How will you win sales when competitors are beating you on price?

With Secrets of New Home Sales Negotiation—How to Achieve ‘Yes!’ Every Time you’ll find a playbook of tactics and strategies that can help your team.  You can make “yes” a reality more often, no matter what prices your competitors are offering.

Don’t just side-step problems. Learn to turn them into advantages that make your home the only natural choice. Now when prospective buyers come in with price challenges from competitors, you’ll be armed with working tactics and the fundamentals of negotiation that that will enable you to sell the value of your product without having to rely on gimmicks or smaller commissions.

Take a look at this slim volume of infinitely valuable knowledge today and arm yourself to win on value, instead of losing on price.

This new online training series taught by some of the leading experts in new home sales will show you the secrets to produce the results you want: MORE SALES!

Every solution hits the sweet spot of selling by refining often overlooked fundamentals and presenting today’s hottest new techniques. Get ready for fast, focused; results oriented sales education that will transform your sales efforts.

October 11, 2011, 9:00 -10:00am PDT
Speaker: Mike Lyon

Description: Over 90% of home buyers are using the internet to fi nd their next
home. Whether you have a commanding internet presence or you are stuck in the
digital dark ages, this seminar will deliver the proven methods necessary to develop and dramatically improve your online new home sales. This essential hands-on workshop provides an easy-to-follow road map leading to a successful Online Sales Program that will help you attract and capture more qualified buyers and explode your sales goals.

Learning Outcomes:
• The latest homebuyer statistics and shopping behaviors
• Learn about the online sales process
• Discover ways to engage leads quickly and effectively online
• Maximize your lead capture rate by setting appointments from your website
• Attract and capture qualified traffic
• Implement a plan to meet and beat your sales goals

UPCOMING EVENTS!
November 15, 2011: On-Line Sales Management Summit: MAXIMUM SALES!
Speaker: Myers Barnes, MIRM

January 10, 2012: “Turning Your Home Owners Into Referral Generators!”
Speaker: Bob Mirman, CEO, Eliant, Inc.

Register now Register early, limited to 200.

Questions: Please contact Anthony Grasst at agrasst@metlife.com or 425-576-2272

This event is being hosted by MetLife Home Loans A Division of MetLife Bank, N.A.

If you are not getting referrals right now, it’s either because (a) you don’t have a strategy that you’re following or (b) people aren’t comfortable lending you their reputations.

Here’s a game plan that addresses both situations and will give you a 1-in-3 return. Follow this process and, for every three sales you make to a walk-in, you will get one additional sale from a referral. If your goal this year is 20 sales, you’ll get 27. The key to its success is understanding the importance of looking after your existing buyers.

Step 1: Weekly or biweekly, send or e-mail your buyers a few photos of their new home while it’s in different phases of construction.

Step 2: Take your buyers lunch on move-in day and give them a subscription to the local newspaper.

Step 3: Send an anniversary card every year on the date of their purchase.

Step 4: Depending upon their religious affiliation, mail them a traditional or nontraditional card at Christmas time.

Step 5: Throughout the year, call or visit them and casually ask if they know of any relatives, friends and colleagues who are thinking about buying a home.

Step 6: Keep an up-to-date journal of referrals, with notations about their preferences and housing requirements, along with personal notations from you.

Step 7: Call the referrals. Explain your customer-care commitment and what you can offer them.

Step 8: Schedule an appointment. Anticipate cancellations so always have a back-up plan.

Step 9: Be punctual, polite, passionate, principled and purposeful. Show up on time. Say please and thank-you. Have enthusiasm about your homes and community. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Work your plan.

In his book “How to Master the Art of Selling,” author Tom Hopkins said, “Because I understood that building relationships is what selling is all about, I set a goal to send ten thank-you notes every day. Guess what happened? By the end of my third year in sales, my business was 100% referrals.”

Every company has a minimum standard. This is a must in order to hold sales people to a standard that is acceptable within the company. If you don’t set a minimum, people will push the limits every time and set their own. As a sales manager your minimum standards are those that you are willing to put up with. If you set a standard then the lowest standard will always be your minimum standards. What are you willing to accept?

Within a year, the bearded lady was expecting their first child. A few weeks before her due date, the circus ring-master and the bearded lady were talking.

“How’s it going?” the ring-master asked.

“We’re very excited,” said the bearded lady, “We have so many plans for the baby. We want to be excellent parents.”

“That’s nice,” said the ring-master, “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

“Oh, we really don’t mind as long as it’s healthy,” replied the bearded lady, “And it fits into the cannon.”

Too many builders take the Cannon Approach to profitability. They have great plans for their company and expectations for growth, but then they shoot holes in their bottom line by thinking, “I don’t really mind if I don’t make a profit as long as I’m selling houses.”

While building homes is a noble calling, your company is more than a manufacturer of good homes. Your first priority must be to make a profit. All other decisions should fall in line behind this one because, if you aren’t a profit-making company, it doesn’t really matter what else you make.
Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.” I’d like to paraphrase that: Selling homes is either about making a profit or it is about nothing.

But this short-sightedness will not bring you sustained success. A businessperson, whether the owner or manager, needs to keep an eye on the long-term perspective in order to proactively steer the company. He has to be keen enough to avoid the problems that arise from living in the moment.

Take, for instance, this all-too-common sales phrase: “You’ve had a bad month.” There is no such thing as “bad month”. They come in pairs. You have the beginning of the build cycle, when you pen the deal, and the closing that happens after the house is completed. One bad month equates to a second month where you have no closings.

The problem is further compounded when you fall behind. Let’s say you set a goal of 48 sales in a year, or four per month. January comes and goes without a sale. Now you have to play catch-up in February and make eight sales, but only manage to get two. Not only have you lost two months worth of selling time, but you also have two months with no closings. And what is the likelihood that you can convert 10 sales in March, just so you can keep pace with what looked like a reasonable goal at the start of the year? Slim to none.

The other concern with the “bad month” myopia is the manager who sympathizes with the under-performing salesperson. “I’ll give him another 90 days”, says the kindly boss. Three months to catch up? Well, what this manager has really done is sacrificed six months. Can you afford to give away half a year’s sales?
If you want to stay in business, you can’t take a cavalier attitude toward the “bad month”. It’s the harbinger of a bad season and a bad year!

Brian Tracy, a savvy leadership and management consultant, professes the SWAN Formula.

When you’re pondering a new hire, try grading the person on these criteria:

S = Smart. Does your prospect demonstrate a reasonable amount of intelligence? Does he/she have the capacity to identify opportunities, process information, and communicate effectively?
W = Works hard. Does this potential recruit have a track record of long hours? Can you sense the level of commitment to seeing the job through to closure versus calling it a day at 5 p.m.?
A = Ambition. To be successful, a salesperson must be a self-starter. While you can (and should) provide ongoing motivation, you need an individual with the ambition it takes to work independently, without the steady nudge of a manager.
N = Nice. You don’t need someone who dishes out a plate of freshly baked cookies (not that this is a BAD thing!) but you should seek professionals who are friendly, moral, and ethical. Their actions reflect you and your business. Be sure you won’t be tainted by unseemly behaviors and actions!

And don’t be swayed by experience. This can simply translate to longevity rather than quality. Much like tenure does not ensure a quality teacher, experience is nothing without demonstrated results.

If you find someone who scores high on the SWAN meter, make an offer. This is a person who possesses the attitude of a successful salesperson. And remember this advice: Hire for attitude, not for skill. Skills can be learned. A bad attitude will create an impossible situation. Look for the person who can embrace new knowledge and skills; avoid the one who can’t/won’t.

People that cannot make prompt decisions miss their opportunity.

What separates a real leader from others is the ability to make fast decisions. Decisions come at you everyday like a bullet. In the year 2010 do you think you will have a major decision to make? The answer is yes.

There is a formula to help bring you clarity in the decision making process and it starts with thinking on paper. The average genius thinks on paper and delegates decision making to a document by asking these 4 simple questions:

If I make this decision what will be the best possible outcome?

Your answer will make the decision obvious.

It is important that you learn to manage fast decisions. Why? Because there will always be new decisions coming at you daily. Remember that procrastination is the thief of all opportunity.

The same truth applies to the bad salesperson. Perhaps you have someone on your team who is under-performing. You’re passing along leads and traffic like a blackjack dealer doling out face cards and aces. But nothing happens. Do you keep shoveling more leads or teach this person to more effectively close sales?
The "bad salesperson"like the bad child or dog” is a reflection on the person who is truly in charge of those behaviors. So, "I have a bad salesperson" is one of the most self-deprecating and derogatory comments a sales manager can make. After all, aren’t you the one who is responsible for hiring, training, and retaining this non-performer? What does this say about your leadership and management skills?

A salesperson needs training to deliver the results you need and expect. Part of being a responsible manager is providing the guidance to help your team grow in their craft. Take the time to determine if your "bad salesperson" has the fundamental skills that are necessary (ambition, communication, initiative). If so, invest in better training and you will experience the ROI. If not, refer to my post on de-hiring.

"I have people who aren’t closing sales," I answered quickly.
"Why do you think they’re not selling?" he countered.

I wanted to say that if I knew that answer, it would not be my biggest challenge. Instead, I told him that I believed these people to be incompetent. I didn’t mean this appraisal to be derogatory. Incompetence is not equated with stupidity, but rather a skill-based issue. In spite of my concerted efforts to teach and train, spending 50% of my time in the field observing and coaching these people, I saw no positive return. Some of them still would not or could not do as I had advised.

In response to my plight, my mentor proceeded to explain "levels of competency":

Level 1: Those people who cannot understand what you’re trying to convey no matter how you explain it, because the concept is simply beyond the realm of their capacity. This doesn’t make them ignorant, but rather unsuitable for sales.

Level 2: The people who do not show up on time, offer enthusiastic participation in sales meetings, or make an effort to memorize a sales script. None of these faults are the result of inability but of conscious choice.

So, as a sales manager, you have to ask yourself which level you’re dealing with here. If you have a Level 1 incompetent but the person has a great attitude, shift them laterally to another position that better utilizes the other competencies.

If, however, you have a clear cut, chronic Level 2, stop trying to affect change. You are responsible for the results of your team. You did the hiring. If you have an incompetent person, what does this say about your leadership skills?

As the manager, you must recognize that the buck doesn’t stop here; it starts here. In a previous post, I described the principle of de-hiring. Take a look. Then take action!