4 Steps to Help You Nail the Close

Whether you are a listing agent or buyer’s agent, selling luxury properties or rentals, the time inevitably comes that you must close a deal. There’s no time during the sales process more fraught with the possibility of flop sweat than the close. But, follow our advice and practice these techniques at each stage of the process and by the time you’re ready to close a sale, locking it up should feel like the next logical step for the client

• Exude confidence.Surely one of the oldest sayings in sales is ‘fake it till you make it.’ By appearing confident in your own ability to find the right property for your client, you can help ease their minds during a stressful process and give them the confidence they need to trust you. This sets the stage for less doubt or conflict when closing time comes.
• Practice your scripts.We use scripts at each stage of real estate deals because they’ve been proven to work. So, review then periodically and adapt them to your own style and language: you’ll be more successful and come across as more authentic if you speak in a way that’s natural to you. Think of your scripts as talking points and not text to be followed verbatim. The beauty of scripts is that if worse comes to worst, you are prepared to fall back on language that’s developed to help with objections.
• Think of each step as a close.View each part of the sales process as a mini-close, from setting an initial appointment to the listing to closing a sales contract. By practicing your close at every step of the way, this method becomes fluid and routine.
• Handling objections. Rare is the deal that doesn’t meet an objection, so prepare your technique. First, repeat the objection in the person’s own words so you clarify what the issue is. Acknowledge their concern and then be prepared to work through it with them. For instance, “I understand this price point is at the top of your range and it concerns you.” Understanding it’s normal to receive objections at any and all stages of the sales process – often multiple times - is the first key to preparation so you can effectively counter what comes at you.

Finally, show humanity.Too often, as agents, we become focused on ‘getting the client’ to do what we want. The purchase or sale of a home is one of the biggest decisions – and an emotional one, at that – that many people deal with. Try to remember to enter the relationship with the goals of the client in mind and we are sure to build trust that makes closing a natural and comfortable extension.