Gilda Racelis' blog Did you just say saleswoman conjured up memories of my first week in contract sales.
Before real estate, I had two other careers, teaching and then contract sales. While I agree that real estate is much more than sales, I will also say that any sales professional does all of the things Gilda mentioned, in varying degrees. My ten years in sales prepared me very well for real estate (as did my years in teaching).
In addition to all of the product and negotiation skills we bring to the table, Realtors and salespeople share other experiences and traits. A typical sales professional will maybe not suffer allergic reactions to mold or cat-hair infested houses, but all salespeople carry hand sanitizer or make quick trips to wash their hands after dealing with a client who appears sick.
Maybe other sales professionals do not have to deal with real estate attorneys, but all salespeople deal with "authority" figures, such as sales managers or regional big wigs who don't know as much as they should.
Maybe all sales professionals do not deal with fellow agents' egos, but all salespeople have to deal with competitors' and co-workers' egos.
All sales professionals have to know their product line, understand pricing strategies, be experts in market realities, develop keen negotiation skills, master the legalities of their business, and follow through on details, details, details--as well as paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.
Throughout my years in contract sales, my company required attendance at various sales training seminars. The very first training session for new sales reps emphasized that we had to get over feeling a stigma at being called salespeople. In fact, they made us use the term "sales representative" on our first set of business cards. The theory was, "If you don't sell, you don't eat. Selling, but especially closing the sale, is your goal." I believe every owner for whom I have ever listed a house completely understands that theory.
Learn to anticipate, discover, and then to meet the customer's needs so you can turn that customer into a client--plain and simple. Our clients KNOW that we are more than generic salespeople, but an old-fashioned salesperson "go get 'em" attitude will serve the Realtor well.
A retired salesperson in my church gave me some sage advice when I first started that traveling sales job. "You will get eleven rejections for every one prospect who will even listen to your pitch. Expect that and then be surprised when you do better than that. Sales is all about putting on a smile and seeking out that next prospect." When you think about it, Realtors probably deal with way more than eleven open house visitors and way more than eleven telephone inquiries for every solid prospect we meet, so his advice applies as much to real estate as it did to my traveling sales days.
Sales is tough, and those who succeed in it take care of their clients and build their careers on repeat business and referrals. That, friends, is the art and the science of sales.
Here's to meeting new people and putting on a bright attitude for the new year! Now go out there and make some sales!
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