A nice couple visits your Open House. You welcome them and request they sign the guest book for the Seller. You engage in small talk, they leave, and you’ve got a name and perhaps even contact information, (sometimes the information is even real), and that’s it.  Now answer the following questions?

–       Do many of these people buy?  -“No”

–       Who is in control? -“They are”

–       How’s that working for you? – Congratulations, you’ve just missed 100% of the shots because you didn’t even take any!

 

In many cases, this couple is definitely going to buy something locally and within the next 6 months. Or, it’s a neighbor thinking about selling their own home. How often do they decide to do business with someone else? And, Why?

The answer is probably obvious to most of you. In the above scenario, there are two critical deficiencies:

1. Very little information about the prospect was given.
2. No relationship of “like and trust” was ever established.

So, let’s change the strategy.  You have to take time and get to know them. In other words, you have to get them to talk about themselves and their intentions. How is this done? Simple, just use the following formula:

1. Once you’ve greeted Open House Visitors and they’ve signed the guest book, ask the following question:

“If you don’t mind there are a couple of unique features about the home. Would it be okay if I share them with you?”

2. Of course, you have already identified the most intriguing features of the home in advance of the event.  By getting their approval to “show them” the features, you have just done two things:
   1. First, you’ve established control of the situation.
   2. Second, you now have the opportunity to spend time with them as you take them through the home, so you can build rapport and gather information.
3. So, what are the most important topics for you to discuss? The answer may surprise you. Use F-O-R-P, by asking about their:
   1. F- Family
   2. O- Occupation
   3. R- Recreation
   4. P- Plans for the future

 

You will be pleasantly surprised at how much better the interaction will be when you’re not jumping directly into business. It’s wise to heed the well-known cliché’ “People don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.”