It's December!  Are you ready to make success your single-minded purpose in 2012?  It all starts now and it starts with two things:

1. clearly defined goals
2. a system that supports the fulfillment of those goals

One of the things we’re most proud of about the Floyd Wickman Program is that we’ve worked very hard to ensure that it is one of the most comprehensive and results-oriented sales systems ever devised.

Let’s take a look — long before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve – and make sure you have these key components in place:

• Book of Business (BOB):  Your book of business is the lifeblood of your career.  In it should be a comprehensive list of everyone within your sphere including past clients, referrals, friends, associates, acquaintances, networking colleagues, and prospective clients.  Not to be confused with just a “mailing list” – this database should be an “evergreen” document which you nurture, fine-tune, update and grow throughout your entire career.  Managed consistently, and staying in touch with these VIPs month after month, your book of business will become the sources of countless transactions and referrals.  It can even become part of your exit strategy when you’re ready to retire, as solid books of businesses are known to have high resale value to top agents, brokers and teams eager to absorb the market share you’ll leave behind.

• Your Schedule: Having the best year of your life starts by putting effective time management practices in place to get on track and stay there for the duration.  Use the Floyd Wickman Program’s S.M.A.R.T. week you’ve been taught to block out time in four key areas: Money-making, activities that prepare you to make money, personal time, and flex time between appointments.  You should be able to tell, even at a glance, whether your weekly schedule has a healthy balance between business, personal and family time.  If you’re not familiar yet with the S.M.A.R.T. week – click here to take a look at a recent post  that offers a great overview.

• Tools: Every “craftsman” starts their day prepared with the right tools for the job.  What do you bring with you on an appointment? Do you have all the tools you need to convince a client to do business with you, especially when they want to wait or “think it over?”  Use the “Hot Buttons” visuals you received and learned in the Program to easily and effectively handle any hesitation or objection thrown your way!  Hot buttons such as:  Why they shouldn’t wait, financial implications of waiting, pricing, marketability, market trends, selling on their own, knocking out the competition, pros and cons of acting now, and more. If you’re not using tools like these in your everyday interaction with buyers and sellers, you’re limiting your ability to succeed at your highest level.

• Selling Skills: The October edition of Connecting and Communicating covered the Five Key Steps of the Master Selling Process: Introduction/Ice Breaker, Attention Getter, Find Hot Button/Need/Problem, Push Hot Button–Solve It, and Close 3 Times. This month, let’s take that a step further.

Here are the Six Types of Questions Used by Master Salespeople to really connect with a client and lead them to do business with you:

1. Minor Point: Ask questions concerning minor points. The answers confirm an interest in what you are saying. Do you know what I mean?
2. Alternate of Choice: “Would you like to get together at six or would seven be better?” No matter what they choose, you stay on track.
3. Sharp Angle: Never get off the phone without asking a sharp-angle question. “If I could show you how to save a lot of money, would you give me a few minutes of your time?”
4. Tie Down: The easiest question is a tie down, don’t you agree? Tie downs keep you in control and confirm that they understand what you are saying, right?
5. Elaborators: Questions that keep a conversation going. “Would you elaborate on that for me?” or “That’s interesting, would you mind explaining that a little more?”
6. Rapport Builders: Perfect for introductions and icebreakers. “How many kids do you have? What did you do for the holidays? What’s the weather like where you are?”

Great sales people are conversationalists. If you keep the discussion going long enough, your client will tell you everything you need to know, and these six types of questions will help you build rapport and close the deal.

If you need us, call us!  We're here to help!