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The Weekly Book Scan
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By Melissa Dittmann Tracey
 Quick Skim
The micro blogging site Twitter has generated plenty of buzz lately and all from the simple question: "What are you doing now?" Those who use the site have 140 characters or less to respond to the question. Members "follow" other members, and vice-versa, to stay up-to-date on what everyone is doing. Many real estate pros have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, using it as a way to connect with clients. In the book Twitter Power (Wiley, 2009), authors Joel Comm and Ken Burge show how individuals and organizations can use it as a marketing tool and how such short "tweets" can even land new business.
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From the Book: 5 Ways to Use Twitter for Business
When you use Twitter for business reasons, you want to "blend in" and make sure your messages don't come across as blatant sales pitches, or you could face a backlash from followers, the authors write. Your goal for using Twitter should be to make your business stand out and turn your customers into a community.
"Your Twitter timeline is not a sales page," Comm and Burge write. "Gripping headlines and hard call-to-actions on Twitter are more likely to drive people away than drive them to buy. Your Tweets need to be subtle. They have to build interest and trust. Only then will your followers feel that doing what you want them to do will be worth their while. "
Here are five tips from the book on using Twitter for business.
1. Make yourself personable. You want your messages, or "tweets," to be written in a laid-back tone that creates the impression that you're chatting with others. "Businesses that tweet like a corporate executive addressing a board meeting will … scream that they have no idea what they're doing—or who they're talking to," the authors write.
To help make your Twitter account more personable, use a photo or an icon that represents your business instead of your company's logo as your Twitter image. For example, Southwest Airlines uses an image of its planes' tail and the sky as its background; Comcast's Twitter.com/comcastcares uses a human face and tweets in an informal, friendly tone.
2. Give your tweet the "who cares?" test. If you just repainted your office or grabbed a donut on your way to the kitchen, should you really tweet about it? You'll read a lot of random thoughts from Twitterers, but if you're using it to land new business, think before you tweet.
"News announcements that affect the reader are always going to be the most interesting," the authors write. "The best way to handle news for branding, then, is to mix it in with other kinds of content and to add a personal comment so that it sounds like its coming from a real person, not from a company. "
If you're tweeting on behalf of a company, keep it human, but not too personal, the authors write. And if you're tweeting on behalf of a personal brand, you might include random thoughts
Continue reading "Book Review: Twitter Power" »
By Erica Christoffer
The Weekly Book Scan catches up with writers Donna Fleetwood and Christy Crouch to talk about their new book Now What Do I Say? Never Be at a Loss for Words Again (BookSurge Publishing, 2008). In case you missed it, be sure to check out a mini review of the book posted last week on the blog.
How did you develop the dialogues for this book?
 Fleetwood: We intended this to be a reference manual for real estate agents who are wanting to study different ways to handle objections. Christy and I have studied neuro-linguistic programming objection handling for quite a number of years in an intense way. We would write 10 sentences a day for different objections, and we did this for years. With our other partner, Scott Friedman, we decided there was no other book on the market like this. It can be a reference manual for agents to use, carry around with them in their car or in their office, that they could practice or actually reference when they are talking to somebody.
 Crouch: It seems like when we get those questions and objections, it can sometimes freeze us and it’s kind of scary. But we found from studying it, that there aren’t all that many new objections. The clients are having the same objections over and over. If we just learn how to powerfully handle them, in a way that benefits the client and sets the agent apart, it would be a great tool for them to have and be able to refer back to.
Fleetwood: One of the things Christy and I truly believe is to align with the client and not to fight with them. Not to try to prove how much we know, but rather use language in a way that brings the two parties together.
I noticed in the book that asking questions of the client was a common way of handling objections in your scenarios. Could you explain a little bit about the importance of asking questions?
Crouch: I think the more questions we can ask our clients, the better position we’ll be able to be in to actually help them with exactly what they’re looking to accomplish. We've learned that the client ultimately cares about getting what they need and having us help them. The more questions you ask, the more you can find out exactly how you can help them.
Fleetwood: I think there are two things: When you’re asking questions, the client feels heard. And, it is also a way for agents to gather their own thoughts. If you’re like a deer caught in headlights, all you have to do is ask a question.
You say objections only come from those who are truly considering doing business. Could you explain why that is?
Crouch: When we get those questions and objections, it’s scary. Especially if you’re not prepared with an answer and to be able to powerfully present it. We found that if you go into
Continue reading "Author Chat: Donna Fleetwood and Christy Crouch" »
By Erica Christoffer
 Quick skim
Handling objections is all part of the job. Authors Donna Fleetwood, Christy Crouch and Scott Friedman wrote Now What Do I Say? Never Be At a Loss for Words Again (BookSurge Publishing, 2008) to help real estate pros handle any objection that comes their way. Using communication methods derived from neuro-linguistic programming, which considers the impact language has on people and their behavior, the authors offer more than 425 answers to more than 70 common real estate questions and objections. Written in dialogue style, the book can serve as a quick reference, recited aloud, or used in role playing.
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From the Book: 5 Ways to Handle Customer Objections
1. There’s more than one right way. Different personalities call for different approaches to an objection. A single answer may suit one client, while turning another off. That’s why the authors offer multiple approaches to every potential objection listed in “Now What Do I Say?”
For example, you might respond to a client who complains that they have not received an offer on their home with the following remark (if the client does well with direct answers): “Exactly! This means they think it’s so overpriced they won’t even waste their time with an offer. So, do you want buyers to make offers, or move on?”
Or, you could use an approach that is suggestive, but solicits more client input: “You’re right! Now, imagine you were at an auction house and the whole audience was silent. No one was bidding on the item for sale at all. The auctioneer would either have to lower the price on the item, or risk not selling it. Which do you want to do?”
2. Practice makes perfect. Take the time to practice objection handlers aloud. Read from the dialogue in the book to yourself or role-play with co-workers. Practice helps boost confidence and alleviates nerves. Since objections are a natural part of the job, practicing how to handle them only makes sense.
You might want to rehearse how you would respond to a person who says they already have an agent in mind. The authors suggest: “You already have an agent in mind? That’s great, and I want you to set an appointment with me so I can give you a second opinion on everything to ensure that you are making the very best decision possible. A second opinion never hurts, does it? Great! I can stop by today or tomorrow at four. Which works best for you?”
3. Focus on your clients. Instead of spending all your time and energy coming up with responses on the fly, think about your clients beforehand—what they might say and questions they might ask—then review potential responses. For instance, if a potential client says, “If we don’t sell it, we’ll rent it.”
Come back with: “Stop and think about what it will mean to rent the house out. You might get
Continue reading "Review: Now What Do I Say? Never Be at a Loss for Words Again" »
 Here are the top selling books in real estate from Amazon.com:
1. The Great Depression Ahead: How to Prosper in the Crash Following the Greatest Boom in History, By Harry S. Dent
2. Home Buying For Dummies, 3rd edition, By Eric Tyson and Ray Brown
3. SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times , By Gary Keller, Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan
4. Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss, By Ken McElroy
5. Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide, By Stephen Fishman
6. The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit: How to Make Money Buying Distressed Real Estate -- Before the Public Auction, By Thomas Lucier
7. The Subprime Solution: How Today's Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to Do about It , By Robert J. Shiller
8. The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It's Not About the Money...It's About Being the Best You Can Be!, By Gary Keller, Dave Jenks, and Jay Papasan
9. Financial Shock: A 360º Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis, By Mark Zandi
10. The Great Depression Ahead: How to Prosper in the Crash That Follows the Greatest Boom in History, (audio version) By Harry S. Dent
By Erica Christoffer
 How are you on the telephone? Real estate professionals use the telephone practically every day to reach out to clients and prospects. Sales coach and author Dirk Zeller wrote a book, Telephone Sales for Dummies, on how you can improve your telephone skills (read a mini book review and get 5 tips to improve your phone presence). The Weekly Book Scan spoke with Zeller recently to get more insights.
What motivated you to write Telephone Sales for Dummies?
ZELLER: I saw a real need for skill building in the telephone sales arena. To me, if anybody is a sales person, they have to use the phone. The phone is still one of the most important mediums of communication in this world. Especially for sales people, because in selling you have to inject emotion, you have to inject energy, you have to inject enthusiasm, you have to inject assertiveness, confidence and conviction. That’s pretty hard to do in an e-mail. E-mail is a communication method that functionally doesn’t translate into selling very well. You’re basically using words on a page that communicate at 7 percent efficiency.
A number of studies have been done on what communication is and how communication is broken down. Seven percent of communication is the words, 38 percent of communication is the tonality, 55 percent is body language. You don’t have tonality or body language engaged in words on a printed page.
But do you think electronic communication – e-mail, text messaging, etc. – has overtaken the telephone in many workplaces?
ZELLER: I think it’s a more universally used method of communication – e-mail and text, but it is not as effective in selling.
What would you say are three bad habits real estate agents do while prospecting on the telephone?
ZELLER: I think the biggest mistake real estate agents make in terms of calling a prospect or a potential prospect is winging it. They haven’t planned out what they’re going to say. They don’t have good quality scripts and dialogues to deliver from. They haven’t practiced those scripts and dialogues. They don’t have a great opening statement that is compelling and draws the prospect in. I got a sales call last night whose opening statement—which in my view is the worst in the history of the planet—was “How are you today?”
You say in your book a sales person has 7 seconds to grab the attention of their prospect on the phone. What advice would you give a sales person to when formulating an introduction?
ZELLER: What’s important to the client? That’s the first and foremost element they
Continue reading "Author Chat with Dirk Zeller on Telephone Sales" »
By Erica Christoffer
 Quick skim
The telephone continues to be an integral part of a sales professional’s business. It is often the first point of contact with clients—so you need to know how to make a good impression. Can you get your point across and grab a person’s attention in seven seconds? Author Dirk Zeller outlines a strategic system in his book Telephone Sales for Dummies (For Dummies, 2007) on how to enhance your sales phone skills. He covers everything from rehearsing dialogue and conducting pre-call research, to preparing for objections and overcoming sales call aversion.
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From the Book: 5 Ways to Improve Your Telephone Presence
Here are just a few of Zeller's tips on bettering your phone presence.
1. Start asking questions. Well though-out questions are one of the best ways to achieve a successful sale. Questions produce greater understanding between you and your client. Find out your clients needs, expectations and reservations. It will help you come to solutions and customize your sales presentation to each of your clients. Even if you don’t land the sale, you'll learn where to make improvements by asking questions.
2. Practice, practice, practice. Know what you’re going to say before you make that phone call and rehearse it. Have an opening script prepared and in front of you. The window of opportunity to get your message across while prospecting is small. Don’t open with the traditional, “How are you today?” Be genuine, says Zeller. Get to the point of why you’re calling and give them a reason to stay on the phone with you.
3. Do some pre-call research. Prospecting takes careful studying beforehand. You have to know your market. Doing research will help in answering questions and problem solving. Plus, it
Continue reading " Book Review: Telephone Sales for Dummies" »
Here are the top selling books in sales and marketing from Amazon.com:
1. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, By Malcolm Gladwell
2. Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Teal Book of Trust: How to Earn It, Grow It, and Keep It to Become a Trusted Advisor in Sales, Business and Life, By Jeffrey Gitomer
3. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, By Dan Ariely
4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, By Robert B. Cialdini
5. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, By David Meerman Scott
6. Principles of Marketing (12th Edition), By Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong
7. Marketing Management (13th Edition), By Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller
8. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, By Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
9. MKTG 2.0, 2008 - 2009 Student Edition, By Charles W. Lamb, Joseph F. Hair and Carl McDaniel
10. Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, By Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini
By Erica Christoffer
 The Weekly Book Scan talked to author Jennifer Allan about her new book, Sell With Soul, which was featured last week on the blog (read a mini review).
What does "selling with soul" mean?
ALLAN: What "sell with soul" means to me is two things. First, be yourself and trust your gut and your intuition. Create a real estate career around who you are as opposed to what someone else tells you who you need to be. The other thing "sell with soul" means to me is somewhat along the lines of the golden rule —that you’re competent at what you do and if someone hires you, you do a great job for them.
What led to you write this book?
ALLAN: Back in 2003, a girlfriend of mine just started working at a real estate company and she called me in tears. She said: “I don’t know what I’m doing. These people are teaching me to prospect, they’re teaching me to cold call, but I don’t know what to do with this business when it comes in.” And then she said, “You know, Jennifer, you should write a book about how to actually be a good real estate agent.”
I thought it sounded fun so I just sat down and started writing. I never intended it to be part of my career. I was selling real estate and making a whole bunch of money doing it. But my goal was to write a book teaching real estate agents how to be competent real estate agents, as opposed to competent prospectors.
What are the biggest mistakes you think REALTORS® make in their careers?
ALLAN: The biggest mistake I think REALTORS® make—and this is a big focus of my book— is they forget who they are. They try to implement methods and strategies that don’t ring true to them, that feel kind of icky, but their trainers and their coaches and the books they read convince them that this is what they have to do to succeed. They get up every morning dreading their job.
A lot of agents go at this part time in the beginning and I understand why they do that. But
Continue reading "Author Chat With Jennifer Allan" »
By Erica Christoffer
 Quick skim
If cold calling, door knocking, and spending oodles of money on marketing don’t sound like your cup of tea, don’t sweat it, you can still flourish in the real estate business. Author Jennifer Allan will show you how in her book Sell with Soul (BlueGreen Books, 2008). No longer do you have to tarnish your principles to prospect. Challenging the industry’s status quo, Allan offers fun and easy tips on how to generate business and referrals with respect. Allan uses examples from her own career, while outlining the value of a hard and thorough work ethic to achieve success.
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From the Book: 5 Ways to Generate More Business Leads
1. Take your friends to lunch. Keep in touch with people in your social network by taking one person to lunch each week. Don’t make it an infomercial about your business. Instead use the time as an opportunity to catch up. After all, relationships are key. Next time someone at your friend’s office says they're looking for a REALTOR®, you’ll be the first to pop into mind.
2. Know your market. Look at houses, preview as much as you can, and put together practice market analysis reports. Be the expert your clients expect you to be, plus some. Knowledge and professionalism are impressive traits. Plus, your clients will trust you more when you know what you’re talking about. Allan’s mantra: “Competence gives you confidence.”
3. Spruce up the follow-up. Return calls and e-mails as quickly as possible — even if it’s to say you’ll call them back later. As a service provider, you should make yourself available and
Continue reading "Book Review: Sell With Soul" »
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