3 tips to make a killer sales call!
3 Effective Tips to Boost Your Real Estate Sales Calls
Master your sales calls with these 3 proven tips. Learn how to engage clients, create interest, and close deals in the competitive real estate market.
Living in the ‘digital age’ it is no surprise that new sales tactics and strategies are popping up left, right and centre. Everybody seems to have found the ‘secret’ of how to sell.
However, the principle of selling has always remained the same. Clients are most likely to work with the salesperson who is first to provide insight and add value for them. A generic message, usually lost in a sea of emails, LinkedIn messages, or WhatsApps, is unlikely to have people queuing at the door to work with you. A well-executed cold call has stood the test of time and remains the number one way to establish that initial connection with a client.
Any real estate agent worth their commission knows that the first contact you make with a client is the most important. As they say, you can’t make a second first impression! Whether it be with a landlord, or a tenant, nailing the first call is the first step to closing that deal!
Before you pick up the phone to the client, have a plan in place, know what you are looking to achieve and use any information you have to prepare open questions.
With this in mind here are my top tips on how to make a killer sales call:
1. The introduction –
1. The first 10 seconds are critical
This is really where the client decides whether to stay on the phone and listen, or whether they’re going to hang up and carry on with their day. You need to address the client confidently, introduce yourself and your company and get their attention. Jumping directly into a sales pitch is the quickest way to ensure the client loses interest in speaking with you. Remember that nobody wants to be “pitched” they want to be engaged with. Always remember to ask if it’s a good time to speak. If you are interrupting the client in the middle of a big project or important meeting, chances are they won’t be listening anyway and will just want to get you off the phone. They are also unlikely to pick up when they see the same number calling back. If you are polite and respectful of people's time, they will appreciate this and are more likely to remember you. Your tone also plays a key factor when making calls, clients are more receptive when the caller is warm and confident so remember this when speaking with them.
2. The Hook
Okay, so you’ve introduced yourself and the client is still on the phone. Congratulations! Now for the reason you are calling. Here is where you generate interest with the client, establish their needs and find a solution. Qualification skills and product knowledge are vital. This is also where you gain full control and ask open-ended questions to guide the client along the sales call journey. Preparing your questions in advance will help the call have a natural flow and ensure that you don’t miss any important information. However, be wary of making the call sound like a questionnaire and build rapport in the conversation. Real Estate is a competitive industry and you need to ensure that you stand out from the crowd. If you are speaking with a landlord, every other agent in this area will be trying to speak to them too! You need to separate yourself from the rest and prove why you are the best! You can also try presumptive selling. If their unit is available, then, of course, they want it listed by the biggest brand in Dubai Real Estate, with guaranteed maximum exposure and the best-trained agents in the market! With tenants you want to let them know you have a variety of options, at the best prices, to meet their criteria.
3. The Close
If you have made it this far then there is a good chance the client is interested in working with you. Now you just need to get that leasing agreement or set up that viewing! Assume you have sealed the deal and use open questions such as “so when should I expect you to return the signed leasing agreement?” or “when is a suitable time for you to view the property?” This way the client has to come back with an answer and you can gauge their interest to close them down further. However, it might not always be so plain sailing and you won’t always get a straight answer. This is where you need to go in with a more aggressive close. Anticipate potential conversation-ending statements such as “send me an email” and have a strategy in place to combat them. Standing up when you are on calls is a great way of keeping a clear head. There’s a reason they call it thinking on your feet! A sales call is a journey and you are essentially guiding the client along the way. So, the landlord doesn’t want to sign the leasing agreement straight away? They are missing days of maximum exposure and potentially losing out on rent. Tenant won’t commit to a time to view? You have 10 other tenants viewing that unit on the same day! In a market as fast-paced and transactional as Dubai Real Estate it really can be a case of you snooze, you lose! Make sure you create urgency with the client, upsell your skills and services and always follow up!
Now I am no sales magician but I have used this strategy myself for long enough to know that it works. Cold calling can be daunting but remember, the person on the end of the phone doesn’t know you personally so don’t take rejection personally! Practice makes perfect and the only way to nail your technique is to – in the words of the Wolf of Wall Street – PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALLING!
If you are ready to start selling, check out our available vacancies on our careers page.