Tom Ferry examines the sales skills that matter most
The client across the table stares expectantly at you. Suddenly you realize that instead of listening, you’ve been thinking about what to say next. It’s your time to talk. But deep down, you don’t really know what to say.
It happens to every salesperson at one time or another. But that doesn’t mean it should. To provide the level of service that leads to happy clients and tons of referrals, you must be fully engaged in every conversation.
If you’re thinking about what to say next, you’re not fully engaged. You’re just not there, you’re not present.
And that’s exactly why thought is the enemy of sales.
In this article, I’m going to share four ways to optimize your use of scripts, which will increase your sales skills by decreasing the amount of thought you need to put into a sales situation.
Downloading our Real Estate Scripts Bundle is a great place to start cultivating an engaging sales persona.
Confidence breeds success
Before we get to the four steps, I want to talk about why it’s important to build your sales skills.
It boils down to one word: confidence. When you know what to say, you feel confident. When you feel confident, you want that next appointment even more. You become more inspired to pick up the phone and get yourself in front of potential clients. You take more listings and close more deals.
In other words, confidence breeds success.
You basically have two ways to build that confidence. One is to “practice” on your clients through trial and error. Eventually, over many years, you will gain more confidence. The other, preferable way is to commit to learning scripts so you know exactly what to say in every situation.
Our Sales Edge events are sales skills boot camps where you are not only given the scripts to succeed in real estate, but you practice them and put them into action for three days. Attendees book an average of three appointments while they’re at the event! Learn more here.
4 steps to stronger sales skills
After you’ve researched and found some great scripts you’d like to use, here are four steps to master them and make them your own:
- Focus on one script at a time. Don’t confuse yourself by biting off more than you can chew. Learn one script at a time until you master it. Only then move on to the next.
- Practice! No one wants to sound like a script-reading robot. The key is practice. Read the script aloud repeatedly to internalize it, personalize it and make it your own.
- Role-play. Once you have the script down, take your practice to the next level by role-playing with a partner. This is where your confidence will truly begin to shine. Our coaching members often connect with role-play partners inside our private Facebook Groups. Find role-play partners from your office colleagues, online real estate forums or among other businesspeople in your community.
- Write it out. One of the most effective ways to ingrain a script into your mind is to jot it down — by hand — repeatedly. Do it again and again. It might sound tedious, but our coaching clients swear by this technique! Choose one of your scripts and write it out every day for 10 days. You’ll soak it up and when you say it next, it will come out natural.
Your personality isn’t enough
Even the most personable, outgoing salespeople can freeze up when they’re worried and thinking about what to say next. Find some scripts, make them your own, and practice them over and over! Your confidence will grow and you can ensure you’ll never again be looking for what to say. Rather, you’ll be fully engaged with every client.
Source: inman.com
