When in Doubt, Blow em Out

   When I was in my twenties,  I had a job selling Buick automobiles at a dealership in Orlando.  I had been with the company for six months when I was called into the general manager's office for one of those thirty second motivational seminars you have heard about. The manager said " Ron, you have been here six months.  The most cars you have ever sold in a month is six.  If you don't sell ten cars this month, you are fired.".  That happen about ten o'clock in the morning.  At two o'clock, one of the used car salesman named Henry said , " Ron, I hear you are not going to be with us much longer."  Bad news travels swiftly.  Henry had been selling cars forever.  He sold about twenty-five cars every month.  He said," Ron. I sure do like you.If you will listen to me, I will teach you how to sell these cars."  What Henry taught me in the next few days has been with me for thirty years.  It is the most important thing in selling.
   Henry taught me to qualify prospects.  "Just because they are here doesn't mean they are prospects", Henry told me.  " They have to be able to afford a car and they have to be able to make a decision.",Henry told me.  Henry told me he could feel it in his gut if they were here to buy.  That must have been true because Henry would walk out of the air-conditioned office to the hot used car lot in July in Florida.  He would  talk to them for ninety seconds and come back inside.  Then the sales manager would ask, " Henry, What about that prospect?".  Henry responds " no good".  Then the sales manager would send one of the rookies such as me out to talk to this "prospect".  Three hours later they would leave without buying anything. 
   How did Henry know?  Henry had thirty years experience selling.  He said it did not take him thirty years to learn.  He said he learned it in about six months back when he was a rookie  thirty years ago.
   Henry taught me to follow up with suspects. In the sales training class, they had taught us to follow up.  Henry said that was probably the only worthwhile thing they had taught in class.  Henry taught me that if a person comes in to a Buick store , looks at a Buick but does not buy.  Then they go down the street and buy a Chevrolet or a Cadillac.  What does that tell you?  It tells you that that person was a prospect. He was a good prospect.  I was just not a good enough salesman to sell them a Buick.   Henry taught me not to fool myself into believing the Chevrolet  or Cadillac was cheaper or prettier or better etc.  It was the salesmanship.  Henry said it.  I believe it.  It is so.
   Wait a minute.  What if I follow up with a prospect and three weeks later, he has bought no car from nobody , nowhere?   He is still driving his old car.  What does that tell you? He was never a prospect in the first place.  Zig Ziglar could not have sold him a car.  He was not a prospect for whatever reason.  He was not a prospect.  The only mistake I made was to spend more than ninety seconds with him which Henry would not have done.  You do not know if you do not follow up.  That is the real value of follow up.  They do not teach this in any sales training class I have ever attended.  I teach it in my sales training class.
   Let's get back to the story.  After Henry gave me the basics on qualifying, guess what!  I sold ten cars that month.  I sold twelve the next month.  Pretty soon, I was averaging eighteen per month.  That is not super star status but no more thirty second motivational seminars with the manager. 
   Fast forward eighteen months.  It was a rainy afternoon in Orlando. I was hanging around the showroom looking for a prospect.  Traffic was extremely heavy.  I was thinking the company must have beefed up advertising.  A young man walked into the showroom.  I walked up to him ,said "Hello.  Are you here to buy a new car?".  He replied" I am here to look".  Wrong Answer!  Strike one.  I replied "What do you want to look at?"  He said  "A Buick Regal".  As we descended down the ramp to walk out back, I ask him where was his trade in vehicle.   He told me he had a two year old mustang to trade in but he did not have it with him.  He was driving the company truck.  I ask what he owed on the Mustang .  He owed more on than it was worth.  Strike two!  "Are you married?" I asked.  "Oh yes" he replied.  " Would you buy a car without your wife seeing it? I queried.  "Oh no, I could never do that." he replied.  Strike Three!  I reached in my pocket , took a business card, handed it to him, told him where the Regals were and headed back to the showroom.  In the car business we called that " Blowing them out".  It may seem harsh. It may seem rude.  If you spend time and energy with people that do not intend to buy, you have no time and energy for those that do intend to buy.  That is what Henry taught me. This is essential information if you earn your living on commission.
   Did I tell you that as soon as I shook that young man's hand, I knew he was not going to buy today.  How did I know?  Henry had taught me to follow up. I had listened to hundreds of people just like him tell me that they had decided not to trade cars right now but they appreciated me taking the time to show then a new Buick and they were non prospects. You can not learn to feel it if you do not follow up.  I could feel it just like Henry told me I would.
   That is not the end of the story.  The next morning at the sales meeting, the manager announced that the company had hired a "mystery shopper" service to come into the dealership yesterday and evaluate our salesmanship.  Would the following salesmen please report to the manager's office: Ron and Henry.
   Henry blew his guy out it two minutes.  It took me five minutes.  Please, please do not spend time with non prospects. If you will follow up for a year, you can teach yourself to distinguish between the prospects and the non prospects.  Learn to qualify.  Get away from non prospects. They are the career killers in real estate.  I would rather see you "blow out" five good prospects than see you spend a day with one non prospects.  When in doubt, blow em out.  Henry taught me this thirty years ago. I still believe it is good advice.
   If you need more sales skills,and if you have never renewed your Florida real estate license, you have to take a forty five hour post license class.Take this class from me and I will teach you lots of sales skills.
   Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 or contact us at www.climerrealestateschool.com

The Man On The White Horse

   I hope you believe, as I do, that our thoughts and prayers attract us to people, circumstances and things. I recently stopped at a garage sale on a Saturday morning.  One of the things they had for sale was a box of about thirty motivational and training programs on cassette tape from Nightingale-Connant. Apparently this person subscribed to a tape of the month program.  There was Zig and Hopkins and Deepak and Denis Waitley and Mark Victor Hansen and a plethora of others including the granddaddy of all recorded motivational programs; "Lead The Field" by Earl Nightingale.
   If you are reading this and you have never listened to "Lead The Field",get it and listen to it.It is the basics of what you need to succeed in life and in real estate.The last lesson is "The Man On The White Horse". This is the essence of real estate sales.This is who you need to be.
   I went out to my garage and found a cassette player. I started listening to the cassettes in the car.  Some were good.  Some were great.  All were better than what is on the radio.  If you are not listening and learning in the car, start now.  If you are taking your Florida real estate exam in the near future, the best thing you can listen to is me. I have my Florida real estate exam review on CD.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 to get yours. You can not find a easier way to study for the Florida real estate exam. 
   If you have already passed your exam and started to sell real estate, start listening with "Lead The Field" and keep listening until one day when you forget to cash a commission check.  That is when you have learned enough.

Start Your Real Estate Career with More Questions

   There are several formats of questions.  One form is what I call "True or False".  This is where you ask Mr. Seller, "Is this true? Overpriced houses do not sell."  You could just state this as a statement.  It is so much more effective when you ask Mr. Seller is it true.  It requires a response.  When it is a statement, it requires no response.  You need a response and you need to anticipate what that response will be. 
   If I say to Mr. Seller, "Are you in a hurry to sell or are you hoping it takes a long time?", I have a pretty good idea which choice he will take.  If I say to Mr. Foreclosure victim,"Are you gong to list your house with me today or would you rather it be sold at a foreclosure auction so you can be sued for a deficiency judgement?".  I am pretty sure what the answer to that alternate of choice question will be.  If I say, " Mr. Seller, do you want to accept this offer now or wait six months for another one?"  If they do not accept that offer, I have still conveyed a message that would not be well received as a statement.  Alternate of choice is a perfect way to show people, with a question, what is the right choice. 
   Start now to practice asking questions every day. Practice is how it becomes natural. Let me ask you a question.  If there was a way to accelerate your learning to sell better, would you want to take advantage of it?  If you answered yes, check out my forty five hour post license class.  This is just one of a dozen sales skills you can learn in this class.  You have to take this class somewhere before you renew your real estate the first time.  Why not take it at Climer School of Real Estate in Orlando.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 or www.climerrealestateschool.com

Selling Real Estate By Asking Questions

Can I teach you to ask questions?  Is this the best way to sell?  Yes it is.  Is it hard to learn?  Yes but it is worth the effort.
   When you ask people a question, they have to think.  You can control what they think with the questions you ask.  Do you agree? 
   There are different types of questions.  For now, lets concentrate on asking a question as opposed to making a statement.  Questions are better.  That is a statement.  Are questions better?  Isn't that better?
   Learning to answer a question with a question is a skill you need to master if you want to be a super salesman.  You do not need this skill to be mediocre.  It takes time and it takes practice.  When would be a good time to start?  Did you answer right now?  If you did, you are correct.  A perfect place to practice is with incoming phone calls.  Mr. Caller is going to do what is natural.  He is going to ask you a question.  If you do what comes naturally, you lose.
   Hello XYZ Realty
   Hello, How much is that house at 123 Residential Street?
   It is one hundred thousand dollars
   OK thanks good bye

   Can we improve on that?
  
   Hello XYZ Realty
   Hello How much is that house at 123 Residential Street?
   The price of that house is one hundred thousand dollars. Are you calling from the driveway or are you calling from somewhere else?
  
   You tell me.  Which is better, the natural response or the planned response?
   I believe the natural response is better.  It is pretty unlikely you will hear ,"Thanks Good bye".  It is almost for certain that you will hear that with the natural response.  Start practicing now. 
   Questions are a skill you have to learn.  To learn it, you have to work at it.  You can practice all the time.  The next time someone asks you a question, answer it with a question. 
   Spouse" What is for dinner?"
   You "What would you like?
   Spouse"Steak."
   You "Would you prefer I overcook it in a pan or would you rather we have a perfectly cooked steak in a nice restaurant?"
   Spouse " I certainly don't want an overcooked steak"
    You "So you want to take me out to a restaurant.  Let's go . I am ready right now.  Shall we take your car or mine?"
   Opportunities to practice are everywhere.  You have to work at it. Answer a question with a question.

Pareto's Principle, Make It Work for You

   Look around the real estate office you have chosen.  You will quickly notice that twenty per cent of the sales associates are earning eighty per cent of the money.  Look around your church.  You will see that eighty per cent of the members are doing twenty per cent of the work and twenty per cent of the members are doing eighty per cent of the work.  Check out your service club.  Check out your political committee or your local association of Realtors.  This is a law like gravity, or like Murphy's law. It even has a name.  It is called Pareto's Principle.  It was named after Wilfredo Pareto.  He died in 1923.
   Pareto observed that when people get together, the eighty twenty rule will apply.  What has this got to do with you and your real estate career?  You need to be certain that you are in the upper twenty per cent.
   How can you do that?
   Get a plan.  If you are going to be in that upper twenty per cent, you must have a plan.  If you need some advice  putting that plan together, ask someone that is already in the upper twenty per cent. 
   Take action.  Your plan has to include action.  Maybe your plan has cold calls in it.  Maybe your plan is to create the best web site the real estate industry has ever seen.  No matter what your plan is, it has action in it.  Take action.  If your plan is to call foreclosure victims, call one.  If your plan is to make your phone ring with customers, do whatever your plan calls for you to do. There is magic in action.
   Have a super expectant good attitude.  There is no doubt that attitude is super important.  Work on yours all the time.  A good attitude yields good results.  Hang around with people that have good attitudes(upper 20%) and avoid those negative Nellies.  Every real estate office has at least one and usually several. Stay away.  Work on your attitude by the books you read and the people with whom  you spend time. 
   Study successful people. Read their books.  Listen to their CD program.   Watch their webinar or video.  Go to their seminar. You can not over expose yourself to this kind of training.
   Here is a capital idea if you are new in real estate.  Attend my forty five hour post license course.  You have to take this course sometime before you renew your real estate license for the first time.  Why not come spend a week with me at Climer School of Real Estate in Orlando.  I will promise you a better attitude, some increased sales skills and a passel of networking contacts .  You will also earn a certificate that you need to renew your real estate license next year.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926 or http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/

Easy to Read, Likely to Read

   Yesterday, I suggested we all need to read more.  Certainly,  this is a good idea. Here is something that might make it easier for you.
   I am extremely fortunate to live in Orange county.  Orange county has a great library.  I thought of a book yesterday that I wanted to read again, "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense" by Suzzette Elgin. If you have not read this book, get it and read it.
   What made me think of this book was a story that one of my broker students told me.  One of my students told me a story about a bank employee that verbally accused her of violating the code of ethics of the association of Realtors.  My first thought was how would a bank employee know about the the code of ethics?  My first response would be to ask her that.  "What do you know about that?"  Defend yourself verbally.  Elgin's book shows you how to do this tactfully,nicely.
   As I was saying, We have a great library in Orange county.  As soon as I realized I wanted to read this book again, I reached in my wallet. took my library card and ask the library to mail it to me. It will arrive in a few days. I did not spend a penny.  It took about ninety seconds.  While I had the library on the phone, I asked them to mail me "The Fred Factor".  I read an article in the Florida Realtor magazine that recommended that. It will also arrive in a few days.
   Go to the library.  Get a Kindle.  Use Amazon. Read. It will enhance your career.

Easy to Read, Likely to Read

Yesterday, I suggested we all need to read more.  Certainly that is a good idea.  Here is a idea that make it easier for you to read.  I am extremely lucky to live in Orange county.  Orange county has the best library.  I thought of a book yesterday that I wanted to read again; "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense" by Suzzette Elgin. If you have not read this wonderful book,  get it and read it.
   What made me think of this book was a story that one of my broker student told me yesterday in class.One of my students told me about a bank employee that verbally accused her of violating the code of ethics of the association of Realtors.  My first thought was how would a bank employee even know about the code of ethics?  Most likely the employee would not.  You have to confront people like that and ask them " What do you know about that?" People are constantly verbally attacking. Defend yourself gently, nicely.tactfully.
   As I was saying, what a great library we have in Orange county. As soon as I thought I wanted this book , I reached in my wallet, took out my lirary card, called the library and ordered this book. It didn't cost me a penny.  It was very little effort. It will arrive in the mail in a few days.  While I had the library on the phone, I asked them to send me "The Fred Factor".  I was reading an article in the Florida Realtor magazine that recommended this book.
   Go to the library.  Get a kindle. Go to Amazon.  Read .  It will enhance your career. See lots of people every day,

Not All Readers are Leaders But All Leaders Are Readers

Learn, Learn, Learn. Whenever you do something new, learning is the laborious part.  Everything is hard, Everything is strange. 
   Put learning at the top of your agenda if you are new in real estate.  You need to learn technical knowledge like how to fill out a contract.  You need to learn salesmanship knowledge like how to ask the right questions.  You have to learn lots of stuff.  How can you learn quickly? Study, read, And attend seminars. Read anything you can find; books, magazine articles.  Get some books on disc and listen to it in the car all the time.  This is effortless. 
   The Board of Realtors has lots of classes for you to attend.  Attend them.  It is hard to know which is good and which is a waste of time.  If it is free, you can always leave. 
   Another good way to learn is to read good books. Ask successful Realtors what to read.  If I could recommend one book to new real estate agents, It would be" The Greatest Salesman in the World " by Og Mandino. Get this book and read it.
   If you are new in real estate and you are not a reader, start reading now. You do not have to do it forever.  Just do it until you know enough. How do you know when you know enough? You are making so much money,  you can not spend it all. 
   Ask your successful co-workers what they are doing that is working. Put as much effort into learning as you do into working. If you do a open house on Sunday afternoon, take a good book with you.While you are in the car, listen to Tom Hopkins or some sales trainer that will help you make money.If your company has training, be there. Attend Climer School of Real Estate's " Getting Started Right" 45 hour course.
   You will amaze yourself at how fast you will learn. Before you know it, someone will be asking you for advice.

Real Estate Basic,The Sixty Second Introduction

   Why would anyone want to read my blog?  I am hoping because I might have something worthwhile to say.  If you have ever heard my two minute lesson on introductions that I do at the beginning of my forty five hour post license class, you may remember that try to teach you to memorize a sixty second introduction for yourself that you can use over and over and over and over at any meeting you ever go to.  I suppose I do this with so much tongue in cheek that most people do not think I am serious.  The truth is I could not be more serious.  I think if some new real estate licensee said to me, " Andy teach me something in one minute that will make me money."  This is what I would teach that person.
   Take time at home or at the office to write and memorize a sixty second introduction for yourself that you can use at every Board of Realtors function, meeting,class or event that you find yourself attending. The group leader says," Let's go around the room and introduce ourselves." This is no pressure if you have had this memorized for a while.  It does not matter how many people you meet, It matters how many people like you and remember you.
   My memorized introduction goes like this.  " Hello I am Andy Brown from The Climer School of Real Estate. I meet people that are broke destitute and desperate and turn them into semi millionaires in a one week class. If you know any broke, destitute, and desperate people that want to be semi millionaires, send them to us. My phone is 407 822 3926 of if you have a computer, we are http://www.climerrealestateschol.com/."
   I am serious. This usually gets a laugh.  I would like to be believe that the audience remembers that more than," Hey I'm Andy from Orlando" It is working for me but it is hard to teach. Try it.
   I am thinking of changing the name of  forty five hour class to "Getting Started Right".  I believe the first ninety days are the most critical to your sucess. This blog is  for that period of time