Last month’s article discussed how to get your prospect
into the office so that you can conduct the interview properly. Remember we want
to identify what they want, and why, what they need, and why and how much are
they able and willing to pay to satisfy these wants and needs.
All
of the resistance you get to completing a thorough interview is fear based. The
prospect that refuses to answer any questions is afraid you will identify they
really don’t know what they are doing and you will use their lack of knowledge
to take advantage of them. The best way to overcome fear is with information.
What we understand we are less likely to fear.
The secret to getting the prospect to talk to you is to
tell them what you plan to do and then get their permission to do it. If you
say, here is what I want to do, and then ask if that is alright and the prospect
says it is alright then it is alright to do the Interview. It really is just
that easy.
Basically, what I want to tell the prospect I want to do
is, tell them about us, gather some information, show them homes and then let
them go home. However for this to work you must ask in such a way that it
is totally non-threatening to the prospect.
Following is an introduction to the Interview I worked on
for over a year and a half to get it to be totally non-threatening. If you use
this please use it exactly as it is written.
“Todd and Laurie let me explain how we normally show our
homes. We have developed a four step program that gives you as much information
as possible about us and our homes so you can make a more informed
decision." 
"First, I would like to tell you a little about our
company and what we think we have to offer your family.”
"Second, I would like to gather a little information so I
can get an idea of what kind of home you are interested in and how you plan on
enjoying it "
"Next , we will go out to our display center and I will
show you every home we have that fits the information you give me."
"Finally, if we do find a home your are interested in we
can return to the office, and I will gladly give you all the information you
need to take home and consider. How does that sound, OK?
Let’s take this one paragraph at a time.
In the first paragraph put the accent on the word
normally. It gives the impression they have a choice and you are not trying to
force them into anything. As an example as how easy it is to mess this up when I
first wrote this I said it would help them make a more intelligent decision.
Some prospects found this offensive, as though I was saying they couldn’t make
an intelligent decision without my help. So I changed the word intelligent to
informed which says basically the same thing but was no longer offensive.
In the second paragraph you are getting permission to tell
them about your company. I can’t overemphasize the importance of developing a
company story that should be presented before any sales questions are asked.
Let’s back up a little. Whenever I decide to develop a technique to
accomplish anything the first thing that must be decided is what I am trying to
accomplish, what is the goal. Years ago, when asked what the goal of the
Interview was I came up with the following definition. The goal of the Interview
is to accurately identify what is the least I can give the prospect in both home
and lifestyle and still have them ecstatic.
Doing a company story at this point, before asking any
sales questions, you accomplish three things. First, you give the prospect a
chance to relax in your office.
Many years ago I identified that in order for the prospect
to convert themselves from lookers into buyers they had to become
comfortable with four things. They wanted to be assured they were dealing with a
stable company that would be available in the future if needed. They wanted to
be assured you home was a quality product that would give their family trouble
free use. They wanted to be sure you’re financing and prices were flexible
enough to meet their needs. And finally they wanted to be sure you had a service
department willing and able to take care of any problems in a timely manner. So,
the second thing the company story should do is address these concerns as to
what you and your company have to offer in these four areas. The more concerns
and questions you can answer in the company story the more the prospect trusts
you and the more they pay attention in the demo of the home.
The third thing you want to do is have the prospect stop
lying to you and accurately identify their wants, needs and pocketbook
requirements. You must stop being the salesperson they fear and become the
professional housing consultant they are looking for. I can think of no better,
faster, way to accomplish this than to give a well written, well presented
company story.
Now back to the third paragraph in the introduction. This
gets permission to ask your sales questions. Make sure you say, gather
information, not ask questions.
The fourth paragraph must end in - that fits the
information you give me. This tells the prospect that if they don’t tell you the
truth they won’t see the right home.
The final paragraph says if, not when, we find a home you
like we will give you the information you need and let you go home. At this
point you are trying to get permission to do the program not sell the
home.
In the rare instance that the prospect says they just want
to see homes, go back to the answers given in last month’s article on closing up
front.
Next month we will start to cover what and why which
questions should be asked.
Grayson E. Schwepfinger specializes in sales and sales management
training and can be reached for comments or more information at
schwep1@aol.com
or toll free at 888 850 4864.
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