Custom: The REAL Definition

One of the words that is overused to the point of confusing the public is "Custom."

The word Custom is often used in higher end Real Estate or other "perceived" high end products. The word is used by marketers to make consumers feel as though they are going to receive a unique and high quality product.

The problem is that most products including homes are not really custom.

For 99% of people that have ever built a home from a New home building company they had about 6-12 different floor plans they could build, with each home having various other "limited" options to add or enhance. Then, there is a specific amount of lots that person can select from to build the home on in a specific location.

That's not custom. It's ordinary.

• Custom is different


• Custom is unique


• Custom is one-of-a-kind


• Custom is both a product and an experience

Custom is NOT...

Providing the exact same service to ALL your customers. People are ALL different. They learn different, understand different, have different expectations, and feel different.

Saying "no" to your customers more often then saying "yes." Finding a way to say "yes" more often then not is what custom is all about. Custom is about them, not you

Telling your customers "when" they can call you or be able to get in touch with you. If you have a voice message that says when you return phone calls each day or your available hours totally coincide with the normal work hours of your customers, you are NOT custom.

Modeling your business plan after any other company. Most similar type business are copycats. Many home builders use the same philosophies, procedures, rating systems, etc. If you are not original, don't start business.

There is a Custom Home Builder that has been taking the North Texas area by storm. They have figured it out. They are unique. They are On-of-a kind. They are TRUECustom™.

Diamond R Homes does not design your home, pick your lot, or tell you how you will be communicated with.

They will change, tweak, create, or whatever it takes to design the home that you really want. You don't have to settle for a home being 70% of what you want. Diamond R Homes allows you to be 100% exhilarated with YOUR home.

Diamond R Homes does NOT own a slew of lots in any given location. They build on your lot, help you find a lot, and negotiate the acquisition of a lot on your behalf.

The Hallmark behind any great company or product is the manner in which you feel before, during, and after the experience. This, more than anything is the real value behind a TRUECustom™ home. At Diamond R Homes, it is ALL about the Individual customer.

Custom is about experience. It's about caring more about something or someone else before you care about yourself. Diamond R Homes believes that by providing selfless service first, the rest will take care of itself.

It's easy to be ordinary. Choose something Extraordinary.

Curt Fletcher aka The Likeability Guy, is a Real Estate Professional, Business Development Strategist, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

The Face of your company is the person that answers the Phone!

Yesterday, I decided I was going to look for a different printing and design company to assist with a few different ventures. I was looking to design a new logo, get a few different types of brochures made, letterhead, envelopes, and a few more items.

In any case, I was referred to a particular company from a friend and colleague of mine. So, I did what I normally do and checked them out via the Internet to see what kind of capability they had.

I was satisfied by what I read, but still had some particular questions since I had various items for a few different projects to take care of.

They had one of those nice little "Web Chat" type deals on their web site, so I signed in and asked for some assistance regarding my questions. In just a few seconds, a customer representative replied with a very generic "pre-typed" response.

I replied again, re-stating my question and again received a "pre-typed" response. Though this only took a few seconds, it was already very annoying. This time I replied politely, that he was not answering my questions, and asked if we could speak.

The response was, "Yes, call the number on the screen and ask for the design department." I'm thinking great, this will probably be much easier. Not so fast.

So I call the number and ask for the "design team." Not more then a second after I make that statement am I getting stiff armed by the receptionist saying they don't really allow people to talk to them without paying first. My response was that I understood, but had a volume of different materials needed and first needed to speak with someone before paying for something that may not be correct.

I even stated that I was told to call and ask for the design team. He put me on hold for a minute or so then came back and asked for my sign up ID and Order number. I told him again, that I had not paid anything to get an order number, because it was necessary to speak with someone first.

After a bit of sarcasm from the Representative as he re-stated that speaking to someone about what you need is not really their protocol before any money is transferred, I was placed on hold again for about 5 minutes. I got the hint.

Clearly this company was ALL about the bottom line first, and actually helping a customer was not even a priority. Naturally, I hung up. There is not a chance in the world I would ever work or trust a company like this with my money, design needs, or schedule deliveries.

Within a few minutes, I called another company, and everything has been smooth since the first step. Amazing what a little common sense and courtesy can do.

In any case, my suggestion to any company is that if you have someone that is either inept, unwilling, or just naturally unpleasant, DO NOT allow them to speak with customers. Especially if they are your front line. To me, the face of the company is that person that I speak to first.

I sent this company a short little email stating how they could improve their business and how I would not do business with them because of the rudeness I experienced at the outset of the process. After I told them who I was and what I was doing, their interest in helping was very high and asked if they could reconcile.

Politely, I said no thank you and that I had already made a new commitment with a company that desired my business from the first phone call NOT after the first mistake.

Curt Fletcher aka The Likeability Guy, is a Real Estate Professional, Business Development Strategist, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Diamond R Homes

Diamond R Homes is a TRUE Custom Home Builder. Many people think "Custom" Builder just means an upper scale production home. It doesn't.

TRUE Custom means YOU CHOOSE.

TRUE Custom means WE Cater to YOU.

TRUE Custom means 100% Unique.

At Diamond R Homes, we have assembled a small team of Fantastic People that share ONE COMMON Trait. WE ALL Strive to provide a unique and fantastic service oriented Experience.

Truthfully, we could provide many exciting services because our attitudes are ALL in alignment with helping others.

We selected Home Building because we have a combined 50 Years of unsurpassed success in the art of Creating Genuine Customer Happiness.

In that 50 years, we have amassed an abundance of usable knowledge in home design, personal connections, and systems that when combined to help you, create a TRUE Custom Experience.

Our goal is not to build many homes as fast as we can. Our Goal is to Help YOU build your Dream Home where you want it, how you want it. In undertaking that single act of genuine desire to help you, our market share has increased, but the mission remains the same.

At Diamond R Homes we subscribe whole heartedly with one of Zig Ziglar's most impressive revelations, "If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want."

Diamond R Homes is a TRUE Custom Home Builder that operates in the Dallas / Fort Worth Marketplace. We WILL build on your lot, we WILL help you find and purchase a lot, we WILL design a home WITH you, and WILL provide Customer Service to Ridiculous Levels.

We don't believe in building homes in a static environment. The world is a changing and dynamic place and so are the needs of our Customers. The ONLY way to provide the level of service that we do is to adapt our skills to your desires.

"Amazing Service is our Brand. Superior Home Building is our Medium."

15 Minutes

It seems everyone is looking around trying to capture their 15 minutes of fame. With all the social networking sites and you tube videos, people can plaster themselves all over these days.

The problem with this approach today is that it is no longer original. To gain a new following via any of these type sites is going to be very difficult if you are relatively unknown. With people everywhere around the world inundating these sites every moment of every day it will continue to get harder and harder to gain recognition this way.

So how do you grow a following?

There is actually no big secret here, just know that unless something out of the ordinary happens, it will take some time, consistency, courage, and hard work to get yourself out there. Once you are out there, these other social media sites can serve you very well in growing your personal brand.

What to do:

1. Start small with a core group of people that are loyal and believe what you do is something great.


2. Ask your core group of supporters to help you by passing the word to their sphere of influence.


3. Repeat

Stay consistent and your personal core group of supporters will start to grow exponentially. Many folks call this pyramid marketing. I just call it common sense. No fancy terms. You can't start marketing on a large scale first if people don't know you. Build your brand, create some value, and enlist the support of those that believe in you.

Conflict-Resolution?

Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it?

Being a successful New Home Sale Person and interacting with new people every day, I have become very experienced in conflict-resolution.

I'll stop short of saying I'm an expert in the field because that would imply two things:

1. That I have been exposed to every known conflict and have an answer to all of them...which I don't.


2. That I deal with customers that are not happy....also very far from accurate.

I will say, that in any people business (which is ALL Businesses by the way) natural human emotions can be stirred up rather easily. So, it is important to understand how to remain calm and provide resolutions for people.

Many companies operate under the theory of the blame game...not productive.

At a former company that I used to work with, if any problems ever arose, the management team would literally hold a meeting to try and figure out whose fault it was.

Crazy I know. They would actually spend hours of time looking to assign blame to either an employee or a customer rather than spending their time looking for solutions and remedies.

They didn't understand that the past is over and the future was in their hands. Regardless of the situation and how you got there, you MUST look forward and not backwards to achieve any resolution.

Suffice to say, this company did very well during the housing boom because it didn't matter how they treated people. However, over the course of the last two years, their business is suffering terribly.

The key to successful conflict-resolution is creating a Win-Win situation. Both parties involved in the conflict must feel as though a positive solution has been reached.

I'll be expanding on this topic in the coming weeks with a more elaborate article as part of my Ezine mailer that I send out.

The Vegas Principle

I'm not sure if this is a Real Theory or not, so I'm gonna proceed as though it isn't.

I just spent the better part of this week in Las Vegas and came away with great appreciation.

Now I have been to Vegas on several different occasions, but it never really dawned on me until this week what they do so well.

You see, everyone that works in Vegas understands this principle already.

They ALL understand the simple theory of being nice and courteous.

When you have a problem with your room.

No questions or doubt, just quick assistance and a gift card.

When you have a problem with where something is.

Just solutions, maps, and directions.

If you don't understand when to "hit" in Blackjack.

Ask the dealer, they will help you...if you listen, you will actually win.

What they ALL understand is that by making EVERYTHING hassle free by being nice and courteous, YOU WILL hand over your money to them!

Simple right?

Well, it really is. Take care of your customers, make things easy, and be courteous.

Vegas is such a perfect example.

I believe people want to give their money to you, but you MUST provide them with Value First.

Where is the Passion?

I am wondering to myself how many times I will walk in a store or call some sort of service provider to be greeted with....."hello, my name is blah....how can I help you today?"

The thought that I have is two-fold:

1. That is the same generic question everyone for every company asks.


2. Why do you have zero emotion in your voice?

If you have no desire for what you are doing, STOP doing it!

There are lots of things that you can do so wasting the time away being miserable is not worth it.

Try something different...perhaps one of these phrases with some BIG EMOTION in your voice!

"Thank you for calling! I'm [insert name], how may I benefit you today!"

"Welcome to [Insert Workplace], I'm [Insert Name]! What would you like to Accomplish Today?!"

Instead of saying "hello" first, try thanking / welcoming first. It is disarming and polite. It is a subtle way to open a conversation that feels more comfortable.

Sometimes "hello" sounds like you are disturbing someone or bothering them...it can make the person that is needing help feel like a nuisance....depending of course on Passion and Voice Inflection.

Try it. See what kind of results you get. You won't be disappointed!

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Why is Likeability SO IMPORTANT?

Over the years as products and various services have improved the mind set of many people is that the product will sell itself.

There are not many training programs that currently exist that focus on much more than increasing product knowledge and demonstration skills.

The BIG reason why YOU make the difference is this exact reason.

As products have improved and sales people have a better understanding of the product itself...the personal touch has been left behind.

People have learned to sell stats and facts rather than focus on the buying needs of your prospect.

Here are some Quick facts:

• There are TONS of choices for people today.


• Sales People generally sell Stats and Facts.


• Prospects Assume comparable products are the same..except price.

This data tells me that with so many similar choices in the market place and most sales people giving the same stats and facts presentation...providing a different experience to a prospect WILL create a NEW and Unique experience.

Many important choices in life come down to Likeability.

1. If someone likes you, they will talk to.


2. If someone talks to you, they will become more comfortable with you.


3. When they become more comfortable, they will open up and become truthful.


4. When they become truthful and open, you can listen to their real needs.


5. When you hear their real needs, you can tailor your presentation and product demo around helping them.


6. When people feel helped, they perceive Value.


7. When value is greater than price.....A Sale is made.


8. When you provide Outstanding value and complete a sale, you gain a NEW Fan.


9. New Fans create referrals.

This is the cycle of Success and Likeability is the Key Component!

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

YOU need to be in HIGH Demand!

To succeed and be the best, YOU need to be in HIGH Demand!

Remember, it isn't about the product it is about how you Present YOUR Product.

Here are a few ways to Create your own brand:

Be Unique:

Not many people like boring and mundane. Whatever you are selling, give people a reason to buy it from you. Most consumers believe most products are simple commodities (equal). It is your job to make YOUR product one of a kind.

Don't ask the same questions as everyone else in your profession. Ask fun and enlightening questions that make your prospect think and take an active role.

Be Positive:

Lots of buying prospects come in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They may even say negative things about your product. Forget about it. These are defense mechanisms that all people have. If they weren't interested in some form or fashion, they would not be talking to you in the first place.

Stay positive. Convert Negative questions and statements into positive benefits. It's easy to jump on the bandwagon and be negative. Only true Professionals can stay positive and transfer that feeling to others.

Improve your Self Concept:

To be in HIGH Demand, YOU MUST believe that you should be in high demand. Tell yourself that you are the best everyday. I don't mean be arrogant, but you MUST have HIGH Confidence in your own ability if you want anyone else to believe it.

The power of positive thought has been proven throughout history to be the launching pad for future success!

Are you in HIGH Demand?

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

When Training Works!

If you want to be a better golfer, you have to practice hitting golf balls.

If you want to be a better basketball player, you have to shoot more baskets.

If you want to be a better quarterback, you throw more footballs.

If you want to be a better hitter, you hit more baseballs.

Obvious right?

Why is it that most people only equate improving skills to athletic competition?

If you want to be a better sales person, you MUST practice that too!

Here are 3 items that WILL improve your sales skills:

Read positive books and articles about self-improvement

Improvement will happen because it is a proven fact the more confident you are in your own ability, the more success you will have in your endeavors.

Prepare yourself in advance for the most common objections you hear

If you sell anything, you know that objections are merely a defense mechanism that are designed to gain more information. You CAN also plan in ADVANCE for the objections you will hear. Perhaps not all of them, but most of them.

Learn to Listen Before Responding

No effective communication can take place without properly listening. Don't wait to talk, actually listen so you can respond. This takes discipline and effort to do it effectively.

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

How to Set an Appointment!

One of the quickest ways to increase your sales and income is learning to set an appointment correctly.

Are you one of the sales professionals that delivers a good presentation, and at the conclusion asks the prospect when they will be back in? Maybe you get a reply of “later in the week,” and you respond with “okay, I’ll see you then.”

Does that seem like a good method?

You probably do not get very many returning prospects with that approach. Recent studies show that 70% of prospects do not return for a second visit without a firm appointment. However, those prospects with a set appointment return and purchase 50% of the time.

Wow! You spend all that time with a prospect and 70% of the time, you will never see them again. Are you interested in learning the correct technique?

Rule # 1: Know when your prospects are coming back.

You do not want to have them show up randomly on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. This is your prime fishing time for new future buyers. Spending this time with an unannounced prospect return eats into your future sales.

How to do this:

Have a reason for a return visit. You do not have to show off all your knowledge on the first visit. If you cannot close a buyer on the first visit, be smart with the information that you provide. Hold back a few key details that they have questions about.

If there are no questions at the conclusion of their visit and they don’t buy, you are not doing a good enough job at discovering their buying objections.

The two best ways to ensure a return appointment are Urgency and Benefits. Provide Value and people will return.

Reasons for an appointment:

• Unable to show a particular home


• Unable to show a certain homesite


• Unable to get certain pricing on luxury features


• Come back for financing details


• Price Increase


• Incentives Expiring

I will repeat this line. If you are unable to close the sale, hold back some of the above information for a follow-up.

When you call them, say something to the effect of, “In order to give you the time and attention that you deserve….”

Remember, you need to create urgency and benefits, beginning your statement like I have written above; you make the prospect feel important by the value you will provide them at the appointment.

How To Set The Appointment

Use the Alternate Choice Close.

Say something like this, “Since I know you love the home and that beautiful homesite, I would hate for you to be upset with me if I didn’t inform you that our prices are increasing on Monday. With that in mind, when is a better time for you to come back and review this great opportunity? Is Tuesday at 6:00 PM good, or would Wednesday at 11:00 AM be better?”

Don’t talk again, until they respond.

Try this for one month and watch your sales grow!

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Time to throw away the OLD Sales Grading System!

As a Professional New Home Sales Manager I have given more presentations than I can recall.

As a Professional Sale Trainer I have watched more "Shop Tapes" that I can remember.

As a Normal Consumer of everyday products and services I have listened to more Sales Spiel's than I wish to recount.

My Conclusion:

• Canned Sales Presentations are Terrible
• Forced Sales Presentations are Forgettable
• Company Mandated Questions are Boring
• 95% of Sales Presentations are Predictable

What do the following words relay to you?

• Terrible
• Forgettable
• Boring
• Predictable

My thoughts exactly!

The majority of sales presentations have NOT evolved over time.

*(Que Movie Voice Guy)*

In a world where virtually every product or service has enhanced over time, why has the presentation part been left behind?

The product is important, the presentation is Crucial.

The Product may be necessary, the Perceived Benefits are Key.

The Product fills a void, a good presentation fulfills an Emotional Desire.

Has your presentation Evolved?


Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Be in the moment....at the moment!

The easiest way to increase your prospect of making a sale to ANYONE.... for ANYTHING is to be mentally present.

It's easy to be distracted by other thoughts that's why success does not come easy.

The key is to prepare yourself to ALWAYS be in TOTAL mental control of yourself at the moments you need to be.

An example of this, would be Tiger Woods.

He plays in a very limited number of Golf Tournaments each year. He often receives grief from other players or analysts to play more because he is so popular.

What they don't realize is what makes him different is the fact that virtually every shot he hits in every tournament he plays in, he is in FULL command of his thoughts.

That is why he WINS at a higher frequency than any other player that has ever played the game.

The time that he is not playing in a tournament is spent preparing for the next one.

His preparation is just as much mental that it is physical. Sure he hits plenty of golf balls in practice, but an equal amount of time is dedicated to his thoughts and mental control.

Sales Success is no different.

You MUST prepare in advance for the responses you will receive to different questions...and not just one standard canned response.

Some say that sales is a numbers game....talk to as many people as possible and you will gain more sales...

That is one school of thought, but I don't subscribe to it.

Sales is a People Game.

The more you master your mental control, preparation, and listening ability the MORE equipped you are to take better advantage of those opportunities when you are speaking with prospects!

Are you in the moment...at the moment?

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Return Phone Calls equals Higher Likeability and More Sales

Do you ever miss a phone call and decide it can wait to be followed up with?

Did waiting result in forgetting?

How did it feel when that same person called back and the first statement was...."did you get my message?"

This happens all the time to virtually everyone in every business.

Clearly this is not a good formula for Creating a "Customer for life."

Rather, it implies that they are not very important, so their loyalty to you begins to fade.

• To gain higher customer retention


• Improved Referral Based Business


• Less awkward moments of you "making up a reason for not calling back"

Simply making a little extra time to return a phone call will do all the above.

There is an old adage that says "bad news is better than no news." Think of how it feels to make a purchase, have an issue or question, and not be able to get any help.

Just a 2 minute follow-up call makes all the difference.

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Curiosity: A Pre-Requisite to Success in Sales

Some professions require years of schooling or some other advanced degree of something.

Not Sales.

Success in sales requires 2 main items.

Curiosity & Common Sense

Obviously there are many other skills and abilities that make up a Fantastic Sales Person, but these are simply two pre-requisites that will open that door for you.

Why Curiosity?

Well, simply put, you need to be curious or inquisitive about everything. You need to be curious about:

• Your Clients


• Your Product


• Your Current Skills


• Your Future Skills

Natural curiosity will keep you asking questions and listening to answers just as you would in a conversation with a close friend.

Curiosity will keep you interested in learning the tiny little nuances and intricate details of your product.

It will allow you to give yourself a "REAL" gauge of how efficient and effective your current skill level is and what it might be like if you improve.

How curious are you?

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Attention all Sales People! Sell Yourself FIRST!

I have read article after article and listened to trainer after trainer give tips and clues how to sell more effectively.

Typically, you hear the same general stuff, with almost NO emphasis on the MOST important factor.

YOU!

In the eyes of the public---your prospects---whatever it is that you sell is not perceived as unique or "One of a Kind."

No matter how hard you try, people generally will not see things the way you see it. You know your product is unique and is great, but relaying that message in a sales environment is difficult.

With this understanding, it is IMPERATIVE that you sell yourself first.

If you go into demo mode or persuasion mode without selling yourself, you might as well just save your breath, because it won't matter.

The difference in virtually every decision that a prospect makes comes down to their experience with their sales person.

In home sales, it is the opinion of many decision makers and trainers that the sales person is not as important as the home itself or the options that are inside.

WRONG!

The sales person is THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of the equation.

Don't fall into the trap that homes, prices, options, or anything else is what you should be selling.

You are selling yourself FIRST!

Once you do that, the rest comes next.

People make the difference.

YOU make the difference.

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Preparing your Presentation....

In any sales, marketing, interview, or any other type of presentation, what is the first thing you think about?

Do you think about how your presentation is going to be interpreted or do you think about how it is going to sound?

This may sound like the same thing, but it is totally different.

Many times, people prepare their presentations around how it sounds, they stress using certain words that sound nice.

The key to a Great Presentation is to FIRST focus on your audience.

You need to understand how they are going to interpret your message FIRST.

Home Selling Example:

Typical Sales Person: "We have a great model home here to look at. It is a two-story home, with four bedrooms, it is 2700 sq ft, has a nice kitchen with tall cabinets, a game room, good sized back yard, and we have some great incentives too!"

Blah...

Good Sales Person: "What is important to you in a New Home?"

Hmmm.

The first example is so common that is ridiculous. That person is throwing out as much data as possible with the hope that the buyer will hear something that makes them say, "Yah, I want that!"

Instead of talking so much and dumping useless information, just ask them what is important.

A buyer WILL interpret the first example as someone that is does not care about them.

Ask how they plan on using their new home or car or whatever the product it is.

Allow them to tell you what is of value, then provide a solution.

By asking them a couple quick and simple questions FIRST, will allow you to shape your presentation around how they will Interpret your message.

It will make ALL the difference.

How do you prepare your presentation?

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Notice to ALL Salespeople...Drop the gimmicks and start Helping!

I have to say, the sales arena has become a very diluted pool of people looking for the easy money over actually trying to help anyone.

"What's it gonna take to put you in one of these?"...I mean, seriously? What kind of ridiculous sales line is that?

If you take the time to actually ask quality questions and ENGAGE your prospect, you will never have to ask this question again...they will tell you...they WANT to tell you...if only you will let them!

People are WAAAAAY to smart these days and knowledgeable about your "sales tactics." Drop the spiel and start helping.

As a Successful Sales Professional that does a large percentage of business based on Strong Referrals, I can tell you it is easier, less costly, and much more friendly to do business that way.

I hear the following comments every week:

• "I was afraid to walk in the door at first, but you set us totally at ease"
• "This was a totally different experience than we though it was going to be"
• "I can't tell you how much you have helped us with such an important decision"
• "You are SO MUCH different than everyone else we have spoken with."
• "Why didn't the guy at the other company tell us about this?"

If these type of comments are not a regular occurrence for you, perhaps a change in approach is long overdue?

For help with your sales process and delivery send me an email to curt@thelikeabilityguy.com


Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

NEVER curb qualify a new prospect!

In this week's edition of my ezine I will tell the story of a fantastic first hand account of being curb-qualified.

Curb Qualified-When a prospective person makes a judgement about another person without any facts, conversation, and anything that results in a negative interaction.

To set the stage, I thought today was a great day to make a new car purchase....only the 2 auto dealers I visited had other ideas.

I'll detail my Interesting Encounters in this Thursdays Ezine.

Here are a just a few quick TIPS:

• Ask Questions:
• Listen to Answers Closely:
• Discover the Reasons for the New Purchase:
• Attempt to Help Satisfy your NEW Discovery:
• Confirm that your solution is the RIGHT solution for your prospect:
• Determine if there are any other IMPORTANT Factors in the Buying Decision:
• Don't Assume anything....EVER
• Base all your NEW prospect knowledge on the Answers you are provided and not the clothing or automobile they are driving....you never know who you are speaking with.

Do you Curb Qualify?

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!

Likeability is all in the SMILE!

Have you ever worked with one of those people that just always seemed to have a scowl tattooed on their face? A person that no matter what is happening around them, they just look miserable.

They don’t seem very Likeable do they? I mean seriously, would you ever consider approaching the “mean scowl guy” for a problem?

I would be willing to bet that they have been stuck in the same job, doing the same task day after day after day with no satisfaction. They probably have received the minimum salary increase each year out of obligation rather then anything else.

Is this you? Do you want to end up like this?

Heck No!!

A nice friendly smile serves many benefits to both you and others around you.

Here are the Top 4 benefits of smiling:

1) It makes you feel better.
2) It relaxes others around you, creating a more approachable and comfortable feel. You are perceived as more friendly.
3) It gives off a great vibe that says, “I’m happy to be here, I’m confidant, and I love my job”.
4) Emotions are contagious. It you smile, so will somebody else.

Curt Fletcher is a Real Estate Expert, New Home Sales Professional, Published Author of the book, "How To Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income," Sales Trainer, and Professional Speaker that focuses on improving your Likeability to increase your Opportunities for Success!