Make this technique a natural part of your sales presentation process.
The art of asking questions to close a deal is one of the most important and most difficult skills to develop. Many agents do a great job identifying recommendations for their clients, but they inadvertently present them in the form of a statement. Clients often resist this approach because they can recognize that their number 1 objective is to get “the deal”.
A much more effective way to reach an agreement is to ask a question instead of making a statement. When a question is asked, it does two things: 1) it verifies that the client agrees with the conclusion the agent has developed, and 2) it gets the buyer or seller to say “yes”, making the transition to a sale much easier. Let’s consider the following typical example:
A seller is resisting a price reduction. A good agent will do great research gathering the data that supports the value of the house, and then may say, “The comps and data I presented show you that you’re not likely to get the price you’re asking. I suggest you lower the price.”
A great sales person will use “tie-downs” to get the seller to agree with them. These are called “small yes’s” or “mini-closes”. This agent will use the same data and ask questions; “I know your home is unique, but if you looked at the data I presented without seeing your home, you’d probably think your home may be over-priced, wouldn’t you? And based on feedback we’ve gotten from buyers, it’s possible you could be asking too much, isn’t it?”
“Wouldn’t it” and “isn’t it” are great examples of “tie-downs”. The obvious answer to a tie-down question is “Yes”, yet they don’t force the client to concede his or her position. In other words, tie downs are “baby steps” toward getting to the successful conclusion. Other typical examples of tie downs are:
- Couldn’t it
- Wouldn’t it
- Shouldn’t it
- Can’t they
- Won’t they
- Don’t they
- Isn’t it
- Haven’t you
Once you identify the logical conclusion you want your client to reach, make every effort to change your statements to questions by using “tie-downs”.