Investment propertyIn a Hot Market, How Do Builders Find Great Salespeople?
How does a builder/developer find qualified marketing consultants for their
next community when homes are selling like hotcakes? The truly successful and
professional individuals who grace model home sales offices may not be cut
from the same cloth as other types of real estate agents. Not your everyday
order takers, these new home sales experts must make it their passion to know
as much about their builder and its product as possible, and then translate
that passion into an exciting, fast-paced sales environment. They must be not
only comfortable with their weekend/holiday sacrifices, but also extremely
happy to be there until every last unit is sold. A tall order, you may
surmise? Speaking to the building industry in general, finding just the
right person for any key position can be a tall order, but there are ways to
make it easier to stack the odds in your favor.
In surveying builder developers in recent days, everyone I have spoken to
lately agrees; throwing a classified ad into the paper and hoping for the
best when it comes to finding a high quality builder sales consultant just
tends to jam up your fax machine with:
(a) recently licensed agents with no builder experience,
(b) people with some sales experience who like the idea of new home sales, or
(c) re-sale agents who just want a place to go.
Not that you may not find a gem among them; it"s just that your odds aren"t
favorable; a considerable amount of training and orientation will have to
take place to get applicants such as these "up to snuff", so to speak. Word
of mouth seems to be the best way to hunt for quality agents with a track
record. To be able to tap into the "network" of good agents isn"t difficult
if builders on the prowl can stay in touch with a few key people in the
industry who circulate out to the trenches of new home subdivisions. It
seems that once an agent is really top notch in new home sales, a reputation
follows him or her just about everywhere they go. (Unfortunately the same can
be said of the opposite). And, once these individuals are successful, they"re
usually "hooked" into a new homes sales career. Find out which ones are
nearing the last few homes in their community by doing a little research on
the side, and then approach them with an "I"ve heard great things about you"
attitude by phone or at the next builder function.
A goal of yours should be to "zero in" on exactly the type of agent you would
like to hire. Many builders hold off as long as they can to find just the
right "match" for their new community. High end product usually requires an
agent to be knowledgeable, sophisticated (but not snooty), and to possess an
ability to build rapport quickly with buyers. Lower end (first time buyer)
product will require someone extremely familiar with all the angles for
financing and the skills to become a creative "closer". He or she should be
able to take someone who never dreamed they could own a home, with the end
resulting in the realization of the American Dream.
Once you have determined a "type" and are keeping your ear to the ground on
what superstars may be free at last to consider selling for you, you may want
to try some of these other resources:
Real estate temp agencies: Ask the owner whom they recommend, or other
builders or agents who they like to ask back consistently. You can usually
"test" drive these agents for the first 90 days or so of full time employment.
Great secondary agents: Don"t discount the "little people" who want their
first break at a lead position. Some of these people have consistently
proven themselves, though haven"t been paid much for the honor. Ask a fellow
builder who he may have working for them that may want a lead position and is
highly thought of. You may return the same kindness to that builder some day.
As for the interview, the most important traits to look for are enthusiasm, a
real "sense" of the market place, organizational and follow-up skills (do
they like being organized?) and someone who says they"ll do what it takes to
get you sold out as quickly as possible. The agent you consider should
always be talking about the next "carrot", when it comes to potential income,
and possess an innate ability to fall in love with your product, with a
desire to become a household word in your new community.
If an individual truly "sparkles" during an interview, he or she can take
that to the sales office setting and make a huge difference in the successful
sales of the homes you have spent months to bring to the market place.