The Key To Improving Sales Conversion In Real Estate

One of the Real Estate Brokers approached me to solve one challenge, which was Sales Conversion.

They said to me that they were very good at lead generation. They did not have any problem with lead generation; the only challenge was that their leads were not converting to sales.

I asked them to let me listen to their sales calls, follow-up calls/communications, and deal-closing meetings. In fact, I sat in on the closure meeting to observe how their team was closing deals. I spent a good full day learning things.

I called the broker firm owner and their leaders for a 4-hour training session, which could increase their sales conversion with immediate effect. In the training room, they were expecting that I would give them some fancy strategy or script or tricks to improve their sales conversion. What I was going to say to them was surprising for them. I said, “You guys don’t listen,” and this was the roadblock in your sales conversion.

One of the Directors in the team said, "How come we don’t listen?" This is how I explained:

There are two types of listening: listening to respond and listening to understand.

When you listen to respond:

• Almost all the time, you are listening to formulate your response.
• The focus is on preparing what to say next rather than fully comprehending the speaker's message.
• You interrupt the speaker or interject your own thoughts before the speaker has finished.
• Your emphasis is on advancing your agenda or viewpoint rather than fully engaging with the speaker's perspective.
• This approach leads to misunderstandings or missed opportunities for a deeper connection with the prospect.

When you listen to understand:

• This approach involves listening with the intent to comprehend the speaker's message fully.
• The focus is on being present and attentive, actively seeking to grasp the speaker's perspective, feelings, and intentions.
• Individuals practising this type of listening demonstrate empathy and genuine interest in the speaker's experiences and viewpoints.
• They may ask clarifying questions or provide supportive gestures to encourage the speaker to share more.
• The goal is to develop deeper connections, build trust, and gain insights into the speaker's needs and concerns.
• While it may take more time and effort, it often leads to more meaningful and productive interactions and relationships

I gave this example to make it easy to understand for them:

A wife says to her husband, “You don’t love me; you are too busy with your work.”

The husband responds, “How can you say I don’t love you? I love you and the family. Everything I am doing is for you only. I skip breakfast or lunch; the whole day I keep working hard for you people only, and you say that I don’t love you. How else can I love?”

Here, the husband is not listening to understand but to respond. If he listens to understand, he will listen to unsaid words as well. She is simply saying that if her husband can spend more time with her, she will feel loved. This is her definition of love.

On the other hand, the husband’s definition of love is earning means for the family and giving them support and security at the cost of his sacrifices. Both are good, but where is the problem? The husband is practicing listening to respond instead of listening to understand.

We did some role-plays and got some real-time situations from their business life, and finally, we practiced listening to understand. I handheld for 30 days to ensure they developed this skill to the tee… and finally, I kept getting messages like, “Sanjay Bhai, this listening to understand wala idea has changed me totally. Conversion tho badha hi as a person I have my developed better relationship with my wife as well.”

If you feel that you need to improve your leads-to-sales conversion, try this “Listening to Understand” and train your Sales and Tele-caller team as well. You will experience an instant improvement in your sales figures.

Should you need to talk to me, you can visit www.sanjaykumar.co.in to schedule a strategy call and determine if I can assist you.