Answer a question, how many husband’s proposed to their future brides in a letter? How many did it over the telephone? I think you know the answer to those question, very few if any! I doubt that the answer would have been the same if the future spouse did not take the time to propose in person! In fact I am sure he rehearsed his lines a thousand times! It took a lot of courage in many cases and the ultimate rejection would have been “no” to a proposal of marriage. So, what is the purpose of talking about proposing in a sales article? One person is selling and one person is buying! So often a loan officer wants to “propose” to a potential clients by sending out letters, marketing pieces, or e-mails and then gets disappointed when he or she does not get a response. Sales is similar to asking someone to marry you, There are stages you have to go through in order to get to the proposal and acceptance or close. Let’s take a look at these steps:
Step one is the introduction. You have to meet someone before the sales process (dating) starts. For the sales person that means going to real estate functions, networking, asking for referrals and having a targeted list of prospects from which to choose. You meet the prospect and make a decision if you want to move forward..
Step two is asking for the date (the appointment). If you are smart you will prepare for the appointment (date) by getting to know something about the prospect such as background, years in the industry, current listings, and current relationships. (you have to know the competition!)
Step three is courtship! How many people get married after the first date? What makes you think a Realtor will suddenly abandon his or her current relationship because you called on that person one time? Sales, like dating is a process that takes time. You are developing a relationship and it just does not happen over night!
Step four is value. The prospect has to see value in the relationship in order to make a change and start a relationship with you. People only buy two things, solutions to problems and exceptional value! Just as in dating, when the other party is impressed by what you bring to the table, then and only then does this person what to move forward. If you are like every other loan officer, why should they make a change? You have to be “the one.”
Step five is the proposal! You have to ask for what you want! In sales, this does not have to be a hard close, but simply a suggestion to move forward. “Mary, we’ve shared ideas on how I can help you expand your business. How would you like to move forward?” You can also be direct, “Mary, I would like to move forward and start working together to grow your business, what do you think?”
Congratulations! It will be a wonderful relationship if you take the time to grow and nurture every step of the process. If you are lucky, the honeymoon will never end!