Don't Believe the Hype. Manipulation Creates Missed Sales Opportunities
In every sales situation there are trigger points that once hit on they allow people to purchase goods and services. When I sold internet marketing products to real estate professionals I was trained to find and hone in on these trigger points.
Old School Sales Skills
1. I Will Give It To You Today And Take It Away From You Tomorrow- You can have this product for this 
price today, but tomorrow it will be a different price.
2. Flattery Will Get You To Buy- I can see you hold such and such designation and you have been in the business for so many years, so certainly you will do well advertising on our website. Why wouldn't clients choose you over the other agents who are advertising?
3. All The Top Real Estate Agents Are Doing It- I have been speaking with Bobby Smith in your area and will be speaking with him again tomorrow. He is very interested in this product. Do you know Bobby Smith, the top producing agent in your area? Yes, well he was impressed with the quality of this product (Shouldn't YOU be?)
4. Exclusivity Is Key- There are only x number of real estate agents we can take in this area. Let me show you where you would appear, it is prime internet property and again, I only have x number of slots (dim lights, open red curtain, hit spotlight button NOW).
5. Your Membership is Paid. Can I Squeeze You for An Upgrade?- Dear valued member, I know your membership has been paid for the year, but don't you think you need this newfangled widget that will make you even more money by producing more leads for you. C'mon, you know you want it....will that be Visa, American Express, or Mastercard....oh wait, I think I have your old card on file.
Guess what? These five simple triggers sold the sale more times than not. Some salespeople were better than others at push marketing goods. Some of the sales talk could have played ball with the best playas out there. Some of the claims were so outlandish that I couldn't even believe the words could escape the mouths of the salespeople...I couldn't believe their mouths allowed them to utter the words.
But they did....and man did they cast and reel.
Can I claim that I did not use any of the five tactics taught to me? No dear readers, I cannot. What I can tell you is that despite the popular saying, sometimes people can change. What I can claim is that I changed my sales tune and though my numbers weren't as high when I did, I still fed my family.
It was like switching to chicken soup for the sales soul.
Sales Training
I learned something very simple. I had a pretty cut and dry product. There were some real estate agents who could benefit from my product. There were a number of real estate agents who didn't NEED my product.
There were other real estate agents who wouldn't take the time to use the tools and so my product would essentially be shelved next to the power point presentation software, sales books and cd's that were collecting dust in their offices.
- I had to find my target market- The agents who would benefit from my product.
- I had to present my product- The elevator pitch and it had to be quick.
- I had to shut up and listen- This involved questions and answers. I had to ask the questions and let them answer. No interrupting, no puffery, no posturing. Just shut up and listen.
At the end of the day and possibly 100 calls dialed I would have many, many no's....a few maybes....and 1 or 2 yes's. BUT the yes's were solid. They could use my product, they would benefit from my product and yes they made the decision to buy my product.
These closed transactions were the sweetest high imaginable....they just felt good 'cause they were right on the money.
ROI
Today with my own business it is even sweeter. How do I find my target market? I research. I network. I blog. I write transparently about myself and my real estate marketing principles. I use keywords and I try to make each topic timely, sometimes timeless, but always USEFUL.
I don't want professionals to be tethered to my concepts, but to develop the concepts to work for THEIR marketing needs. I don't suspect I will ever have many long term clients. Hopefully they will be able to fly free on their own.
That's my goal.
And when people do call me I go back to square one....albeit with a twist.
When Prospects call many tell me they found me online. Many of them have read my real estate marketing blog. They tell me what connected with them, why they resonated with my words, and what made them pick up the phone to call me.
Prospects ask me questions about my services- Do I do xyz? Should they start xyz? How would they do xyz? What do I charge for xyz?
Sometimes we close. Sometimes we wait. It depends on the situation. Sometimes, honestly, they don't really need me. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they have to back up a few steps and start with square one and I refer the business out in the right direction.
I owe my sweet sales to blogging. Blogging has given me the perfect medium to broadcast my value and I am truly grateful. Blogging gives life to my business and Google archives my messages so they are never thrown away like a scroll in the dead sea. Professionals type in words in Google search and come across my blog, my services, and get a window into me.
All Manipulation Free.
Don't Believe the Hype. Manipulation Creates Misses Sales Opportunities
Let's have some fun and break this open. Please share the most recent sales lines used on you...you know, the kind that some playas salspeople use.
If you enjoyed this blog post about sales, you'll want to read:
Normally my children are still sleeping so I can get a cup of coffee or two in, do some laundry, and of course hop on my computer. Then they awake and I find that among their cheers and breakfast wishes someone is missing.
permission for her to bring it home and share. Her computer class was pretty interesting to me. When I took computer class we used floppy disks and took typing tests. Our first home computer was a HUGE deal and it was Texas Instruments so we could play munch man.