The “busy season” is upon the multifamily housing industry again, which means more move-outs, (hopefully) more move-ins and lots and lots of paperwork, administrative processes and procedures, and just more time spent on more stuff. Since you still have the same amount of time each day to do the more things you have to do, now is a great time to make sure that you’re really ready to perform at a high-level every day. If you’re new to the industry and haven’t worked during the busy season, this may be new information; if you’re an industry veteran this may be “old hat”; either way I think there will be something of value to both groups in this blog post.
Tip #1: B2B-Back to Basics
So many people want to know what the latest, greatest, and coolest new selling tool or technique is, and honestly so much of selling is simply doing the basics and doing it well. I know; that’s not as sexy as saying you need to have the newest app, gadget, technology or magic phrase, but it’s true. The basics are the basics for a reason-they work.
There are many things I could cover under the basics but I will highlight three major areas:
B2B #1:Ask for the sale! I have read enough secret shopper’s reports to know that many industry associates are just not asking for the sale. The two most common reasons (anecdotally) that I have heard for why this doesn’t happen are:
- “I didn’t think they were interested.”
- “I was too scared to ask for the sale.” (Often, because associates felt that their prospects would not be interested, so felt fear in asking for the sale!)
Here is what I find can help with these two situations:
- Ask really good questions throughout the sales process so that you have a clear understanding of what your customer is looking for. Then if you have matches what the customer wants reinforce that you have what the customer wants consistently during the process. If you don’t have what the customer wants, address that situation during the tour, not at the end, when you’re asking for the sale! “Ken, I know you really wanted a walk-in closet; as you can see this apartment has a large mirrored-wardrobe closet. After seeing it, do you think this will work for you?” Often times if you address a potential objection before it is expressed as an objection, your customers may be much more likely to listen to what you have to say.
- Don’t assume you know what your customer is thinking. Many of your customers will keep their true feelings hidden until they’re ready to commit! So, get in the habit of asking for the sale with every customer. Interestingly, the more times someone tells you, “No” the easier it is to hear it, which reduces the fear and makes your more likely to ask for the sale, which will increase your odds of closing the sale!
B2B #2: Follow-Up! I was terrible at following-up with prospects for much of my career! It’s true. So if you find that you don’t follow-up as consistently as you’re supposed to, I get it! Yet, you need to follow-up! Many of your prospects will rent with you simply because you were the “last one standing” when they’re ready to make a buying decision! The truth is most people will visit at least five communities and many of them will not be comfortable making a final decision until they’ve visited all the places on their list. So, how do you stand out? Follow-up!
What helped me the most in this area was blocking out specific times on my calendar to do follow-up each day. If I had a lot of telephone follow-ups to do I’d ask the other team members to cover for me while I “smiled and dialed.”
The main thing is to remind yourself that following up is just as important as taking someone on tour. You wouldn’t ignore a prospect standing in front of you in your office; you shouldn’t ignore the follow-up process either!
