Video Mystery Shopping: Set your time frame!
I watched two shops this weekend that were at total opposite ends of the spectrum. The first shop featured a bright young lady who knew everything about selling new homes. However, she scored a 50 on her presentation. The reason? Her shop was a whopping 14 minutes long. Fourteen minutes is NOT a sufficient amount of time to educate, engage and sell your prospect a new home. Heck, it can take me 14 minutes just to say HELLO in some circumstances.
The second shop I watched featured a talented young man who, again, was very professional and knowledgeable when it came to new home sales. He scored a 51. The reason? His shop was almost 2 hours long and it went on and on and on….but never really got anywhere!
These two examples illustrate the reason why it is so very critical to determine the amount of time you have with your prospects UP FRONT. By simply asking them ‘how much time do you have to spend with me today’ you will be able to plan and orchestrate your entire presentation to be much more productive.
Most everything in life has a clearly set starting point and ending point. We know that we go to work at 10 am and we leave work at 6 pm. These clearly set time boundaries allow us to determine what we are going to do during our day that is most productive.
The same is true in new home sales! You’ve got to define your starting and ending points in order to be able to deliver a solid and sound presentation to your prospects.
Once you have determined the amount of time your prospect has to spend with you, the next thing you need to do is TELL them how the two of you will spend that time together. For example, if you determine that the prospect has about 45 minutes to share you can simply say: “That is great. Here’s how I propose we spend the next 45 minutes together. We will begin by determining which floor plan works best for you and your needs. After that we will preview some home sites that best suit your lifestyle and then once we have determined the perfect match for you, we will discuss the process in order for you to move forward in purchasing your new home.”
This way you have not only set the agenda for your time together, you have also introduced your prospect to the fact that the purpose of this presentation is to find a home that meets their needs and for them to then PURCHASE that new home. If you include trial closes and assumptive closes throughout the presentation, by the time you get to the point where you are actually asking them to move forward, it will be a natural progression.
However, it all starts with the simple question: How much time do you have to spend with me today?
