Sales Information Parity!

The playing field has changed. The customer now has most of the information that you do. Well, almost as much. But here's the thing. THEY THINK THEY HAVE IT ALL! They think they have everything they need to make a decision! The problem is, they might not be solving the problem they have. They also need YOU!

Definition of parity

"The quality or state of being equal or equivalent"

I don't know about you but customers walk into real estate sales offices these days with the local MLS on an APP and they also have Zillow open to view the listings. Let's throw in Realtor.com also. They actually do think they have what they need to buy something. The other day a buyer called a real estate office here in Hilton Head, South Carolina and wanted to proceed to buy a lot that was for sale for $1.00. That's right, $1.00. It really was for sale for $1.00. The guy wanted to buy. The sales person had to sit down and explain that once the buyer bought, he would be required to pay the annual Club fees of $17,850 each and every year! Oh yeah, and they would have to join the Club for $17,500. That is only a one time fee though. Those of you who sell cars, I'm sure it is even worse. The information in the marketplace about cars is everywhere.

In the world of sales, we have always tried to solve the customer problem. We do this by asking questions. Really good questions. In order to find the solutions, we have to ask questions. Right? Well, we still have to ask questions but I suggest to you that we need to try and find the REAL problem. Ask better questions, and listen better! In the situation above we need to find out why he wants to buy a lot for $1.00. In other words, we need to find out what the REAL PROBLEM is.

It is important to understand that if the customer is confused about what their problem is, the services of a skilled salesperson is very, very valuable indeed. In this case, the customer thought they had all the information they needed. Wrong! The skilled "new model" sales professional can stop in and ask the right question to find the real problem.

In the new world of sales parity, customers are looking for unbiased sales partners in a way. They are looking for insights into the entire world of solutions. Many of today's customers are in need of sales professionals who can drill down and find out the real problem and how many solutions are actually out there.

In the case of the lot buyer for a $1.00. What is his real problem? He is obviously looking for value. But he is looking in the wrong place. The professional salesperson has to spend time with him and make sure all of the barriers are down before they begin to ask the RIGHT questions. Why does he really want a dollar lot? How is he going to use it? Is he going to "flip it", or does he want to build a house with virtually no land cost?

As a side note, the customer did not buy the dollar lot. But a few months later someone actually wrote a contract and closed on 3 dollar lots. No one advised them on the issues involved and now they have all the high fees to pay times THREE!