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Getting to Yes!

Ten Powerful Tools to Bash those Barriers

to ‘Purchasing’ Today

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Copyright © Carla Cross Seminars, Inc., 2017

No part of this resource, resource content or this resource in whole may be reproduced or taught by any other real state company, individual, school,

educational establishment or instructor without the express written permission of its creator, Carla Cross of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc.

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This eBook is dedicated to all those salespeople who are honest, hard-working, and absolutely concerned first with their clients’ well-being. Thank you for making us all look good! In this era where it’s difficult to tell the good information from the bad, there’s never been a time where the relational salesperson is more needed. Why? Because it’s not more information we need. We can get the information—lots of it, and lots of conflicting information. We need someone who can honestly and ethically prioritize it. In other words, we, as clients need someone to take us

From information To knowledge My advice to consumers: Look carefully at whomever you choose to guide you through any sales process. From my many years as a real estate salesperson and manager, I know that finding a knowledgeable, caring, dedicated salesperson who can lead us through the labyrinth of information to help us make good decisions is invaluable. This eBook will help all salespeople form stronger relationships, provide better information, and create the kind of trust that translates into repeat clients and generous referrals. My best,

Carla Cross

Dedication

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Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is president of Cross Institute, Carla Cross and Co., and Carla Cross Coaching. Carla has shared her systems for peak to hundreds of thousands of sales professionals internationally through her speaking and resources. As a National Realtor Educator of the Year, Washington Educator of the Year, and master level CRB instructor, Carla brings over 20 years of study, practice, and coaching at the highest presentation/instructor levels.

Carla’s long-term membership in the National Speakers’ Association speaks further to her dedication to excellence in speaking and facilitation. Finally, her decades of experience as a performing musician and teacher bring a deep understanding of how to get better performance from people—critical in the real estate industry!

What Can Carla Cross do for You?

Speak to your company or association. See www.carlacross.com for topics. Coach management and real estate agents through her Carla Cross Coaching programs. Provide licensed coaching and training programs to coaches and trainers. Train your coaches and trainers. Provide training and presentation resources. See www.carlacross.com.

An acknowledged productivity expert

Carla has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, dozens of radio programs, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers, newsletters, and real estate magazines.

She is been a presenter at the 16 National Association of Realtor® Conventions Carla was just named as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Real Estate She is appeared on CNN and CNBC, as well as dozens of radio programs She is been published over 300 times in major real estate magazines and newsletters Carla is a National Association of Realtors National Realtor® Educator of the Year She is a Washington State Realtor® Educator of the Year She is a former master level CRB instructor, instructor of the Certified Real Estate

Broker designation; author of several CRB Managers’ Courses, including the business planning course

More of Carla’s products are endorsed as best of their kind by the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) and the Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) than any other resource provider.

Writer: sales and management training workshop series and coaching programs for large real estate franchises in the United States and abroad, such as Re/Max Eastern Canada, Re/Max Israel, Royal LePage, GMAC, Better Homes and Gardens, and Keller Williams Realty.

About Your eBook Author, Carla Cross

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Popular Real Estate Author and Coach

The author of 6 internationally published real estate books, Carla is the creator of 20 programs for agents and managers, systems to increase productivity and profits. Many of her programs have been quality tested and endorsed by CRB and CRS. She is the author and head coach for Carla Cross Coaching, which coaches salespeople and leadership internationally. Carla’s Train the Trainer distance learning clock-hour approved program is recommended and endorsed by the Washington Association of Realtors® (similar content to The Ultimate Real Estate Trainer’s Guide) Up and Running in Real Estate, the complete online training/coaching/accountability program for agents under 2 years in the business; includes a coaching component for managers, too Your Blueprint for Selecting Winners, (an e book), a complete selection guide with interview packet to assure managers can choose the right new agents What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School, must-have book for recruits/managers Up and RUNNING in 30 Days, 4th edition, the only internationally-published business start-up plan for new agents On Track to Success in 30 Days System for Experienced Agents, re-vitalizes business; analyzes, tracks business; includes 30 day ‘regeneration plan’ Managers: Putting On Track to Success to Work, the manager’s coaching guide to On Track to Success in 30 Days for Experienced Agents, gets more production fast Beyond the Basics of Business Planning, an online system to train and provide all materials for agents and managers to create a results-based business plan Your Complete Power Listing System, the complete listing process--everything you need to manage the seller’s experience—online for immediate access Marketing You, build the YOU to promote that shows people they can trust you The Complete Recruiter, the whole system and process to build a great recruiting strategy; includes a Recruiter Planner; over 75 tips to recruit the right people Your Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit, ‘list’ buyers like you list sellers/complete system, online, for immediate access Objection Busters, flash cards and CD with role plays of answers to common objections; 3 series, one for buyers, one for sellers, and one for recruiters; great training tool See www.carlacross.com for more resources.

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Carla Cross Coaching

Career Achievement Coaching

For experienced agents, a one-on-one program

You want to take your career to a real business. Career Achievement Coaching does just that. You may already use our systems, as hundreds of thousands of agents do.

In Career Achievement coaching, you’ll receive over $800 in comprehensive, proven, specific systems to organize and run your business, including listing, selling, planning, marketing, and business systems. We even include role plays of handling objections of buyers and sellers—everything you need to list and sell more homes. It’s like having a coach 24/7. And, you get a professional, real estate-specific coach, dedicated to your success.

Leadership Mastery Coaching

For: Owners, Managers, and Team Builders

Do not settle for a coach or a coaching program designed to coach agents. If you are in management, you have entirely a unique set of concerns: How to recruit, select, train, and coach winners. Our Leadership Mastery Coaching program is fully prepared to show you exactly how to do just that. Our CCC Formula: Our Systems Combined with CC Coaching. Many managers also sell. They do not have time to re-invent the wheel. They need ready to use recruiting, selecting, coaching, and training systems. Our coaching program is the only one that provides just that--over $800 in comprehensive, proven, specific systems to organize and run your business (5 recruiting, selecting, training and coaching systems, ready to implement immediately). It is like having a ‘graduate level’ coach 24/7.

Take Advantage of our Complimentary Consultation

Email us at www.carlacrosscoaching.com or call 425.392.6914 for a complimentary consultation with one of our real-estate expert coaches (we do not employ non-real estate coaches). (Available for those interested in one-on-one coaching). You will have an opportunity to see if your coach and you are a ‘match’, and find out much more about our unique coaching programs. Absolutely no obligation, of course.

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Getting to Yes!

Page

Dedication 3

About your eBook Author 4

Table of Contents 7

Topics

Challenges to Getting to ‘Yes’ Today 9 Those Ten Powerful Bash Barrier Tools 10 Bash Barrier Tool #1: Craft your Sales Responses to Gain Rapport 12 Bash Barriers Tool $2: Go Beyond those Dull Email Responses 17 Bash Barriers Tool #3: Add the “P” to your Internet Responses 19 Bash Barriers Tool #4: Quit Trying to Sell via Cold Communication 21 Bash Barriers Tool #5: ‘Mirror’ on the Phone to Create Rapport 23 Bash Barriers Tool #6: Educate, Educate, Educate 25 Bash Barriers Tool #7:Create High Standards for your Clients 26 Bash Barriers Tool #8: Make your Interview Most Important 27 Bash Barriers Tool #9: Go ‘Visual 29 Bash Barriers Tool #10: Re-Design your Sales Process 30 Those Ten Barrier Bashers and your Action Plan 31 16 Sales Principles to Prosper 32 Take Action and Get the Benefits of these Ideas 34

Table of Contents

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This eBook is for anyone in sales. That would include:

Anyone who needs to persuade someone to a ‘yes’.

Who do I mean?

Salespeople, working with buyers of products and services Salespeople, working with sellers of products and services (they are also

your ‘buyers’) Managers, who need to recruit and retain (selling and re-selling your team) Owners, who need to recruit and re-sell your managers

Who do I mean by ‘purchasers’? Anyone who will purchase your services.

This eBook, then, isn’t just for people who call themselves ‘salesperson’. It has valuable information for Anyone looking for a job. (You have to ‘sell’ that interviewer on yourself). Anyone who needs to persuade a person to their point of view Those working with any sorts of groups (educators, social workers, etc.)

Who Will Benefit from this eBook

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This is a challenging environment in which to sell today. Why? Because, when the market is hot, buyers and sellers think they can go it alone! Yet, that’s where exceptional salespeople can make great strides to create an unassailable business for the future. This eBook is for those that want to cement their futures now. Although I specialize in the real estate field, these ten strategies will work for anyone in any sales field. Here are the challenges I see to getting to a ‘yes’ today:

Old-style sales motivators don’t work in today’s environment

Communication ‘fade’: No sight, no sound, no smell (Internet communication) makes selling much more daunting

Over-communication: messages get lost and muddled

Lack of sales training to answer objections

Consumers know too much—high knowledge of product or service

Consumer expectations of salespeople have sky-rocketed

Traditional sales process and closing methods aren’t working

‘Salesperson’ connotation and perception by public is ever more negative

Generation X and Y have different expectations of salespeople

Lack of salesperson standards creates poor time management

Consumers have too many choices

Economic environment makes consumers wary of spending their money; causes indecision

Bottom line: Consumer confusion and wariness, coupled with the need for contemporary sales strategies, has confounded many salespeople today. The sales skills and processes we used in the past just don’t work so well today. We need new approaches In this eBook, we’ll offer ten tips to bash those barriers to a ‘yes’.

Challenges to Getting to ‘Yes’ Today

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Here are the ten tools I’ll teach you to use in this eBook. If you’re a seasoned salesperson, you may be lulled into a complacency that you already do these things. Wait a minute. You’ll find I’m going to ask you to turn many of your habits upside down, to be 100% more effective today. 1. Craft your sales responses to gain

rapport with your client. 2. Go beyond those dull email responses to get to reasons buyers want to buy. 3. Add the “P” to your Internet responses to create trust. 4. Quit trying to sell via cold communications. 5. ‘Mirror’ on the phone to create rapport. 6. Educate, educate, educate. 7. Create high standards for your clients. 8. Make your interview the most important aspect of your sales process. 9. Go visual. 10. Redesign your sales process. Note to managers: You can use the information in this eBook as a training tool. Take 1-3 of these barrier bashers for each of your sales meetings, have a discussion, and help your salespeople polish their sales skills.

Those Ten Powerful ‘Bash Barrier’ Tools

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Having been a salesperson, trainer and coach for most of my life, I know the most difficult part of changing your habits and skills is the action part. So, I’ve put some symbols here to help you with major points and suggested actions. You’ll also see symbols like this in each of my sales and management resources, to make it easy to translate concepts and advice to action steps. Symbols to Help You Get the Most from this eBook

Getting to ‘Yes’ tip: You will see important points in this resource with this symbol. I hope this helps you focus on main ideas and helpful sales guidance.

To do: When you see this symbol, you’ll know it’s my suggestion of an action for you to take right now.

What Bashing These Barriers will Do For You

Wouldn’t it be great to work with twice the ‘purchasers’ you have in the past? Wouldn’t it be awesome—and a relief—to know that you had the contemporary skills to take that person from ‘who are you’ to ‘I’d never purchase ________(your product or service) from anyone else but ___________ (your name here!). Here’s to much greater time management, raised self-esteem, and the ability to help many more purchasers get what they want! My best,

Carla Cross Note: I use symbols and ‘to do’ in my resources to help we busy salespeople and managers take action to benefit from their investments.

How to Use this eBook

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Communicating When You Aren’t Traditionally Communicating……

Do you communicate via email? Most probably, you do. So, you need different communicate skills from those that worked in the past.

Do you get inquiries via the Internet? Perhaps you have a website to capture interest. How are you at converting those ‘leads’? Unfortunately, most of those ‘leads’ simply get lost. In fact, one real estate Internet lead provider said that only one in 200 ‘leads’ convert to a sale. So, it’s not surprising that about half the real estate Internet leads go without a response (John L. Scott survey, 2008). If it gets too difficult to convert a ‘lead’, about half the real estate agents simply have decided not to get into the fray. The Big Problems Today

If you’ve been selling for years, you’ve learned sales skills to deal with the ‘traditional’ buyer (in this eBook, “buyer” means anyone who purchases your services or products). Unfortunately, though, the sales skills and processes we learned don’t work well when we have the

New Internet Inquirer A different clientele Competing new sales models

So, we need new communication skills to deal with these changes.

Bash Barrier Tool #1: Craft your Sales Responses to Gain Rapport

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Would you agree? No ‘close’ will happen if we salespeople have not established a rock-solid, trusting relationship. Now, that’s usually true. A Little Laziness Crept In When We Weren’t Paying Attention There’s an exception to the rule about establishing relationships. If you are selling something that absolutely everyone wants, and there’s lots of competition for that product or service (lots of buyers and few sellers), you can get away—for awhile—with lack of relationship. This happened a few years ago when the real estate market was on fire. Agents didn’t have to have great sales skills, and they didn’t have to form relationships. Instead, they had to hustle faster to that home that would be sold that day if they didn’t get there first—with the best offer! Unfortunately, that’s about the worst thing that can happen to a salesperson. Why? Because we may think that forming a relationship isn’t important. Forming the relationship with high trust and reliance is the only thing that assures you an ever-growing career! It starts the closing process. The Four Skills to Establishing Trust from a ‘Cold Inquiry’ ‘Mirror’ their predicates in the inquiry Create a fast response system Pick up the phone faster; mirror voice inflections Educate/break down ‘salesperson’ persona

In this section, we’ll explore the predicate mirroring skill. How do you establish a relationship? One step at a time. How do you ‘read’ people when you first meet them? By How they look Their non-verbal physical behavior How they sound Your feeling about them (even how they smell!)

How to Craft your eMail Messages to Create Trust

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Communication is 65-85% Non-Verbal As salespeople, we have a very-well developed sense of this ‘reading’—when we can hear and see the potential client! So, traditionally, both the client and the salesperson make almost snap decisions about the other person based on these non-verbal judgments. It’s said that about 65-85% of communication is non-verbal. So, as we are making judgments about our prospects, our prospects are making judgments about us. So, we should become skilled at these non-verbal communication cues. In this eBook, we’ll discuss how to apply these skills both in email and phone communications. What if No ‘Traditional’ Non-Verbals are Present? When you are trying to establish trust to continue on with the sales process, you’ll need to learn other skills (there is no sight, no sound, no smell) to start establishing that trust.

When you meet someone in person, ask yourself, “What judgments am I making? How? Why? What conclusions am I drawing? How quickly?

What’s your favorite communication ‘mode’? Do you use ‘see’, ‘hear’, or ‘feel’ words most consistently?

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You’re getting an inquiry via e-mail or the Internet. You can’t see them. You can’t hear them. You can’t smell them. In other words, you can’t use any of your ‘traditional’ senses to decide who they are and where they’re coming from.

Here are the skills you need to hone to communicate through what I call ‘cold communication’ technology—and turn those leads into ‘warm communication’.

The communication principles below come from a science called Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), created by putting together psychological and linguistic principles. The founders are Richard Bandler and John Grinder. The first book they wrote—and broke open the whole field of NLP, was Frogs into Princes.

There are many fascinating aspects of NLP. We’re just going to explore two of them here—one in our Internet communications and one in our phone communications.

Mirroring

The one skill, “mirroring”, means that we use the same communication modes as our potential customer. Why? Because ‘likes attract’. Think of your friends. How like you are they? Probably very much. We intuitively trust those we believe are like us. So, the first challenge the salesperson has is to overcome the historical truism, “never trust a salesperson”!

Here’s the principle: Mirror their ‘predicate’ words

Here’s how to mirror their predicates

Look at the email or inquiry you just received. See the ‘predicates’ (verbs) your inquirer is using most frequently. Are they:

a. I ‘see’—we’re looking for a 3-bedroom home. Here’s how I would describe it:

b. I ‘feel’—The feeling we’re looking for in a home is spaciousness. c. I ‘hear’—We want a quiet setting with just the sounds of birds chirping.

‘Hearing’ Them When you’re not ‘Hearing Them’

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You will find that people tend to use the same ‘category’ of predicates in their communication. Why? They think in terms of sight, or of feeling, or of sound. Do they use all three? Yes, but Bandler and Grinder’s studies proved that people have a favorite method of communicating.

Principle: Trust begins when people feel the other person is like them. You do not lose yourself when you ‘mirror’. After all, we all have a lot of elasticity in our behavior, don’t we? (Remember the last time you lost your temper, even though you state it isn’t like you to do so…..).

Craft your next 3 email responses using the ‘mirroring’ principle. This will take practice, and, I promise, it will pay off in establishing a trusting relationships that will ultimately get you to ‘yes’. Fast Response: How are We at Getting Back to the Potential Client?

A recent study by John L. Scott, a large real estate firm in the West, showed that the 19% of consumers expected an immediate Internet response!

Another 32% expected a response within ½ hour. However, on average, the real estate agent responded in 54 hours! That’s not. Those 54 hour responses were from the ½ of agents who bothered to respond at all. How long do you have to get back to the client?

If about one half of the real estate potential clients expected a response within ½ hour, it’s common sense that you can’t wait 54 hours! So, no matter what field you’re in, faster is better.

Get some kind of responder or operation that tells your potential client you are interested in them—that they are special enough that you are responding quickly. Many real estate companies offer this technology to their agents. But,

unfortunately, few of the agents use it! Trust begins with making a promise and keeping it. The potential client thinks that salespeople are making promises to respond when they create a ‘call to action’. If that salesperson doesn’t get into action (respond to the inquiry), the potential client judges that the salesperson just broke a promise. Wouldn’t you draw the same conclusion? So, trust is eroded rather than built.

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There are three skills you need to perfect to get and continue a relationship with a ‘purchaser’ who inquires via the Internet: Respond with way more than the facts Respond by sharing ‘you’ with the client Respond by educating because you care about the potential client

These three skills help build a relationship and help you stand out from those normal salespeople who do not have the skills to generate and re-generate relationship from ‘cold’ technology.

In Tool #2, we’ll discuss how to change your dull email responses into interesting, ‘rapport building’ communication.

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Traditionally, salespeople have answered email messages with facts. Let’s take the example of real estate salespeople. Someone inquires about a home they saw in the company website. They ask for more information.

Big mistake: The salesperson starts giving more and more information. For example, they tell about the kitchen, the bedrooms, the hot tub—until the ‘buyer’ either Gets what he wants or

Hears a fact or feature that he doesn’t want.

Either way, the ‘buyer’ stops the communication right there—before the salesperson has a chance to create a relationship.

Don’t Stop with the Facts/Features

Bash Barriers Tool #2: Go Beyond those Dull Email Responses to Get to Reasons

Buyers Want to Buy

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Example: This kitchen has lots of light. (That’s a fact or feature). You may think a large country kitchen is wonderful. But, what’s the downside? Too much work; too much space in the wrong area… you get the idea. Two Types of Questions to Get to the Individual Needs

1. Questions that uncover the benefits 2. Questions that uncover what’s important

How to Attach a Benefit and Ask a Question to Continue the Conversation

What will that country kitchen do for the person? That’s the benefit. Ask the inquirer to describe the benefits to the product or service they inquired about. Now, you’re starting the conversation. Feature Benefit Question How to Ask about What’s Important What’s the most important aspect of the product or service that the person wants? Now, you’re finding out more about the person—the individual needs and wants of this person. You’re starting to create a relationship.

Your questions are to take you from a cold, impersonal inquiry to the point where you’re getting to know what’s really important to your inquirer.

Look at your last Internet advertisement. Attach benefits to three features you listed. Ask a question about that benefit? For example: “Is that important to you?” Pretend you are talking to an inquirer. Craft a question to

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find out what’s really important to that inquirer? Space, prestige, security?

Add the “P” to your Internet responses.

P= Personal

The old method of selling was to keep the personal aspect away from the prospect. The prospect was to consider the salesperson as a vehicle communicating and delivering the sales process. Now, people are wary of the ‘cold salesperson’. Salespeople were taught certain ‘sales techniques’ to get the client to say ‘yes’. But, clients have been manipulated too long with these sales techniques. They’re tired of the old sales clichés of

“Would three or four o’clock be better for you?” “If I answer your questions, will you buy from me today?”

Break Through those Sales Techniques Trust is the big issue when you want to inquirer to keep communicating with you. If the inquirer trusts you, he will continue the communication. To earn that trust, you must prove you’re different from the ‘normal’ salesperson. Let me give you a real estate example. Let’s say the inquirer wants to know about a home he saw advertised on the Internet. We know the inquirer, at this point, doesn’t want a relationship with you. The inquirer just wants the facts. Actually, the inquirer wants to get the facts and avoid you! So, how you deliver what the inquirer needs and still start to form a relationship?

Bash Barriers Tool #3: Add the “P” to your Internet Responses to Create Trust

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Tell the Truth Attractively Answer the inquirer’s question by attaching a benefit, and asking the inquirer if that’s the benefit he wanted? At some point, explain that, when the inquirer is ready to see a home, he will, on purpose, or by accident, be choosing an agent to work with. You would love to be that agent. Now, get ‘personal’ by going behind the sales scene and sharing how that works. Rather than using manipulative old-style sales techniques to get the inquirer’s name and contact information, simply tell them about yourself, how you care for your clients, and share a little bit of you. Now, the inquirer knows some of the qualities he is looking for in a salesperson. He is starting to see a bit of a real person in this scenario. Relating at a personal level: My son, Chris Cross, is a salesperson in Bellevue, Washington. In his monthly newsletter, he shares a picture of his two little girls, who are just toddlers now. As you know, toddlers grow quickly, so he is providing a moving history of those two girls growing up. He is providing something of himself to share with his clientele. This removes him from the ‘cold salesperson’ persona and helps relate him to the very real wonders and challenges of raising a family—a commonality with many of his clients. What I Don’t Mean I don’t mean for you to start every sentence with “I” (as I just did…). I don’t mean for you to tell clients that they must work with you because it’s better for you! I don’t want you to tell them all your troubles. I just want you to share with them the ‘behind the scenes’ ‘how it works’ so you start to form a relationship of trust.

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The Big Mistake Many Salespeople are Making Today Yes, it’s true that Gen X and Y (and beyond) feel more comfortable with ‘cold’ communication. But, if you want to form a relationship, you, as the ‘professional’ (the salesperson), must provide a foundation to switch that cold communication to warm, or you won’t get very far in the sales process. The big mistake many struggling salespeople are making is that they keep trying to please the inquirer by emailing more and more features about the product or service. That will never form a relationship! Not only that, but anyone can do that. When you try to sell features, you automatically reduce your commissions! The value is very low for the salesperson’s service. (Think Internet sales vs. personal service pricing). Add to that trying to sell features via ‘cold communication’ makes for a deadly combination. How the Poor Salesperson Communicates It’s the truth. Some salespeople don’t like people! Or, they’re not confident in their own abilities. So, they avoid warm communication (on the phone or in person). They think it doesn’t matter. But, it certainly does. Over and over again, they find they can’t move the buying decision along. Why? Because they are stuck in the first part of the process—the inquiry. They keep that inquiry phase intact by continuing to communicate via email. Unwittingly, they are stopping the progress of the sales process.

Move the sales process forward by switching to warmer communication as soon as possible—pick up the phone.

Bash Barriers Tool #4: Quit Trying to Sell via Cold Communication

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Communication principles: It’s very difficult to create a trusting relationship via ‘cold’ communication Staying in ‘cold’ communication too long causes the sales process to stagnate—to stall. ‘Cold communication’ responses are not worth the money you want to charge! So, pick up the phone as soon as possible! What to Say When you Call There are many ways you can rationalize your call to the prospect. They are as varied as you are creative. Here are a few: Find something from your email communication that you need to clarify. Provide some detailed information that is difficult to email Explain that you wanted to make a better connection Ask questions that have come up in the email communication

The sales principle: Finding a reason to communicate simple. Just think of any reason (any excuse!) to call. If you’re stuck, see your manager or a great salesperson in your office.

What’s your Reason to Pick up the Phone?

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Remember that NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we explored earlier? Now, we’re going to apply some a skill from NLP to create rapport on the phone. Actually, this skill is simple, but, can be very challenging to do.

‘Mirroring’: Using the same vocal intonations, pitch, dynamics, breath, pauses, and speed as the person to whom you are speaking.

This is NOT mimicking. You are merely respecting the manner in which the prospect speaks.

Think of your own experiences. Have you ever talked with someone who spoke so slowly you wanted to say ‘hurry up’? Have you ever talked with someone who spoke so quickly you didn’t know what was said? How did you feel? Was rapport being created, or were you feeling isolated and frustrated?

Respecting your prospect by mirroring his speech patterns establishes rapport, the first step in establishing trust. Now, you can move forward in the sales process. The more diverse the speech patterns of the prospect and the salesperson, the more difficult it is to establish rapport.

Whose Job is It to Mirror? The salesperson. That person is the ‘professional’. Will I lose myself? Of course not. After you have mirrored your prospects speech patterns for awhile, you can start talking more like yourself, and you will find the prospect will start talking like you. In NLP, this is called ‘pacing’ and ‘leading’.

Choose someone with whom you have not felt comfortable. Are their speech patterns much different from yours? Practice ‘mirroring’ their speech. What did you find?

Bash Barriers Tool #5: ‘Mirror’ on the Phone to Create Rapport

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Although objection handling is not a barrier basher in this eBook, I wanted to take a minute to give you some advice:

Get a method of handling objections that is graceful, non-confrontational, and moves the sales process along. Why? Because you want to keep creating rapport and trust.

Too Concerned with the Answers?

Too often, salespeople are concerned mostly with the answers to the objections. They’re very anxious about being able to ‘counter’ each objection. So, they memorize answers. Then, when the objection comes at them, they punch back. Verbally, they knock the ‘purchaser’ down with the answer.

A Better Way to Handle Objections I hate to see salespeople lose opportunities, destroy trust, and build a poor reputation because they can’t deal with objections well. So, I created my Objection Busters for Buyers and Sellers . This resource is targeted for real estate salespeople, but the principles here are appropriate for anyone in sales. Click here for more information.

Avoid Getting Stopped with Objections

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Educate.

Rather than start telling and selling, start educating. Provide helpful information in your emails, your website, and your dialogue. Instead of thinking ‘present your information’, think ‘educate your prospect’. Respect the client that the client can make a good decision is he is an informed client. That doesn’t mean to leave the client alone as he walks through the sales process. That means, though, to spend time forming rapport, trust, and respect through sharing prioritized information—knowledge.

Turn the sales process upside down. The old method of selling was telling, and waiting for the objections. The new method of selling is educating, sharing, and partnering to solve a problem.

From Free to Fee

I’m have a website, with memberships and lots of free education. So, I’ve been listening to the Internet marketing gurus explain how sales has changed. It’s very apparent to me that we must give lots of information away to form trust. Here Is the time line: No trust: Free education A little trust: Small obligation from consumer More trust: Larger commitment

No matter the sales business you’re in, it’s the same process. It takes much more time today to gain trust. Why? Because the consumer is very over-communicated with! It’s difficult for the consumer to tell one of us from another.

As you can see from the continuum, it is a process, not an event. So, you’ll be thinking in terms of On what do I need to educate? What does the consumer want? In what am I an expert? How do I want the consumer to think of me? How can I convey, through education, that I can provide something

invaluable to the consumer—prioritized information/knowledge?

Study the communications of Internet sales ‘gurus’. Track their messages from ‘free’ to ‘fee.’ You’ll see the model for sales of now and the future. For you, ‘free’ means to educate.

Bash Barriers Tool #6: Educate, Educate, Educate

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A recent survey from the California Association of Realtors asked clients to rate their overall satisfaction with their clients: Guess what the rating was? 4% (out of a possible 100!). Certainly, the client is judging the agent rather stringently! (And, the industry better start paying attention to creating standards for their real estate agents!).

Do your clients choose you? Sometimes. A few years ago, I wrote a book for consumers, titled Buyer Beware: Insider Secrets You Must Know Before you Buy a Home. Included was a list of criteria for the buyer to use in choosing an agent. It’s a trend that clients, especially when times are tougher, are much more ‘choosy’ when finding a salesperson.

What’s your criteria for choosing your clients?

One of the attributes of successful salespeople is that they have high standards for their clients. In other words, they don’t just work with anyone. Why? Because it becomes a time management nightmare. In addition, great salespeople today aren’t looking for the sale. They’re looking for the relationship The Tough Love Attitude

You know what I mean by ‘tough love’. So, apply that to the clients you are willing to work with. Would you work with someone who:

Doesn’t allow you to go through your planned procedure? Doesn’t share needed financial information with you? Doesn’t answer your questions fully or truthfully? Doesn’t have time to work with you adequately? Won’t be loyal to you?

Create your own ‘tough love’ standards for those clients. List them in writing. Practice explaining them to clients, along with the benefits to them (for instance, why it’s in their best interest to be loyal to you).

Creating high standards for your clients increases your self-esteem and self-confidence. It helps you greatly with your time management challenges. It creates respect for those clients you choose to work with.

Bash Barriers Tool #7: Create High Standards for your Clients

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Let’s face it. Most salespeople do a lousy interview—if they interview their potential client at all! That also goes for managers in the recruiting interview, too…….

Why? Because most salespeople were trained in old-style sales techniques: Sell, sell, sell the features of the product until the ‘buyer’ just got tired and bought. Or, until the buyer started throwing objections at the salesperson. Then, the verbal arm-wrestling started.

Turn that Old-Style Sales Process Upside Down So, quit ‘coming on’ to the prospective ‘buyer’ with your sales spiel. Instead, sit down with the buyer and ask insightful, interesting, well-crafted questions to find out what’s important to that buyer.

Asking questions—lots of questions—form rapport and sets the foundation for trust with the buyer. Why? Because all of us want to be listened to—to be heard.

Bash Barriers Tool #8: Make your Interview the Most Important

Aspect of your Sales Process

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What should you discover in your interview process?

The what The how The when The why The how much

So, craft your questions in the right order to discover these aspects.

The old ‘Probing’ Skill Is Still Needed Many clients, especially when they don’t trust you a lot, will give you short, unhelpful answers. They’re protecting their secrets. So, you need to ask that next question—the probing question: What will that do for you? (Getting to the benefits) How will you use that? (benefits again) Tell me more. Create your Comprehensive Interview Questionnaire

Create a well-planned interview process, both for the phone pre-screening, and your sit-down interview. For the questions and questionnaires for real estate salespeople, see Your Complete Power Listing System (for sellers) and The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit. (for buyers)

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We believe what we see, not what we hear.

Provide the Kind of Communication Clients Trust

The most used mode of communication is sight. About 65% of the population uses ‘seeing’ predicate words. They make decisions with their sight dominating.

What Salespeople Do Wrong

But, what do most salespeople do? Try to talk people into something. Unfortunately, the word of a salesperson is not too highly regarded! So, we need other verification and substantiation. Let an ‘expert’ speak for you. And, be sure that ‘expert is visual.

Examples: Statistics from trusted sources Newspaper articles Testimonials Your marketing pieces Your processes and systems A completed ‘buyer’ profile (cross out the names, please)

Make at least 10 different substantiations to prove what you know to be true. Suggestions for real estate seller and buyer substantiations are found in Your Complete Power Listing System (for sellers) and The Complete Buyer’s Agent Toolkit. (for buyers)

Bash Barriers Tool #9: Go ‘Visual’

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We’ve already talked about many aspects of the sales process. So, now, let’s put it all together. I’m going to take you through the whole sales process, from step one through step four. Step One: Attention (Meeting) Stop spewing sales features Start attaching benefits, ask questions Stop dominating with your Start mirroring their predicate words Predicate words Stop the ‘sales tone’ Start sharing yourself personally/explain

Stop pushing to the next step Start providing free information Step Two: Interest (Qualifying) Stop trying to get a sale through Start getting to the phone faster email communication Stop speaking your way Start mirroring client voice Stop working with anyone Start creating your standards Stop trying to remember questions Start using a planned questionnaire Stop going right to the product Start educating Step Three: Desire Stop the old sales scripts Start educating Stop pushing for the close Start asking how the process is working for

your ‘buyer’ Step Four: Close Stop using manipulative closing tech. Start going back to your questionnaire Stop being pushy Start asking what’s important (you learned

this in your questionnaire)

Sketch your sales process. Ask yourself, “How many ineffective old-style sales techniques am I using? How can I ‘modernize’?

Bash Barriers Tip #10: Re-design your Sales Process

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Here are the ten tools we discussed in this eBook:

1. Craft your sales responses to gain rapport with your client.

2. Go beyond those dull email responses to

get to reasons buyers want to buy.

3. Add the “P” to your Internet responses to create trust.

4. Quit trying to sell via cold communications.

5. ‘Mirror’ on the phone to create rapport.

6. Educate, educate, educate.

7. Create high standards for your clients.

8. Make your interview the most important aspect of your sales process.

9. Go visual.

10. Redesign your sales process.

Those Ten Barrier Bashers and your Action Plan to Take Advantage of Them

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We’ve explored those ten tools to bash the barriers to getting to a ‘yes’ in this challenging sales environment. Here are the 16 big principles I want you to take away, to increase your sales results dramatically.

1. Continuing to communicate via email does not create the rapport you need to take that next step to trust. Instead, go from ‘cold communication’ to warmer communication as soon as possible.

2. Learning the non-verbal communication skills to rapport effectively via

email, and via phone, are critical for success in today’s technology-tethered world.

3. Trust is not established through providing more information. Trust is

established when the potential client feels you are hearing them. You are really getting to their needs.

4. The longer you stay in email communication, the longer you communicate

features, the less chance you have of making an appointment.

5. Make a promise and keep it. Although you may not have the answer you promised the client, if you told that client you would get back to him, do it on the time frame you promised.

6. Questions, in the right order, form rapport. Rattling off features does not

form rapport.

7. Getting ‘personal’ has a new meaning today. That means you share how you work, and the benefits of letting that potential client get a little closer to you.

8. Stop selling and start educating. That means you really, really, have to study

your product or service. Not only that, you need to take courses in presentation skills so you can organize your educational efforts logically and clearly.

16 Sales Principles to Prosper

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9. Stop trying to close someone the minute you meet them. That’s really old-school. Instead, prove to that person you are truly interested in them and their needs.

10. Your goal is not a close; it is a relationship.

11. You can’t solve your time management challenges just by working harder.

You must establish standards for your clients. That increases your value, along with your self-esteem.

12. Let others speak for you. Develop testimonials, which let the potential client

know that you are trustworthy. (You can’t tell them that yourself; it’s not believable).

13. Quit trying to wing it and develop a professional interview process, with a

written interview format, designed to get you the information you need to help that client.

14. Vow to yourself that never again will you just tell someone something.

You’ll show them, so they believe you.

15. Become the master of the questions and the probe. This will save you from becoming that boring product font of information, and move your relationship forward.

16. Give away more free to prove your expertise, your dedication, and your

professionalism.

Go back through these 16 principles and decide which principles you want to polish in your sales process.

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Use the action plan process below to sketch your ideas you want to implement as a result of reading this eBook.

The Idea/Skill/Process Date to Implement

Let me know how I can assist you further! I hope this eBook helps you help more clients and create a satisfying career .

Carla Cross

Take Action and Get the Benefits of these Ideas

My first real estate boss told me once that nothing happens until someone sells something. Put these relational sales skills to work

and enjoy your prosperity—while you assist others. --Carla Cross