WASHINGTON MORTGAGE EDITION
Tips On Being a GOOD TEAM LEADER Body Language: How to READ YOUR PROSPECT LIKE A BOOK!
MAKING A 'LEAD GENERATOR' Work for You
COVER STORY
PHIL ROSS
WASHINGTON MORTGAGE EDITION
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PHIL ROSS
CONTENTS 4) MAKING A 'LEAD GENERATOR' WORK FOR YOU
18) BODY LANGUAGE: HOW TO READ YOUR PROSPECT LIKE A BOOK!
13) BEWARE THE SNIOP!
22) TIPS ON BEING A GOOD TEAM LEADER
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Making A ‘Lead Generator’ Work For You by Carla Cross
When it comes to sales, some people just seem to have the ‘golden touch’. There are agents who seem to be able to convert ‘leads’ into appointments, while others struggle. I had an opportunity to observe this time and again as a manager. Jerry, in my office, seemed to be able to convert ‘floor time’ calls into appointments with ease. (Floor time, as you may remember, is a scheduled time when agents answer inquiry calls from consumers). George, on the other hand, seemed never to get an appointment while he was assigned floor time. In fact, George accused me of giving Jerry “all the good floor time”. From Jerry’s conversion rates of calls to appointments, it may have seemed like it. However, we simply rotated floor times with all the agents. No one got any better ‘floor time’ than any other agent! Why did Jerry convert calls to appointments, while George struggled? You would know the answer if you just listened to each 4
man on the phone. Jerry immediately established rapport, asked great questions, and answered objections masterfully. He followed up immediately. He had awesome sales skills. George had no skills, seemed not to care much about the caller, and acted as though he was doing the caller a great favor simply by answering the phone! A “lead generator” is anyone or thing that generates leads for you. There are two types of lead generation: Pro-Active: You go find the lead (like calling on for sale by owners) Re-Active: You wait for the leads (like lead generating companies, floor time, and open houses) Too often, agents like George blame the re-active lead generating source for lack of quality of leads. On the other side, lead generating sources feel that agents don’t convert enough of the leads provided. Instead of blaming each other, we can take Top Agent Magazine
positive steps to assure that you can screen your leads effectively, and turn good leads into appointments. Now, both agents and lead generating sources are happy! The First Principle: Follow Up on the Lead Now! A web site lead costs $215 to generate, on average. Yet, a majority of real estate agents don’t even get back to a lead—ever! Why? I think there are three reasons:
you can’t just get back to a lead three days later. The consumer today expects to get a reply quickly. I’m constantly amazed when someone thanks me for responding quickly about a product or a question about our coaching. Our standard for answering product and coaching inquiries is within the day. What’s your standard for answering lead inquiries? (Which require much faster responses, in my opinion, than my ‘leads’).
There’s Competition For That Lead • Agents mistakenly think that the A few days ago, I was visiting with lead will be theirs forever—that my cousin, whose daughter just went there’s no time sensitivity to into real estate (she’s twenty-two). She has immediately put technology answering that lead to work, creating an awesome • Agents believe there’s no database and contact management system. She’s selling up a storm— competition for the lead and making the agents in the area • Agents don’t know the cost of a mad at her. Why? Because she’s lead—in both time and money so getting to the consumers before the they don’t treasure that lead as if it other agents do. They thought they ‘owned’ those consumers’. But, my were gold cousin’s daughter is proving that no With the instant information age, one owns the consumer. She’s Top Agent Magazine
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turn that lead into an appointment. In my coaching program, Carla Cross Coaching, we find that developing agents lack the sales skills to optimize their time and energies. So, we The Second Principle: Give provide sales skills training resources to shore up their motivation and desire the Lead Its Value to reach their goals. If you’ve ever spent time generating your own leads, you know what this Set Your Sites And Raise Your means. As a new agent, I knew Skills To Mastery about two people in the area. Because I had no built-in network, I Our high accountability training did every kind of lead generation program, Advantage, is helping new known to man. I worked all the and newer agents capture the sales time. I learned by all my mistakes and organizational skills it takes to how to generate leads—and the convert leads more often. But, value of a lead. Purchasing a lead is training is only the start. It takes so much easier than generating your coaching to master any skill, along own. But, you must treat that lead with your determination to get like the potential gold it is, so you’ll really good at lead conversion. be the Jerry of sales, not the George. Decide today your standards for performance, what you want to The Third Principle: Develop master, and how you’ll go about it. Now, you’re on your way to Your Sales Skills becoming a top producer! Following up on the lead immediately shows you value the lead. But, that’s Copyright©, Carla Cross. All rights not all. It takes specific sales skills to reserved. demonstrating that those who put technology to work effectively today capture the consumer’s attention and loyalty.
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PHIL ROSS 7
PHIL ROSS
Although Phil Ross is now one of the most respected mortgage professionals in Washington, he initially hadn’t considered a career in the industry. A former professional football player, after suffering a career-ending injuring, Phil needed to change courses completely. A friend of his encouraged him to enter finance. Phil learned every aspect of the business, and quickly developed a passion for the mortgage side of things and in 1993, he began focusing on mortgages exclusively. Over 20 years later, he couldn’t be happier with his decision. Phil leads a small team at Doorway Home Loans that specializes in serving the Western Washington area, from North Seattle down to Olympia. Phil is a 4-time recipient of Seattle 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
Magazine’s Five-Star Professional Award for exceptional service and overall client satisfaction in the Puget Sound area. Although Phil truly excels in every type of loan, he is one of the state’s top originators in VA loan programs, as well as down payment assistance. Key to Phil’s success has been his educational approach to the business. In addition to his business, he also hosts free workshops several times a month where he educates first time homebuyers on down payment assistance programs and several other products he offers for people who might be self-employed or commissioned based. “Most home buyers are fearful of the process or confused by it. The internet has a lot of information, but it’s overwhelming. I try and simplify the comTop Agent Magazine
plex. I ask my clients to erase everything they’ve heard and then I ask them questions, find out what I can about them and their situations, before we get to the application. I explain best practices and potential roadblocks, as well as the what and the why behind them. This approach lets my clients be more at ease and makes the process more enjoyable.” Top Agent Magazine
Phil is also well known in the industry for providing an unsurpassed level of communication. “There are two main things people want from you in this business, open and clear communication throughout the entire process and the ability to close on time. I want my borrowers and my Realtors® to feel taken care of. I have a transaction coordinator on my team whose sole job is making Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9
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sure everyone stays informed and is always available to answer any and all questions. I’m also proactive. I send out informative videos each stage of the way, and give weekly updates regardless of where we’re at in the transaction. My goal is to always wow people with timely closings and communication.” Phil is active in his community and through his company he participates in the Homes For Heroes organization, giving a free appraisal as a way of saying “thank you” to community heroes. This year he will be partnering with the USO in order to help educate more Veterans about the VA loan process. Top Agent Magazine
Phil couldn’t be happier with his career, and although he would love to continue to grow his business, Phil’s business philosophy can best be summed up by the John Wooden quote “Success is peace of mind knowing you did your best.” “I love sharing valuable information with people. At the end of the day, it’s about letting clients know that they can trust me and I truly care about them. I make sure my clients know how much I appreciate them as well. I believe wholeheartedly that taking great care of your clients is how you generate more clients.” Copyright Top Agent Magazine11
To learn more about PHIL ROSS call (425) 260-8999 or email phil.ross@doorway.com http://www.justingrable.com 12Copyright Top Agent Magazine
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Beware the SNIOP! by Barry Eisen
Daily, Greg was growing more like I said, unfriendly, rude, eh! And excited about his upcoming, first did you see the Pope? Ha—I’ll bet all you could get was his postcard.” trip to Rome. Finishing up all the last minute Brimming with enthusiasm, Greg details, with just two days to his offered “Al, It was the best flight ever. flight, Greg headed to his barber, Al, Everyone was so accommodating. I was treated like family, and the people for a haircut. with whom I stayed showed me the Sharing his excitement with Al about sights as if I were royalty. Oh, and the upcoming trip, Greg bubbled when I got to the Vatican, not only did about staying with local people, I meet with the Pope, I had a private eating homemade, Italian food and audience. It was awesome and I’m so even having an audience with the grateful!” Pope. Al put down his scissors and started droning, “You know traveling Al, astounded to hear all this, asked is so hard these days, such a long “What did the Pope say to a nobody boring plane ride. Rome, of all places! like you?” “Well,” Greg replied, “as It’s hard to get around. They drive I bent forward to kiss his Holiness’ like crazy, the people are rude and the ring, he wanted to know one thing... streets…disgusting! The Pope? Ha! and asked me, ‘Who gave you such You’ll never get close to him.” Greg, a lousy haircut?’’ feeling a little deflated, left the shop. SNIOP After his trip, Greg popped into the barber shop. Al started digging in SNIOP is an acronym for a person immediately, “Well, didn’t I tell you who is: Susceptible to the Negative about the terrible flight? The people, Influences of Other People.
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Greg didn’t play that role in the anecdote above, but do you? More importantly, are you willing to discover the subtleties of when you are? And most significantly, if you are, are you willing to take back responsibility for directing your own play, hearing your own song, standing up for your own dreams, living your own best life? Being a SNIOP is not about being just influenced by others. We are and we ought to be. We don’t live in a vacuum and the fastest way to create 14
success is to copy it. That means we want to not only allow influence, but to encourage ourselves to be impacted by the thinking and actions of those coaches, mentors and success models who’ve held high the bar of personal and professional excellence. The goal is to not be influenced by the negative and the limited. It’s about: 1. Bringing conscious choice as to whom we invite to impact us, and 2. Seeking direction and guidance from the best vs seeking approval and opinion of the many (or the “Any”). Top Agent Magazine
Ask yourself in what ways your world view is colored and shaped by those around you? In what ways— dig deep here, look for the subtle, do you allow yourself to be impacted by the leaders who can advance you or the negative opinions of others that can limit you? • Do you use your inner voice with an “I know that,” to stop you from hearing those who have messages that can advance you? • Do you seek approval by others when the authority should be your own inner voice? The best way to predict the future is to create it. We create it by intentional focus on our consciously chosen VISION. I’ll bet you’ll agree that driving forward while only looking in the rear view mirror is a recipe for disaster. It’s no different whether we are in the driver’s seat of our car or the driver’s seat of our daily attitudes. We GO where we LOOK, so we want to guard where we look. Why put on the glasses of those who look to their world with negative attitudes and limited expectations, when we can immediately and consistently commit to playing with those going our way? Who are the people with whom you surround yourself? Who are your Top Agent Magazine
coaches, teachers, friends, religious leaders, mentors, trainers and business associates? What do you choose to read, watch on TV, browse on the internet, and attend for entertainment? Who you watch and read are the pals with whom you’re hanging. Are you listening to: • Gossips on how to have good relationships? • The impoverished on how to make money or to invest it? • Couch potatoes on how to be healthy? • The mean-spirited about loving? • Failing students on how to study and succeed? There is an alternative and it’s a shortcut to success: 10 Points to CREATE Your BEST (and avoid being a SNIOP) 1. Surround yourself with successful supportive people in the arena of each goal. Listen well to those who listen well and hear constructive criticism. 2. Choose goals that make you stretch and grow in positive directions. 3. Model yourself in the mental, physical and emotional habits of those who are positive and successful. • Eat well, exercise with consistency. 15
It’s all rehearsal for the life you live, by choice. You become what you think about. • Make time to relax and focus on positive thoughts and solutions. • Prioritize the highest good and long term payoff. • Share more smiles and laughs. 4. Put your goals on paper and review them daily. 5. Commit yourself to do what’s right, not what’s easy. 6. Value friendships with those who have good to say about others and value friendships. 7. Read worthwhile literature by people who have excelled where you want to go. 8. Develop a wealth mentality. It’s one thing to be broke, it’s quite another to be poor. With a wealthy mentality and no money in the bank, a person is broke but not poor for the riches of possibility and the willingness to do the work to create the change. 9. Be open to the inspiration of others. Better yet, be an inspiration to others. Don’t only avoid those SNIOPS, don’t be one. 16
10. Make time daily to be still and reflect on your day. Celebrate those places where you fulfilled these steps. Celebrate your awareness of the moments when you didn’t. Re-create the negative moments when you either rained on others’ dreams or when you were a SNIOP. Imagine those scenes as if you behaved the way you’d consciously choose. Then Replay those the new way in your mind’s eye. It’s all rehearsal for the life you live, by choice. You become what you think about. Thank you for investing this time with me. And thank you for passing this to others who may benefit. Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing REALTORS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com 818-769-4300 Top Agent Magazine
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Body Language: How to Read Your Prospect Like a Book!
By John Boe Are you aware that your body language gestures reveal your deepest feelings and hidden thoughts to total strangers? The very first sale you must make with each new prospect is to “sell yourself”. If your prospect doesn’t like or trust you, he or she will never even remotely consider buying your product or service. Understanding body language gestures will help you build trust and rapport quickly with your prospects and customers... face-to-face or over the phone. 18
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Body language is a mixture of movement, posture, and tone of voice. Top sales reps and the most successful managers recognize the importance of nonverbal “buy signals” in the selling process and have learned to “listen with their eyes”. They understand the power of body language and know how to use their gestures and voice tone to establish trust and build rapport quickly. Body language research shows that nonverbal communication has a much greater impact and reliability than the spoken word. Therefore, if your prospect’s words are not congruent with his or her body language gestures, you would be wise to rely on the body language as a more accurate reflection of true feelings. The good news about body language is that you were born knowing the information. This explains why people from different cultures can communicate effectively without having to speak a single word. In the animal kingdom, every cat, dog, bear, horse, etc. on the planet will use the same body language gestures to communicate with each other. For example, when an animal is angry, they will pin their ears back flat against their head. Even though people understand body language instinctively, the meaning of “finger gestures” may change from one culture to another. Finger gestures, such as the V for victory sign or the okay gesture are “learned gestures” created by the culture and the meaning often varies from country to country. For example, on January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence ship, was engaged in a routine surveillance mission off the North Korean coast when it was intercepted by North Korean patrol boats. The 83-man crew were captured and imprisoned in Pyongyang, where they were interrogated and beaten. In an attempt to gain propaganda value from the crew, the North Koreans conducted a news conference. When photographed during the press conference, some of the ship’s crew expressed their disdain for their captors by sticking out their middle finger. While this finger gesture was noticed by the North Koreans they didn’t understand the disrespectful meaning that the gesture implied. After the photos were released worldwide and the meaning Top Agent Magazine
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of the finger gesture was revealed, the North Koreans were politically embarrassed and severely beat the crew. During your sales presentation, it’s critically important to get started on the right foot. Research shows that we decide in the first few moments whether we like someone or not. Yes, we also judge a book by its cover too. There’s absolutely no substitute for a positive first impression. Create a favorable first impression and build rapport quickly by using open body language. In addition to smiling and making good eye contact, you should show the palms of your hands, keep your arms unfolded, and your legs uncrossed. Body language is
a mixture of movement, posture, and tone of voice.
You can build trust and rapport by deliberately, but subtly, “matching and mirroring” your prospect’s body language in the first few minutes of the appointment. For example, if you notice that your prospect starts off the appointment by crossing his or her legs and sitting back in the chair, you should match them by crossing your legs and sitting back in your chair as well. After you believe you have developed trust and rapport, you can verify it by seeing if your prospect will begin matching your gestures. Try leading your prospect into a more open and receptive body language posture by uncrossing your legs and leaning towards the table. If you notice your prospect subconsciously begins matching your body language gestures, congratulations, this indicates that you have laid the foundation of trust and rapport. Conversely, if you notice that your prospect is mismatching your body language gestures, you know trust and rapport has not been established and you need to continue the “matching and mirroring” process.
Be mindful to evaluate the flow of “gesture clusters” rather than isolated gestures taken out of context. Listed below are some important body language gestures that you need to become familiar with. There are two basic categories of body postures; Open/Closed and Forward/Back. In an open and receptive body posture, arms are unfolded, legs uncrossed, and palms are exposed. In a closed body posture, arms are folded, legs are crossed and the entire body is usually turned away. 20
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Body Movement Gestures • Leaning back and closed = Lack of interest • Leaning back and open = Contemplation and cautious interest • Leaning forward and closed = Potential aggressive behavior • Leaning forward and open = Interest and agreement Head Movement Gestures • Head neutral = Neutral and open attitude • Tilted back = Superior attitude “looking down your nose” • Tilted down = Negative and judgmental attitude • Tilted to one side = Interest Facial Gestures • Eye rub = Deceit, “see no evil” • Looking over top of glasses = Scrutiny • Nose rub = Dislike of the subject • Hand or fingers blocking mouth = Deceit, “speak no evil” • Chin stroking = Making a decision • Thumb under chin with index finger pointing vertically along the cheek = Critical judgment Are you missing your prospect’s buy signals? As a professional salesperson you must continuously monitor your prospect’s body language and adjust your presentation accordingly. By understanding your prospect’s body language gestures you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know when it’s appropriate to close the sale! “As the tongue speaketh to the ear, so the gesture speaketh to the eye.” – King James the First (1605) Copyright ©, 2016 John Boe. All rights reserved.
John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call 937-299-9001. Free Newsletter available on website. Top Agent Magazine
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Tips on Being a Good Team Leader Your business is booming, so much in fact, that you’ve finally made the decision to start a team. You’ve made sure it’s financially feasible, and you’ve found the right people, but there is still one other component of a successful team. And that’s an effective leader. It’s your job to not only generate business, but to motivate your team, which in turn increase productivity. Here are a few simple tips on being a good team leader. 1. Evaluate each team member, making sure to utilize their strengths Hiring the right people is one of the first steps in creating a successful team, but once you have those people it’s really 22
important to figure out where they best fit into the operation. Having every team member be an ‘expert’ in their part of the process leads to seamless transactions and a business that runs like a well-oiled machine. Top Agent Magazine
Of course it’s also important to create a supportive atmosphere that allows team members to stretch beyond their comfort zones, under your guidance. It’s to the whole team’s advantage when people take initiatives to up their game by taking additional training or mastering a new and innovative technology that can improve productivity. The key is to constantly evaluate not only your systems but the people running them. It’s your job as a leader to encourage that personal growth while making sure to always protect against any major misfires. Which leads us to… 2. Always reevaluate what is and isn’t working It’s a good idea to have a weekly meeting where the whole team can convene and go over any snags they may have hit in the systems that you developed when starting your team. Your team is in the trenches with you and since everyone probably focuses on a different aspect of the transaction, it’s important to make sure things are working on every level. Make sure copious notes are taken during these meetings so you have a track record of what was suggested, as well as a history of things that may have been tried and the results. Another good thing to focus on in these meetings is goal setting. Set weekly and monthly goals, and use the meetings to discuss what’s being done or needs to be done to meet them. When goals are met, it’s a great bonding experience for everyone. When they aren’t, it’s a moment to learn how you can do better in the future. Top Agent Magazine
Don’t forget to always take in what you can do to be a better team leader as well. 3. Stay connected and in communication These are your team members! There’s more to that than just a label. Be connected to them on a daily basis. Clear, open and honest communication is important on a busy team and that’s much easier if you actually like and trust your co-workers. Sure you want to succeed for yourself, but knowing that other people you respect are counting on you, is an additional motivating factor, that is certain to lead to everyone going above and beyond creating a wildly successful business. 4. Be inspiring and supportive If you’re enthusiastic about what you’re doing, it really will be infectious. Encourage innovation and creativity. Yes, systems and consistency are great but don’t let your team get in a rut either. Support their individual careers, always encourage them to go for more, let them rely on you for mentorship. If they sense that you want each member to succeed as much as you have, you won’t find more loyal employees. And perhaps most importantly focus on what’s being done right. Don’t be the boss that just points out things they don’t like. Let them know when they’ve done an amazing job and be specific about what it is. Make them feel valued and they will become a valuable asset to you and your business. 23
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