Within 24 hours of your completion of the marketing strategy your telephone will start ringing with enquiries about the property. The current national average indicates that residential homes on the secondary market sell within the first 12 viewings – it can be safely assumed therefore that your buyer will be amongst the first batch of telephone calls received.

You must be prepared to deal with these calls efficiently to ensure the buyer does not slip through your fingertips. The first conversation is a starting-point and your objective here is to encourage them to book a viewing appointment. Success or failure will depend largely on how quickly you can use and adapt the three main powerful principles of selling.

THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF SELLING

Principle number 1

People do not buy products – they buy solutions to a problem!

Every purchase you have ever made is likely to have been to solve a problem. Most will have been minor difficulties, for example, there was an impending birthday and you needed to acknowledge it – so you went out and bought a birthday card because it was the easiest way of resolving the matter.

Other purchases may have been more dramatic. A new car may have solved several problems – not only did it get you to and from work every day but it also raised your status amongst friends and colleagues.

Even impulse buying is a problem-solving pastime which is why supermarkets up and down the country have last-minute opportunistic-buying displays near the cashier’s till. The array of goods presented are there to help prevent you from getting bored whilst waiting to be served on busy days. The chocolate treats, magazines and special offers distract you for a few minutes – just long enough for you to reach the front of the queue.

Although these minor acquisitions pale into insignificance when compared with buying a new home, the principles involved are identical. Your prospective purchaser has a problem – they are relocating for a reason – your objective is to expose the problem and resolve it with the product you have available.

Principle number 2

People cannot shake hands or sign a contract with a clenched fist!

You must try to convince enquirers that you are an honest, trustworthy and friendly seller. If telephone enquirers are presented with someone brusque or arrogant they will feel threatened and become defensive. Even worse, they are likely to end the conversation abruptly without booking an appointment to view.

You should metaphorically extend a welcoming hand in the tone of your voice. It may sound absurd but smiling as you talk will project pleasant inflections in your voice that the caller will find both attractive and appealing.

Emotively create a friendship between you and the caller and, providing the property satisfies their needs, you will be increasing the chance of successfully selling it to them. The reason for this is that whilst it is very difficult to say ‘no’ to a friend who you trust and respect – it is very easy to say it to a stranger for whom you have little but contempt.

Principle number 3

If the product doesn’t fit the buyer’s needs- try to make it fit! By listening to what the purchaser is looking for you should be able to assess which qualities of your property will satisfy the most. If there are elements missing then examine the structure closely to see whether minor alterations can be made by the buyer to create a perfect home.

The typical scenario is where a potential purchaser suggests that ‘it would be ideal if only there was another bedroom’. If they can be convinced that another bedroom could be established easily and cheaply by installing a dividing wall in the biggest bedroom, then a sale could still be achieved.

PREPARING FOR TELEPHONE CALLS

When answering the telephone to enquirers have at hand:

• a notepad and several pens (in case one fails whilst writing)
• your document folder with information about the property and the neighbourhood
• a copy of the property brochure giving details of room sizes

• and ...

• turn the television off if the telephone is in the same room
• if possible ask a partner or family member to keep young children quietly occupied
• close any nearby windows to keep exterior sounds to a minimum and particularly any noise from traffic, barking dogs, car-alarms and children playing.

SECURITY AND SAFETY ISSUES

Beware the bogus caller

Unfortunately not all telephone calls you receive will be from genuine house-hunters. There are those who prey on owners selling property, operating in the knowledge that there are opportunities to commit theft by posing as interested buyers. You must take every precaution to guard against such individuals entering your home.

These unscrupulous characters are very practised in deceit and will at first appear as genuine purchasers. Estate agents use a simple procedure that successfully defeats would-be criminals in 99% of all cases.

After booking a viewing appointment, ask the caller to provide you with their:

• full name
• telephone number
• first line of address
• his post-code.

If there is any hesitation between giving the first line of their address and the post-code, you can be almost certain the caller is bogus. The reason is that all genuine callers will immediately know their post-code whilst dishonest ones will need a short amount of time to concoct a false one. It is a simple technique – and it works!

If you have Internet access you can double-check whether the first line of the address and the post-code match by going to www.royalmail.com - this is a free service. You should also telephone the caller the day before the appointment to check that the number supplied is genuine.

When making arrangements for a viewing do not under any circumstances state that an appointment cannot be made due to your being at work during the day, or because you are going on holiday, or that you will be out of the property at the time requested. This simply provides criminals with knowledge of an empty house. Instead state that it is not convenient due to you having guests staying with you at that time.

Your own personal safety is even more important than the security of your property and we will discuss this in more detail in the next chapter.

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

Whilst the first conversation with your caller should never be allowed to progress into an interrogation there are questions you can ask, if the opportunity arises, that will greatly assist you later on. These include:

Are you looking to move to this area specifically?

Have you already sold your own home?

What is it about this property that attracted you?

How did you find out about this property?

Are you familiar with the area?

Is it just for yourself or do you have a family?

Do you have a car?

Do you work nearby?

Will you need a mortgage to buy a property?

Would you like me to send you a property brochure?

When would you like to come and view my property?

The answers to these questions will provide you with an insight into the buyer’s aspirations, their ability to buy a property, the elements of a property that are important to them and their level of interest in your home. Furthermore they will also suggest areas that you can later expand on to encourage an offer. It may be useful to have these questions written down, along with any others you think may be useful, so that you can refer to them during calls.

MAKING A VIEWING APPOINTMENT

You should attempt to satisfy the enquirer’s ideal viewing date and time but not if it will be detrimental to the presentation of your property. It may be, for example, that at certain times and on particular days there is a considerable amount of traffic passing in front of your home. This would clearly deter a would-be buyer and therefore an alternative time or day would be favourable.

You might also elect to arrange appointments when young children are at school or with family members and when you know that the dog will be out being exercised.

USING TELEPHONE ANSWERING MACHINES

A missed call is a missed opportunity and because you cannot be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, an answering machine is an inevitable necessity. When using such a facility remember to:

• Make sure that your announcement does not indicate you are out of the house – it should simply state that you cannot answer the telephone at the current time but will call them back if they leave a name and number.
• Refrain from using gimmicky prerecorded messages as not all callers may find them entertaining or appropriate.
• Keep the announcement short and simple.
• Call people back as soon as possible after receiving a message. If you allow several days to pass by the caller may already have looked at other properties of interest and could even have submitted an offer on one of them.

Keeping a record

In the first few weeks of putting your property on the market you are likely to receive a deluge of telephone calls, most of which will lead to viewing appointments being made. Be certain to write them on a calender so that you know who is coming, and when, and keep a concise record of the conversations you have had, including any bits of information acquired which may prove useful later on.

TO SUMMARISE

• Treat each and every telephone call as though you are talking to a potential buyer – be polite and friendly.
• Attempt to gain as much information from the caller as possible without turning the conversation into an interrogation.
• Be prepared to supply information from your document folder to encourage a viewing.
• Be aware that not all callers are genuine – some may be looking for an opportunity to commit a crime.
• Book viewing appointments that will show your property under the best possible conditions.