When was the last time you took a sales course?  Ever?  I’ve noticed that while there is a lot of training provided to or required for real estate agents, there is very little emphasis on sales training.  And, it’s a shame.

Selling is Often a Turn-Off

When I’ve said that to some agents, they almost got insulted.  Their opinion was this:  “I’m a professional.  I assist and consult.  I don’t sell things.”

Well, I beg to differ.  Actually, as far as I’m concerned, we’re selling something almost all the time.  I don’t deny that there are right and wrong ways to sell.

I think selling got a bad name from the stereotypical “used car salesman”.  A good used car salesman, from that stereotype, can sell people things they don’t even want.  That sales person uses deception, trickery, manipulation and a host of other techniques to bamboozle their poor victims into buying whichever car the dealer needs to get rid of.

A van for a single guy?  A roadster for a young couple with 2 kids and a dog?  An unreliable pile of junk for an older woman who hasn’t the first idea about how to maintain a car on its last legs??  Why Not!

There are a lot of reasons why that type of “sales” doesn’t work any more.  For one thing, the consumer has gotten a lot more savvy.  For another thing, most companies realize that repeat and referral business is usually the best kind.  If you take your customer for a ride (excuse the pun) in your first encounter, you can pretty well bet they’ll never be back.

REALTORS® Need Consultative Selling Skills

On the other end of the spectrum from the used car salesman is the consultative sales person.  I’ve been through more than one consultative sales training course at various times, and I’ve found each one to be most enlightening.  There’s always something new to learn.

Consultative selling skills will help you do the following types of things:

• Listen to your clients and ask the right questions to clarify their needs
• Adjust your approach based on a recognition of the unique needs of the client
• Establish long-term relationships
• Differentiate your product/service (whether that’s you, a home, a loan, etc.) against the competition to give the client a true understanding of the decision points they need to address
• Find ways to add value to your client’s experience
• Find ways to avoid analysis paralysis
• And, the list goes on…

So, the next time you’re looking for a way to improve the service you provide, consider taking a consultative selling course.   It’s a way to ensure that you are bringing the best value to your clients.