As the first quarter of 2012 draws to a close, you may be thinking to yourself, “Gosh, I gotta step this up! I am not on target for the goal that I set to improve my sales volume this year.” If this sounds like you, the following checklist will help you focus on the areas where you need to improve in order to get yourself on the right track to closing more sales this year.
1. Get more leads. As our market changes, buyers and sellers keep evolving in the way they look for real estate and make decisions, therefore, we constantly have to be on the hunt for pumping more leads into the organization. Just remember the psychology of growing and improving starts with you. If you don’t believe that more leads will make a difference, then no one else will either. The bottom line: more leads equals more sales.
2. Tighten up your sales process. The secret to growing your business is to create connected and meaningful conversations with qualified prospects. Look at your process. How does the lead contact you? How long does it take for you to personally engage (yes, I do mean voice to voice and heart to heart) with them? What outcome do you want to achieve from the first connection (schedule appointment, etc.)? What do you want to happen during that first appointment to turn them into a raving fan who wants to work with only you? You are only as strong as your weakest link, so your first impression with the prospect and the connection is your tipping point against your competition.
3. Raise that sales conversion. The bottom line is that you want to get more clients and close more transactions. If you are a one-person operation, look at a recent transaction that you lost. What do you think happened that made you lose the sale? If you have a team that meets with the buyer or seller, are there some rising stars who need coaching to duplicate your processes? Take the time to tweak, refresh and improve your core message of why people should work with you. Help your sales team through training initiatives to get them to the rock star level of working with folks and closing business.
4. Increase the transaction value. Do you really need to cut your commission to get the seller to list with you? For those of us who have purchased something extravagant at any point in our lives, it’s because we are connecting with something more than the actual product. We are buying the experience, the culture, the identity and more. How can you add these values to a client’s experience right now?
5. Follow up. Follow up with your leads and your raving fans to raise the connection and build your unique positioning.
Tricia Andreassen is the CEO/founder of Pro Step Marketing.
For more information, visit www.ProStepMarketing.com.
