We want to shop around

realtor, I believe you need to find out more about your prospects' level of interest up front before showing them anything. If they're time-waster prospects, you'd best find out up front, that you way you can decide if you want to spend time with them (if you have nothing better to do), or dismiss yourself from the process.

The challenge is that there is quite a lot of gray area in this, and it's often not black and white.

Asking good questions can help you ascertain their level of interest and their propensity to move forward with a purchase:

"If you found a property you were comfortable with this weekend, would you make an offer on it?"

and/or:

"What criteria would need to met today for you to make an offer on a home while you're in town this weekend?

and/or:

"Are you more interested in seeing what's available, or finding a home to purchase?"

Etc.

I'm not saying you should definitely NOT work with tire-kickers, I'm saying you should find out if they're tire-kickers before you invest any more time or effort in the process.

At the beginning of your relationship, you've got quite a lot of power, because you hold the keys to get them what they want (properties to see); But once you start taking them all over the place showing them properties, you've lost that control, and therefore, the opportunity to leverage that control into getting valuable information.

__________________
Selling to Consumers
B2C Sales Training

Your quote: "The first, or 5th or 10th, home I show them could be the perfect home for them but if they think there are unlimited possibilities they want to keep looking around."

What would happen if they thought there wasn't unlimited possibilities? As Jim pointed out, it is an issue of urgency. You need to create a way to change their perception of the situation. Be creative and construct several reasons why a prospect should make the purchase immediately, not later. Urgency should be a major element in every sales presentation. Without it, your risk of losing the sale will soar.

Hope this helps.

The Sales Artist

I met with a couple from Canada last weekend. Before showing any homes I found out by asking questions that they intended to find a second home and finalize a deal before they went back to Canada at the end of the week. On day one I found out what they wanted in a home and showed them approx. 6 homes that were excellent matches. The customers were drooling over 2 homes in particular. On day two we looked at another 6 homes and we went back to look at those 2 homes again and spoke with the Sellers about what stayed, what improvements were made and so on. After seeing the two homes again the Buyer said straight to my face that they would go back to the hotel and make a decision that night on one of the homes and get back to me the next day about writing an offer. I waited all of day three and four but they did not call. I was able to contact them on day five and they said they decided to wait and come back in the Spring and look again.

The very first thing you do is learn to understand the Mind of the Buyer. In that regard, examine and accept the following two pieces of information:

First, understand that almost all buyers/consumers fall into one of two categories. The are either task driven, or process driven.

The task driven buyer knows what he/she wants or needs, and sets out to get it in an expedient, comfortable manner. If the salesperson can provide a product that works, and a pleasant experience of facilitation, that person will most often get the sale.

The process driven buyer values the journey as much as the destination--perhaps more. They like the game of sorting and looking and seeking, and they like doing it at their own pace. You deal with that person by Interrupting the Buying Process. If that sounds difficult or unrealistic, I can assure you it's not. You achieve that up front by pointing out three things: First, you explain how you work. You describe your job and how you go about getting results for buyers. Second, you tell them what you are going to show them, and you attach a number to it which quantifies (X) showings of property that would fit their wants. The great merchandisers of the world know that it is the limitations of choices, rather than the expansion, that yields the best overall sales results. Third, you get agreement from them that your professional approach is a good fit for them.

The second thing you need to understand is this. In almost all cases, people shop around not for the best price, best value, or perfect purchase. They shop around out of fear of making a wrong decision. Your job is to offer a limited selection of good choices, and help them see why they would constitute a good decision.