New Realtors, Here Is What You Are Doing Wrong

     New Realtors, This is your last chance to get it started right.  If you started a new real estate career in 2018 and things are not going as good as you hoped, I know what you are doing wrong.  I know how to fix it right now. 

     If you attended any basic sales training class anywhere in America, the sales trainer told you create a list of everyone that you know that would recognize your name.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVkyneacp3I&t=196s  Here is a video I posted many years ago about this.  Watch it.  This is the number one most basic sales technique in real estate.  Your sales trainer told you to list your friends, your relatives, your in laws, your old coworkers, your old club members, your church members, every person that you know.  Send them a letter or card with your business card inside letting them know that you have started a real estate career. 

     At Keller Williams Realty in Hendersonville, North Carolina, we call this your database or sphere of influence.  The sales trainer told you to send all of these people a piece of mail.  Why does every sales training program in America teach this technique?  BECAUSE IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC! 

     Why do 95% of the sales trainees NOT do this valuable training exercise?  This is the mystery of the industry.  If you have ignored this valuable advice, today, December 2108, is your opportunity to repair this mistake and get back on track. 

Send a Christmas card to everyone you know.  

     In December, start over.  Put the list together now like the trainer told you to last March.  Put a minimum of 200 names and addresses on a list and mail them a Christmas card with your business card in it.  You can start the list with me.  Ron Climer PO box 403  Tryon, North Carolina 28782. 

     Mail a Christmas card to the 200 people on the list.  Put your past customers on the list.  Put your child's teacher on the list.  Put your doctor,lawyer ,dentist on the list.  Put your liquor store owner on the list.  Put your motorcycle mechanic and your plumber on the list.  Put your city commissioner on the list.  Put everyone that attended your wedding on the list.  Put your past customers on the list.  Put everyone that might attend your funeral on the list.  Mail these people a Christmas card. 

    Isn't modern technology wonderful?   Once you make this list, you can use it next year and the year after that.  This is basic,basic salesmanship.  From the time I was 21 years old until my mother passed away, there were two people that I was certain would mail me a birthday card; My mother and Ray Hansen, a insurance salesman that sold me a policy when I was 21. 

     If you did not make as much money as you had expected in 2018, here is the simple, easy solution for 2019.  It works.  It works every time.  It works for everyone that uses it.  The problem is that only a small per cent use this simple sales technique.  Give yourself a present.  Send out two hundred Christmas cards.  Next year will amaze you.   www.firstrealestateschool.com 

    Forget those email cards that are deleted within seconds.  Put a card in the U .S. Mail. 

Answering Inquiry Phone Calls From Leads AKA Prospects

     When did the word "lead" (as a noun) creep into our sales vocabulary?  What does that word mean?

     When I was new in sales, we used the word "prospect" (as a noun).  Douglas Edwards defined a hot prospect as "Someone that needs or wants your product, can afford it, will likely buy it from you or your competitor within a reasonable time.".  Does that sound like a reasonable definition?   Does that sound like someone a sales person should be spending time with?

     Did you see a prospect yesterday?  If not, there is very little likelihood that the fruits of yesterday's labor will be money.  Getting face to face with a prospect is what good salespeople do.

     One way that we get face to face with a prospect is the result of an inquiry over the phone.  Your phone rings.  You answer it.  The voice on the other end of the line inquires about your product.  How well you handle that inquiry will determine your success in sales.  If you want to be a successful Realtor, you must (as in imperative) learn to handle phone inquiries from prospects and imposters.  .  It is very easy to sell a house to a prospect.  See above definition.    It is almost impossible to sell a house to an imposter.  Why try?  If you do not understand the difference, read this article .  http://ronclimer.blogspot.com/2011/04/when-in-doubt-blow-em-out.html   I wrote this article a long time ago.  The information is critical to sales success.

     Your phone rings.  The voice on the other end says,"Hello, I am calling about the sign I saw in front of 123 Residential street.  What is the price of that house?".  There is a rule about sales conversations.  The person that asks the  last question is in control.  Does that seem right to you?  If Mr. Prospect asks, "What is the price?", I reckon we are going to talk about price. Mr Prospect is in control of this conversation.

     Life is better and more lucrative when you are in control of the conversation.  Does that make sense?   Learn to control the sales conversation with questions.  Right now, let me ask you a question.  What is our goal, our objective when the phone rings?  Is it our goal to get an appointment with the person on the other end of the line?   Is it our goal to qualify the person on the other end of the line and determine if they are ready willing and able to buy a house today.  ?  Is it our goal to dispense information about our listing?  Is our objective to make a new friend?

     Your objective should be to make an appointment to meet the guy on the other end of the line.  Phones are not for qualifying.  Phones are not for making friends.  Phones are for making appointments.    Make an appointment.  We can figure out if he is a prospect when we meet him.  You have time to spend twenty minutes talking to this guy to learn if he is a prospect.  He doesn't have to be a prospect for what he called you about.  If he call you about a $300,000 house and turns out to be a $200,000 prospect.  Is that OK?  It is OK with me.

     Let's start over. The phone rings.  The voice on the other end says," How much is that house at 123 Residential Street?" Is this person a lead?  If a lead is someone that has expressed interest in your product, yes this is a lead.  By calling you, he has expressed interest in your product.

     He has asked a the last question.  He is in control of the conversation.  As long as he is in control of the conversation, we will not likely get an appointment.  He will get lots of information about the house but we will not get an appointment.  Asking a question is the best way to get control of the conversation.  "Let me look that up.  May I ask what you liked most about that house?  What prompted you to call on that one?"  pause,pause,pause.

     " It looks like it has a big yard.  We love the neighborhood."  "Oh, where do you live now?"  "We live over in Notsohot Estates.  Have you found that price yet?"

     Who is in control of the conversation?  The guy that asked the last question is in control.  "Yes I have.  The price of 123 Residential Street is $299,000.  I find that most people are concerned with how much down and how much per month.  Is that true with you?"

     "How can you get this with such a low down payment?"

      " It is a special program that our in house lender found somewhere.  Would you like to look at that house right now?  It is empty and the seller is making payments on it." 

     "Yes, we are sitting in the driveway."

      " I will be there in ten minutes."

      You have an appointment.  You will get face to face with a suspect.  So what if you get there, talk to your suspect  and determine that he has no money, no job, no credit, no hope for the future.  You time is not so valuable that you don't have twenty minutes to qualify a LEAD.  What if you get there and talk to him and it turns out that he can not buy this house.  He can buy a house.  You sell him another house.  Qualify leads in person.  If your time is soooooooo valuable that you don't have time to drive to your listing, ask them to stop by the office. 

     When the phone rings, it costs money to make it ring.  Convert that call to an appointment. 

     Just for practice, print this out and write down the answer to these common questions.  Be sure your answer is a question. 

     Q.  How many bedrooms does that house have?   

When you find a prospect, you need skill to talk to them. 

     A.

     Q.  Is that house in the ABC high school district?

     A. 

     Q.  Is the house empty or occupied?

     A.

     Q.  How much are the taxes?

     A. 

     Q.  Does it have a bonus room?

     A. 

     Q.  Will the owner hold a mortgage?

      A. 

     Q.  Do you think the owner would accept an offer of $275,000 ?

     A. 

     Q.  Will they leave the porch swing?

     A. 

     You can add to this list of questions.  When is the best time to think of the best answer, while you are taking a phone call from a prospect or when you are sitting in the training room with your trainer?  You hear the same old questions over and over and over.  So the next time you hear,"  Where is that house that you were telling me about?  "  It is at 123 Residential Street." Have a prepared answer like ," It is in Prestige Estates.  Would you like to go look at it now or I am available tomorrow at 10 AM. ? "    Teach yourself to answer questions with a question.  You will make more money. Don't you agree?

      Do you know anyone that needs to go to real estate school?  If you do, recommend First Real Estate School in Hendersonville, N.C. www.firstrealestateschool.com  

     Leave your answers to the above questions in the comments. 

     Have you read this article?  https://rondclimer.blogspot.com/2016/12/learn-to-ask-qualifying-questions-your.html    If you need more skill in asking questions, read it. 

   

North Carolina Real Estate Exam Pass Rate for October 2018

     In October 2018, six hundred and eleven  real estate license applicants took the North Carolina real estate exam in Asheville or some other city in North Carolina.  All of these 611 real estate license applicants had already passed a test at a real estate school in North Carolina.  Three hundred and thirty one of these real estate test takers passed.  Two hundred and eighty of these real estate license applicants will be back paying $164 to try again before they get a North Carolina real estate license.  That is a 54% pass rate for first time test takers.  The North Carolina real estate exam is difficult.

     The North Carolina real estate exam is a two part test.  One hundred questions are the "national" portion of the test.  Forty questions are the "state" portion of the North Carolina real estate exam.  You have to pass both portions.

     Last month, October 2018, fifty real estate license applicants took the "national" portion of the North Carolina real estate exam for the second or third or fourth or fifth time.  They all paid $164 for the privilege.  Thirty five of them passed.  That is 70%.  That is encouraging.   Last month, three hundred and eight test applicants took the "state" portion of the North Carolina real estate exam for the second or third or fourth time.  One hundred and seventy eight of these real estate applicants passed.  They all paid $164 for the opportunity to try.  That is 58%.

Do not underestimate the North Carolina real estate exam.

     Did you notice that the repeat test takers are taking the state portion of the test more than the "national" portion?  If you are soon taking the North Carolina real estate exam, here is a simple easy suggestion.  Leave your textbook on the seat of your car.  If you come back to your car with a failure notice in your hand, start thumbing through your textbook  and making notes of questions that you saw on your test that you did not know the answer to.  If you saw a question about how many members of the NCREC must be a real estate broker, do not go back again (at $164 per) without knowing the answer to that question.  Does that make sense?

     Here is another test taking tip.  Go to www.ncreexam.com .  Take my practice exam.  If you have already passed the "national" portion, just take the "state " portion of my practice exam.  You should be passing this with a 90%.  If you are not, you are not ready for the real thing at $164 per experience.

     Here is another exam taking tip.  Read Appendix A in your textbook.  Appendix A is also known as "The Comments"  Appendix A is, at least, half of the "state" portion of the North Carolina real estate exam.  Read it.  Read every word of it.  Read it ten times.  It is not interesting reading.  If you find it hard to read, I will read it to you on You Tube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaPLEyKzX24   Here is a link to the first video.  Listen to me read "The Comments" .  If you have already taken the exam one or two times, you will recognize some of your questions.  Make note.  Lots of material on the "state" portion of the test comes right out of Appendix A.  Read it before you pay $164.

     The number one problem that real estate test applicants have is that they underestimate the North Carolina real estate exam.  Don't do that.  Fifty four per cent pass rate.  What else do you need to know?  This test is hard.  This test is expensive.  Study like you want to make 100% , not like you want to barely pass.  Read your textbook.  Watch my free math videos on You Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb_E8ZA7k6A    Here is a link to one.  There is a dozen of them.  The exam is 10% math.  Passing without being able to do the math is hard. Read Appendix A.  Take a state exam review.  Turn off the TV.  Study study study!  There are better ways to spend $164. 

Tryon, North Carolina Rolling Art Antique Motorcycle and Car Show for 2018

Tryon Rolling Art Antique Motorcycle Show could not have had better weather.  On Saturday November 3, 2018 aboy 200 antique cars and 200 antique motorcycles came to downtown Tryon.

We had Harleys and Hondas and Huscavaras and Triumphs and Ariels and BMW and Suzuki's and Yamahas and Nortons and Indians and BSA and Bultacos and Ducatis

Lots of old bikes in Tryon, N.C.

As I was leaving on my 1981 Honda CB 750,
a guy sitting next to me on a Norton said, "Wow! That electric starter is a nice accessory.".  There were plenty of motorcycles at this show with no electric starter. An equal array of antique cars was on display.  There was Lamborghini, Ferrari, Austin,Packard, Studebaker, Boattail Riviera, 55 T Bird, Super Sport Chevelle, cool Jeeps, and lots of super cool trucks.

If you missed the Tryon Rolling Art antique car and motorcycle show in 2018, put it on your schedule for next year.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vZVHiFux20  Ride your bike to the show.  Tryon is a tiny little quaint charming delightful friendly town at the bottom of the steepest railroad grade east of the Mississippi, the Saluda Grade.  The railroad and the Pacolet River and  U.S. 176 follow the grade up the mountain to Saluda and Hendersonville.  This is one of the best motorcycle roads in western North Carolina.  http://rondclimer.blogspot.com/2016/02/ride-your-bike-to-pearson-falls-on-us.html

We had old cars, old trucks and old motorcycles in Tryon, N.C. 

If you are coming to Tryon from Asheville, get off that nasty old Interstate 26 at exit 53.  Come down U.S. 176 from Hendersonville through Saluda to Tryon.  It is a fun, beautiful ride.  If you are coming from South Carolina, get off the interstate at Inman and come up U.S. 176 through Landrum into Tryon.  Join us next year.  Bring your antique bike or your modern bike, the one with the electric starter.  Tryon Rolling Art is a great antique bike and car show.

A Harley Davidson K model came in from South Carolina