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By Erica Christoffer
The Weekly Book Scan catches up with writers Donna Fleetwood and Christy Crouch to talk about their new book Now What Do I Say? Never Be at a Loss for Words Again (BookSurge Publishing, 2008). In case you missed it, be sure to check out a mini review of the book posted last week on the blog.
How did you develop the dialogues for this book?
 Fleetwood: We intended this to be a reference manual for real estate agents who are wanting to study different ways to handle objections. Christy and I have studied neuro-linguistic programming objection handling for quite a number of years in an intense way. We would write 10 sentences a day for different objections, and we did this for years. With our other partner, Scott Friedman, we decided there was no other book on the market like this. It can be a reference manual for agents to use, carry around with them in their car or in their office, that they could practice or actually reference when they are talking to somebody.
 Crouch: It seems like when we get those questions and objections, it can sometimes freeze us and it’s kind of scary. But we found from studying it, that there aren’t all that many new objections. The clients are having the same objections over and over. If we just learn how to powerfully handle them, in a way that benefits the client and sets the agent apart, it would be a great tool for them to have and be able to refer back to.
Fleetwood: One of the things Christy and I truly believe is to align with the client and not to fight with them. Not to try to prove how much we know, but rather use language in a way that brings the two parties together.
I noticed in the book that asking questions of the client was a common way of handling objections in your scenarios. Could you explain a little bit about the importance of asking questions?
Crouch: I think the more questions we can ask our clients, the better position we’ll be able to be in to actually help them with exactly what they’re looking to accomplish. We've learned that the client ultimately cares about getting what they need and having us help them. The more questions you ask, the more you can find out exactly how you can help them.
Fleetwood: I think there are two things: When you’re asking questions, the client feels heard. And, it is also a way for agents to gather their own thoughts. If you’re like a deer caught in headlights, all you have to do is ask a question.
You say objections only come from those who are truly considering doing business. Could you explain why that is?
Crouch: When we get those questions and objections, it’s scary. Especially if you’re not prepared with an answer and to be able to powerfully present it. We found that if you go into
Continue reading "Author Chat: Donna Fleetwood and Christy Crouch" »
By Erica Christoffer
 How are you on the telephone? Real estate professionals use the telephone practically every day to reach out to clients and prospects. Sales coach and author Dirk Zeller wrote a book, Telephone Sales for Dummies, on how you can improve your telephone skills (read a mini book review and get 5 tips to improve your phone presence). The Weekly Book Scan spoke with Zeller recently to get more insights.
What motivated you to write Telephone Sales for Dummies?
ZELLER: I saw a real need for skill building in the telephone sales arena. To me, if anybody is a sales person, they have to use the phone. The phone is still one of the most important mediums of communication in this world. Especially for sales people, because in selling you have to inject emotion, you have to inject energy, you have to inject enthusiasm, you have to inject assertiveness, confidence and conviction. That’s pretty hard to do in an e-mail. E-mail is a communication method that functionally doesn’t translate into selling very well. You’re basically using words on a page that communicate at 7 percent efficiency.
A number of studies have been done on what communication is and how communication is broken down. Seven percent of communication is the words, 38 percent of communication is the tonality, 55 percent is body language. You don’t have tonality or body language engaged in words on a printed page.
But do you think electronic communication – e-mail, text messaging, etc. – has overtaken the telephone in many workplaces?
ZELLER: I think it’s a more universally used method of communication – e-mail and text, but it is not as effective in selling.
What would you say are three bad habits real estate agents do while prospecting on the telephone?
ZELLER: I think the biggest mistake real estate agents make in terms of calling a prospect or a potential prospect is winging it. They haven’t planned out what they’re going to say. They don’t have good quality scripts and dialogues to deliver from. They haven’t practiced those scripts and dialogues. They don’t have a great opening statement that is compelling and draws the prospect in. I got a sales call last night whose opening statement—which in my view is the worst in the history of the planet—was “How are you today?”
You say in your book a sales person has 7 seconds to grab the attention of their prospect on the phone. What advice would you give a sales person to when formulating an introduction?
ZELLER: What’s important to the client? That’s the first and foremost element they
Continue reading "Author Chat with Dirk Zeller on Telephone Sales" »
By Erica Christoffer
 The Weekly Book Scan talked to author Jennifer Allan about her new book, Sell With Soul, which was featured last week on the blog (read a mini review).
What does "selling with soul" mean?
ALLAN: What "sell with soul" means to me is two things. First, be yourself and trust your gut and your intuition. Create a real estate career around who you are as opposed to what someone else tells you who you need to be. The other thing "sell with soul" means to me is somewhat along the lines of the golden rule —that you’re competent at what you do and if someone hires you, you do a great job for them.
What led to you write this book?
ALLAN: Back in 2003, a girlfriend of mine just started working at a real estate company and she called me in tears. She said: “I don’t know what I’m doing. These people are teaching me to prospect, they’re teaching me to cold call, but I don’t know what to do with this business when it comes in.” And then she said, “You know, Jennifer, you should write a book about how to actually be a good real estate agent.”
I thought it sounded fun so I just sat down and started writing. I never intended it to be part of my career. I was selling real estate and making a whole bunch of money doing it. But my goal was to write a book teaching real estate agents how to be competent real estate agents, as opposed to competent prospectors.
What are the biggest mistakes you think REALTORS® make in their careers?
ALLAN: The biggest mistake I think REALTORS® make—and this is a big focus of my book— is they forget who they are. They try to implement methods and strategies that don’t ring true to them, that feel kind of icky, but their trainers and their coaches and the books they read convince them that this is what they have to do to succeed. They get up every morning dreading their job.
A lot of agents go at this part time in the beginning and I understand why they do that. But
Continue reading "Author Chat With Jennifer Allan" »
 The Weekly Book Scan caught up with real estate pro and author Bente Gallagher (a.k.a. Jennie Bentley) to talk about her new novel, Fatal Fixer-Upper (Berkley Prime Crime, 2008), a do-it-yourself mystery centered around a renovation project. The book follows New Yorker Avery Baker, who inherits her aunt's 1870s Victorian cottage in Waterfield, Maine. While she sets out to learn all about home renovation, she unravels family secrets with historical ties and clues to a missing professor in the area.
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Bentley used her experience as a renovator and real estate professional in Nashville, Tenn., to write the fiction book, which is her first published novel. In November, the book was No. 11 on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list for paperback novels.
Bentley is willing to respond to any of your questions, so after you read the Q&A, be free to post a comment or question for her below.
Where did you get the idea for the novel?
BENTLEY: I had first written an unpublished book Cut Throat Business about a real estate agent when I was a new agent myself. Whenever I walked into empty houses, my vivid imagination would start going wild. I would open the door to an empty house – and I realized that anything could be in there—you never know what you were walking into. So for that book, I made it about a real estate agent who stumbles over a dead body in an empty house.
 My agent started sending it around to publishers and it made it to Penguin. They liked it but they didn't think a real estate topic would work for them. Their books are usually focused on crafts, hobbies, and activities.
Because of my bio as a real estate agent and renovator, they asked me to write a mystery series about a home renovator.
The main character in Fatal Fixer-Upper is renovating a 19th Century Victorian cottage and is often at odds with her handyman on the design. She wants to add contemporary touches and he wants to preserve the heritage of the home. Is that based on what you often see in real-life renovation projects?
BENTLEY: It actually it is. My husband and I have renovated eight or nine houses over the last few years. We love the old finishes and how homes were built back then. We've always tried to be very sensitive to that, and keep the original as much as we can in homes. So often the house may look old on the outside but then when you walk into it, it's been gutted to the suds and everything is new. That's strange. If someone wants contemporary, they can go buy one.
You always have to have conflict in a book so having these two at odds about how they want to renovate I thought would be amusing.
You even included renovation tips at the end of the book as an extra.
BENTLEY: The publisher often has tips at the end of their books on how to do various things mentioned in the book. Readers like to try out what the characters are doing.
So I made a list of five different crafts from the book and the publisher selected a few. In the book, it has tips on how to create a mosaic tabletop or countertop, and using lace to create
Continue reading "Author Chat: Fatal Fixer-Upper" »
 By Melissa Dittmann Tracey
If you haven't already, be sure to check out our book review on Leadership and the Sexes. The Weekly Book Scan talked with the book's author and gender expert Michael Gurian to gain more insights into how the sexes communicate differently.
Do your findings on gender differences among leaders in the workplace apply to other relationships too—such as real estate professionals' relationships with their customers?
Gurian: This book is for any male and female interaction at any level. When we looked at the companies that provided quantitative data to us for the book, they were using it at all different levels. It's not just training CEOs, but they are training everybody to understand the gender differences. There is an immersion in the culture that transfers to a real estate office or even just a single practitioner to get training in it. These are hard-wired gender differences, and understanding men and women better and getting the tools to improve your communication will make you more effective.
Is there a risk that these findings on gender differences can be used as stereotypes in the workplace?
Gurian: There really needs to be some immersion in it. If the company or individual, does not immerse themselves in understanding it then they will be prone to stereotype. There's so much popular information out there and you can scan an article and in two minutes and believe you understand men and women. That leads to stereotypes.
Think about marriage: You don't Google three tips on marriage and assume you've got it. It's ongoing in developing the relationship and you're constantly gathering data and relational information on each other to do better.
This [gender research] is a million years of human history and brain development. The craft of this book is that it allows for real estate professionals to immerse themselves on how to negotiate and communicate differently, it outlines the sources in the brain, and provides communication tools. It won't leave you stereotyping, but if you just go to one article, you might.
Learning to become strong negotiators is an important skill for real estate professionals. What are some key ways that men and women negotiate differently?
Gurian: There are lots of levels to this [NOTE: If you own the book, see Chapter 5 and the communication tools in Chapter 6]. When men and women are in a negotiation, there's a different biochemistry at work.
When it's a more intense negotiation, testosterone—an aggression chemical—goes up in men. So we might do knife gestures, pointing the finger at the person or a knife gesture at the contract, or we might interrupt the other person more.
At the very same time that men are getting more aggressive, women want more signals of
Continue reading "Author Q&A: Michael Gurian on Leadership and the Sexes" »
 The new fiction novel, Red Hot Property (Infinity Publishing, 2008), follows the adventures of four rookie real estate agents as they embark on their careers, juggling work demands and weaving their way through the mystery and danger that sometimes looms.
In recognition of REALTOR® Safety Week , which kicked off yesterday, we talk with the book's author Devin O'Branagan, a real estate practitioner with ERA Tradewind in Longmont, Colo., about why she wrote the novel, which brings real estate safety to the forefront.
The book is a fictional account of real estate agents just starting out, but as you point out, the book is also a cautionary tale to those in the industry. What was that cautionary lesson that you wanted to get across to your peers?
One of my main reasons for writing this novel is the issue of safety. I hope this will shake up my fellow REALTORS® a bit and cause them to place a greater emphasis on safety. I see this all the time in our industry — and I'm guilty of this too: We take big risks in our job. I just think we're too trusting. Every day we see real estate agents take some of the same risks of the characters in the book — we're running out the door after a call to meet clients we don't know in an area with no cell phone service.
I wanted to dramatize some of the dangers of our profession in the book because I thought it would have a much greater impact than a how-to list of safety tips. I long ago learned that people are often affected more emotionally by the dramatization of an event. If the reader came to care about these characters and then were blind-sided by what could happen, maybe they would suddenly realize that it could happen to them too.
In the book, the characters are exposed to dangers that real estate practitioners sometimes face, such as at open houses. Are any of these situations based on true stories?
Some of it is based on true stories. For example, when one of the main characters is attacked by a dog at a showing, there really was an incident of a real estate agent in Denver where a dog grabbed her by the throat.
These kinds of dangers can happen in this profession. There are sexual assaults, robberies,
Continue reading "Author Chat With Devin O'Branagan" »
Bestselling author and marketing guru Seth Godin stops by the Weekly Book Scan to answer questions about improving your marketing.
When business slows, there may not be as much money to sink into your marketing. How can real estate professionals figure out what can give them the best return for their marketing dollar? Can you still make your business “remarkable” even on a tight budget?
GODIN: Marketing is not about money, it's about insight and promises and stories and relationships and connections. Use the downtime you have now to put sweat equity into your marketing, by doing something worth talking about.
In real estate, you’re selling a service not a product, per se. So how can you differentiate yourself in real estate?
GODIN:The first step is in realizing it IS a service. Yet most REALTORS® do nothing at all to differentiate. It's about the picture of the house and the boring business card and the empty claims and promises. BE different, really different, and people will treat you that way.
Technology continues to evolve in offering new ways to reach potential customers. What do you see as some of the best ways to use technology for marketing and prospecting?
GODIN: I don't think technology (Zillow, etc.) is the enemy of the outstanding REALTOR®. Instead, I think smart REALTORS® will realize that they can build a long term relationship asset using technology, turning themselves into the one and only.
Check out more of Godin's marketing tips in this Q&A from REALTOR® magazine.
 Gary Keller, best-selling author and founder of Keller Williams Realty International, responds to your questions about the real estate market and his new book, Your First Home (McGraw-Hill, 2008), which he cowrote with Dave Jenks and Jay Papasan.
Q: Why did you decide to write a book targeted specifically to first-time home buyers?
A: I launched my career helping first-time home buyers and even called on newlyweds I found in the local paper’s wedding announcements to generate business. So, I have a soft spot in my heart for this special class of buyers.
We also wanted to focus on a group of buyers who represent the economic foundation of our industry. In any year, first-time home buyers constitute about a third of the real estate market. As they make their purchases, sellers are able to trade up, triggering more sales — building momentum from the ground floor up. First-time home buyers are an important catalyst for a healthy real estate market.
Finally, our goal with this book was to write a user-friendly guide buyers could easily reference before or during the process to make it easier for them — and to get them out of their rentals and into their new homes. We fundamentally believe in homeownership.
Q: The book is to be the first in a series by Keller Williams. What other topics will be covered in this book series?
A: We will expand the series to meet the needs of our associates and the buyers and sellers who work with them. The next two books address greening your home and staging your home. We feel both are timely in that the green market is growing at an incredible pace and staging is of vital importance in a buyers’ market.
We want to be serving our people at the highest level. Your First Home was actually ready for publication in 2007, but we took the time to revisit our chapter on financing and made sure it was appropriate for the financing challenges present in the current market.
Q: Many first-time home buyers are hesitant to jump in the market right now. What are you telling first-time buyers who are scared to get into real estate?
A: We are very straightforward on this topic: now is a great time to buy. First-time home buyers have an amazing opportunity to move into homeownership. The real estate market is the most accessible it’s been in five years in terms of pricing.
Your First Home really delves into the financial realities of homeownership, citing the U.S. Federal Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances, home owners had an average financial net worth of $184,400, while renters’ net worth was just $4,000. And, for those deciding whether to
Continue reading "Author Chat With Gary Keller" »
Saving the Deal author Tracey Rumsey is ready to answer your questions about preventing deal killers from entering your real estate transactions. The Weekly Book Scan has an author chat scheduled with Rumsey at the end of the month, and we're giving you the chance to tap her expertise and submit your question. Simply click on the "submit" button below to e-mail your question.
Rumsey is a mortgage and real estate continuing education instructor, who has more than 10 years of experience as a mortgage loan officer. In her new book, she highlights how you can avoid the most common deal breakers in real estate.
We'll pass along a selected few of your questions to Rumsey. Please keep your questions general so that others can benefit from the responses too.
Rumsey's responses will be posted to the blog on March 31.
The Weekly Book Scan has two upcoming author chats in February and we're giving you the chance to tap these authors' expertise and ask them your questions. Simply click on the "submit" button next to the author and e-mail your question.
We'll pass along a selected few of the questions to the authors. Please keep your questions general so others can benefit from the responses too.
Stay tuned for the blog to read — or hear — the authors' responses!
- How to Sell More Homes and Increase Your Income: Author Curt Fletcher is ready to answer your questions about boosting your sales.
Fletcher's responses will be posted on Feb. 4.
- How Come That Idiot's Rich and I'm Not?": Author Robert Shemin can answer all your get-rich questions.
You'll be able to download a podcast of Shemin's responses on Feb. 22.
 John Maloof, author of The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to FSBOs (AMACOM, 2008), responds to your questions about how to grow your business by attracting FSBOs to your services.
Q: What's the most common misperception that FSBOs have about the process of selling their own homes?
A: The most common misperception is that selling by-owner is easy. Once the seller realizes how much time, effort, and money are involved, they usually find themselves overwhelmed and ready for help.
Q:In a slow market, sellers are looking to save money. How do you convince them that it's still worth paying for real estate services, even if they're not making as much money from selling their home?
A:Well, considering that, according to NAR, 51 percent of sellers go FSBO to save on the brokerage fee, this will be the most common hurdle you will face. The first thing you should do is educate the seller on the most recent NAR data. For example, in 2006, studies show that selling with a REALTOR® gives the seller 32 percent more at closing than going FSBO. This single fact seems to do a great job of convincing sellers that they stand to make more money with an agent. Click here to view more data on FSBOs.
Q: It seems like if you contact FSBOs too much, you'll be viewed as being pushy. What's the best approach you've used to convince FSBOs to hire you, without pestering them?
A:I usually contact each FSBO every few days. If it’s the first call, I call them back after roughly 4 days so the mail I send to them has time to arrive. After that, it’s about once every 4 to 7 days depending on their personality. If you feel that a FSBO seller is taking you as
Continue reading "Author Chat with John Maloof" »
Mortgage broker Bill Nazur and real estate investor Danielle Babb, authors of Finding Foreclosures (Entrepreneur Press, 2007), respond to your foreclosure questions.
Q: With foreclosures, which states are redemption states and which are nonredemption states?
A: Mortgage-Investments.com lists out, by state, whether it is judicial or nonjudicial, the number of process days, publication days, and redemption period. Otherwise, you can request the information from most title companies, or closing attorneys should be able to show you information for their respective state. Understand the redemption period better than any single piece of information in the foreclosure process. Worst case scenario: Your buyer purchases a property that the previous owner has a right to redeem six months, one year, or even two years later in certain circumstances. As an exercise, look at the Dakotas, New Mexico, and Tennesee for fun.
Q. How can real estate practitioners with little background in foreclosures find opportunities in this expanding market? Is there room for newcomers?
A: You will be very pleased to know that (unfortunately, or fortunately) there is plenty of foreclosure business to go around, so the opportunities are endless. There is plenty of room for newcomers to get into this market, though here comes the caveat: Most lenders, banks, and asset managers want to work with an agent that has at least 5 years of experience in the real estate field, preferably longer as foreclosures are extremely time intensive. This does not mean that you cannot break in with less experience, but you must know ahead of time that on-the-job training is very much frowned upon in this specific niche.
I’d recommend that you start building a real estate resume, outlining your successes in the market. Have you dealt with difficult buyers where you came up with a solution that required some creativity? Do you know REO terminology? Are you organized enough to manage multiple projects, meaning if tomorrow you received 10, 20, or 30 REO listings, that you would be able to
Continue reading "Author Chat with Bill Nazur and Danielle Babb" »
 Public relations and marketing expert Steven Van Yoder responds to your previously submitted questions about his book Get Slightly Famous (Bay Tree Publishing, 2007).
Q: When you live in a big city where networks are often already established, how do you suggest getting acquainted with real estate reporters so you become a trusted source?
A: Start by familiarizing yourself with the local media outlets. Then, tailor your inside knowledge to the needs of the media. The first step in any media campaign is identifying relevant media outlets, and the key people within those organizations. Build a list of newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and radio and television programs where you want coverage. Visit your public library and familiarize yourself with the media resources available in the business reference section. In large urban libraries look for media directories (such as Bacons Media Source, Burrells, and others) that include information on thousands of media outlets.
Once you’ve identified the media outlets that seem appropriate for your business, get the names of key people, including relevant reporters, editors, producers, and writers. Look up articles written in the past year or so by their top reporters to learn the specific subject areas they cover and to better understand their interests and special angles. Then, you’ll be in a position to approach your targeted media and pitch them your expertise in a relevant way.
Q: How would you suggest putting your fame-building concepts into action if you’re a start up with little money? Where is the best place to invest money to generate fame when you’re just starting off?
A: What everything in the book has in common is that it doesn't cost a lot of money to implement. This is not a book based on hype or fancy brochures or slick ads. It's a modern take on the good-old fashioned virtue of understanding your customer and doing well by doing good work. Small businesses, especially those in start-up mode, should look for ways to specialize,
Continue reading "AUTHOR Q&A: Steve Van Yoder Answers Your Questions" »
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