Avoiding The Dance!

My previous article dealt with identifying "The Dance" that many agents perform with far too many prospects (suspects?).  Today we'll look at six key points that you can use to avoid wasting your time with people who have little motivation and/or no interest in purchasing a property:

1.  Be Time Conscious - time and who you choose to spend it with are the most valuable
                                    commodity that you have in this business.  Make a conscious
                                    effort to keep in mind how much time you spend with people who
                                    don't pay you.  Hanging out with the agents in your office may be fun,
                                    and even has its place at times, but these people are supposed to be
                                    doing that same thing that you are:  EARNING A LIVING!

2.  Know When You Are Dancing:  When you finish a telephone call and realize that you were
                                     doing most of the talking, you were Dancing.  When you are working
                                     for someone without any form of commitment, you are Dancing.  When
                                     you spend your time sending out packages of information, property
                                     flyers, etc. you are Dancing.  This one may be a hard habit to break.
                                     There are people that, no matter how much service you try to deliver,
                                     will not make a commitment to work with you.  We're always afraid not
                                     to provide the information because we may lose that person to another
                                     agent.  But ask yourself:  am I really working with this person or am I,
                                     like many other agents, rolling the dice in the hope of hitting the jackpot?
                                     Wouldn't your time be better spent working with or looking for a qualified
                                     prospect who wants to work with you.  Treat yourself as a true
                                     professional and you won't allow others to treat you as an order taker.

3.  Take Control of The Call:  Most people have come type of problem that you can address if
                                      you would only ask enough questions!  Find this out as soon as possible
                                      This allows you to control the call and avoid The Dance.  Remember:
                                      You were given two ears and one mouth.  Use them in proportion.

4.  Promote Yourself:  Once you have discovered their problem, let people know you can solve it.
                                 Don't be afraid to promote yourself; it doesn't matter how good you are if
                                 no one knows it.

5.  Get Commitment Early:  The prospect is looking for confidence so they can build trust.  Let the
                                         person know that you can solve their problem, but first they must commit
                                         to working with you.  The opposite of commitment is The Dance.

6.  Continuously Improve Sales Skills:  Success in the real estate business is based on choosing
                                         (not hoping for) the right prospects to work with, returning phone calls
                                         promptly, and referrals.  To stop The Dance, work on continuously
                                         improving your sales skills, learn when and how to ask for referrals and
                                         always return phone calls as quickly as possible.

In conclusion, Ask For The Business!  Don't waste time with those who "want to think it over" and
return phone calls within one hour whenever possible.

Just thought you should know.

Have a profitable day!

Steven