Video Mystery Shopping: Why One Size DOES NOT Fit all
Last month I was honored to be asked by Lasso to provide my insight as to what changes we will see in the area of sales in 2015. They asked several industry experts to provide their opinions. My quote is below:
“2015 is going to be all about personalization and customization in new home sales. There is no one-size-fits-all method anymore. Your sales presentations must be individualized for each and every person that walks through your sales office. The only way to master this type of personalized presentation is through powerful questioning, listening and discovery. Savvy sales people will be able to use this line of questioning to tailor their presentations to meet the specific needs, wants and desires of their prospects. If you want to succeed in sales in 2015, you will need to work very hard to identify what is REALLY important to your clients and then master your presentation skills and delivery.”
Some of you may be reading this and thinking ‘Well duh Melinda, this is what we do every day!’ I would beg to differ. In the past, sales associates have been able to get away with minimal questioning. And even then, most of the questions were then redirected back into the sales presentation. You know, ‘How many bedrooms are you looking for? Three? Well, then the Magnolia model is perfect for you!’
I am talking about taking questioning to an entire new level. This means digging deeper than ever before to truly find out what your buyer’s wants, needs and desires in their new home. I was watching a shop last week and after the initial ‘meet & greet’ the Sales Associate took the prospect into her office, got her pen and paper and said: ‘Our goal here today is to find out if we have a fit. If my product, community, home sites and builder meet your needs and expectations. In order to thoroughly explore this, I will be asking you several questions to identify what it is that YOU are looking for your new home and community.’
She then spent about 15 minutes having an in-depth conversation with the prospect. She asked questions and LISTENED to his responses…..she did ALL of this prior to ever showing him a floor plan, a site map or company brochure. I was impressed!
You see this young lady gets it. She understands that her job is not just to sell, sell, sell. The role of the Sales Associate has evolved into that of a new home advisor. Let’s face it, every person that walks into your sales office is not your buyers. Your job is to ask the important questions, listen to their answers and then make the recommendations that work best for their needs. The days of the ‘canned’ sales presentation are long gone. Personalization and customization are the only way to succeed in new home sales. Remember, one size DOES NOT fit all!
