1 Proven Key to Pivot Objections from Rejections to Sales Opportunities
No.
I'm not interested.
Some other time.
You don't have to call me, I'll call you.
To the unfamiliar ear, those sound like words of rejection. And, if you are "single and ready to mingle" as we approach Valentine's Day, you may KNOW those are words of rejection. No means no with dating PERIOD. But in the world of residential real estate, where EVERYONE needs a place to live, those words are actually opportunities (if no other agent has a stake and you are not violating solicitation laws).
Not opportunities to misguide, manipulate, harass, coerce, or be "slimy".
Rather opportunities to serve and probably become someone's lifelong real estate "go-to" because you "rolled up your sleeves" in a time of need.
Let me explain with this quote from renowned psychologist, Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD (1934 - 2015):
..hear the word no without taking it as a rejection... shine the light of consciousness on the feelings and needs behind someone else's 'no' [to] become cognizant of WHAT they are wanting that PREVENTS them from responding as we would like.
In other words for the real estate world among those without an agent and not on Do Not Call Lists:
NO means Needs Overlooked (the reason for the no) and Needs Opportunity (for you to pair them with essential real estate resources of which they were not aware)
To reiterate, this is NOT an opportunity to misguide, manipulate, harass, coerce, break laws, or be "slimy". We are not forcing ourselves on people. Instead, we are assessing their needs to provide solutions.
This is a critical key: Do a Needs Analysis.
People make real estate decisions because of THEIR needs, whether familial (e.g. parents moving in, children moving out, etc.), financial (e.g. leveling up, downsizing, relocating, etc.) or something else impacting where they lay their heads at night. Typically the situation dictates that they ABSOLUTELY will make a housing change (whether now or 5 years from now) but the unknown is will they use a real estate agent/broker and will it be you.
You want it to be you, whether it is now or later.
In light of this, our mission ultimately becomes to meet needs not simply to "sell". Again, we are not trying to force people to buy, sell, or lease real estate. They already plan to do that. It is just a matter of will it be with you. As a result, our "why" should translate into us being a "match-maker", "problem solver", "fixer" or any other synonym you choose to help people that have real estate needs find the best solution based on all of the aspects that make up their very personalized, often helter-skelter situation.
The question, then becomes, not why are they rejecting me but what real estate needs do they have which are an opportunity for me to serve them?
Think about each of your clients and start asking questions. Here are a few to get your "creative juices" flowing:
1. What are your plans for your home?
2. Is real estate part of your wealth plan?
3. Are you in the home you want/need since_____ (name an economic event e.g. interest rates are low, etc.)?
4. Do you know how real estate can pay for each of your (grand)children's college?
5. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
Want to learn more of these proven techniques to turn your objections into sales opportunities? Request this workshop for your team or subscribe to the Master Class videos (http://bit.ly/drleemasterclass) and get an update when this workshop is available as an on-demand video series (coming next month!).
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