We’ve been experiencing a housing market that’s more active than today’s new home sales professionals have ever seen. As they are excitedly closing sales, has it become too easy? In a good market, sharp sales skills can lose their edge. Is your sales team getting rusty?
This ongoing flurry of demand for new homes has been keeping sales people busy with paperwork. They’re also managing customer service to communicate progress and delays. But these aren’t sales skills. They are steps that happen after the prospect commits to becoming a buyer.
Every market is temporary, good AND bad. It’s exciting to see how buyers value the quality, safety, and comfort of new homes—something builders have been touting all along. But when this thriving housing market slows down, will your team be ready to convert buyers who aren’t as eager as they currently are?
Selling is like any other activity. When you don’t exercise your skills, they weaken, like an atrophied muscle. Sales professionals might scramble to revert to their earlier new home sales training—but at what cost? As the market eases up, can you afford to have sales professionals who have become as rusted as The Tin Man?
Bring out the oil can
Keep your new home sales professionals ready for sudden shifts in the marketplace. Remind them that the flush times will indeed come to an end. Keep training them through good times so they are better prepared when it’s more challenging to affect a sale.
Look at elite athletes like Tom Brady. He has won seven Super Bowl titles. He’s going on 44 years old. Brady has nothing left to prove. But does he stop training? Does he sit back on his past achievements and just assume he can maintain his peak performance without working at it? No! Superstars and champions never quit. They recognize that there is always room for improvement.
Think about the military’s special forces. These elite soldiers train over and over again so that they are prepared for any mission. They shift into high gear at a moment’s notice because their training has given them a razor-sharp edge.
Training creates agility and preparedness. The knowledge they gain sparks your team’s need for something new and different. Use the new home sales training process to give them a new tool or approach. Show them a solution to a problem they’ve encountered. Keep it fresh and relevant.
Remember that people learn better with active involvement. Don’t expect them to become sales superstars on their own. Sure, they can read and watch videos, but the impact is much more lasting when a person is actively involved in the learning experience.
Also train your management. Keep them on top of their game to keep coaching and leading their team. Ensure they have the motivation and skill set to drive the expertise of your sales professionals.
It’s exciting to see the success experienced in new home sales over the past year. Keep the momentum going by preparing your sales people. Don’t let rusted skills prevent them from always being at their best.
If you need help with your new home sales team, let’s talk.
