James Dray

Come on admit it I do your sitting at your desk or in my case a cubicle, the phone rings you pick it up and.... There you sit in all your glory with no pen or pencil no paper and it's a prospective client what a dope. Hang on a minute now you're in a pickle scurrying around looking for something to write with and some paper.

In the meantime you're making small talk hoping the client does not catch on to what you're trying to do.

The only time you might get by with this is while you're driving and the cell phone goes off. This in turn brings a host of new problems least of all is you don't need to try and write something down while driving. So then you know the answer to the problem and there are two: either don't answer the phone or have a writing instrument and paper. There goes the phone, hang on a minute while I try and find something to write with remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

That's right Johnnie were back to a passage from {Heat Up Your Cold Calls} by George Walther, with a little bit of added stuff from yours truly. We are only going to cover a portion of it in this blog and save a little for another one.

When you're going in the office in the morning to get ready to call the expired or the FSBO'S or however you get ready to start your business day think about this. Are you gearing yourself up for a busyness day or a business day? Buy busyness day I mean you can just pull from let's say the expired list from your local MLS and without looking just start calling each and every number you can find. You can stay busy but look at the potential trouble you can be in.

•1. You may be calling someone on the DO NOT CALL LIST

•2. Did you run comps? You may not want that listing under any circumstances.

•3. The listing may belong to another agent within your agency and they may have rules against that

•4. Could be a difficult client that another agent within your agency was glad to let go but you did not get the message or check your email

•5. The list goes on to whatever you want to fill in the blank spaces

That's the busyness part of the equation and of course the list is almost endless on the other hand there is the business end of which the list is just the reverse.

•1. You check to be sure the person is not on the DO NOT CALL LIST

•2. You run comps and check to see how long the home has been on the market

•3. Check and see what agent and agency has had the listing in the past and for how long, price, agent, etc.

•4. Check your email, postings mail box every day.

You'll be just as busy but this time you will have done all the homework and will have pre-screened your client base before you picked up the phone or knocked on the door, or put the stamp on the letter. You base might not be as big but the results will be remember, "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

That's right a little CPR is just what your client needs and what do I mean by CPR why it's Consult, Personalize and Recommend. Let's break it down:

Consult: Ask your client an open ended question to narrow down the style because you should already have the price, size, school district, and town etc, finalized before you get here.

Personalize: Based on your clients answers don't show them a French style if they wanted a conventional you're wasting your time and theirs plus you may well lose the client.

Recommend: Yes here we go it is very simple due to your research again pick out the homes that fit your clients wish list (or as close as you can get) and show them those homes.

If you can't find anything get as close as you can and consult with your clients again before showing. You're the expert here maybe they might need to move over one sub division to get the "Perfect" home or stay in the sub division they want and sacrifice the "Dream" home. It's their decision in the end but at least you will have given them the choices remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

Visit me at www.sellnwa.com

That's right use the famous triple F word or technique. It's easy and everyone can use it they are so versatile.

Interested in knowing what they are oh yes I did forget to tell you didn't I they are feel, felt and found.

When a client is really letting you have it with all barrels try this scenario:

Yes Mr. or Mrs. ABC I understand exactly how you feel. In fact at some time in my life I have felt the same way. However I have found a solution that has worked for me in the past and here it is.....

This doesn't need to be the lowering of the price of the home or some drastic measure it could be as simple (depending on the client) as a coat of fresh paint, or some wallpaper replaced, lawn mowed, and maybe just maybe taking the family pet for a walk to let tempers calm down.

What an agent you will be, there will be no one like you not only will you be the (go to agent) you will be the one that gets the all important referral remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

Visit me at www.sellnwa.com

Seriously if you believe you are a great salesperson do you need proof you are? Of course you don't just the fact that you believe is proof enough and if you project that confidence that's what you'll get. Can you tell what book I've read and re-read what audio tapes I've listened to and re-listened to, what audio tape I've watched? Actually other than the book, audio and video I also read this in the morning paper today what a deal.

So my point is I believe I'm a great salesperson, the best negotiator for my client and the best d---- agent to be around. That is my humble assessment of myself. I do not like to judge myself as we all seem to be harsh but today I feel like a rebel and tell you what I believe from deep down YEA JAMES!!!!

So what do you believe in that no one needs to tell you that it exists? Are you a great or the greatest salesperson? How about the best negotiator, sorry that one is taken you can be we've already used greatest how about fabulous negotiator? How about the go to person for contract questions, the guru for short sales, it's your game you decide remember "It's a great day to buy or sell a home."

Visit me at www.sellnwa.com