SALES IS A TWO-WAY STREET--Mortgage Coach Series(ZT)

The brand new loan officer (or the experienced one) comes back into the office excited after making sales calls.  He or she got a meeting with a top Realtor, was able to talk about all of his or her products and services, and the meeting lasted almost forty minutes.  The loan officer left brochures and the Realtor even commented, "I will be sure to look over your information."  Weeks go by and there is no contact.  The loan officer even calls several times, but there is no return call.  What happened?  Several things, and unless you focus on changing them, this scenario will be repeated again and again until you are totally frustrated. 

Chances are, that while in the meeting, the loan officer did nothing more than give a presentation with little involvement by the prospect.  Great selling is an interview and an interaction, not a presentation.  If you do not involve the prospect, there will seldom be any "buy in" on his or her part to your offer or information.  The average sales person does a lot of "telling" which does not equate to selling.  In fact, you cannot even begin to sell until you know for sure what the prospect needs and wants.  That takes a lot of questions and a lot of active listening.  When you discover what he or she wants, more questions are necessary to define the need and convert it into a problem.  If a Realtor tells a loan officer that he or she is having trouble finding more clients who qualify for a mortgage, the next logical question is about defining the need.  You might ask, "Can you give me examples of clients who have been difficult to qualify and what the major problems have been?"  Once the loan officer knows this information and has a possible solution, he or she must convert the defined need into a problem before the selling begins.  To do that, the loan officer must ask a problem creation question such as, "How is that affecting your valuable time and the bottom line of your business?"  When the Realtor tells you, a problem exists and now you can begin focusing on a solution. 

Finally, once the meeting is over, you must gain commitment.  This comes in several forms.  The first commitment is to confirm that he or she likes your offer and sees it as a possible alternative.  Ask a confirmation question such as, "Does the solution we have discussed sound like it would help your problem?"  Even when the Realtor says, "Yes," you are not finished.  You must set up another face-to-face opportunity before you leave or you will have a difficult time getting back in the door.  Example: "Why don't we do this- I will work up some alternatives to the problem you are facing and we can discuss some ways to overcome it, save you time, and increase your revenue.  Can we meet on Thursday or will that be too soon to start?"  Now you have your next appointment.  You will not make the sale until you have provided a solution to the problem and you have created exceptional value.  These are what prospects buy. 

In addition to doing the above, what you are really trying to do is interact enough times where you are building a long-term relationship with the prospect.  People buy from whom they know, like, and trust.  One sales call will never get you to that point, but a continued interaction leading to a relationship will certainly help!  No one cares about your products or services.  They care about what is important to them and what can provide solutions to specific problems and concerns.  Stop telling and start selling!