development and construction milestones


• Let your unsettled customer know about upcoming HOA meetings

• Host a “Meet your Neighbor” party and invite them to come and get to know the current homeowners and others who are also building in the community

• Call every week whether you have news or not – people are nervous – keep them in the loop

• E-mail to customers to announce community updates, sales updates, etc.

• Ask your customers weekly for referrals… you never know /things may change at work or with friends and family and know is the chance for their friends/family/co-workers to see if they too, would like to move to your community

• Prospecting – Have a regular direct mail campaign integrated into your marketing plan

• Reach further back into older prospects and contact periodically to see if their status has changed

Sales Tip 119: "How to Tell Buyers from Lookers"

Do a Quick Assessment and Watch for Positive Body Language

• Ask "What are they hoping to Accomplish?"  Good Answer: "We're in the market for a new home and this if the 1st place we've looked."  Bad Answer: "We've been looking on and off for the past 5 years."
• Ask "Does this location fit into your geographic preferences?" Anything other that a "No" is worth pursuing.

Do Not "Sidewalk Qualify"!

• Do not pay more attention to those nicely dressed with flashy jewelry and expensive car.  Chances are they are up to their eyeballs in debt! Rather pay attention to those in grubby jeans ans sneakers.  You never know who manages their money best.  Buy "The Millionaire Next Door " to read!

Do a 5 minute Presentation with everyone

Look for Family and Friends that tag along- people like to have the support of others

Sales Tip 118: "Tackling the Customer Stall"

There are times when a customer may sound interested, but postpones making a buying decision by saying something like this:


• "Things are a little crazy right now. I'd like to hold off on my decision for a while"

• "Sounds good, but it's too early in the searching process to make a decision"

When a customer seems reluctant to move ahead, probe to find out why by saying something like this:

• "Can you tell me what your hesitation is?”

• "What needs to happen before you'll be ready to make a purchasing decision?”

If the customer is willing to move forward but at a slower pace, you can propose a lesser commitment than what your originally proposed. Try to get the best commitment the customer is willing to make that day!