Don't Consult Yourself Right Out Of A Sale
We hear the debate all the time...."I'm not a salesman, I'm a consultant." It's simple semantics. The term "salesman" has become a negative term over the years, I understand, even though I love that title.
To me a professional salesman is someone who sees opportunities to help a client and a service come together. It's not about tricking or forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do. In theory....even the car salesman who is doing his job well is helpful.
Do you normally just go to a car lot if you haven't already determined that you might like to own a Honda, Nissan, Chevy, Ford? I'm sure there are a few who do (like my ex-husband who LOVES cars) but most will not spend their precious free time swatting away car salesman unless they have a goal.
Think about the best experience you've ever had or observed in buying something. Could be a knowledgeable lender who worked into the evening to help a client, or a cell phone customer service rep who spent time on the phone to piece together the right plan...what if that person greeted you on the lot?
It's not the name, it's the attitude.
I recently purchased a car for my son. I noticed that all the business cards had funky new titles: Fleet Value Specialist, New Inventory Manager. I asked one of them what it even meant, they couldn't tell me, guess "sales associate" was a bad idea. The Honda card said "Helpful Honda Associate." Ok...that one was helpful.
That Honda salesman could have had the word "salesman" on his card and I still would have bought the car through him. He had already earned the business by his actions. He was knowledgeable and moved me through the process to the sale and close seamlessly. I wanted the car!! I needed someone to help me move to that point. Certainly, if the price or terms were not good, I wouldn't have bought, but they were and he facilitated it.
We do our clients no favors by allowing them to pass on a great house, deal or offer. We do our job when we recognize the buying signals and help move our clients through the process.
I just handed the keys of a home to a couple who had been "consulted" out of the sale a year before. Thankfully, this home came back on the market due to a relocation. They called me from a blog post (thank you Active Rain) and we went to see the home. We closed last Thursday.
The agent they had the year before gave them lots of information, but never suggested they make an offer, until it was too late. They didn't make that mistake again. They still had his card...sure enough, it said "Real Estate Consultant."
They had been dreaming about this home ever since, and Thursday it became theirs. The other agent had almost consulted them out of their dream home.
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