Picture this…
You walk into Nordstrom, and a sales rep walks up to you and asks, “How can I help you?”
How do you respond?
“I’m just looking.”
Why do we do this? We’re not just looking.
2 minutes later, you’re asking yourself, “Does anyone even work here???” as you try to get into a fitting room.
The reason this happens is because we’re conditioned to reject sales-based questions.
“How can I help you” is what the sales rep said, but what you heard was, “What can I sell you?”…
How does this relate to Real Estate? Most agents were trained on LPMAMA. If you’re not familiar with it (that’s probably good), here is what it is.
L – Location = Where do you want to move?
P – Price = What is your price range?
M – Motivation = Why do you want to move?
A – Agent = Are you working with an agent?
M – Mortgage = Are you pre-approved?
A – Appointment = Here is what I want to do next
This is closer to an interrogation sales approach rather than a consultative approach. So many agents talk this way, and it gives you such an opportunity to stand out, in a good way.
Instead of this cold approach, try this instead.
Curiosity.
Clarify why they’re talking to you (a salesperson) in the first place…
Pro-Tip: Little hinges swing big doors. Ask questions that give you more than you asked for.
Here are questions to help uncover motivation; they sound like…
“What are you looking to change about your current living situation?”
“What is it about this home that has you thinking about making a move?”
“What has you thinking about making a move?”
“How does this house look in comparison to everything else you’ve seen?”
Pro-Tip: When someone tells you they’re no longer looking, you can still use the same questions. All you have to do is to start with, “When you were looking…” This allows you to acknowledge that you’re listening and respect that they’re no longer looking.
Here are questions to help uncover Timeline; they sound like…
Buyer: “In a perfect world, when would you like to be moved into your new home?”
Seller: “In a perfect world, when would you like to finish the sale of your house?”
Try these small changes next time you’re talking to a lead. See if it works.