There she was with a prospect doing a walkthrough of his home when Allyson put her foot in it. Not dog poo, rather something she said that literally stopped the conversation cold. The air quickly chilled around her and the prospect turned a deaf ear. Minutes later she was driving away knowing that she lost the listing.
She Put Her Foot In It
What happened? What went wrong? Naturally, she went carefully over what transpired so she could discover a clue to her demise. No matter how much she pressed instant replay, the answer eluded her.
The next day she talked with her mentor who asked Allyson to describe the prospect. On the surface, he was friendly and pleasant. He shook her hand and looked her directly in the eyes. After an exchange of pleasantries, he asked a pointed question. As if she were a racehorse at the starting gate, she gushed fact after fact. He proceeded to ask more questions and she provided information nonstop.
It seemed to be going well. So Allyson proposed that she tour his house. Then came the dreadful temperature change. Had she talked herself out of the deal?
Allyson’s Personality Style
Allyson has a personality style that loves to help people, and simultaneously, she is driven to get things done and come out the winner. A big weakness for her is following a system and being patient. While movers and shakers often work well in the real estate field, they’re not ideal for every client. In this situation, her ambition to get the listing and sell the property worked against her.
The Prospect’s Personality Style
In reflecting more about this prospect, Allyson realized that he liked learning things. He seemed to be an information junky. He gobbled up statistics, reports, trends, data, anything that he could read. The mentor suggested that perhaps he was put off by her talkativeness, glib answers, and unstructured interview.
What She Learned
Although she lost this listing, she gained a valuable insight, not to lead with her own style. Next time, Allyson will take time to read her prospect’s personality style, match it, and build rapport. By doing so, sales resistance drops, and trust, comfort, and ease climb. This gives way to an opening for effective communication and closing more sales. Then indeed she’ll succeed in her chosen field of real estate.
About Dr. Nancy Zare
A retired professor and psychologist, Dr. Nancy Zare originated the AlikeAbility™ System to teach real estate agents and sales professionals how to read buying styles and close more sales. She offers a complimentary AlikeAbility™ Assessment that includes the strengths and challenges of your buying/selling style.
