At some point, front end or back end, the sales assistant or sales manager must register the customers. This is the Rule –

Everyone Gets Registered

Pouncing on Prospects is Not Permitted! Everyone needs four feet of air space around them to feel comfortable. The salesperson who hawks the front door will be rejected up front. Your job is to break ice, not make ice. Therefore, you may open the door for prospects, but gently step back and allow them full access to the Sales Center. Make a friendly comment, inject a smile, and hold out the hand if hand shaking is your style. Above all, make sure they understand that this is a friendly, not adversarial environment.

To assist you in appropriate greeting, listed below are ways to break the ice:

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE GREETING

1. Break the Ice: Friendliness and relaxation are the keys to bonding, so defuse the prospects’ tension by a friendly handshake or gesture — and a light hearted comment. Caution: What most salespersons do is ask for the registration card early on at the door. This makes ice, it doesn’t break ice! On low or no traffic days, save the registration till later. You know where the prospects are — probably in tow with you. On a high traffic day, however, get the registration first before the prospects slip through the net.
2. Warm Up: The five senses can be enlisted in warming prospects up.
   • Sight: A well kept, clean and organized sales center is pleasing to the eye.
   • Sound: Background music is often an aid to warming prospects up.
   • Smell: An aroma wheel or baking bread wilts the defenses.
   • Touch: A friendly handclasp with genuine appreciation for their visit works wonders.
   • Taste: Let ‘em eat cake as you sell ‘em a home.
3. Give name, get name, use name: A far better bond is created when you are on a first name basis. In fact, there’s a good argument that you can’t bond at all unless they feel comfortable with you using their first name. You should attempt to use your name several times during the presentation to forge a memory link from them to you. Name tags can be helpful to identify you in a crowd and to make your name memorable.
4. Relax the prospect: Prospects are up tight because they fear they will be hustled or pressured into buying something they do not want. They instinctively say “just looking” when a retail clerk says, “May I help you?” They are on the defensive and often downright ornery when they meet you. Relax them with an approach totally out of character for a selling environment. Say, “That’s a lovely car. Is that the new Ford Taurus?” Or … “My, that jumper fits your youngster beautifully. Would you share with me where you bought it?” Talking about anything unrelated to sales can breed relaxation. So can a soothing cup of tea or hot chocolate during slow traffic periods.
5. Begin selling self: You must sell yourself to effectively bond in. Watch your body language. Don’t crowd or move the prospects too fast. Be sensitive to their needs and patient with their questions. And above all don’t be a feature dumper. That’s a salesperson that can’t wait to give all their information at the very beginning of the presentation which further alienates the prospects. Talk to their interests, not yours! Your award plaques help to sell you visually. So does your smile. And your obvious read of the prospect’s personalities. If they move fast, you move fast and vice versa.
6. Begin Opening the Mind: You must open the mind if you expect to close the sale. Opening the mind begins with positioning yourself as their most knowledgeable counsellor. You pass along gold nuggets of information like how to judge a community . . . an exterior . . . a floor plan, etc., and then give them tidbits of information on how to judge quality in a new home. As they perceive that you are a fountainhead of information, they’ll slow down and start listening – and commence bonding.
7. Shake Hands: Where possible this is a good opener, since it represents a centuries old bond between friends or strangers. With some prospects, pressing the flesh is an instant bonder; with others it represents an invasion of privacy if done too early. Read your prospects and at the appropriate time, clasp the flesh!
8. Obligate: You subtly obligate when you open a door . . . serve refreshments . . . hand out a price list. But you want your homes to position themselves above the competition. So why not try these professional obligations:
   • Toy box to keep children occupied.
   • Polaroid picture of the kids.
   • Printed tour guide which clarifies the model layout.
   • Comfortable sitting area for a brief respite prior to touring models.
   • Offering a potty break for the kids (or adults).
   • TV when the big game is on (for them, not for you!) Or cartoons for the kiddies.
   • Cookies, candy, or coke.
   • Lemonade stand.

   A courteous gesture to make their house hunting easier will go a long way toward forging the bond.

9. Establish Trust The First Ten Seconds: Everyone has four feet of air space which if violated can cause distrust or uneasiness. Respect this space. Don’t crowd, fondle, or hug your prospects too early. And stay outside the four foot zone. If you show a professional posture by respecting this ‘right of territory’, they’ll appreciate you and bond easier.
10. Show Interest in the Kids: Bring the kids into the loop. Ask what their favorite sport is – or their favorite performer. Compliment the kids good behavior . . . attire . . . or pleasant disposition. Many a bond has been forged quickly via the kids. And remember, on the ride home what value would you put on the kids saying, “We like that salesperson better than all the others. Can we buy our new home from her?”
11. Do not exercise the plain vanilla greeting, “May I help you?” Dare to be different! This can best be explained by the example of two blind urchins selling flowers. The first kid had a sign that read, “I am blind. Buy my flowers - $5.00.” He wasn’t doing much business, because the second urchin had a sign that read “It is Spring and the flowers are blooming and I am blind. Buy my flowers - $5.00.” That example underscores how powerful words can be to capture the emotions. Try . . . “Good day, I’m Sam Jones, Plumbob Homes. I’m so happy you’re here! We’ve just opened the most exciting new models ever, and I’d love to show them to you” (with enthusiasm) or . . . “Hi, I’m Sam Jones. Welcome to Plumbob Homes where exciting style and design is our middle name!”
12. Try off-beat greetings: “Hi, I’m Wally. It’s cold outside. Come in and try my new orange cinnamon tea.” Or . . . “Hi, welcome to Plumbob Homes. Home of the Award Winners! Tell me what you have in mind.” Try shopping several new home communities in succession. The standardized, by-rote greeting you hear is . . . “Hi, welcome to Shady Acres. Is this your first visit? Our homes are priced from $225,000 to $275,000. What’s your price range?” A differential greeting begins the bonding process and sets you apart from the competition. Here are some ideas:
    • Phone Courtesy: Terminate your call politely as the prospects enter. Give them undivided attention. “So happy to have you folks in today. What do you have in mind?”
    • “Got a new computer - love to show you how it can crunch numbers.”
    • “Let’s take a Polaroid of the kids.”
    • “We just won an award. I’d love to show you why.”
    • “Boy, are you here at the right time!”
    • “Hi! Welcome to Shady Acres. I’m Sam Jones. The flowers are lovely this time of year, aren’t they?”
    • “Gotta open (close) the models - let’s do it together!”
13. Greetings begin the Discovery process: Look the prospects in the eye. Who’s dominant? Who’s the decision maker? What fear factor is present? Are they decision makers? Truth tellers? Are they counsellable?
14. Be friendly, warm, and courteous: The opposite of friendly is unfriendly; the opposite of warm is cold; the opposite of courteous is rude. Put in this context, is there any other demeanor than friendly, warm, courteous? The Sales Pro knows that how they are perceived is often as critical to the sale as what they say.
15. Share with me what you’re looking for: The three absolutely magic words in the greeting are “share with me.”
    • “Share with me what you have in mind.” (You can later close with, “Is this what you had in mind?”)
    • “Share with me about your dream home.”
    • “Share with me about your shopping experience.”
    • “Share with me where you’re living now.”

    “Share with me” is an open ended question that encourages the prospects to tell you what their inner desires and move motives are. As you discover these, you can sell them a home.

16. Remember to inquire what attracted prospects to the community: This can be worked in as a sort of relief to the “getting to know you” game. It injects an element of business, while saying you are professional and on top of your business. But it also buys a tad of time to allow the prospects to warm up to you and the bonding process. Remember to always ask the second question: “Have you seen us advertised anywhere?” That helps pinpoint source information for the advertising agency.

Understanding how to work within the restraints that often occur in a Sales Center is the hallmark of a Pro. Do not be intimidated by the overbearing prospect nor slow too far down to the sleeping college professor type. Maintain your level of momentum and energy in your Sales Center insuring that you counsell the information required by the prospect’s agenda.

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© 2008 Thomas W. Richey, MIRM, Richey Resources
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