Real Estate

Trends and Technologies

Internet access has changed noticeably over the past few years in terms of connection speeds, methods and venues. These changes are contributing to an ever-increasing number of people accessing the Internet for information, collaboration and commerce fueling the emergence and evolution of enabling technologies that are effectively shifting the way we connect, engage and interact.

Companies standing at the edge of this relatively new frontier are scrambling to understand and leverage these Internet trends and technologies in order to survive and thrive. As to be expected some companies are adapting quicker than others. For example, through the use of next-generation “collaboration enabling technology” such as videoconferencing (two-way interaction between various people from multiple locations) some companies are improving communication (i.e.; audio + video) over primary engagement tools (telephone, email, etc.), reducing travel related expenses (airfare, accommodations, etc.) and increasing productivity (less time in transit, more time engaged in income producing activities).

Modern Business

For years customer-centric companies striving for higher sales volume and velocity (speed of sales), lower costs and more predictable sales forecasting were given, among others, the following recommendations:

• Measurable, standardized (documented, uniform, etc.) and repeatable best practices.
• Sales and marketing alignment (culture, accountability, etc.)
• Improve return on investment (ROI) through key metrics, reporting and testing.
• Integrate productivity-enhancing technologies into business processes, models, etc.

Implementing the recommendations above while adjusting to changing trends and technologies is not a new paradigm (i.e.; Sales 2.0) it is what many view as modern business.

With that being said, Sales has been around for quite some time so it makes sense to see more than a few generations of “personal selling”. Sales 6.0 marks the current generation of sales practices in “person selling”.

When taking on a sales management position, there are three essential levels you must recognize are a part of being a sales manager. Working on polishing your skill in these separate levels will help you in becoming a well-rounded manager that can take on any job duty and handle them with ease. These principles of management are crucial if you would like to be viewed as a person of good integrity, work ethic and communicative with fellow workers. These three levels for being a high-quality manager are as follows: Technical Skill, Human Skill, and Conceptual Skill and the necessary functions of a manager are planning, organizing, directing and controlling.

Technical skill is the ability to process the technical side of a job or part of your work. Proficiency in the technical knowledge of your job and company is critical if your job requires you to be more œhands on with your work. Many managers find themselves less educated on the technical side of the job than the rest of their employees and upon losing their managerial position they are forced to come to the reality that there are far more people educated in technical work than they are and slowly fall down the ladder. In order to not let this happen, you must stay up to date with the technical aspects of your job in order to assure your bosses and your company that you are the right person for the position.

Continue reading… Sales Management

Questions surrounding professional sales training come up quite often during discussions among sales people especially when the discussions center on professional selling skills. These discussions more times than not boil down to which professional sales training program is the most effective and/or which professional selling skills are the most important for sales professionals to master.

It makes sense that professionals who sell are always on the lookout for any and all professional selling skills that could help them better achieve their desired outcomes in professional selling. However, what does not make sense is how in many cases the questions being asked in these discussions are being asked without providing context and/or the questions are being answered without knowing context.

Continue reading… Sell Me This Pen

A question that surfaces in the sales training community every so often is whether or not traditional sales training has been rendered ineffective by changes in technology, economy, etc.

Without an agreement on what is meant by œtraditional sales training and œineffective any discussion on the matter is likely to have a high probability of misunderstanding especially among participants who are not familiar with each others communication patterns. So, for the sake of this discussion œtraditional sales training will mean œa specific practice of long standing and œineffective will mean œnot having the desired effect. With that being said, let us frame this discussion in the context of œfundamentals which we will conclude to mean œbasic components of effective selling. Hopefully after reading the meanings we are assigning to those words and/or phrases you will immediately see the rub (i.e. fundamentals being ineffective).

Continue reading… Traditional Sales Training and Professional Selling

Quite often realty professionals ask me what book if any I would recommend they read to aid them in the achievement of their desired pursuit. Based on size and ease of reading I often recommend “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. This book is a classic and can be read online at Think and Grow Rich. I have posted below a blurb from Wikipedia that gives a bit more information about Napoleon Hill and the book:

“THINK AND GROW RICH is a motivational personal development and self-help book written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by a suggestion by Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie. It was published in 1937 during the Great Depression. It remains the biggest seller of Napoleon Hill’s books, selling a claimed 30 million copies over the next 70 years” – Source: Wikipedia

Earlier this week I was asked to answer the question, “If personal selling could be summed up in one or two words what would those two words be?” and the phrase, “Trusted Facilitation” immediately came to mind. I realize that the phrase “Trusted Facilitation” is not commonly referred to and/or used in the profession of selling so I thought I had better elaborate.

By “Trusted” I meant that the prospective buyer trusts the salesperson enough to allow him/her into his/her mental space effectively creating a “We Space” where the sales professional and prospective buyer can engage in open, honest two-way communication.

By “Facilitation” I meant the salesperson facilitates or makes easier the potential customer’s progression, when necessary, through the Buying Decision (Will I Buy?) and the Purchase Decision (What Will I Buy?). For this facilitation to take place the sales professional must know what the process looks like (recognition, interest, resolution, etc.), ascertain where the prospective buyer is at within the process and facilitate the journey from where that prospective buyer is to where he/she wants to be (ie. need satisfaction).

In my opinion effective selling begins with an understanding of “Trusted Facilitation“. If you were under the impression that effective selling was rooted in “Qualify, Present, Close” and/or “Always Be Closing” I encourage you to take a closer look.

I am of the opinion that many of the people engaged in the profession of selling would be considerably less frustrated if they better understood what was going on in the mind of their potential clients especially in the area of perceived differences between products and/or services being offered.

I once knew an agent who couldn’t figure out why private sellers would list with a relatively unknown and new agent who was just starting out in the business over a seasoned agent who had a proven track record, connections and marketing coming out of his ears. This was one of his favorite gripes.

At first blush it does sound a bit odd that a private seller would choose a newbie over a salty dog especially when the fee for service/ commission is the same. However, a closer look will reveal that more times than not this occurs because the potential client did not perceive a noticeable difference between the services being offered.

The way I see it… sales professionals cannot assume or take for granted that the potential customer knows or can readily notice the difference between products and/or servies being offered. Actively differentiate your offering from the competition and you will increase the probability of the potential client choosing your product or service.

To your success,

Jeff Blackwell
Arizona Park Models

We’ve compiled a list of the “Top Ten” websites on the topic of Mobile Homes, Park Homes and Manufactured Homes in Arizona. The results are posted below in no particular order along with the page title, first paragraph and website URL:

Park Homes and Park Models For Sale or Rent : Search our database of park homes and park models for sale or rent in Apache Junction and Mesa, Arizona. The park homes and rv park model homes for sale or rent by Easy Living ® Solutions Realty are located in several active 55+ Arizona RV resort communities such as Rock Shadows RV Resort in Apache Junction, Arizona and Viewpoint RV and Golf Resort in Mesa, Arizona.
http://www.azrv.org

Mobile Homes For Sale – Arizona Mobile Homes : The Arizona Manufactured Housing MLS (AZMH)â„¢ is the original and only Multiple Listing Service designed “exclusively” for mobile homes for sale and manufactured homes for sale in Arizona. The AZMH.ORG database of homes for sale is updated regularly and includes Manufactured homes and Mobile homes for sale by Realtors ®, Dealers, Brokers, Agents, Investors, Parks, and Communities across the State of Arizona.
http://www.azmh.org

Arizona Manufactured Homes : Welcome to Arizona Manufactured Homes! Our goal is to provide you with access to quality manufactured homes for sale in Arizona. Our service area includes Mesa and Apache Junction, AZ. We have been helping people find their ideal manufactured home in Arizona since 1995. Let our dedicated team of Arizona manufactured home professionals lend you their experience and guide you through the home-buying process.
http://www.arizona-manufacturedhomes.com

Arizona Manufactured Homes For Sale : Welcome to the Arizona Manufactured Housing website featuring manufactured homes for sale exclusively by Easy Living ® Solutions Realty. We strive to provide you with a convenient online location where you can find a large selection of used manufactured homes for sale in Mesa and Apache Junction, Arizona.
http://www.azmanufacturedhousing.com

Arizona Mobile Homes : Search our database of mobile homes for sale in Arizona. Our agency offers a large selection of used mobile homes in 55+ Active Resort Communities in Mesa and Apache Junction, Arizona.
http://www.arizona-mobilehomes.com

Arizona Mobile Homes For Sale : If you are considering the purchase of a manufactured home, park model, or mobile home for sale in Arizona call us for information on homes currently available or preview our large selection of mobile homes for sale within various parks in Mesa and Apache Junction, AZ
http://www.easylivingsolutions.com

Mobile Homes For Sale : List your mobile home for sale in the MHAmerica.com National database of new and used mobile homes for sale across America by Mobile Home Dealers, Mobile Home Parks, Private Sellers and More!
http://www.mhamerica.com

Arizona Mobile Homes For Sale : You are now viewing mobile homes for sale throughout the continental United States through the MHIDXâ„¢ network of private sellers, real estate agents, brokers, dealers and mobile home parks.
http://arizona.mobilehomes-forsale.com

Mobile Homes For Sale in Arizona : Arizona Mobile Homes is our specialty! Finding luxurious and desirable mobile homes for sale at great prices in Arizona is what we do best. Are you thinking about buying a mobile home in Arizona as a vacation home or year-round residence? The opportunity is back to purchase luxury mobile homes in upscale parks at affordable prices! Don’t miss this chance to own the home of your dreams in Arizona.
http://www.mharizona.com

Arizona Real Estate – Homes For Sale in Arizona : Arizona’s Original Resale Broker can assist you in buying and/or selling Arizona real estate including Arizona mobile homes for sale and manufactured homes for sale in Mesa and Apache Junction. Take advantage of our experience and expertise with Arizona real estate or Arizona mobile home resales and you too can find yourself making more confident and more educated home buying and home selling decisions.
http://www.resalebroker.com

One of the simplest ways to increase your productivity as a salesperson is to tune into your buyer’s point of view. When you are in tune with your buyer you have empathy. This means that you can identify with and understand their situation, feelings, and motives.

When you are in tune with your buyer everything you say or do seems to be right on the mark. The buyer gets the feeling that you really understand them and the road to a successful sale lights up like an airport runway. The opposite is also true. When you are not in tune with your buyer nothing you can do or say will seem to be right. When you push they pull and vice versa.

Master salespeople know the importance of empathy and tune in to their buyers as quickly as possible. Novice salespeople on the other hand, rarely make the effort. This lack of empathy between buyer and seller accounts for much of the negative experiences many consumers experience.

This kind of selling requires a genuine desire on the part of the salesperson to try and be of service. It is pretty easy to spot the salesperson with this kind of desire. These salespeople take an interest in the buyer on a more personal level. The empathetic salesperson asks more questions and better questions. They ask the type of questions that get the buyer to open up and talk about their situation.

Buyers like salespeople that reach them on a personal level. Everyone likes to be listened to and understood. When you demonstrate to your buyer that you are interested and paying attention they will open up to you and tell you what it will take to make a sale. Here are a few reminders to help you focus on your buyers;

(*) Focus your attention on your buyer. Do not allow yourself to become distracted.
(*) Look for something you like in the other person. What do you think their friends like about them?
(*) Get your buyer to tell you their situation, hopes and fears with well prepared questions.

Sell with empathy and increase your productivity immediately!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeff Blackwell is the founder of SalesPractice.com, a vibrant online sales community featuring sales training and social networking for sales professionals.

We’ve put together a sales training community and information center containing +1000 articles, videos, scripts and discussion forum where everyone engaged in the profession of sales can get professional advice from our “Panel of Experts” or ask/answer questions in the community discussion forum. If you have questions we have answers.