Closing the Sale – Using “What If…?” & “Is It Possible…?”

Both Fear and Incentive can be used as motivators to help your clients make the best decision. Motivating your clients with incentive occurs when you ask them; “If you were to buy (or sell) today, what would that mean to you?”

Don’t let your clients off the hook by only focusing on the warm and fuzzy benefits of moving forward with their real estate plans. Hold them accountable for their decision and instill a little fear into their thought process by showing them the consequences of their decision. You can do this by using Tom Hopkin’s “If not, then what?” approach. Consider the examples discussed below:

For Sellers– When your sellers choose to not lower their price or accept an offer, ask them the following:

“What if you don’t sell your home? Then what will you do, and how will that impact your life?”

In other words, encourage your Buyers and Sellers to live with their decision right now to let them see how it makes them feel. A similar question would be:

“Is it possible that if you don’t move forward with the sale of your home, it could adversely affect your life?”

For Buyers – When a Buyer refuses to submit a reasonable offer, or just won’t move forward with making an offer, ask them the following:

“What if you make an offer and it’s accepted? What would it mean to you?” This question will help identify the benefits of buying.

Also look at the other side and ask:

“What if you miss the opportunity to buy this house that you like now? Is it possible that this decision could affect you and your quality of life?”

Finally, you must have a list ready of things that you can share with them, and you must write down all the reasons their decision to move forward can help them, and all of the ways not moving forward could hurt them.