Video Mystery Shopping Tip: Playing piano and selling new homes
One of my personal goals for 2012 is to learn how to play the piano. As a child I took lessons and was a pretty decent piano player! However, during my teenage years piano lessons and piano practice were quickly replaced by more important things….like hanging out at the mall with my friends! Now, as an adult, I find that I miss playing the piano! Therefore, this year I decided was going to be the year that I, Melinda Brody, once again master the art of ‘tickling the ivories’.
I realized that in order for me to accomplish this goal, I was going to need some help. You see after more than 30 years of not playing, I had forgotten certain things like how to read music, and more importantly, how to actually play the piano! No worries though, I decided to hire a piano teacher!
After much research, it became crystal clear that THE ONLY piano teacher to hire in Orlando was Dr. Moore. He came HIGHLY recommended from many sources. So, I picked up the phone and gave Dr. Moore a call. To my surprise, Dr. Moore suggested that we meet ‘face to face’ for a pre-piano teaching meeting. He wanted to meet me and make sure that I was committed to my goal of re-learning how to play. Dr. Moore made it very clear in our initial phone conversation that he didn’t want to waste his time or mine. In a sense, he was pre-qualifying me! I loved it!
So, the next week I went to Dr. Moore’s studio, where he conducts private piano lessons. I must admit I felt like I was 13 years old and being summoned to the principal’s office! My nervousness immediately dissolved when I met Dr. Moore. He was welcoming and kind and eager to find out more about my interest in rekindling my passion for playing the piano! Dr. Moore was using excellent questioning and listening skills to better understand my motivation.
For more than an hour and a half he and I chatted. There was no doubt that Dr. Moore was passionate about playing piano and loved sharing this passion with his students. When he realized I needed to brush up on my music reading skills, he starting reviewing the notes with me. We sat side by side at his piano and it immediately dawned on me, he was giving me my first piano lesson right there. He had ASSUMED the sale.
When I left Dr. Moore’s home, not only had I signed up for a series of piano lessons, I also knew how to read music again. He did not charge me a fee, and he spent 1 ½ hours of his valuable time talking with me, working with me and assessing my knowledge level….and he got the sale!
So you see, selling a new home is not too much different from selling a client piano lessons. The same strategies and tactics are used, no matter what you are selling. You have to pre-qualify your prospects, use superb questioning and listening skills, assume and ask for the sale, and, most importantly, love what you do!
Well, I have to run now, I promised Dr. Moore that I would practice my piano at least 30 minutes each day, and I certainly don’t want to let him down!
