How many times have you felt completely overwhelmed by a pushy salesman or woman who has almost bullied you into purchasing something that you really didn’t want? It’s not a nice experience and it can certainly make you want to avoid going back for
a repeat performance again.
The old school of sales thinking was to talk fast, blind with science and to not let the customer get away and it was sale, sale, sale all the way to the bank. The face of sales has changed however. Aggressive selling is not the way forward. In real estate, you can be determined, enthusiastic and confident, but if you are an aggressive agent, you are more likely to offend or to put people off than to have them hire your services. Building long-term relationships and securing the potential for additional business further down the line is important. Your potential clients want to be reassured that you are supporting their endeavours and not propelling them forward at the speed of light resulting in their making a decision that could be costly.
It’s not just being pushy that is off-putting, steam-rolling your clients into making a quick decision is a definite no-no. The old school style is gone; instead it’s about encouraging others to make a leap of faith and to trust in your expertise. Sales techniques these days is more about selling the benefits to clients and to instil
trust and this is a much more effective way than to drag them kicking and screaming to sign on the dotted line.
Aggressive sales techniques is about instilling your will onto others, this takes time and energy from the sales agent and will no doubt mean that you encounter resistance as a result. When you meet resistance, it is likely to be head on and this can cause conflict. There is a more seamless, less bullish technique that will help you to motivate and encourage instead.
If you feel that you may be guilty of being a little over-zealous within your own sales techniques, and maybe you have had feedback to suggest that this is the case, you need to consider what it is that you do that could be perceived as aggressive. Have you stopped listening to your clients because you are too busy considering your own end goals? Do you watch their body language or are you blind to their panic as they edge towards the door? Do you take no for an answer or do you keep pounding away until submission looks likely?
If you are a little too over-familiar with your client in the early stages, this could be deemed as being aggressive or at least, pushy. Sometimes you have to learn to take no for an answer and to not be too over-zealous with your objection handling. If a client has pulled out of selling their house with you, they may have a genuine reason for doing so, but if you are ringing them a few days later to get them to change their mind, this probably isn’t going to do you any favours.
Your intentions might be good. You care about your job, you care about the outcome and you are prepared to go the whole mile to achieve your goals but do you care about the customer experience? Your actions might be innocent but if you pressurize the client, you are likely to lose out in the long run. If you encounter someone who is meek and who might be mouldable then you will feel triumphant but will they come back the next time that they are doing a property search? Will they recommend your services to another?
Word of mouth is hugely important and because buying or selling a house is such a big undertaking for anyone, a client is going to trust the experiences of those that they know. Sadly, a dissatisfied customer is likely to be heard much more than someone who is grateful for your commitment to real estate. Bad experiences travel much further than someone who says how great you are at your job.