In the interest of disclosure (which we are very fond of in Real Estate business) - I did not invent this concept. I am not sure in which of the umpteen sales training classes I trudged through over the years I actually learned this. I do know that I was reminded of it by John Costigan - (Great guy. Great class. Check him out!) Even he did not claim credit for the technique.
Anyway...the TECHNIQUE that I am referring to is 'being the doctor'. It makes perfect sense in real estate sales. It makes perfect sense in life. In fact, Boz gets really mad at me when he catches me using this technique in our daily lives (unless, of course, it is with our real estate clients. Then he's glad).
Since I got a little teensie bit scolded for my last long post, I am going to have to break up this discussion into a few posts - Throughout, we will compare our own 'sales' technique to that of a doctor:
When was the last time your doctor called you on the phone and said, "I haven't seen you in awhile. Why don't we fit you in for a quick check up today?" IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!.
More likely, you call the receptionist and he or she pauses, checks some schedule and tells you the doctor can't see you for three weeks.
So what do you do? You take the first available appointment and hope your aching arm doesn't fall off before then.
Why is it that we are willing to wait three weeks for that appointment. Or why, more likely, do we resort to begging that receptionist to let us in earlier?
PAIN!!! It's the one thing that motivates us more than most anything else.
- Pain of being overweight makes us exercise.
- Pain of going to jail makes us pay our taxes.
- Pain of being alone makes us work at relationships.
- Pain of dealing with corporate politics made us go into business for ourselves.
- And pain of going back to the corporate world makes us search through blogs for advice on how to make ourselves better.
It's the same thing with our clients...they have a pain that is making them want to buy a new home, sell their old home, relocate. Find the pain. And then maybe they will call you to help fix it.
It's not as simple as that, though. Back to our doctor. You tell him/her you have a pain in your arm. What's the first reaction?
"Oh, a pain in your arm. I'll schedule the amputation for tomorrow. I think I have some time at 2:00."
NOT LIKELY!
First thing the doctor does is ask you MORE questions. Like:
- Where exactly on your arm?
- How bad does it hurt?
- When did you first notice it hurt?
- How long has it hurt?
- Does it hurt all the time or intermittently?
- What have you done to try and fix it?
- What impact is the pain having on your life?
...Same thing in your real estate career. You need to know what is driving the pain. Example:
Buyer says, "I want a bigger yard."
Do you just pull up the MLS and start finding big yards? Of course not. You ask something like,
"Why is a big yard important to you?"
"So my kids can have someplace to play." Could have been horses or dogs or the need for a bocce court - you never know. Don't assume. ASK.
If you are digging deep enough and asking the right questions, you may end up becoming a Trusted Partner. You certainly are the trusted partner of everyone whose PAIN you eliminated by finding them their dream home or selling their previous homes...
When you learn to stop selling and really identify your client's needs, you will be better equipped to be the doctor.
That's when your clients will call you - because they trust that even if they have to wait three weeks for that appointment, you will definitely be able to fix their pain.
That's all for now. More on this tomorrow.
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