Get over your fear of sales calls

So many Realtors and other sales professionals get into a bind when it comes time to making sales calls.  Whether you’re afraid of objection handling or have a fear of being told “No” or anything else, now is not the market to ease off these calls.  In order to keep your business income steady and possibly get more referrals, you still need to continue to make your sales calls.

Dirk Zeller, a real estate trainer, offers a step-by-step strategy to get over your fear in this article. We’ll go over the basics. 

Step 1: Be more confident.  So many people in the sales industry focus on their weaknesses, rather than their strengths.  Before even beginning a phone call to a new prospect, you have to know what it is you’re going to provide to that new prospect.  Write down a list of the benefits you will provide that prospect before picking up the phone.  That way you’ll never get stuck when they ask you what you’re going to do for them.

Step 2: Set realistic goals.  So many people think that in order to make money they have to make 100+ calls a day.  So not true.  It’s better to have made 5 quality calls than 300 calls that yield no results.  Obviously, the more people you call, the better chance of getting business.  Just make sure you set aside time every day to do your prospecting.  Even a goal of 10 calls or as many calls as needed to speak to at least 4 people can be a realistic goal.  Once you’ve hit your number for the day, you’re all set to be guilt-free.

Step 3: Get rid of those voices in your head… telling you that you can’t do it.  Of course you can.  And what’s the worst that’s going to happen?  You’ll be turned down.  These are not life or death calls.  They’re sales pitches.  If it will set your day right, call a past client that you’ve had a friendly relationship with.  That will put you in the right mindset to continue your prospecting.

Step 4: Before picking up the phone, visualize how a perfect call will go.  Think about how confident you are going to sound.  Think about obtaining a new client.  Think about what that money in the bank will mean to you.  That will get all those negative thoughts out of your head.

It can be scary to make those calls.  But if you do it every day, you’ll be so used to it that it will become second nature.  And in this economy, you probably need all the business you can get.  Enlist another Realtor in the office to make calls with you so you’re accountable to one another.  You never know – that next phone call could be your next client.

Once you’ve gotten your new business, or if you need marketing materials to send out to your prospects, be sure to visit us online to get quotes on how we can help!

Get your money faster – tips on invoicing

While you’re doing your best to keep your clients happy and generate new business during tough times, it’s important to get paid for the work you’ve put in, too.  It may be hard asking for money from clients when they’re having tough times from the economy, too.  So you’ll want to be clear on your invoicing statements and make them timely.  Here are some other important tips to get paid correctly and on time. 

1. Don’t surprise the client.  If there’s going to be an unexpected charge this month, be sure to communicate that first via a phone call or e-mail.  If they’re not sure what the charge is for and they can’t get to the phone to call you, it will delay receiving your money.  Be up-front about all costs.

2. Suggest getting paid for some or all of your work up-front.  If you have up-front costs especially, you may want to ask for a down payment to help cover your expenses.  By having this money ahead of time, you won’t be worried at the end of the month that you can’t pay your bills.

3. Consider changing your invoicing date to the middle of the month instead of the end.  That way you could be included in the client’s monthly billing cycle and not have to wait past the end of the month for your payment if you have your own bills due.

4. On every invoice, make sure you specify what your late payment fees are and how it works.  If you charge a percentage after a certain number of days late or just add it to the next invoice, make sure that’s written out each time.  If these policies change at any time, make sure to draw attention to that fact in a bigger font or different color.  You may even want to call your client ahead of time.

5. As a bonus to your clients, you might want to send an envelope pre-addressed with your information and even a stamp if you have it.  This can definitely speed up payment by saving your client a step or two in finding an envelope, addressing it, and purchasing a stamp.

6. When making collection calls, keep a record of the date, time, who you spoke to, and the gist of the conversation.  This can become very important if you choose down the road to sue your client for past payments.  It will definitely work in your favor if you have this information and your client doesn’t.

Another very important step is to make sure you have a contract in place prior to working with/for a client.  What’s going to force someone to pay if there’s no agreement in place stating that money is owed??  More great tips can be found here and here. If you need assistance with getting your projects done, please visit us online.

Don’t ever say _______ to a customer!

It may seem obvious to a business person, but we’ve dealt with so many companies where they’re just plain rude to their customers and clients.  It’s easy enough to lose business because of the downturn of the economy.  Do you want to lose business because your foot got caught in your mouth?  If it requires your time to take an extra second to think before you speak, it’s worth the time.  Jeff Wuorio, a small business writer, recommends never ever ever ever saying any of these things to your customers:

1. “Are you sure you can afford this?”  It’s important and courteous to let customers know that an item may be a bit expensive, but never okay to ask them if they can afford it.  That could be the quickest way to lose a sale. 

2. “That last customer was a ___________!”  Unless that _______ is filled in with wonderful person, such a nice guy, etc., NEVER comment on the previous customer, even if it’s to a colleague.  Your customer can probably hear you, and not only does it label you as a gossip, but that previous customer could be your next customer’s neighbor/colleague/friend, etc!

3. “We don’t have it.”  While you may often run out of stock on a particular item, saying “no” too quickly is not the best approach.  You should try, “We actually just ran out of that, BUT…” and try to sell them on an equal substitute.  Or let them know that you’ll get it back in in the next 24 hours.  A quick and terse no could have them running to your nearest competitor.

4. “What an unusual name.”  You may be curious about someone’s name, but not all people have thick enough skin to hear a comment about their name.  A better approach is to ask how to pronounce the name or ask where they’re from.

5. Don’t offer advice or let the customers know about something that you don’t have any idea about.  You’ll lose credibility too quickly.  If you don’t know something, tell them you’ll get back to them ASAP or refer them to somebody who can help them.  That is much better than giving the customer the wrong information.  They’ll appreciate your honesty.

6. The biggest cliche in the world- “I only work here.”  Ahh, we’ve all heard it from a salesman, waiter, etc after they’ve had a very long, and, obviously, bad day.  It shows that you have no willingness to help solve the problem.  Which you may not, but you don’t want the customer to know that.  Make sure you or your employee refers them to someone who can help them immediately.

What stories do you have of inappropriate remarks to customers?  We’d love to hear them.  Leave us a comment or visit us online.

Don’t make these mistakes on the phone!

As more and more companies are struggling to stay afloat, you would think that they’d have the common sense to avoid these common mistakes on the telephone or with phone calls.  But many don’t.  These mistakes can seem so trivial to some, but could end up costing you a sale or even a client!  Watch out for these big mistakes:

1. Not calling someone back.  You could come up with every excuse in the book, like you’re waiting to get more information before you place a call, or you ran out of time, or you haven’t made a decision yet.  People will think that you don’t care or don’t have time for them.  You need to call everyone back, not just clients.  Make sure you return calls to coworkers, as well.  Even if you don’t have information, call the person to let them know you’re still waiting.  They’ll appreciate knowing that you’re still thinking about their needs.  And never call back and apologize for being busy.  Be honest and upfront.  It will help maintain a better relationship.

2. Let your voicemail get full.  It’s so frustrating to call someone only to find out their machine is no longer taking messages.  Then what are you supposed to do?  This couldn’t be more unprofessional.  Make sure if you’re unavailable to check your voicemail that someone else is taking care of it for you and recording the message in a book so it can be deleted.  Let people know when you will be returning all calls.  Devote at least an hour a day to returning calls so people know when they can expect to hear from you.

3. Not having the right tools.  Make sure you always keep a pen, pad of paper and a mirror by the phone.  Why the mirror?  It will help you know that you’re smiling when you’re speaking with customers.  You never want to take out your frustrations over the phone.  And the pen and paper are to always be ready if someone is going to give you information that needs to be written down, especially a referral!

4. Phone tag.  This happens so often.  Or people leave messages that ask to be called back to get the message instead of just leaving the information in the message.  If you notice you’re constantly playing phone tag, make sure to leave in the message the window of time when you can be reached so it doesn’t keep happening.

Some more common mistakes can be found in this great article.  What other mistakes do you notice that can help maintain better relationships?  Please leave us a comment or visit us online.