Spring is one of the peak selling periods agents look forward to each year.
Listings are often more abundant as many owners choose to sell when their property looks its best.
If you could find a way to increase your clearance rates and reduce your days on market, would that make your spring selling period even better?
One thing I am certain about is that having a process-driven, reliable and impactful campaign process is vital to a successful sales business.
To make the most of this spring, it’s time to assess if you are giving enough thought and time to setting up the foundations for the campaign stages and benchmarks you know need to be met.
Are you having the essential conversations at the pivotal times?
Here are the five steps toward campaign excellence:
Informing not conditioning
Your vendors don’t know what they don’t know.
Even if they have sold several times, there is still an important conversation to be had before you show buyers through the property.
You must share with your client the expectations you have around the campaign benchmarks from week to week, so if they aren’t hit, the client already understands what that means.
You know you have nailed it when the client tells you that things are off-track and the energy shifts away from you having to deliver the bad news.
This is sales mastery at its best.
Reporting and updates
Real-time feedback is vital.
Don’t underestimate the power of short, sharp information to report and update.
The conversation with the client about the inspection, the open home, the update from the offer party or the valuation, is far more effective if delivered soon after the event.
Leaving the client to have a conversation with themselves about what might have happened or what could happen next is opening the door for assumptions and unproductive emotional states.
Powerful progress meetings
The pre-campaign meeting is the chance for you to take control of how communication will work throughout the campaign.
It’s here you can explain to the client how important the weekly vendor meeting is.
I like to call it a progress meeting, as this positive language speaks to what should be happening as the campaign continues.
The weekly opportunity means that you can check how the campaign is measuring against the benchmarks and also assess how the vendors are feeling.
Having this open conversation gives the client space to be heard, which strengthens the trust between you.
Adjust or bust – the three selling strategy options
Using the benchmarks outlined before campaign commencement means you have created the structure needed to have the price adjustment conversation as early as required.
At any point in a campaign, there are three selling strategy options that relate to time on market: short, medium and long-term strategies and the adjustments required for each.
This conversation is critical to have at the right time to keep the campaign on the path to the sale.
6-step conversation framework
To have an effective conversation where you feel confident and strong, it helps to have a structure to follow:
- Always open with the question of “how are you feeling?”
- Validate their feelings and confirm that you hear and understand their position.
- Explain the purpose of the meeting/discussion so it is clear what you need to talk about.
- Provide information and explain the options they have available.
- Ask how/what/when they would like to proceed?
- Explain next steps, expectations and benchmarks to assess success.
Developing conversation clarity, strength and skill ensures you won’t procrastinate or avoid having the discussions you need to.
The right conversations at the right time will bring enormous rewards and significantly change your client experience and results.
Caroline Bolderston heads up the Being Bold Coaching Academy and provides coaching and support for principals and sales leaders. For more information visit beingbold.com.au
