Fear is a good thing to have. If you’re afraid, you’re likely on the right path, pushing your boundaries to learn, improve, and reach goals. But some new agents let fear get the best of them, and they end up leaving the business.
Hearing the word “no” from clients or prospects often leads to fear, but it’s a word agents must learn to deal with and work through. Make no mistake, agents will fail, says sales strategist Shari Levitin, founder and CEO of the Shari Levitin Group. It’s how they deal with failures that will prove their ability to succeed in real estate. “Resilience is a life skill—one that will fill your soul and your pocket,” she says.
Here are three tips from Levitin, author of the new book,
Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know,on how agents can learn from rejection, overcome fears, and build their business.
1. “Get out on the skinny branches.” Levitin says that salespeople who go after the low-hanging fruit end up competing against a lot of cherry-pickers. Instead, get out on those “skinny branches” in your market where there’s less competition and business is ripe for the picking. This might mean an agent needs to shift their focus to a specific niche, neighborhood, or target market.
2. Learn from top producers. These people are generally willing to take chances, Levitin says. They create strategies to face rejection, break through emotional walls, and find ways to answer objections, she adds. This requires agents to make that phone call, ask that question, or have that conversation they’re afraid to have. An exercise brokers can do with their agents is to have them make a list of 10 people they’re afraid to contact—FSBOs, the owner of that big listing they’ve been vying for, etc.—then have them “pick up the phone, knock on the door, and go for the sale,” Levitin says.
3. Handle the word “no.” Agents will be confronted with the word “no” in prospecting, cold calls, listing presentations, and while navigating various transactions. Levitin says many objections can be handled by giving the client more information. When an agent receives an objection or rejection, they should never become defensive or criticize the customer, she says. Listen carefully to their concerns before responding, and clarify the client’s question by asking questions until you can isolate the root cause of the issue. “’No’ is a negotiation tool,” Levitin says. “’No’ helps you hit stretch goals.”
