Now I know you must be wondering… “Alexis that all sounds good and fine. But exactly HOW do I get the seller to TRUST ME if they won’t even talk to me? How will I ever get to the point of serving/helping them? I don’t even know where to start!”
Excellent questions! But first please review “How to Make your First Impression Count“ and “Great Listeners Make Great Property Buyers“ and by the end of this article, you will know what you need to do!
To begin, I am a big believer in education and in investing in myself every year. You can see my list of all-time favorite books that is kept current in my Recommended Reading HERE. In my Six Steps to Mastering Foreclosures CD course, I require all my clients to read the “Soft Selling in a Hard World” by Jerry Vass.
Soft Selling is a quick read and many clients have been surprised at how differently they perceive the “sales process” after reading this powerful little book. In fact, many real estate agents and mortgage broker clients have told me that they wished that their sales manager used the Vass method as their only training material.
But now I’ve read the “end all” of sales training books. In fact, I love it so much that I am now adding this book as a pre-requisite (in addition to my Six Steps CD course) before attending my 3 day, hands on Mastering Lab program.
“Integrity Selling for the 21st Century, How to Sell the Way People Want to Buy” by Ron Willingham completely aligns with my teachings here at Foreclosures.com.
Here is how Ron describes Integrity Selling Values and Ethics. Can you see how this aligns with all my writings to date?
- Selling is a mutual exchange of value.
- Selling isn’t something you do TO people. It’s something you do FOR and WITH them.
- Developing trust and rapport precedes any selling activity.
- Understanding people’s wants or needs must always precede attempts to sell.
- Selling techniques give way to values-driven principles.
- Truth, respect, and honesty provide the basis for long-term selling success.
- Ethics and values contribute more to sales success than do techniques or strategies.
- Selling pressure is never exerted by the salesperson. It’s exerted only by the clients when they perceive they want or need what you are recommending.
- Negotiation is never manipulation. It’s always a good strategy to work out problems — when your clients WANT to work out the problems.
- Closing is a victory for both the salesperson and the client.
Ron lays out his “Integrity Sales Process” in six steps. Here is a brief overview of each, and how it applies to the Foreclosure Investor:
- Approach: Get people to open up their mental gates and let you in. People are more apt to trust and open up to you when you ask questions about them, listen to them, care about them, and have a sincere desire to understand them.
Foreclosure Investor: Are you able to adjust your natural style to fit your client’s style? Are you reading their body language and listening to them while deferring your own objectives? Or are you knocking on doors bleating out “Hi, I see you are in foreclosure (looking at your clipboard). I’m an all cash investor interested in buying your house. Can we talk?”
- Interview: Find out what people need so you can offer solutions. The more we attempt to persuade people, the more they tend to resist us. But the more we attempt to understand them through open-ended indirect questions that draw out their needs and wants, the more they tend to persuade themselves that we want to help them.
Foreclosure Investor: Are you asking questions and responding to theirs? Are you learning more about your client, or simply making small talk about yourself? Did you know your clients are silently begging “Don’t try to sell me — listen to me, value me, understand me and let me know that you really want to help me”.
- Demonstrate: Show how you can fill the needs that people acknowledge having. Your clients will be much more receptive to your offer when you focus on filling needs, satisfying wants, and solving problems than when you focus on the features of your offer.
Foreclosure Investor: Are you trying to help them with what they want (to keep their house), or pursuing just what you want (to buy their house)? Have you openly discussed all their options as you would if they were your sister or brother? Or did you rush the conversation straight to discussing selling their house to you?
- Validate: Cause people to believe and trust you. All lasting relationships are built on trust. People tend to trust trustworthy people who are willing to invest in a mutual relationship with them.
Foreclosure Investor: Have you done what you’ve agreed to do? Have you been there for them in their time of need? Do you feel good about what you have said or done? Are you living according to the Golden Rule?
- Negotiate: Work through any problems that may keep people from accepting your offer. People are more apt to listen and to understand your point of view when you listen to and understand theirs first.
Foreclosure Investor: Have you tried to manipulate your clients or apply pressure on them to sell their house without first giving them the opportunity to explore other options? Do you try to confuse them or shame them into doing your deal? Or do you understand and believe in good Karma? That what goes around comes around again?
- Close: Get a positive decision that creates mutual value for both you and your clients. You don’t sell in the close. You close after you’ve sold a win-win proposition.
Foreclosure Investor: Have you pushed to close, before you did Steps 1-5 above? Are your contracts falling apart days after they’re signed? Are you trying to force sellers into closing on your deal, even though they do not want to? Thank goodness for our Foreclosure Laws. (Here in California we have to give folks 5 days to “cool off” before a contract is binding Owners have a chance to get out of high pressure deals if they need to!
So, to answer your question:
Exactly HOW do I get the seller to TRUST ME if they won’t even talk to me? How will I ever get to the point of serving/helping them? I don’t even know where to start!
I ask you to reflect on all of the above. Now, ask yourself:
How approachable are you? How are you at finding out your clients needs so you can offer them an honest solution? How well do you focus on filling their needs, satisfying their wants and solving their problems? How trustworthy are you? Have you worked out all their problems, when they WANT you to work out their problems? After the seller has signed your deal is it a victory for both of you (win-win)?
If you still aren’t sure how you are doing, or think you may just need some “fine tuning”… the best way for us to help you is LIVE while you are making those calls and show you what you can do differently, with my “hands on guidance”. There is much to learn about the Selling Process and reading Ron’s book is a great start. After that, I can help you pull it all together in a way that makes sense to you. Click here to learn more.
Until next month,
Happy investing!
Alexis 
