RECR's Blog: June 2009

I have a confession to make.  I hate to do dishes.  And, I don’t mean that I just don’t like doing them…I freaking HATE to do dishes.  And, up until about 3 months ago, I had no choice but to do them.  By hand.  In the sink. 

Nothing caused more seething hatred within my very soul than scraping dried Sugar-Frosted Cocoa Bombs off of the bottom of a cereal bowl in scalding hot water and caustic grease-removing chemicals surrounded by mountains of plates and silverware and glasses all chortling at me secretly while I fry the outer layers of my skin off.

And, I don’t care how many dish soap commercials you see with those beautiful hand models that make this chore seemingly luxurious and enjoyable, it’s not.  Period. 

So…I did what any consumption-driven, hard working, model American citizen would do…I bought a dishwasher. 

JOY!!  Rapture!!  This thing is awesome!  It is a full-size roll-away style with a countertop and digital controls.  Top of the line.  I love it like a family member at this point.  I’ve had it for 3 months now…and nothing I own gives me more enjoyment than this thing at this point.  Then, a funny thing happened earlier this month. 

I bought a house.  Well, buying the house isn’t the funny part, actually.  The funny part is that inside my new house is a dishwasher – built-in!  I suddenly no longer need my fancy-shmancy dishwasher. 

So, I decided to sell it.  What is even more ironic, I sold it to the agent that I used to buy my house.  It was a perfect fit…she wanted one, I had one.  We both knew each other and obviously had worked together already and trusted one another.  So, as any good sales person would do, I took full advantage of that and offered it to her before attempting to list it anywhere and attempt to sell it to anyone else. 

Now, one could say that I took advantage of the fact that we knew one another and I had inside information about what she wanted.  And, I used that information to get her to buy this dishwasher from me.  And, if one were to say that…one would be exactly right.

See…it’s human nature to take advantage of whatever leverage is given to us in order to achieve a particular goal.  I used what I knew to trip a trigger in her head to get her to buy that dishwasher from me. 

We do it all the time.  I’m guilty of it.  And, if you are honest, so are you!

Whether you want to admit it or not, you are using something to your advantage to get someone to buy from you.  You do it all the time.  Sales people are the kings and queens of taking advantage of the things we call “buying signals” and applying leverage in whatever way we can in order to get a deal done.  You way think that you don’t, but you do.  

I am talking about the fact that we, as salespeople, take advantage of the emotional triggers that every single human uses when making a decision.  There are seven of these triggers in total.  And, regardless of whether or not you have been aware of this list in the past, you are keenly aware of how to use them to your advantage.  These emotional triggers are the very things that everyone uses in order to make a decision.  They include:

The Friendship Trigger – This trigger activates both trust and agreement through bonding on a social level. Essentially, this is the trigger that you apply directly to your sphere of influence.  You use this on your friends, family, close acquantances, etc, that most sales people rely on as their base clientele.  They can also include past clients that you speak with on a regular basis.  The application of this trigger is specifically designed to leverage your friendship with them in the hopes that, when needed, they call upon you because you are friends.  Social networking to build business fits into this category also.

The Authority Trigger – This trigger activates acceptance through expertise.  A perfect example of this is agents that specialize in REO property or in high-end luxury property.  That specific specialization makes them an "authority" and those that need this type of specialized help would instinctively choose them as a result.  Another example of this is the multiple designations that an agent can get and list behind their name in an attempt to seemingly appear to have more authority or training than another agent by comparison.  This trigger is specifically designed to cause someone to choose to work with you because you have the knowledge to be able to help them.

The Consistency Trigger – This trigger motivates potential customers by causing them to recognize consistency with your past actions and repeat contacts.  In other words, this is your follow up skills hard at work.  (As a smart person once said, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the oil.)  You leverage this trigger every time you follow up with a lead or schedule appointments (and keep them!) with potential customers.  You want your potential customers to recognize that you are consistent in your efforts to earn their business and you will be there when they decide to move forward based on your previous attempts to earn their business. 

The Reciprocity Trigger – In short, you give, you receive. This trigger is based on the idea that you use the services and businesses that your clients own or work at and they will do the same for you.  For example, if you use the services of a mechanic locally, when he needs help with buying a home, he contacts you.  This is also the “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” trigger, if you will.  If you have a client that needs a roofer, you know who you will recommend because they are good at what they do…AND you know that person will recommend people that they hear about to you when they need your service or expertise. 

The Contrast Trigger – This trigger is the one that is used any time you do a side-by-side comparison of options to show that one is more attractive than the other.  Any time that you list the pros and cons of given options, you are leveraging this trigger. 

The Reason Why Trigger – This trigger is specifically used to invoke emotional reasons to make decisions.  Buying is an emotional thing. So, we keep coming up with emotional reasons to say yes.  This trigger is based on ‘thinking with your heart’ and not your head.  When your clients see things inside a home you are showing that ‘they just love’, this trigger has been tripped.  Instictivly, you will remember that and remind them of that, if needed, at a later date in order to leverage this memory to assist in a decision.

The Hope Trigger – This trigger is specifically designed to instill positive expectations to help persuade one side of an argument.  In other words, this is the application of positivity.  In order to effectively leverage this trigger, you have to get your client to “see the bright side”, as it were. 

Whether you know it or not, you are using one of these to your advantage to get someone to buy from you.  Chances are, you are using more than one of them at any given time with any one of your potential or current clients.  In fact, in some instances, you have probably used all of them in order to get a deal done.  

If you would like more information on Real Estate Client Referrals, please contact Clint at 800-977-7058.  Or, hit me up on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TheRealClint.

Also, for more information on these seven triggers, you can check out www.seventriggers.com.

Regardless of how often Brokers or Sales Managers say not to do it, there are certain phrases that continually pop up during the course of a presentation/phone call/appointment that simply take a client's confidence and shake it to the very core.  Sometimes even to the point of losing your listing to another agent...losing that big sale...or even driving away an existing customer.

Having said that, I ran across a blog written by Brad Trnavsky, a sales and management blogger and all around guru on the subject (and if you don't believe me, go to his blog at www.salesmanagement20.com), that listed the top 10 things that sales people should never say.  So, I thought I would take that list...and go through it line by line and show you exactly what the client thinks when they hear it come out of your mouth.

"I was just in the area and thought I would stop by..." 
SERIOUSLY????  You mean to tell me that the ‘professional' I just hired to assist me with (insert issue here) has absolutely nothing in the world better to do than to just cruise by my house and ‘drop by' unannounced??  Why did I hire this idgit in the first place??  Why are they here...and how fast can I get rid of them??

"Have you got a minute?"
NO!  In fact, I don't have a minute...or 10...or the 30 that you may plan on taking.  I'm busy...in fact, I can think of 100 things I would rather do with my minute than sit here and discuss this with you right now.  (I think it would be far better for you to actually engage the customer in some meaningful conversation than to just simply give them a way out.  Yes or no questions are simply a way for them to cut you off and bail...thus, slitting your own wrists.  Skip this question and just start your pitch.  If they are really and truly too busy to talk to you, they will let you know.)

"I'll try."
I don't care if you try to do it or not.  What I want to know is...CAN you do it.  If you can, great...do it.  If you can't...tell me.  Don't zoop my head up with a bunch of hopefulness knowing you may not be able to get this done.  I would much rather hear you tell me that you need time in order to determine if this is possible then to give me a sense of false hope.

"I'm really not sure."
You don't know the answer????  Isn't this your job?  Shouldn't you be prepared enough to be able to answer all of my questions when I ask them?  And, if you are not prepared, why am I not important enough to not be worth preparing for????  (Again, I think this would be far better answered by asking for time to determine the correct answer...If you don't know the answer...be honest about it.  But, do it in a way that makes them feel like they are worth taking the time to get it right.)

"It's not my fault..."
Whether you like it or not, it is your fault.  And, the reason it is your fault is because YOU are my only contact with this company that YOU represent.  Therefore, the entire situation is YOUR fault.  In fact, everything that goes wrong with this deal is YOUR fault.  Even if it isn't directly your fault...its YOUR issue to fix.  Why?  Because YOU are the person I speak with with regards to this deal.  That makes it YOUR problem.  (To deal with this, I recommend a sincere apology and an immediate re-direction in your course of action to remedy this problem for your client right away.  And, tell me what you are going to do to fix it.  That way, I gain trust you again.)

"What do I have to do to get you started today?"
OMG!  SLIMY SALESPERSON!  RUN AWAY!  (Any rapport that you have attempted to develop with me at this point has just flown right out the window.  You would have been far better off asking me if I had any other issues or concerns that were stopping me from moving forward.  At least that way, you appear to care about ME rather than the money you will make off of me.  If I have more, address those.  If not, then tell me what the next step is that we need to do to move forward.)

"We are the lowest price in town."
Really.  Is this really how you want to try to compete for my business?  Don't you have anything of any merit better than this??  (It doesn't take much effort to come up with a better presentation than price.  So, apply yourself and go another direction.  Aside from that, if your clients does in deed find a cheaper price for your service - and there is always some snake-oil salesperson willing to do something for less money - then you are a liar...and any trust you have built up to this point is shot.)

"Always" and "Never"
There is an exception to every rule.  But, I surely hope you don't prove this correct for me...because I won't trust you as far as I could throw you afterward.  (Unless you have it in an iron-clad contract that can be upheld in court, avoid using absolute statements like this.  All they are going to do is paint you into a corner if you are caught by the ‘Always-n-Never Snafu'.

"What you need is...."
What I NEED???  Who are you to tell me what I NEED??  What I need is to know what my options (both good and bad ) are and you to back the hell off and let me decide what I want to do...and then help me once I make that choice.  I am the decision maker here.  I will choose my option based on the facts that you presented.  But, by no means are you qualified to tell me what I NEED.  In fact, YOU need to respect that or I will find someone that does.

"Trust me."
The mere fact that you feel the need to say this makes me want to run away screaming.  At this point, I'm starting to wonder why in the world I have listened to you this long in the first place.  I also will probably not trust you in the long run.  And, I'm simply going to assume that anyone that works with you or looks like you is suspect.  (I love what Bob had to say in his blog about this.  "Trust is like love.  It is built over time and the only way one can gain it is to earn it.")

I hope this lists helps those of you that took the time to read it.  I'm certain that you all have things you hear in daily conversations that make your gears grind...and I would love to discuss those with you as well.  So, please feel free to comment on this list...or add to it. 

If you would like to more information about www.recr.com and how we can help you make more money, please contact Clint Miller at 800-977-7058.  Or, follow him on Twitter by going to www.twitter.com/TheRealClint