Sales Techniques They Didn’t Teach You In School

Studies completed, you step out into the light, training book in hand. With a proud and confident stance, you are ready to proclaim to the world: “Here I am! I’m a real estate agent!” As the world continues much as it always has, you may begin to wonder what they didn’t tell you in school about sales: how to generate them. Really.

What did you learn about marketing techniques? Did you know approximately 80% of home buyers and sellers start their searches online according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). It is important in this day and age to have a professional web site, especially for a real estate agent who wants a piece of the internet pie. Hire someone to design your site, and include helpful features like updated listings for your area, personal information (a short bio) about yourself, and related content or real estate tools (like a mortgage calculator).

One thing that you may never have heard in class? Buyers have no idea what they want. Instead of asking about square foot requirements, ask about family size. Are there pets? Your client may need more space for fewer people. Do they collect things or have a lot of hobbies? Again, your new client may need a bit more room for their recreational activities. Are they planning to start a family within the next few years? Ask open-ended questions to get answers that will give you a real picture of what your buyer wants. How do they feel about cooking (will they need a large or small kitchen)?

Another tip? Get out there on the market. Your clients are not just going to want the statistics of the home quoted back to them. They are not interested in a personal reading of the listing – they want you to know the house. While you will not be able to view every house in your area, it is important to go to as many open houses as possible to get a feel for the houses that you may find yourself selling. Also, if you have prepared a list of houses that your clients might be interested in, try to find the time to pay the houses a quick visit or call the selling agent at the very least.

The same goes for crafting listings for houses that you intend to sell. To make a house really jump from a page, details that are not part of the house’s list of amenities are important. Pay a visit to the houses that you are listing for sale and pick out a detail from each that may have been overlooked, but which is a great selling point. Is the house near a park? Near the freeway for easy access? Find a golden detail and let it shine.

There are many more ways to improve your sales techniques and many avenues to learn about them. The best thing you can do is keep your eyes, ears, and mind open to ways to grow your sphere of influence, then, just put yourself in the shoes of your prospective client and give them no less than what you would want for yourself!