We'll call if we're interested objection

I showed a home today to some buyers the office gave me. They asked a lot of questions. They looked very interested. They even had a tape measure and measured for their furniture. When we were done they said if they needed any more information they would call me.

They didn't say there was a problem but they didn't write a contract either. Should I have asked if there was a problem or just left them alone?

P.S. I know people in my office can answer my questions but I'd like to get feedback from as many people as possible. -realtor

My guesses:

Maybe you didn't build enough rapport for your potential clients to feel comfortable telling you what they liked or didn't like about the place. Apparently the place was in their budget because they brought their tape measure - why measure something if you know you can't afford it?

Did you ask the qualifying questions you would need to close them? It is important to find out exactly what they are looking for so that way you will be able to make the decision on whether or not it fits their needs. If they answered these questions honestly, you should have been able to tie the place you looked at into almost the perfect location for them. Maybe it was something outside the home: neighbor down the street had too many broken cars, someone's grass was too long (probably not the issue in Jan), etc.

There are more simple options as well. Maybe it was the first place they looked. I wouldn't sign a contract on the very first place I looked even if it did fit into the classification of a home I would buy. That's a big purchase that needs to be thought over a couple beers! Maybe they had an appointment to see another home and couldn't make a decision on the spot.

When all else fails and you have no idea what could have went wrong or made the client procrastinate, ask them. Ginuinely care about what they have to say. By not asking them you might have showed them that you really don't care if they get the right home as long as they get it from you.

I'm not a realtor, maybe someone can offer more industry specific information?

BTW, who was the decision maker? -EXP Creative

Realtor,

I would never leave a client without knowing their reaction to the house you've just showed them. I wouldn't frame it as a problem, but I'd ask questions like:

How does this home compare with others you've seen? How well do you think this home would fit your needs/family/lifestyle, etc. Can you see your family being comfortable in this neighborhood? And the list goes on, there are tons of questions you can ask to get a feel for their reaction. And, they can be asked in conversation, not like an interrogation.

Besides that, you probably want to help them find the home they'll end up buying. I'd find out what their needs are, find other listings to show them, stay in touch. You need to position yourself as their real estate advisor, not someone who just shows them the house listed by your broker that they called about. Jump in and make them clients, not just people you showed an office listing to.

Hope that makes sense.

Kathleen -KSA-Mktg

This is a good point.

Even if the office says, "Just show this guy this home and report back". This is "your" business which means "your" time, travel and expenses. Make every showing count. :wi -Agent Smith

In hindsight this was my screw up. I should have been more involved. :bl

This is a lot of good information and I'm going to make it stick. Thank you. -realtor

If they ask questions then they are gathering information. That does give you equal opportunity to ask them some questions. Another poster mentioned some good one's.

Essentially there is a lack of trust in the short relationship they had with you. Doesn't mean they they won't buy, but right now they are treating you like an order taker instead of a real estate consultant.

Get them to view you as a trusted advisor and they will volunteer or at least respond to a question, of 'What do you think?' with more than just 'We'll get back to you.'

How do you do that? Ask them off the get go what challenges they have come across looking for their home. Once they get that you understand their problems and challenges, they'll also unconsciously think you have the solution as well. -BERTSKI

Question. Did you ask for the contract? If you don't ask for the sale you will never get a yes. If the give you "We need to think about it" use the ole "This house has everything your looking for right? Is it the house you need to think about? I didn't do anything to offend you did I? Well if it's not the house, and it's not me then the only thing left is the price right? Let's see what we can do to fit this into your budget... Did you want the contract under both names or just one?" close -jrboyd

JRBoyd,

That's a lot of pressure on the clients you are suggesting. In this instance the prospects didn't say they wanted to think about it. They said that if they 'needed any more information they would call' the salesman.

Reading that I got the impression they had no questions, just were probably preparing to compare it to another house or two. -BERTSKI

jr...did you get their phone number that you can call them back? I would give them about twenty-four hours and call them and, then ask all the questions you didn't ask at the showing. -MPrince

Wow..this is an old thread. I hope Realtor nailed that sale.

I'm attracted to this discussion, and I'll mention why. Based entirely and ONLY on what Realtor shared with us, I think the buying signals were there. In other words, it looked like a pending sale to me.

There's something else. The prospect's words were "real world". After revealing the buying signals such as actually measuring for furniture, the prospect said if they needed more information they would call. That's not an objection, it's a businesslike statement. To react to it as an objection with a standard rebuttal such as the classic one used for the Think It Over Objection that JR gave in his modified version (See Tom Hopkins for the original and complete version), could jeopardize the sale.

As experienced people like JR know only too well, we can usually tell if a prospect is moving towards us or moving away. Based on the original post here, I see them as moving towards and I would indentify it as a pending sale. However, to strengthen the scenario, I would insert a promise to follow-up with them on some informational point which I would create for the purpose of follow-up.

In car sales, I think things might be different. I'm sure JR knows the guys in the business that are always waiting for all those Be Backs. "Just ask for Blue Boy when you come back in. Ill be the one holding my breath in the corner." -Ace Coldiron

They hadn't said they need to think about it possibly because he didnt ask for the sale. That's why you always ask for the sale, then the next objection you will probably hear is we need to think about it. Every customer is different, but to be honest if you don't put any type of pressure on a customer then you will never excel at being a sales consultant. Your job is to read the customers and apply just enough pressure without seeming to pushy. It's a delicate line you walk, but applying some sort of pressure is a MUST.

And ofcourse I would get the number, not first time around block. stcktng; -jrboyd

JR, this an interesting discussion, and I think it might help others if we pursue it.

Here is the complete synopsis of what Realtor said about these prospective buyers:

1. They asked a lot of questions.
2. They looked very interested.
3. They even had a tape measure and measured for their furniture.
4. When we were done they said if they needed any more information they would call me.
5. They didn't say there was a problem.
6. They didn't write a contract

Now, most experienced sales professionals would agree that we are supposed to be good listeners. AND the six items above represent the ONLY things that Realtor has divulged that he LISTENED TO.

Here's some things I don't get from what you are saying:

• You said that they hadn't said they need to think about it possibly because he didn't ask for the sale.
• You then said that you always ask for the sale so that you can get the Think It over Objection (I'm paraphrasing here.).

A question to you is WHY you would do anything to invite the Think It Over Objection? NEXT question: What makes you think that in a real estate sales discussion, PRICE would not be discussed in that interview if price was the true objection which you target from your version of the TIO rebuttal? You and I both know that the purpose of that particular TIO rebuttal has ALWAYS been to smoke out the REAL objection--PRICE. These people were measuring the areas for furniture. You don't think that they are serious enough to address the price issue with a real estate agent at the proper time?

There is such a thing as a BUYING process which is every bit as real as the SELLING process. We have to DETERMINE though listening--not conjecture--just what that prospect's buying process is. JR, there is NOTHING in the information that Realtor gave us that implies that those prospects were not serious and that their buying process was in conflict with doing business with Realtor.

When a sales professional determines the observable buying process, he/she has two CHOICES. Either INTERRUPT that buying process--OR--dance with it. I see NO reason to interrupt this prospect's buying process. If I did in this case, I WOULD.

I suspect that you are organizing your advice on this topic around a ONE CALL CLOSE. Maybe I'm wrong. But if I'm right, lets talk about the REASONING or PURPOSE of the ONE CALL CLOSE.

The One Call Close is intended to capture a sale while the iron is hot because the prospect could find a better deal elsewhere. Okay--I buy it. Not always possible in real estate, unfortunately. That reality goes with the territory.

Second reason: The One Call Close saves time for the salesperson. Time is money. But real estate commissions JUSTIFY spending more time.

Bottom line--I am still a proponent of listening to people and acting on what I hear.

Those are my thoughts. -Ace Coldiron

Wow, there are some great comments in this thread in re1. sponse to realtor's old question. I agree with lot of what's been said.

Some additional thoughts:

The term "show someone a house" is terrible terminology for agents, because it usually isn't an accurate term to describe what has to happen sales-wise at a showing. "Showing" a property implies a PRESENTATION. And a presentation is a very important part of the selling process, but there can be big, big sales problems if any salesperson (real estate agents included) being to PRESENT before they identify needs and qualify the prospect.

So while we might use that term with the prospect, I think it's important to be clear that in many/most cases we need to leverage that "showing" to turn it to into a "needs and desires investigation." Of course, this can be challenging, especially when someone shows up at an open house, but it's vital, and the better a salesperson is, the better they will be able to determine needs in these types of situations.

Then, the next challenge is engaging the prospect. Selling, of course, isn't just giving information and asking questions. It's setting a process in motion that will create sales momentum. Hopefully, realtor, you didn't just answer questions, but proactively took the lead in moving them through the process. -Skip Anderson

I see your point ACE. Again I go with Auto sales, so I am a little more aggressive than most. The only reason I would bring out the "I want to think about it" objection, is because from there it is a simple transition to get to the true objections.

And your right as for the one call close. That's what I've developed my entire sales process currently because of the current market. If a customer leaves the lot they will not come back 90% of the time. I do realize that certain situations the one call close may not work, and not sure on real estate because I have never sold real estate. However, I do believe that if you DON'T think you will sell the customer on the first call, then you won't. If you believe and set up your presentation to close on first call, without stepping over the line and becoming pushing, you will start noticing that you will be closing some on the first close.

Everyone of you has bought a car before. Everyone hates it because it is alot of back and forth with the sales person. My personal goal is to close every customer on the FIRST set of numbers I show them. Do I always do that? No. But do I do it more consistantly than any of the other sales people? Definitly. Because that is what I expect from me. -jrboyd

JR, I happen to like car salespeople in general. When I buy a car, I do my best to help the salesperson sell me. I understand their field quite well, and I undertand the issues they face. They have to be effective in a world they did not create.

Thanks for your response to my thoughts. I see this topic as potentially instructive to the less experienced. I believe you do too. -Ace Coldiron

Certainly might be past the golden hour here, though I feel this thread deserves a good after action review for both realtor, & contributors.

A definite buying / statement was made, the important part now is a proper follow up. So the customer walked away on the first appointment, no big deal. Looking over JR’s thread in reference to Tom Hopkins (I’ll think about it Strategy), probably wouldn’t be a bad strategy to use in a follow up conversation, assuming the right questions were asked in the initial consultation.

A proper follow up in this case, and any case whether they buy or not is critical for a multitude of reasons. In this case, yes there are buying signs, but is this property 100% correct for this client. A proper follow up call will facilitate that determination, as well build repoir with these clients. So what if this property isn’t 100% correct for them, no big deal. Show them a different property be their Realtor!! Help them find what is best for them. The extra effort will not only pay big dividends in the short run, it will pay big dividends in the long run and yes proactively is the difference between prime rib & corned beef hash.

Not to bloviate, Tom Hopkins has some great material. I read this particular passage Jr references recently & if you can recite it that’s awesome. That is what the book is about. rehearsal & practice. On the flip side I wouldn’t use a good portion of it either, “what would dear old mom say?”, “what about Ben Franklin”, as a ninja warrior or Champion you gotta use some of this stuff where it is applicable, for whom is it applicable, & when it is applicable.


j.p.o -DIAMONDSTAR

Nice post, DIAMONDSTAR, assuming "bloviate" gets past the censors.

I had some discussions on the infamous Think It Over Objection with Jeff recently. Yes--JR's rebuttal that he has shared twice on the forum is pure Hopkins. With all respect to JR, he didn't provide enough of it to help those unfamiliar with it. For instance, it's critical to use a "run on sentence" to make it effective. But those more experienced recognized it, and you can tell JR has made a great effort to include learning as the key to his success.

But back to what you are saying about follow-up. I'm a proponent of Promise Generated follow up, and I'll take credit for coining the term until some guru steals it.

I would agree with you wholeheartedly, and by "Promise Generated", I will decribe it below, knowing that I have posted it before, but I think it can be helpful.

Where follow up is necessary it should ALWAYS be promise generated.

There are four reasons for that.

One is that it makes the follow up a Purposeful Call.

The second reason is that it makes the follow up an expected, permission based, contact.

The third reason is that it demonstrates a promise kept (often with additional pertinent information).

Lastly, and most important, it continues and RENEWS the sales process and selling effort.

Again--nice post DIAMONDSTAR. -Ace Coldiron