Dave Robison

By Dave Robison

According to NAR’s report about real estate professionals, the majority of us came from admin jobs rather than sales jobs. There is a high probability that the majority of you reading this are order-takers.  The good news is you can change that. You can become a better sales person.

I admit it, I was an order-taker and learned this lesson almost 11 years ago.  I was showing a friend of mine houses so he could buy his first home.  No luck in writing an offer though because he couldn’t make up his mind and he was reluctant to put in an offer. (It was his fault, right?)   My dad came out with me to show my friend the same homes a second time around.  My dad said, “This is a great house, Kelly. Lets write an offer.”  My friend said, “Okay,” and I got my first sale. (Oops, I blamed it on my client but it was really my fault!)

What was the difference?  I was just showing homes, I was an order-taker.  My dad was a salesperson.   Here is how you can know what an order-taker will do versus someone who is a salesperson:

Example – Listing Client: “I’m not in a hurry. We don’t have to sell. We will move if that one buyer comes along.”

Order-Taker:   “Okay,  I will keep you updated with showings and whether we get any offers.”  *Tries to smile while they feel frustrated with their client.*

Salesperson:  “What do you mean by  that?”  “Tell me more about that.”  “What is your timing on when you want to move?”  (A salesperson will ask more questions so that the seller can come to a better conclusion. Being a salesperson means being a counselor, too!) Continue reading »