Overcoming with Attitude

Almost every experienced new- home salesperson I know has dealt with a slow selling period in their career. What do you do to reverse the trend and turn around your sales performance? What role does attitude play in the turnaround? And how do you maintain a positive attitude when sales are hard to come by?

YES, I THINK WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCED A SLOW PERIOD. I was named Salesperson of the Year in San Francisco and two years later was trying to sell homes with record interest rates and little success. You have to be in touch with yourself. Remember what made you successful. Buyers like to buy from sales people with a positive attitude. When you have a positive attitude, buyers believe what you are saying and look to find ways to do business with you. When they sense doubt in your actions, they look for other alternatives. Everyone has had bad days. I always find myself saying how lucky I am to be in new-home sales — what a great profession this is and how good it has been to me. It keeps me positive and helps me prepare for my next customer — and helps me keep a healthy attitude in life.

IT ALL BEGINS WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. People who walk in the door can feel the enthusiasm of a sales associate who is excited about their neighborhood versus someone who sits in their chair and asks the customer if they can be of help. If you are distracted or don't believe in your community, that will come across to your customers. Excited sales people are contagious. People want to buy from people who absolutely believe they have the best community in the market. Also remember that slow sales are not always about you — but always focus on the items you can impact rather than those you can't. Slow sales periods are when I really work on my Realtor contacts and on follow-up with my prior customers. I also like to go visit my existing homeowners and ask them why they bought. It gets you excited as to why they believe you have the best community in the market and a great way to look for referrals as well.

Mid-Atlantic public home builder
Annual unit sales: 56; Annual sales volume: $ 21 million

HAVE I HAD A DRY PERIOD IN MY CAREER? Absolutely! I think every experienced new-home salesperson has experienced a period when they were wondering if they have lost their touch. You have to be patient with yourself. Tomorrow is new day: a "do over." Attitude is what gets you past the slow time. Take that downtime to catch up on some of the things you have put off; take a tough look at your models, your community and your competition. But remember no matter how much you may be doubting your abilities, when your customer walks in the door it's not about you; you represent your builder. You need a positive attitude no matter what. You owe it to your builder and your team members to put any negative feeling aside and give every customer your best presentation. It won't be long until your enthusiasm pays off.