Example: Say you're a real estate salesperson. The best way to make money in real estate is to have as many listings as possible. If you have more listings than anyone else, you'll sell more houses than anyone else.
Let's establish a few more concepts.
Market data is way more effective than product data. Most RE people will come into your home if you're thinking of selling and basically try to tell you why their RE company is better than anyone else's RE company.
The problem with this approach is that all RE companies are basically equal. They all can put you in the Multiple Listing Service, and they can all advertise you in the local paper, put you online, and do open houses. This more tactical approach is how most RE folks sell; they simply try to show why they can do these same things better than someone else. The other problem with this approach is that when someone is going to sell his or her house, you're now dealing with a snake pit of competitive fighting.
Getting more listings than any competitor and before any competitor can even get you on the scene. One broker learned the strategy in this article and became the number-one top lister in his county by a wide margin.
Step One: You offer "free education on maximizing your real estate assets." This is sent out to homeowners in your area. The promise of the education is as follows (just as an example):
- Learn how to maximize your real estate asset, perhaps the greatest asset most of us will own.
- If you were thinking of selling in the next year or two, learn what you'd better know right now.
- Learn the five biggest mistakes everyone makes with home ownership.
Another Concept: When you try to sell, you break rapport. No one wants to be "sold." But when you "educate," you build rapport. You build respect, trust, and influence—all key ingredients to making a sale.
Back to the meeting with the seller. You get into their home to provide your "free education," and you show them solid data on home ownership—how it is definitely the best investment people can make. As for obtaining this type of information, there has never been an easier time to get information than today. The web enables anyone to get some great data from reliable and quotable sources in a few hours.
The best few hours you will ever spend will be spent taking the time to put together information that helps your customer learn new things and succeed. This strategy has been applied in every industry and situation, from selling boats to selling furniture to selling computer equipment. At howtodoublesales.com, you can receive a superb education on this concept, customized to your particular situation, for only $39—and you don't pay if they can't help you.
But back to the meeting. You show them great data about home ownership, and then you show them how this is the best time to sell and the best time to buy. Why? The market is in flux right now. Prices are still good to sell, but the market is slower, so some folks need to sell faster than others, and that drives prices down. So if you're savvy, you can sell at a good price and find a better value for your money.
Studies also show that when a market drops, it can take years to rebound. So if you're considering selling, you'd better get going already while the market is still semi-strong.
Now, if you are going to sell, there are classic mistakes people make. Right there, you give an excellent "education" on the best ways to sell, including making sure you list with the right RE company. Within that section of your "education," you show them criteria for choosing an RE company that basically fit your company.
Do not pitch yourself during this section. You'll break rapport. If you do a good job, they will ask you about yourself and end up listing with you. One salesperson used this approach and got 43 listings within a six-month period. He was the top lister in his county. Other salespeople had five or six listings, and he had 43.
Another case study: A company that sold to manufacturers put together free education on "the five most dangerous trends facing manufacturers." Prior to using the formula herein, this company had a terrible time getting appointments, and when they did, they were dealing with a lower-level executive who could only say "no." If the lower-level executive wanted to say "yes," he or she had to check with the owner. So the company would go through a six-month sales cycle and often get shut down by the owner who wouldn't take the time to drill down.
When they applied this formula, they were able to get meetings with the owner, who was curious to know "the five most dangerous trends facing manufacturers." They still had to work at it a little, but it was a heck of a lot easier to get those appointments than it was with the previous tactical model, and now when they made the sale, it was at the right level.
There are countless stories like this. A calendar company selling to retail stores put together "education" on how to have a successful retail store and got in left and right. While much of their education had nothing to do with calendars, the education established so much rapport that when they presented why calendars were a good moneymaker per square foot in the fourth quarter, they increased sales by 20%, and it was the first increase they had had in four years.
Take the time to build an education that helps your clients succeed. You'll get in to see your prospects much more easily, and you'll build such a high level of influence and rapport that your sales will go up like a rocket. This dictates that the ultimate method of succeeding is to simply help your customers succeed. And during that process, you can "set the buying criteria in your favor."
About the Author:
Chet Holmes is the CEO of Chet Holmes International, a company that has 65 training products selling in 23 countries. Chet has also had more than 60 of the Fortune 500 as clients and gotten every one of them using this exact strategy. To learn more about dramatically increasing your sales and taking your competition out of the picture entirely, go to howtodoublesales.com.
