This week we are looking at the timeless fundamentals of real estate sales professionals and their ability to be able to create trust, likability and connection with others. One of the single most important skills to have in our industry and yet very difficult for so many to be able to perform effectively. These are four of my favorite strategies I love to share with agents I coach and equip them with the knowledge, confidence and skills to be able to create trust within minutes with others:
1. Safe Island – this Floyd Wickman classic technique is the beginning to all meetings with people for their very first time. The anxiety, fear and uncertainty of meeting someone for the first time always feels strange and awkward for them and for us. Everyone loves to know what is going to happen, what is going to be talked about and how things will play out before it actually does. It is a simple way to calm the room and the meeting by taking them out on a “safe island”
“Mr. and Mrs. Buyer, before we discuss the details of buying a home. I’d like to take some time to tell you how I work and the services my company ABC REALTY offer to help bring about a satisfactory purchase. May I do that? Thank you. The first thing we learn at ABC REALTY is if I have to show you more than a few homes physically, I am probably not doing my job properly and as a result I am wasting your time. So to help us find the right home, at the right price, in the shortest period of time I want to share a simple process with you.
Here is how it works.
Step One: I will ask you a series of questions to help me determine your needs and wants. Taking the time to listen to your responses will give me a better insight of what you really want in a home.
Step Two: Is our One Stop Shopping service. You see right here in our office we have every listing available in the Central Okanagan area. We are going to look at all the houses listed for sale. Not physically, but by the process of elimination. The reason for that is if we find you a home today you won’t have to procrastinate wondering if there is another home out there for you. We have eliminated all other possibilities. How does that sound?
Step Three: When we find the home you feel good about and before I ask you to make a decision. I will give you an estimate of all your costs. It is important you know exactly what you will need to purchase your home.
Step Four: We at ABC REALTY have developed a plan to professionally supervise each step in the buying process. We will handle the entire sale for you from the beginning to the end. Absolutely nothing will be left to chance.
Step Five: I subscribe all my clients to an after sale follow up service. For years after the sale, I will regularly contact my clients like yourself, to handle any needs you might have regarding real estate in the future. I’m sure you’d want and expect this kind of service from the Realtor and Company you choose to represent you, wouldn’t you?”
2. F.O.R.D. – Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams These questions work well because they stimulate the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS works as a filter, screening out information that is not of value to you right now and letting through anything that is important. When you ask someone to focus on a goal or an image (as these questions do), the person puts themselves in that place mentally. Awareness around this goal or image is heightened and the RAS lets in more information around the topic. The discovery process allows you to discover connections with them and yourself and makes them feel like they are heard and you truly care about them and who they are. This is a great technique for those of us that just don’t enjoy small talk and don’t know what to say to someone when we first meet them and needing to break the awkward silence.
3. Diamond Salesmanship – The classic Dale Carnegie technique that again builds trust, likability and comfort with the agent. Carnegie reminds us of the power of these 4 simple strategies.
A. Names – use people’s names a lot. They like to hear their names and make them feel important and heard and feel like we are present with them.
B. Smile, Pay a Compliment – It actually takes more muscles to frown than to smile and who doesn’t want a smile? The lost art of sincerely paying someone a compliment is a real game changer indeed.
C. Visuals – The biggest habit for most agents is "telling" vs. "show and selling". Half of us are visual and half of us auditory so the most powerful tool is a blank note pad and pen while you are meeting.
D. Tone, Voice Inflection, Eye Contact, Body Language – 86% of effective communication is non verbal which is voice tone, inflection. Eye contact and body language makes all the difference.
4. Mirroring – The Larry King, Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfry had a secret weapon of being able to get their guest to open right up and share with everyone on national television their deeper story. Being able to repeat what someone is saying and adding a word or two so you don’t mimic. Physically mirroring their body language like when they cross their legs, you cross your legs and then fold your arms. The art is in the Plus 1 and adding the few words or the extra physical movement so they feel you are mirroring them and not mimicking them is key with this one. Amazing how they just relax and open up and share more than you sometimes want to know.
So there you have some of my personal favorite strategies of being able to build instant trust with someone and getting them to feel comfortable sooner than later when you work to truly make the first impression on them. Feel free to share in the comments below what are some of your best strategies too.
Strength and courage,
Wade
