Feature Layer One: Shallow Rep: “Tell me more about your needs. What are you hoping to accomplish with this purchase? Prospect: “We just need to get some help finding some property. We’ve have investors and it is time to start moving on this.” Layer Two: Deeper Rep: “Typically, there’s a conversation, which happens internally with those investors, that leads to our talking. Could you tell me more about that?” Prospect: “My investors are frustrated that we have not found the right piece of property yet, they think it is taking too long.” Layer Three: Deeper Yet Rep: “And that time amounts to how much? A ballpark is fine.” Prospect: “I would have to say we have been looking for 8 months” Layer Four: Deep Rep: “This has been going on for 8 months and you’re only speaking to me now? Why didn’t we talk 4 or 5 months ago?” Prospect: “We felt like we could handle this search ourselves but apparently not, we need to change the approach.” Too many realtors would stop after the first answer. It sounds good, might be enough. But is it really? In our example, think about how much more we might know after all 4 questions have been asked. Some factors, however, make this line of questioning tough for the average sales person: 1.
The prospect says “What can you do?” or “Tell me how you would help me with ____.”
2.
The prospect seems very familiar with our space, and as reps, we think that it’s time to impress them with our knowledge.
3.
The prospect cuts to the chase to let you know that they’re talking to your competition.
4.
The prospect is a difficult person with whom to bond or develop any relationship.
Of course, you’re not limited to 4 layers. You should go as deep and wide as you can with your questioning so that you can really understand why the prospect might need your help. As you go through this process with your prospects, they’ll see you differently, understanding why they should buy “you”, and they will! I probably write more about questioning and listening skills than anything else – for good reason. Time and again I’m either asked to help with these skills or while working with a client I’ll uncover the fact that they need help. It’s a frequent source of prospect and client angst when
16 Fall 2013
Terra Firma
they are dealing with a sales person – “he didn’t listen to a word I said”. Most salespeople know that they should be listening. They know that the right thing to do is to listen and that the wrong thing to do is to talk and yet almost inexplicably it happens; verbal diarrhea. You’re thinking “Well that’s not me, usually the problem is not that I fail to listen at all - just that I am not listening enough.” So think about how even not listening enough can have a direct impact on sales and revenue. All of these techniques provide meaningful ways to actually help your potential clients and become far more in their eyes than someone that can merely locate acreage or property – the internet can do that! It is no longer enough to simply add or sell value, as a broker or agent you need to be the value and that value will be demonstrated by the quality of your conversations. About the author: Frank Belzer, Vice President of Corporate Training at Kurlan and Associates, guides companies to be effective in their sales and overall “go to” market strategies. His blog, “The Sales Archaeologist, draws on lessons from history and applies them to sales and business leadership. Belzer is the author of Inbound Marketing. Belzer was a presenter at the 2013 National Land Conference.