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July 30, 2014

           Volume 16 - Number 30

      
Streamlining the Business of Commercial Real Estate
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YouConnect© is a Web-based Appraisal and Vendor Management solution enabling financial institutions to automate and streamline their process, while satisfying federal and state examination and auditing requirements.
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No. 1 Selling Comp
Database Software
 
DataComp© is the No. 1 In-house Commercial Comparable Management Software on the market today made by and for commercial real estate appraisers.
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New Edge 2011

 

EDGE© is a simple to use, but powerful report writing solution. A stand-alone application that integrates seamlessly with Word, Excel and DataComp©. 

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Manager© is our cloud-based commercial appraisal workflow application that can be accessed from any browser, Windows, Mac or cell phone. 

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DataComp and Edge
now available in the Cloud.


Hosted by Microsoft 

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Check Out Our Sister Publication...
TOP OF THE WEEK TO YOU!
(by realwired! CEO, Brenda Dohring Hicks)

Brenda Dohring Hicks

 

Top of the Week to You! is designed to offer the inside scoop and latest of what's important in the world of technology as it relates to the commercial real estate industry.

"My True Story"        


I volunteer for an organization that helps people in commercial real estate who have either lost their jobs or are looking for something better. Yes, many in this group are simply under-employed, they have settled for something less than what they hoped for because they are the type of people who are willing to do whatever it takes. They believe that through hard work they will either rise through the ranks and their position will improve, or something better will come along and they can make a change. I applaud each and every one of them and I'll bet you would too. The one thing that many of them won't do, however, is consider a sales position and particularly one that pays little or no base. That, I believe is a mistake.

The best sales trainer I had the opportunity to train under liked to say, "New parents never gaze down into their sleeping baby's crib and say, I hope he/she grows up to be a salesperson...they should. Done right, it's the best career out there. It gives someone total control of their destiny and unlimited earning potential." It's true, but it's also a career path that people believe needs no special skills, has low barrier to entry and is full of people who lie just to get someone to buy something. Truth is, it's a career path that requires constant learning and improvement of skills. And by doing it the right way, has the highest of integrity. Done wrong, it's easy to see where the stereotype comes from.

What I learned early on in my training was that I had only one job as a "salesperson" - help people make a decision. As a matter of fact, I was taught that it's so hard for people to make a buying decision sometimes, that I have a moral obligation to help them. The key is that ANY DECISION made means performed well. A "yes" was great, a "no" was great, but a "maybe" without a clear path to either yes or no was failure. Maybe's don't help anyone.

Indecision, real indecision is awful. Not only does it waste everyone's most precious asset, time, it undermines one's confidence. And while what I've just said makes intellectual sense, our emotional self and social behavior fights it every step of the way. Trying to hold the line on selling this way is tough when you get bombarded by both your peers and managers that the only important thing is getting to "yes" and that "selling is just a numbers game." Hogwash! It's a true profession that takes training, high levels of skill through constant refinement and energy. It's like being a performer on the road with a new audience every day. And like a sought after performer, a good salesperson can name their ticket price and have a darn good time!

So here's the secret. Anyone who is unemployed or underemployed should find the best sales training they can afford. While it's admirable for someone who is underemployed to be willing to do so to stay economically afloat, they should train like the best salespeople do. And in this effort they must apply one of life's basic truths: Quality always trumps quantity! They have to believe this for themselves in getting the training they need and when they start to apply their new skills. Just like job hunting has a "numbers game" associated with it, sales are of course dependent on getting more and more leads. But leads for the sake of leads are the biggest mistake ever. It is particularly dangerous, because it offers a feeling of getting something done when in fact it's only wasting the important commodity I mentioned earlier...time!

We all know this! Yet in sales, the drive is always on to get more and more and more leads with no regard to the quality of those leads. It's natural to want to rush out to meet with anyone who will give us an appointment. After all, the basic mindset taught is you close 20% of your prospects, so it follows that doubling your number of appointments will double your number of sales. But it doesn't really work out that way. You can only close a certain number of specific leads and there are only three categories of leads to worry about. 1. People who either will never buy from you. 2. People who have a hard time making decisions (these are the ones who string you along endlessly with 'check back in 6 months' or 'we need to think about it first'). 3. People who will most likely buy from you if they only knew about you and had the chance to meet with you. So the secret to success lies in one thing, sorting through the three types as efficiently as possible. That takes skill, that takes constant practice, that takes perseverance against the social tide that likes to fall back on "the numbers game."

I share this all with you, because it really is my personal story. I truly believed once that sales was a "go nowhere" profession. Lucky for me, more than 15 years ago I met my mentor and sales trainer. I'm sure if I hadn't, I'd be a lot less successful. So how about you? Are you willing to make a decision and focus on the most important thing: Leaning how to help yourself and others make decisions? 

 

Come join our discussion on our blog, or I welcome your feedback through email.
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