May 22 2007 7:45AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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I want you to do something.  Grab a dictionary and look up the word “Sell.” I did and I was surprised.  Not so much by all of the different definitions … but by one in particular.  It went like this:

“Sell … the activity or process of persuading people to buy a product or service.”

Anything there get your attention … I mean “jump off” the page and cause you to say, “Hummm”?  It did for me.  After reading that, I was bursting with questions.  First of all, who wrote it?  How long ago did they write it?  Did they take today’s customer into account?  And on and on.

That one sentence shook me to the core.  It left me wondering “what,” if anything, we’ve learned over the last 20 years.  But that’s not up to me; I’m going to let you be the judge. 

Here are a couple of different stories. After reading both, I want you to decide if your “sales program” is where it should be … or not.  Have fun!

Story One

You’ve just arrived at my community and I say, “Oh, just a moment.  Before I assign you to a sales associate, I need you to write me a check for two hundred dollars.”  With a stunned look you reply, “Two hundred dollars? Why two hundred dollars?” 

“That’s the fee everyone pays to work with one of our associates.  So whaddya’ say?”  Glancing to the sales associate and then back to me you sigh, “What do I get for two hundred dollars?”

“Easy,” I nodded.  “First we’ll qualify you.  Make sure that you’re the right fit for us … and we’ll also discover your ‘hot buttons.’  Next, our representative will walk you through our models and present some feature and benefits.  You know, to get you excited. 

"After that we’ll take you out to look at some home sites … bring you back to the office … then price everything up.  And if that isn’t enough, we’ll finish by asking you to buy.  All for two hundred dollars.  How about it?"

Story Two

You’ve just arrived at my community and I say, “Oh, just a moment.  Before I assign you to a sales associate, I need you to write me a check for two hundred dollars.”  With a stunned look you reply, “Two hundred dollars? Why two hundred dollars?”

“That’s the fee everyone pays to work with one of our associates.”  Glancing to the sales associate and then back to me you sigh, “What do I get for two hundred dollars?”

“Easy,” I nodded.  “First we’ll teach you the three questions you need to ask yourself every time you walk in a model home … no matter whose model home it is.  These questions will help you decide if a particular home might work for you.

"Next, we’ll show you how to look at floorplans … really look at floorplans.  In other words, we’ll show you how to compare one plan to another … and even put them in order if you want.

"After that, we’ll show you a special way to define what a 'Perfect Decision' means to you.  Once you know how to do that, you’ll be armed with everything you’ll need to save yourself time, money and mistakes.

"Finally, we’ll show you how to use your “list” to compare your “Perfect Decision” to what you believe might be your favorite plan.  That way you’ll have a foolproof way to know for sure … really know which plan is best for you.

"We’ll even show you how to use to same process to “look at” and “decide about” the communities you visit.  Would you like to move forward?”

More Questions
 
What if you were the customer?  How would you like to be sold … and which associate would you rather work with?  In other words, which associate would you trust more … return to visit again … and tell your friends about?