Best Sales Closes in Real Estate Archives - Wade Webb Real Estate Coaching

Selling Without Being A Salesperson

Wade Webb on April 6, 2022

Sales is a four-letter word— how often as a Realtor© have you felt that? There is scarcely a culture in the world that doesn’t regard the idea of selling as a little icky. But in truth, we are all practicing that four-letter word—in every area of our lives. Leaders are selling their ideas to the board, their staff and the community. Employees are selling their skills and knowledge to their employers. Parents are selling broccoli and bedtime to their kids. And if you’re looking for a significant other—admit it—you are selling your attributes and personality to that special someone.

So, why the “ick” factor? Bad salespeople. Many of our issues with sales stem from our experiences with pushy, even aggressive salespeople, and often we end up relenting just to get out of the conversation. This kind of selling used to be effective. It was a one-and-done model that led with a lot of smooth talk and rarely resulted in repeat business. But in an age of hyper-connectivity and relational selling, that model starts to come undone. Try to get away with icky sales tricks and be prepared to have your reputation exposed—and commented on, shared, and warned against.

What if we think more broadly about the concept of selling and instead consider engagement, influence and even persuasiveness—a useful, and slime-free, skill? In fact, it is often this soft skill that determines our capacity to succeed. Almost universally, though, it is underdeveloped in otherwise brilliant people and acts as a handbrake on both their careers and their ability to engage others with their ideas. So what do we need to do to prevent the death of our essential inner salesperson?

1. With all due respect to Simon Sinek, start with who not why. Your why is obviously an important motivator. But your why is not necessarily my why, and yet so many people try to persuade others to join their cause or buy their product or service from a position of how good they are. A better approach is to begin with an environmental assessment. Start the conversation where they are, with what they believe or wish to achieve.

2. Selling is a listening skill. You have two rows of teeth and one tongue, so learn to bite down. People will actually tell you how to influence them—by telling you who they are and what they want the world to know them as. Selling is a process of values and identity alignment, so let the other person do the talking and you might be surprised how persuasive your silence can be.

3. Be easy to agree with. It’s extraordinary how often we lose a sale, an argument or even workplace engagement simply because we’re difficult to agree with. Many times, people will remain unconvinced, not because your argument is flawed, but because they just don’t want you to win. So consider not just the points you are making, but also the barriers you are building between yourself, your audience and the agreement. Our capacity to sell—or engage, influence or persuade—defines our success in our business lives, our personal relationships and even our own self-awareness and effectiveness. But in order to drive the results we really want, we need to flip previous models on their heads and instead learn to sell in reverse.

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Finish Your Real Estate Year Strong

Wade Webb on October 27, 2021

2021 for many of us, has been a good, bad or very different year in the real estate business, including myself. Many of you might not have heard a starting gun, but make no mistake about it… The race has begun. You’re in an all-out sprint to end the year. That’s how I’d encourage you to look at the time remaining in 2021. Whether you’re still making up for lost time or you’re striving to establish new personal bests, now is not the time to take your foot off the pedal.

It’s time to finish 2021 strong in your real estate business.

Let me share some tips to keep you motivated… A new quarter is always a good opportunity to revisit your goals and establish some new commitments and promises to yourself. Maybe it’s one discipline you need to practice every day from now until 2022… Maybe it’s closing strong on the behaviors necessary to reach your 2021 goal… Whatever the case, it’s time to make some commitments and promises to yourself:

How many appointments will you book?

How many listings will you take?

How many closings?

How much revenue?

What about savings goals and money set aside for taxes?

It doesn’t have to be all about the bottom line, either.

So answer these questions:

What books do you need to read? Here are my recent recommendations.

What topics do you need to learn about?

What events will you attend?

What people do you need to know or follow?

Make Your Promises Public and hold yourself accountable to your promises to yourself. Once you’ve answered these questions, do not stick them away in a drawer. Do the opposite… Make it public information. Get them “up and visual” in front of you and your tribe. Track your numbers and measure your progress every day. The more emphasis you put on the numbers, the more you’ll follow through on the actions to achieve them. Remember, how you finish 2021 will also determine how you start 2022. Come January 1, will you be starting from a standstill, or will you be flying into the new year full of momentum? The harder you run in this sprint to the finish line, the better position you’re going to be in once 2022 arrives.

Which begs a few more questions you need to answer now:

When will you create your 2022 business plan? Reserve time on your calendar today!

Where people, processes or services do you need to expand your business to achieve your 2022 goals?

What resources do you need to achieve your 2022 goals? Is it time to start growing your team?

Take a Look at the Bigger Picture. Right now is also a good time to look beyond your business and check in on the equities of your life:

Health

Relationships

Spiritual

Wealth

Contribution

Friendships

Wisdom & Learning

You might want to make a chart or simply ask yourself if you’re trending in the right or wrong direction in these categories. What do you need to work on to achieve better balance? You’ve Come A Long Way. Don’t Stop Now.

In closing, let me remind you how far you’ve come so far in 2021. Everything that’s been thrown at you, and you’re still standing. The strength is within you to persevere. I hope the questions I posed above provide the motivation to keep pursuing your goals throughout 2021. Don’t take your eyes off the prize. Keep going and make it happen!

Strength and courage,
Wade

The 2021 Final Quarter Push for Realtors©

Wade Webb on September 1, 2021

I don’t know about you but the first part of the year and my summer seemed to just fly by and I cannot believe it is September 2021 already. We are beginning the last quarter of the year and there are only two outcomes for us Realtors©. Will you finish in the red, or finish in the black? Will you finish strong or will you miss your targets and goals? Winning near the end of a game, final quarter or the year is a trait of all the best sales people I’ve ever met. Closing out strong is primarily the effect of a consistent quarter, there are still a handful of things you can do to strike off checkboxes in the win column to finish 2021 strong.

1. Be Active – There’s no substitute for being pleasantly persistent and respectfully blunt. Get out there and be straightforward. Taking action and getting after it is a choice and work on the high quality leads and not the low quality leads. Ask yourself “If you were me, would you forecast this listing or buyer prospect to buy or sell this month or in the next 90 days?” Remember, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Being direct will help you get real with your buying and selling customers and align yourself with the true sales cycle. It might also enable you to pull out a quick win.

2. Be Relational – For more than two decades now I have heard from thousands of top producing agents and almost 60% of their business comes from repeat and referral business. Focusing first on the people we already know, like and trust is working effectively and efficiently in this business. If you don’t have enough people that know, like and trust you then get out there and “S.T.P. – See The People” If you have a list of relationships in place that have not “felt the love” then get out there and see them and find ways to add value to them. Give them a call, email, text, handwritten note, small gift or even a coffee and just watch and see what happens with your last quarter.

3. Be Face to Face – Sales is a contact sport and we need to be belly to belly. Anyone of us making a large buying decision needs to know the person we deal with is someone we like and can trust. The only way we can sense if we like or trust someone is meeting them in person. Commit to the final quarter on sales activities that are primarily face to face and belly to belly activities like Open house, door to door, kiosk, networking, office duty, coffee, lunch, pop by, volunteer, client appreciation event or convention. This is a relationships business so get out there to create and deepen those relationships.

4. Stack-Rank Your Leads – We will never be able to manufacture more time, but we can manufacture more focus. I recommend looking at your pipeline and grading each opportunity on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being “highly closeable by the end of the quarter.” Then, focus your closing efforts on the 3’s and 4’s ONLY. You don’t have time to waste. If you don’t have enough 3 and 4 prospects in the funnel then take action and increase your marketing plan and daily prospecting, lead generation with planned marketing, activities that bring the level 3 and 4 prospects into your pipeline to finish 2021 strong.

5. Purge Your People – Almost every sales pro has them. They’re those big opportunities in the pipeline you’ve been working for months. The one deal that constantly disrupts your focus or the need to take action. The buyer or seller who is the time and energy vampire but you let them suck the life out of you because you don’t have anyone else to work with. Every time you think about punting them, you get a glimmer of hope from them. It’s time……Remove them!! They don’t deserve to be on your radar right now. Coming clean with yourself will open new vistas and invigorate you to add more productive opportunities to your pipeline.

6. Start Planning for 2022 – How much revenue do you plan to book in Q1 2022? Exactly how many new deals do you need to earn that amount? Knowing exactly what you plan to earn acts like a magnet to attract business your way. Having this exact number also allows you to project your required activities into month one of the new quarter. If you’re accurately measuring your deal metrics, you’ll be able to predict with some certainty how many calls, emails, appointments, presentations or opportunities you’ll need to make it rain. Ask for a review by management. Knowing your numbers is one thing, but to positively affect the business, it’s equally vital to understand your “why”, purpose and goals and have someone hold you accountable to them.

Bonus Tips: What NOT to Do in the last Quarter Of 2021

1. Don’t Work With Any Clients Just to Make your Numbers – Any client outside of your ideal customer profile will complicate servicing, produce a higher likelihood of churn or failure, and ultimately cost you more time and resources than it will be worth. Instead, focus on filling the pipeline with high quality leads for next quarter. It’s never too early to start filling the funnel.

2. Never Give Away More Than You Should – It’s just not worth it. You only have one reputation for your brand and offering, treat it respectfully. Concessions can quickly become a crutch that hides other issues. Sell on value, not on price. Don’t cut your commissions, offer cash backs or any other silly incentives just to get something before the year is done.

The key to closing out your quarter strong is to keep up the momentum that got you to where you are now. If you’re struggling to meet your numbers, it’s a time to embrace new sales insights and start building effective rhythm. Take the last minute shots on goal listed above, but remember to always be thinking about the bigger picture: Your reputation is the product of your past actions. Sales that allow you to produce predictable revenue are the future. Finish the last quarter and your year strong. I dare you!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

The Art Of “The Close” In Real Estate

kelowna on October 21, 2015

One of the most important skills of sales in real estate is “The Close” It is about the actions you take to gain the agreement of the sale. My favorite line as a real estate coach has always been the line “they couldn’t close a jar of mayonnaise.”

There are many different closing techniques in sales, which are certain steps salespeople take to persuade the customer to make the necessary commitment. Closing should be easy and natural. Before the close you should probe with questions to uncover their challenges and fears to know what solutions you can offer. Here are some of the classic and best sales closes to take your skills to another level.

List of the Best Sales Closes in Real Estate

Affordable Close. Ensure people can afford what you are selling: “We’ve talked about the cost-benefit ratio, so let’s go ahead with the paperwork..”
1-2-3 Close. Close with the principle of three: “It comes in green, red, or black; which one would you like?”
Alternative Choice Close. Offer a limited set of choices: “Would you like the stand-alone model or the built-in system?”
Assumptive Close. Act as if the client is ready to decide: “I take it we can go ahead now?”
Balance-Sheet Close. Add up the pros and the cons: “We’ve weighed the pros and cons, and this will definitely improve your bottom line—when do you want it installed?”
Best-Time Close. Emphasize that now is the best time to buy: “This is an excellent time to use this system, so let’s get started with the paperwork.”
Bonus Close. Offer an incentive to clinch the deal: “And if you purchase today, you also get the additional guarantee; here are the forms.”
Middle Close. Make three offers—with the target in the middle: “We’ve got three choices—the larger one is most likely too much for your needs, and the smaller one doesn’t give you everything you asked for; the middle one, however, is exactly the right solution, so let’s go ahead with the paperwork.”
Calendar Close. Put it in the diary: “Okay we can get this installed early next week.”
Companion Close. Sell to the person with the client: “I know you’ve been paying close attention to the conversation; if you agree this is the right solution we can get the paperwork started today.”
Compliment Close. Flatter the client into submission: “I like the way you think and this seems the best solution for your needs; let’s get the paperwork handled.”
Concession Close. Give the client a concession in exchange for the close: “I really think this will work best for you, and we can reduce the delivery cost by 20 percent by putting the order in today.”
Conditional Close. Link closure to resolving objections: “It looks like we resolved all the issues you talked about; shall we get the paperwork handled now?”
Demonstration Close. Show the client the goods: “I’d like to show you how this works and then if you like it, we can go ahead with the agreement.”
Economic Close. Help the client pay less for your product or service: “I think if we put this order through today, we can still get the discounted rate.”
Emotion Close. Trigger identified emotions: “Sounds like this is something that will really help everyone feel more secure. Let’s go ahead with the paperwork.”
Golden Bridge Close. Make the only option attractive: “Everyone who has this system agrees with your analysis; it’s the best on the market. All we have to do is complete this form.”
Humor Close. Relax the client with humor: “I think you’ve come up with more benefits for the product than I have. Shall we go ahead and complete the paperwork?”
Hurry Close. Go fast to stop the client from thinking too much: “Looks like we’ve covered everything you need; all we have to do now is decide on delivery dates.”
No-Hassle Close. Make it as easy as possible: “We’ve done the hard part—making the decision; now all we have to do is complete the paperwork.”
Now-or-Never Close. Hurry things up: “We only have a few more in stock, so let’s get the paperwork started.”
Ownership Close. Act as if the client owns what you are selling: “When you take delivery, you’ll wonder how you survived without it.”
Quality Close. Sell on quality, not on price: “Everyone who has purchased this system says it’s the very best on the market.”
Repetition Close. Repeat a closing action several times: “To summarize, you’ve agreed on the style, the size, and the color, so let’s handle the paperwork.”
Retrial Close. Go back to square one: “I know you said you’re first objective was productivity and we agreed it will increase by up to 250 percent with this product, so let’s set some key installation dates.”
Selective-Deafness Close. Respond only to what youwant to hear: “From what I hear you saying, you want this delivered as soon as possible; how does next week sound?”
Standing-Room-Only Close. Show how others are queuing up to buy: “It’s been a real winner so let’s get you on the delivery schedule as soon as possible.”
Summary Close. Describe all the extras the client is going to receive: “With this you will also receive guarantees, warranties, and free installation; here’s the agreement we need to complete.”
Testimonial Close. Use a happy customer to convince the new customer: “You can talk to anyone in the industry and they’ll tell you it’s amazing. The only question left is deciding on a delivery date.”
Trial Close. See if the client is ready for a close:. “If we can guarantee all the figures we discussed, are you ready to go ahead today?”
Ultimatum Close. Show negative consequences of not buying: “I’d hate to see you miss this opportunity; shall we just get the agreement covered?”
Yes-Set Close. Get the client saying “yes” and the client will keep saying “yes”: “I know you said yes to the benefits and yes to the solution; all we need now is a yes on the terms.”

As you can see, the list of closing techniques is almost endless, and all it really takes is for you to ask for the order. Go into the call expecting to close on something. Commit the client to do something, to take some action.

There’s a saying that you sell on the tangibles and you close on the intangibles. In other words, when it comes to the close, if you have helped the customers feel they can trust you, if you have asked the right questions, then the only way to go is to buy from you. So use the oldies and goodies in terms of closing techniques and then remember when you sell from your heart, you are not really closing the sale, you are opening an amazing solution for your client.

Strength and Courage,

Wade

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