Growing up on the family farm in Marceline, MO, Walt Disney used to practice what he called “belly botany.” He would sprawl on his stomach under a large cottonwood tree and spend hours daydreaming and savoring a close-up view of nature.
Mountain climbers do the same thing when they reach plateaus on their way to the peak. They take a breather, sit on the ground and survey the scenery. An associate of mine once described the beauty of a patch of wildflowers he saw near the mountain’s peak and how they were much smaller and more delicate looking than the same type growing at the foot of the mountain.
What does this have to do with new home sales? If you want more sales, you need to practice a little belly botany yourself. Get on ground-level with your prospects. Talk to them. Ask questions: Why are they looking in your area? How urgent is their need for a new home? What do they want in a home? How do they expect the new home to accommodate their lifestyle? Who else will be living in the home with them? Does the floor-plan need to adapt to someone with special needs, particular hobbies, or a fitness regimen? Look them in their eyes and genuinely listen to their answers. Then you will be able to pinpoint their needs and offer solutions.
What do I mean by solutions? When buyers enter your model home, they have problems they need to solve. Maybe they are living in a transient neighborhood and want a more stable one. Maybe their home is too large and they need to downsize, or it’s too small for their growing family. Perhaps they live too far from their jobs or are in a poor-performing school district. It could be that they need a larger yard, a bigger kitchen, extra bedrooms, a vacation or retirement home. Whatever.
Whether they realize it or not, they are bringing you their problems. Your responsibility is to sell them a solution; and you can’t do that effectively without identifying their needs.
Belly botany. Use it to plant yourself firmly in the minds of buyers and achieve groundbreaking sales.
