As I watched the USA beat France to get in the finals of the Women’s World Cup, and before that beat the favorites Brazil in a memorable come from behind victory, it occurred to me how many similarities that soccer (otherwise known as the “Beautiful Game”) has to our profession of new home sales.
We only tend to remember the stunning individual performances such as in the USA-Brazil game Megan Rapinoe’s pin point cross to find Abby Wambach on the far post and Wambach’s perfect headed goal in the last seconds of overtime; or Hope Solo’s dramatic penalty save to seal the victory, and also give her vindication for being left out of the same game four years ago. However, the truth is that soccer is a true team sport where all eleven players on the field are important and cannot function without the other. This is how it so similar to the new home business.
The forwards, especially the striker or center forward, are given the job of scoring the goals, and just like salespeople are given the most credit for the success of the team. They are often highly emotional, charismatic types. They are on the front line, are highly visible and therefore usually well rewarded when successful.
Behind the forwards are the midfield players, they are the engine of the team, taking the ball from the defense and distributing it to the forwards, occasionally scoring themselves, and often getting back to defend as well. They are like the office team, and administrators strategizing, organizing and always striving for the success of the team.
Behind the midfield is the defense, they are given the job of protecting the goal to prevent the other side from scoring and making sure that the midfield is given the ball to set up offensive plays. Like the construction team, this requires solid, dependable types and is often unglamorous work with fairly small credit. However the defense like construction is the foundation of every great team.
The goalkeeper has a thankless task, rarely receiving that much credit for doing their job of preventing goals from being scored, but facing ridicule for making a mistake which would cause an easy goal to be scored against the team. Like customer service, their job is often taken for granted, yet if they make a mistake they are sorely missed.
Every team has a manager/coach and assistant coaches. They are like the sales managers engaging in market research and hiring the architects to build the best product, and then recruiting and training the best possible team.
At the top of the ladder is the owner or chairman. Just like the owner/developer/builder in construction, they are ultimately responsible for everything that happens. They will take well deserved credit for the success of the team, and make immediate changes to ensure the team thrives at its maximum potential.
Just like new home sales, players practice, and rehearse their positions continually, mastering a basic process. However before entering a game, the coaches will study the competition and come up with a game plan. Whether the teams adopt the formation of a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3- or a 3-5-2, the team will only enter into a game when they are fully prepared to be successful.
The bottom line is that the team cannot function and be successful without the total cooperation of the whole team. If a player starts to look tired, then the manager will warm up substitutes on the sidelines as a clear message that they can be replaced for the improvement of the team. Certain players may receive more attention than others, but the joy of the “beautiful game” is that the best group of individuals that functions as a TEAM will always win.
Well done to the ladies of Team USA and good luck at the London Olympics in 2012.
SALES HEROESAfter our highly successful New Home Sales Boot Camp ® and Serious Sales and Marketing Profit Management (sm) programs In Delray Beach at the end of May, we received a slew of emails from attendees sharing their wonderful sales success stories. We love to hear this great news and always take sincere pride in all of your success. One stands out in particular, from Shawn Forth, a Builder from Oklahoma City who invested in both programs. Shawn is already a successful custom home builder but attended our programs looking to become more of a “quality volume builder” and also learn how to sell homes himself as well as build and run a successful sales operation.
Shawn is an understated gentleman, and I remember noticing every day that he was always one of the first in the training rooms and always placed himself in the front row. Whenever I scanned the audience I would always notice Shawn taking notes feverishly. Here is the email we just received from Shawn.
From: Shawn Forth
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 11:45 PM
To: Bob Schultz
Cc: Roland Nairnsey
Subject: Thank you
Bob/ Roland, I want to thank you for changing my mindset to that of a sales professional. While I have a long way to go, I am already seeing the fruits of the seeds you planted during your New Home Sales Boot Camp I just attended. I sold another home tonight, and it was the first physical visit by the customer. I had spoken with them on the phone, they visited my website and walked the home prior to coming into the office, so just as you told us, “people can and will buy on what appears to be the first visit.” After going through the presentation, visiting the home under construction (100+ degrees), answering multiple objections, asking for the sale multiple times, I finally wrote the agreement at 9:30 pm effective on Tuesday (she forgot her check book).
One sale is not a record, but it is the 4th since my visit to Florida just six weeks ago. I would not have had the tools or the persistence to work with these customers for 3 1/2 hours prior to meeting you and your staff.
Thank you again,
Shawn
This year we have been all over the USA and Canada training wonderful sales people. Recently I was in Vancouver Washington, and had the great pleasure of working again with the delightful team at New Tradition Homes. Here is a photo of the team.
A few days after I returned, I received this exciting email from Jessica Hollandsworth, a salesperson at their Tri-Cities division. For Jessica’s courage in implementing what she learned so quickly, she is also a sales hero.
From: Jessica Hollandsworth Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 3:42 PM
To: Roland Nairnsey
Subject: Just thought you would like to know
Roland,
I just wanted to let you know that Anne and I used the training that you taught us on Friday and Saturday....It was awesome!
I myself had a lady on Saturday morning come in just to look at our product, and she was referred to us from a current homeowner....I showed her the model, then walked her through a floor plan that is what she talked about fitting her needs, we then drove to the 3 home sites that would work for her specifications as well...then she came back and priced out her home. In the process she started crying because she really didn't think she would ever get to this point of owning a home again. She fell in love with New Traditions and I have an appointment with her on Wednesday to write the purchase and sale.
I also had a family come in Saturday afternoon that had previously came in. They knew what floor plan they wanted but wanted to walk through our model again. Within 10 minutes I had them sitting at my desk pricing them out and at the end used the phrase "is this the type of home you would like to own?" and they said yes and wrote up!!!
It was a great weekend and it was really great being able to use the different training techniques, and seeing how they work!!! Thank you
Jessica Hollandsworth,
Professional Sales Representative for New Tradition Homes
Congratulations to Shawn and Jessica and all of you across the world that are working so hard in this challenging market and working “smart” by investing in training to ensure that you are maximizing your sales success.
Lastly, for those who are interested in my lad Max, here is an updated picture of the little fella. He just turned three and continues to brighten every moment of our lives. We are so blessed and grateful.
Have a great month of selling and please continue to share your questions and successes.
Truly
Coach Roland
www.NewHomeSpecialist.com
Written By Roland Nairnsey
Senior Vice President Training and Development
Bob Schultz and the New Home Sales Specialists
2300 Glades Road, Suite 400 West
Boca Raton, Fl 33431
Tel: 561-368-1151
Roland@newhomespecialist.com
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