Sep. 6, 2006 - You Spoke...and We Listened!
What Online Consumers Want From You
Phone sales techniques simply will not work with online consumers, who value anonymity and want to be in control.
BY MICHAEL RUSSER
The phone once was among the most powerful tools in a real estate practitioner’s sales arsenal — and it still is some people who can successfully work within the limits of state and federal Do-Not-Call rules.
Having taught telemarketing, I am intimately aware of the power of effective phone sales. Selling over the phone gives you the ability to apply the full force of your personality via the tone, pacing, and inflection of your voice. By actively listening to the voice of your prospects, you can learn volumes about them — their mood, willingness to engage, intelligence, and more — and you can guide their train of thought by posing certain questions.
However, if you attempt to convert online leads using the phone sales techniques you learned when you got into the real estate business, you will likely only succeed in driving prospects away. The Internet-empowered consumer is a very different animal, and you must use different techniques to win their trust and eventually win their business.
Why It’s Different on the Web
Unlike in phone sales, which is largely about taking control as soon as possible, selling to online consumers is about giving up your need for control and concentrating instead on building a relationship. Here’s a look at some of the important distinctions between the Internet-empowered consumer and phone prospects. Understanding these differences is central to developing a practical and effective protocol for converting online inquiries to closed transactions.
- Anonymity. The online consumer is completely anonymous, which creates an impenetrable buffer between you and them. Even if you don’t know the name of your phone prospect, they feel less anonymous either because you have their phone number or because they feel uncomfortable dealing with a sales personality on the other end of the line.
- Control. Since the online consumer is anonymous and communication with them is usually asynchronous (i.e. non-real time), they are in control — and they like it that way! Phone prospects on the other hand, often feel “controlled” because of the intimate nature of the real time communication with your sales personality.
- Privacy. Online consumers insist on having their privacy kept sacred while phone prospects typically feel a sense of intrusion from your call and little privacy.
Information. Online consumers are typically much more informed about the market, neighborhoods, and the types of property they want. They also value the ability to obtain information easily without having to disclose who they are. Phone prospects must go through you for their information, which gives you a sales advantage.
When They Provide a Phone Number
There are variations to this online protocol when the initial e-mail inquiry includes the prospect’s phone number. In such a case, my suggestion is to add the following to the end of your letter:
Since you included your phone number above I will assume that you want me to give you a call about your needs. If this is not the case, please let me know via e-mail and I will not contact you by phone.
This allows them to stay in control and it manages their expectations. Assuming they don’t have a problem with you calling them, it will eliminate any sort of “What are you calling me for!?” response when you make contact.
Know What Works Online
Just as there is a structured approach for using the phone that can vastly improve your odds of turning a prospect into a client, the same holds true of working with online consumers. The key to understand that what works on the phone, will not work online. Learn to speak the language of the online consumer and chances are very good they will want to work with you.
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