Selling More Homes Media speaks with Roger Fiehn, Roger Fiehn & Associates, Inc.

If the housing industry were to appoint and Official Sage - a ‘Salesperson Laureate’ if you will, Roger Fiehn would make the short list of nominees.  Roger’s credentials include designations as a “Fellow” of the Institute of Residential Marketing, Certified Marketing Specialist, Master New Home Sales Professional, Certified Professional Sales Trainer, Member of AMA, and awards recipient as NAHB National Sales Manager of the Year, National Sales Person of the Year, National Marketing Director  of the Year… Well, you get the idea.  When Roger speaks, it’s a good idea to pay attention.

As the housing industry licks its wounds and prepares for the inevitable recover, Roger makes this observation:

“When markets get tough there are always a few salespeople that stay on top of their game and continue to outsell their competition. They cash in when weaker salespeople drop out.”

What makes the difference?  How do these salespeople maintain their momentum when the market around them is stalled?  More importantly, how can you join them as a sales leader?  Roger Fiehn has identified five success habits that top salespeople all embrace.  Listen, learn and apply these 5 fundamentals to increase your sales now.

1.  Commitment to Success.
“This is what separates the winners from the whiners.  Winners actually anticipate problems in the market; they don’t wait for the market to crater.  They are proactive.

We salespeople are the front line.  We are the builder or the realtor in the eyes or the consumer, and we can judge whether the market is expanding or contracting by the  conversations we have with our buyers.  When we see that the market is softening, we can go to our builder or Realtor and say ‘here’s what we might want to do to get that property moved.’  So, keeping your builder informed of changes, both good and bad, is one of the first obligations we have.

Also, ignore the media.  Misery is what sells newscasts, not homes.  And, along with that, don’t associate with negative people.  Stay away from them.  Attitude is a given in this business.  If you don’t have a good attitude, then you’d better get out of the business;  it will eat you alive.”

2.  Know Your Competition’s Strengths and Weaknesses… Any Your Own.
“First of all, you’d better know your own product backwards and forwards.  You need to know all the specifications of your product.  You need to know your unique selling proposition.  But, equally important is to know your competition’s product as well as you know your own.

One thing you can do is check to make sure that your unique advantages are really unique in the marketplace compared to your top three competitors.  The best way to do that is to have them mystery shopped and see how they’re positioning their product to buyers when they find out the buyer is considering one of your homes.

Given that intelligence, you’ll be able to make sure that your that your unique selling propositions are really correct, and also find out what they’re saying about you.  If they are trying to discredit you, that’s a sure sign of a weak sales operation.  You need to know that and you need to know how they are trying to discredit you so that you can address it in a way that sows seeds of doubt about that competitor.”

Fiehn also recommends having a third party service conduct surveys of your customers as well as those that bought from your competitors.  “Find out where their Achille’s Heel is.  I’ll give you a hint: 90% of the time it’s in service after the sale.”

3.  Slow Down and Get to Know Your Buyer.
“Get to know your buyer on a personal level before you even attempt to launch into any kind of a presentation on anything.  Understand that today’s buyer is very knowledgeable coming in to the sales situation and they can see a hard-sell salesperson coming a mile away.

The first thing you have to do when they walk into your model is not glad-hand them.  They do not want to shake your hand at that point in time.  You have to earn the right to invade their space.  The best way to do that is to welcome them sincerely and make a positive personal comment about something you have observed or that you know about them.

Then, get them off their feet.  Try to negate that ‘fight or flight‘ instinct that comes up in every sales situation.  Be the perfect host.  Before you even introduce yourself, offer them some refreshments.  All of a sudden, you’re a person and you’re interested, not in their money, but in showing them hospitality, and that’s the industry we’re actually in.”

4.  Show Them What They Want and Need.
“I have a running battle with builders and marketing managers who say, ‘Okay, we have these 10 things every salesperson has to demonstrate to everyone that comes into the office.’  Prospects don’t care about those ten things.  They are only interested in the two or three things that they want information on that will help them make a knowledgeable decision as to whether to buy your product!

There are ways you can work a demo in on those ten things, but don’t make a big deal about those things because that will alienate the buyer.  It’s called ‘information overload.’  It could cause them to re-think those two or three things that they did want information on.

And, at the end of the day, there is a phrase that we all hear if we really messed up:  ‘We’re going to have to think it over.’  ‘Think it over’ means that I messed up.  I did not listen, I did not shut up, and I did not give them the information that they wanted.

Instead, we want to make sure that we’ve used the Six Questions of Clear Communication -  who, what, when, where, why, and how - and determined all that information during discovery before we even attempt to talk to them about our property.  This is how and where you learn about your buyer and how to answer their questions.

Also, don’t camp out in the model.  I’ve known salespeople who go into a full demonstration on the model home.  Well, unless the model’s for sale, why bother?  Get them out into a spec home or your existing inventory or on a lot - something they can buy.  We’re in the sales business, not the entertainment business.”

5.  Believe They Are Going To Buy From You Today.
“The message you should be delivering is that because of your knowledge and they way that you’re going to help them make a knowledgeable decision today, you expect them to buy today.

Every time you say something, it should end with the word ‘today.’  All professional salespeople will tell you that the Assumptive Close is the best possible close there is because it works - if you’ve done everything that we’ve talked about in the previous success habits - because they’re ready, you’re ready and it’s a given.  And, when you start seeing buying signals, STOP SELLING!  Be ready to write the deal right there, onsite.

Finally, the ‘big gun’ on Success Habit #5 is to follow up appropriately.  Buyers will tell you how they wish to be followed up with - the method and the frequency.

The main thing is to keep them excited.  Make sure that you send them weekly reports.  Listen to what their concerns are, and then give them ‘concierge level’ service, anticipating their needs.  Wow them with your knowledge and your commitment to them.  Address problems head on, and solve them.  By doing this you are earning the right to endless referrals.

As an example, I sold my first home back in 1972 to a young couple who were recently married.  Subsequently, I have sold that same couple 9 more homes, their children 11 homes, and their family referrals 26 homes - all from that first sale.  We’re in the long-term networking business here, and you build it one step at a time by giving concierge level service and knowing what you’re doing.”

Roger turned one sale into 47 by committing himself to gaining and applying the knowledge required to become a true service professional.  He feels this is something that every one of us can and should strive for.  “This is an exciting profession,” says Roger, “absolutely one of the best professions you can get into.  You don’t have to have a degree.  You do have to have an ounce of common sense, a lot of empathy and be willing to work hard for your buyers.  But it will pay off and give you life long dividends.”

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Contact Roger Fiehn through his website, www.rfiehn.com

Listen to the live interview at: http://builderradio.com/blog/?p=1081