After reading an article by Steve W. Martin from the HBR Network on the “Seven Personality Traits of Top Sales People”, it struck me why some people are almost born to sell. They garner trust and authority by having the right mix of modesty, knowledge and confidence. And because I specialize in helping real estate agents market their services online, I’ve devised an online strategy that will assist you in using those personality traits to gain trust and influence from your online audience
1. Modesty. “Contrary to conventional stereotypes that successful salespeople are pushy and egotistical, 91 percent of top salespeople had medium to high scores of modesty and humility. “
I can’t tell you how many real estate sites I see every day that have “John Smith Realtor – #1 In Sales Worldwide!” plastered right across the top of their homepage. Yes, it took a lot of blood, sweat the tears to get that distinction, but does it need to be the first thing people see when they visit your site? This kind of accolade is best suited for an awards page or a page that is specifically about you that people can visit if they wish.
2. Conscientiousness. “Eighty-five percent of top salespeople had high levels of conscientiousness, whereby they could be described as having a strong sense of duty and being responsible and reliable.”
When leads come through your website follow-up! Call them back and send follow-up emails. In a perfect world, everyone would pick up the phone and call you to let you know that you’re the one for the job. But that’s not realty. Every time you get a lead through your website, especially if there is a valid phone number, there is no better way to show you are a responsible and reliable individual than to follow up and provide more information to the prospect. In fact, over 75% of home buyers and sellers end up working with the first agent they speak too.
3. Achievement Orientation. “Eighty-four percent of the top performers tested scored very high in achievement orientation. They are fixated on achieving goals and continuously measure their performance in comparison to their goals. “
When developing a web marketing strategy, the first step is to set your goals. Most of you may just want a website that magically generates leads with little effort or cost. Some of you would even ask if we could do the follow-up calls! However, I do have quite a few clients that are genuinely interested in learning more about how to market their website to generate more leads and are very diligent about making sure they learn what is required to meet their own personal goals. These clients end up being the best ones because they make a personal choice to take the time to learn and always benefit from their achievement. Always set goals and devise an action plan that will help you meet them.
4. Curiosity. “Curiosity can be described as a person’s hunger for knowledge and information. Eighty-two percent of top salespeople scored extremely high curiosity levels. “
One of the things I love most about Realtors is they’re hunger for knowledge. The fact that there are probably more coaches and training in real estate than any other profession is a good indicator of that. You love to soak up information and learn more and more until you feel your head will explode. This is great if it’s coupled with action. If all you do is learn and never act, you’re at a standstill. I always encourage my clients to learn new things and then put them into action right away.
5. Lack of Gregariousness. “One of the most surprising differences between top salespeople and those ranking in the bottom one-third of performance is their level of gregariousness (preference for being with people and friendliness).”
This is an interesting one. You are in the people business right? You should be the most friendly, personable mover and shaker around. Wrong. Top salespeople acquire a level of dominance that encourages obedience. If you are too friendly with your clients you are at risk of loosing that. This becomes a real issue when it comes to things like facebook and twitter. It is extremely important to use these social media platforms to establish your position and share your knowledge and expertise. Therefore, when the time comes to represent them, you will already be in a position of authority and power.
6. Lack of Discouragement. “Less than 10 percent of top salespeople were classified as having high levels of discouragement and being frequently overwhelmed with sadness. Conversely, 90 percent were categorized as experiencing infrequent or only occasional sadness.”
The power of positivity can go a long way. Yes, there will be days when you make phone calls and people don’t want to talk to you. Having a follow-up plan and sticking to it is your best strategy for remaining positive. Using an effective follow-up script can get you through those tough calls and give you that extra boost of confidence. I like to provide my clients wit a follow-up script that is designed specifically for web leads and getting them to the next level.
7. Lack of Self-Consciousness. “Self-consciousness is the measurement of how easily someone is embarrassed. The byproduct of a high level of self-consciousness is bashfulness and inhibition. Less than five percent of top performers had high levels of self-consciousness.”
Most of the top performers that I work with are not afraid to ask for things or tell people about their business. You have to be willing to go out and ask for those testimonials, hand out those “Just Listed” cards, tell people about your website and how great it is. If you wholeheartedly believe that what you have to offer is valuable and unique, it will be much easier to sell.
