Oscar Marquez

We all have heard or read about how little people remember after we have made a sales pitch or approach presentation.

So as a sales trainer and speaker, I’m always looking for ways to make my message clearer and memorable.  I have worked on “honing the message,” developing a “compelling unique advantage” and, of course, an electrifying elevator pitch.

But here’s what we’re fighting: today’s customers are cluttered with information, schedules, meetings, emails and more work than a person can handle. There are more decision-making process involves more people than before, many of whom know little about the importance of our product or service.

Things my kids asked me

I have two boys, 11 and 8 and due to my continuous travel, recently they asked me some very simple yet important questions:

• Daddy, what do you do?
• Why do people hire you?
• Do you have to go? Why don’t they hire somebody else or do it themselves?

One of the great things about kids (just like many customers these days), they lack context. Any answer that we provide has to be in a simple language that they can understand.

What does a controller or accountant or marketing manager know about what our product or service? The challenge is this: Can we answer these questions that my boys asked me in a language that will get you more business?

Hint: There are right and wrong answers for both.

Daddy, What do you do?

• Right answer: ”I help companies to grow really fast by teaching their salespeople how to become more proactive and better at selling, so they can make more money and make sure their families are taken care of.”
• Wrong answer: ”Our Company teaches salespeople how to improve their sales.”

Why do people decide to hire you?

• Right answer: “I have helped lots of companies do this before, so other companies want the same results for their salespeople.”
• Wrong answer: ”We have a proven process for implementation that allows organizations to grow their business and reach their goals.”

Why do you have to go? Why can’t they do it themselves?

• Right answer: “Just like when you were learning karate, I could teach a little, but I don’t know as much as your sensei, and teaching you myself would take a long time and you would not know as much as you do right now. Daddy is a really good teacher of how to make more sales, and people want to learn how to do this as fast as they can.”
• Wrong answer: “We are the leading company in this field with over $5 million in business that our clients have closed using this system. Usually our clients have tried a number of things on their own before we work together and have wanted outside help to get better results.”

Both answers are accurate, but that doesn’t make them right, plus let’s face it, most customers have heard the same pitch more than once. In today’s business world it is our job to get our message across as clear as possible for all of our customers to understand, we may have to twick them a little but don’t get caught up in the “over sophisticated” answer.

Were(buyer)wolves are very common in today’s market, the purpose of this note is to help you identify them and avoid becoming another casualty.

The Full Moon. Used to be that were(buyer)wolves came out during full moon only, however and due to unknown reasons, todays were(buyer)wolves can come out any night or day and pose as interested buyers.

Their Howling. This was how were(buyer)wolves used to announce their presence. However, today’s werewolves have evolved; they now call, text or email unsuspecting agents asking for information on properties.

Their Attack. Their attacks can be deadly, it is common knowledge that were(buyer)wolves will continue working on their prey until the prey quits out of frustration. It also has been widely documented in logs worldwide the stories of agents who worked with were(buyer)wolves, showed them dozens of properties, or assisting them in making and presenting numerous offers only to never hear from them again after their offer was accepted. Another usual practice is for the were(buyer)wolf to make a ridiculously low offer and then blamed the agent when their offer wasn’t accepted.

Protect yourself. According to legend, one of the most effective weapons against a were(buyer)wolf attack are silver bullets, fortunately real estate practitioners were given these silver bullets during the licensing period. The bullets are: a were(buyers)wolf must be “Ready, Willing and Able” before making an offer. Translated to today’s modern lingo: A were(buyer)wolf must READY to purchase and close within a reasonable amount of time , must be WILLING to buy a home and not be looking for an opportunity only and it must be ABLE to purchase by either being pre-approved for a mortgage or showing proof of liquid assets.

I hope this note gave you the insight and prepare you against were(buyer)wolves.

Have a great day.

A very common new year’s resolution is to become a better salesperson, in order to accomplish this goal, we must realize that continuous learning is a crucial component of the resolution. Unfortunately most salespeople decide they don’t have time for learning or that they can’t afford to improve themselves and that is the easiest and fastest way to failure.

If you are truly committed to your improvement, here are seven principles of learning.

1. Organize for effort. What is the skill that you need the most? Prospecting? Presenting? Negotiating? Closing? All of them? Then take one and learn as much as you can about it.
2. Establish Clear Expectations. How will you measure your advancement?
3. Create the Thinking Curriculum. What do you need to learn or improve first? Second? Third?
4. Commit to Academic Rigor. Schedule time daily to better yourself.
5. Students Produce their own Learning. The best way to learn is by practicing with real clients, don’t wait until you master the skill, practice, practice and practice.
6. Arrange for Accountability. Be accountable to someone, remember when you make a commitment, there is room for failure.
7. Commit to Continuous Improvement. We never stop learning, there is always room for improvement.

Have a fantastic 2011.

I am a fan of Zombie movies; so to celebrate Halloween I decided to share with some zombie techniques I’ve learned that I know will help you increase your business.

1. Be Adaptable. Zombies have a way of making the best out of every situation. They can be thrown in the middle of the ocean or the desert and somehow they manage to get back to where they know they can find food. They don’t sit down and complain to other zombies about how the environment has changed, they don’t see the negative, they just keep going. If you have been complaining about how little money you are making compared to a few years ago, it’s time to move on.

2. Just Do It. Many zombies come back to life just minutes after they’ve died; still completely outfitted and with all their limbs in place; others are missing parts and pieces, but one thing they all have in common they are fearless. They don’t care that they don’t have all their parts; they are focused on one thing “finding food”. Many sales people are reluctant to go out and find selling or buying prospects, because they don’t know “everything” about real estate, take this zombie lesson and just start talking to people, you’ll be surprised of you can accomplish.

3. Be Fearless. Many times zombies are outnumbered by powerful armies; other times their next victim is bigger, faster and stronger than they are. But I have never seen a zombie stopping to analyze their odds of winning the fight or getting their victim; they know they have a lot to win and little to lose (hey they’re already dead). They continue to charge and very often they win. Don’t get stopped by the “principals only” or the “no Realtors” remarks, go after every FSBOs and expired you can find; you have a lot to win and very little to lose.

4. Take it Easy. Have you ever seen a zombie with high blood pressure or nervous? No, they are cool and collected; no matter what circumstances they just go after what they know they need, food. Many salespeople stop working or concentrating on new business as soon as things get a little stressful. Slow down, take it easy, don’t allow your business to control your emotions and stop you from growing; remember even if you are going through a very difficult situation you still need to produce and this will get you out of the hole.

5. Stick to Your Zombie Guns. Remember one thing “It makes no sense to negotiate with zombies”. The next time a seller wants to make their house un-sellable, don’t give in, stick to your guns; it’s the best way to get their house sold.

I hope you enjoy these zombie techniques but most importantly that you implement at least one. Have a great and safe Halloween.

What is the secret of a successful salesperson? Many people say the knowledge of their product, some say that the way in which he or she speaks, others say you must be born a salesperson.

However, after having trained thousands of sales professionals, in my opinion the secret of a salesperson is repetition.

The person, who has become a true master of the sale, is the person who has memorized their presentation and can recite it with eyes closed and even while sleeping.

This is the only way by which a professional salesperson can deliver a presentation that people buy every time. There are people who want to change their sales presentation for fear of sounding repetitive, however they run the risk of doing a sloppy job and not getting the sale.

So if there is one advice I can give is this. Practice, practice and practice your presentation until it becomes an extension of you.

Without sales there is no revenue, no profit and even the best marketing program in the world will not prevent you from failing; therefore sales are the single most important part of any business. Granted, all aspects of business are important, but without sales you have no business. So unless you want to go out of business, you need to have a very well trained sales staff. Sales training programs where your agents learn, internalize and practice with real customers while in class is one of the best ways to make sure that your sales staff masters the techniques and methods that will increase sales.

There are many ways to get your sales force trained and depending on the size of your staff you may want to consider hiring a sales trainer exclusively for your company; I am not referring to hiring a full time an in-house trainer, I am talking about bringing a sales trainer exclusively to train your agents.  And against all beliefs hiring a sales trainer it is not that expensive, especially compared to the additional revenue your sales staff will bring.

Every business operates differently and sells a different product or service. However, the sales process is the same: “lead generation (marketing or any other way), present and close” the method never changes regardless of the product or service we promote, however this is why it’s of paramount importance that the trainer has a clear understanding of your goals and biggest challenges you are currently facing, so they can be included in the training program.

Another important aspect of sales and (commonly over-viewed as well) is repeat customers and referrals; make sure the programs includes techniques to keep your past clients as clients and referring you new clients.

One more thing you should also consider is the length of the training program.  In my experience a two to three day class is best, keep in mind that your sales people will not stop working during the training; they’ll continue to work and generate new business.

There are companies that seem to think that training their sales staff is not worth the money or justify it with not having the budget right now. However, they make this decision to their own detriment. The company with the best trained sales force has a sizable advantage over those that do not. Another and often less expensive choice is online training and although it is cost effective we need to consider the other side as well. Because the trainer cannot see the people’s facial expressions or hear their comments, the risk of your agents not understanding and therefore not applying the techniques increases.  Technology it’s fantastic and it has brought our lives to a different status however the human touch is always needed.

In summary, everyone in your company can benefit from some degree of training but specially your bottom line.

Sales agents experience failure every day: a sale that doesn’t go through, customers canceling a contract, failed presentations. What do the “Heavy Hitters” do afterward? That’s the important question. Although it may be difficult to realize at first, many times failure can be a blessing in disguise. Not closing a deal is not a failure. In fact, it can open up new doors. If you analyze where was it that you failed and make corrections and changes it can become a very valuable lesson worth many commissions in the future.

1. Learn from Failures.. Before you can learn from failure, you must know how you view failure in the first place. Are you one of those people who won’t even acknowledge the word “failure”? Or do you accept that it’s there, but then deal with it in a positive manner? Failure does exist. It hurts when it happens, it’s personal, and it is OK to be upset when a sale falls through. You can’t change what’s already taken place, however you can be responsible for what takes place from this moment on.

To learn why you failed, stand back and look objectively at what happened and why. It’s pointless focusing on what might have been. Instead, think of ways you’ll do better next time.

2. Attitude Matters.. Recognize that your attitude colors your view of failure as much as the truth can. Perception will always win over reality. Sales agents start out with good intentions, but we are rarely trained to deal with our own fears. Over time, as we experience more and more rejection, we begin associating prospecting with pain, and fear takes over their selling. This just makes failure all the more likely.

3. Don’t Try to Avoid Failure.. Trying to avoid failure is a fool’s game. Failure isn’t necessarily bad. You learn from mistakes, maybe more than in any other way. If you are a skier, you know that if you don’t fall, you can’t ever get better. You need to push yourself or you’ll never improve.

4. Don’t Give Up.. In sales, the lack of persistence is perhaps the biggest cause of failure. How many times have you tried setting an appointment with a new prospect, only to face rejection every time? Then one day, out of the blue they interested in scheduling an appointment

5. Think Positively.. Write down a list of your strengths and your successes, then after a lost sale or a presentation that didn’t win the sale, read these lists and remind yourself that you have not failed but are merely going through one of life’s learning experiences.

Failure is part of our business, its part of life. Whether it is crippling or empowering is up to you. The only one who ever put a label of failure on you is yourself.