Be Well Groomed and Conscious of Your Appearance How do you go about doing this? You can begin by carefully grooming yourself. Be conscious of your appearance. Make sure you can answer the following questions affirmatively: - Are you clean?
- Do you smell presentable?
- Is your hair cut neatly?
- Do your clothes coordinate?
- Are your clothes clean and neatly pressed?
- Are your shoes shined?
- For men, are you clean-shaven?
Remember, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Be Alert and Ready to Meet Customers Bear in mind the importance of being mentally and physically prepared to meet your public. Can you answer the following questions positively? - Are you well-rested?
- Are you alert?
- Are you in shape?
- Are you well-fed?
Hopefully, you can address all of these statements and questions with one word — yes — because when you meet the public, they are going to “buy” you first and the product you are selling second. Yes, it is important to have the best product to sell. Today, your competition is going to be as prepared as you are because more attention is being paid to research and design, pricing and branding, packaging and financing. So, you have to be one step ahead of your competition. That means you have to be personally prepared to meet and sell to today’s buyers who, incidentally, have become competitive shoppers. Be Sincere and Prepared to Answer Questions By being sincere and prepared to answer their questions, you will impress potential buyers with your knowledge. Of course, if you do not know the answer to a particular question, tell your buyers that you do not know the answer, and then tell them you’ll get back to them with the information. You will gain instant respect from your buyers for being honest. Today more than ever, buyers are searching for salespeople they can trust. Often you hear that price, value, financing and quality are important ingredients that buyers consider before making a home purchase. But did you ever consider that buyers will take those points into consideration first from the person who has presented the material to them? S. Robert August, MIRM, is president and founder of S.Robert August & Company, Inc., a national marketing and public relations firm based in Denver that specializes in providing home builders, developers, manufacturers and lenders marketing/management consultation and sales training. August is an owner of Colorado-based RealtyWorks, Inc. and is the principal owner of Adaré Homes. He is also past chairman of NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council. For more information, contact August by phone at 303-220-8480 or via e-mail.
Subscribe to 'Sales + Marketing Ideas' Magazine for Cutting-Edges Information For additional cutting-edge sales and marketing information, subscribe to NAHB’s "Sales + Marketing Ideas" magazine. Call 800-368-5242 x8192 or visit www.smimagazine.com to subscribe or order a copy. Click here to learn about membership benefits of the National Sales and Marketing Council and the Institute of Residential Marketing. The Institute of Residential Marketing Offers Courses and Designation Programs for Sales & Marketing Professionals The Institute of Residential Marketing (IRM) offers four designation programs for sales and marketing professionals: - The CMP and MIRM designation programs for new home marketing professionals
- The CSP and MCSP designation programs for new home sales professionals
For more information on these designation programs, click here. BuilderBooks.com Offers Sales and Marketing Publications Online BuilderBooks.com offers a variety of sales and marketing publications online. To view or purchase these publications, click here. | 
Right now, you are probably thinking about selling your next home. If not, you’re probably thinking about how you can obtain more qualified prospects so you can sell your next home — and the next and the next...and the next!