Our When you examine the activities that salespeople routinely work on, you have to wonder whether they understand
exactly what a real result is. best leaders NEVER allow their offices to close unless the agency has at least one real result for the day. These leaders understand that they incur expenses every day, therefore they must achieve one real result a day.
As leaders, we must help our people recognise what constitutes a result, what actions are necessary to achieve those results, and then follow up to make sure they are doing those actions. All activities in a salesperson’s day should lead directly a real result.
There are only FOUR real results:
1) A Listing.
Exclusively list a property. Not the promise of a listing: “I’ve got a great relationship with these clients. If they list with anybody they will list with me!” The salesperson is trying to sell you an excuse. You can’t sell a ‘maybe’, nor can you earn a fee from one. Did the salesperson get a listing or not?
2) A New Sale Started.
The salesperson has offer and acceptance. I realise that the sale might ‘fall over’ but the idea is to encourage the salesperson to make another sale.
If you wait until the salesperson has taken the transaction to the unconditional stage, you miss the opportunity to encourage more sales. Recognise offer and acceptance as a sale and help maintain your salespeople’s enthusiasm.
3) A Substantial Price Reduction.
A Substantial Price Reduction is a one where the property has been reduced in price sufficiently to get it sold. Within seven days of a Substantial Price Reduction the property should be sold, otherwise the reduction was a Price Trim, and not a Substantial Price Reduction.
NEVER RECOGNISE A PRICE TRIMS AS A RESULT.
If the only ‘result’ you have for the day is a Price Trim, that has been erroneously called a Substantial Price Reduction, you think your office is closing with a result for the day, but the problem is that it was not a real result.
Remember earlier that I said our best leaders never allow their offices to close unless there is one real result for the day? Price Trims don’t count. The office stays open.
4) Unconditional Contract.
Any activity that leads to a sale becoming unconditional is a good use of time. An unconditional contract is a result. Once the contract is unconditional, it is highly unlikely that either the buyer or seller will decide not to proceed.
You may be thinking that this is ‘double-dipping’ in that we recognised the sale at the time of offer and acceptance.
Don’t get hung up on technicalities. We are not paying the salespeople twice, we are only recognising them twice – once when they made the sale and again when they ‘got it over the line’ by taking it to the unconditional stage.
Offer and acceptance: result. Getting the sale to the point of being unconditional: result. These are two separate steps.
Focus On What You Want
A real result is one of the four. Nothing else counts. Any activity that does not lead your salespeople toward one of those four is a total waste of time.
As harsh as this may appear, you are going to get more results if you decide what constitutes a result and become determined to achieve them.
Never count as results anything but the four. For example, a listing appointment is good, but setting an appointment is an ACTION; getting a listing is a RESULT. Don’t confuse the two. You cannot eat an appointment.
Leaders and salespeople are paid for results. Focus on what you want and you will receive more of what you want.
You want real results.
Every day.