Back To Basics - Practice, Practice, Practice!
Well we have all heard the rumors & speculation, witnessed the slow down, observed rising interest rates and many of us realize the writing is definitely on the wall. The Market has shifted and maybe it's time to go back to the basics - Practice, Follow-up and Lead Generation.
Practice, practice, practice. Mastering the art of real estate sales involves many different areas.
- Greeting - the first step and one of the most critical as it is the buyer's initial impression. Practice allows you to become comfortable in welcoming visitors to your community.
- Model Demonstrations -Guiding visitor's through model demos is an art. Understand the features of your homes but limit your discussion to the features buyers are seeking. Learn to ask questions about the suitability of the home. Questions also help to paint the picture of buyers living in the home.
- Site demos visits. The psychology of buying suggests buyers become more involved as we create an engaging experience for the buyers. Viewing and walking the actual site, or home, offers opportunities to visualize sunsets, early mornings or different seasons.
- Identify frequent objections and practice your response. In every community certain objections are frequently mentioned. The surrounding area, size of the backyards. proximity to street, etc. By preparing for these objections you are able to continue moving forward without de-railing the buyers experience.
Follow-up is always important, but especially critical during a shifting market. Thank you notes, maybe considered an old fashion strategy, but the personal touch distinguishes you from other agents. A personalized email, thanking the buyer for visiting your community, begins to establish you as a concerned adviser. Particularly if thought has gone into the email rather than sending a staid over-used template.
Lead generating becomes the personal responsibility of each agent. Especially in new construction sales one may not depend upon walk-in traffic to generate the type of sales needed to reach your goals. Broker events, Lunch and Learn events scheduled with your lender, Flyer drop-offs are tasks which get Realtors in front of people and hopefully more traffic through the door. 
We have enjoyed a spectacular upturn however real estate is cyclical and to survive in a shifting market is the test of a true professional.
