Ali Cammelletti
What are the subtle techniques that enable buyers to walk away feeling like they just had an awesome experience? The foundation of the sales experience is the tone we use with our different voice fluctuations as well as the warm words we use; this is a key reason why it is important for us to listen to recorded calls. We want to sound happy, positive and genuine, while still being mindful to not come off as too fake and definitely not as snarky in our verbal reactions.
This technique is then followed by using warm words that aren’t potentially trigger words for buyers. Everyone has different trigger words, yet when we strive for “The Golden Rule” — to treat others how they would like to be treated — we should explore what those trigger words might be.
Anyone who has been in the vacation rental market for any period of time can attest to the idea that words like “budget,” “unit,” “property,” or “no problem” can make you cringe. There are words that some buyers might be fine with , such as “honestly,” “unfortunately,” or “you guys.”
Now that we have touched on the foundation of the sales experience, let’s talk about the real secret sauce that makes buyers walk away feeling excited for their upcoming vacation rental experience.
I call the next two techniques ‘relationship building’ and ‘putting the caller in the moment.’ When I coach agents on their sales techniques and I ask them what made a 100-percent-scored call so good, they often share that their communication with the client felt like a partnership. I believe this is relates directly to an ability to connect with the buyer. We are in a day and age where we interact directly with technology—and at times more than with other human beings. Obviously, this depends on your line of work, yet I feel strongly that we are craving connections with others due to the high percentage of technology with which we are interacting.
Simon Sinek shared this concept in a recent interview on “Millennials in the Workplace.” He covers many other concepts about this generation in the work place, yet, what resonated with me was when he talked about the importance of reducing cell phones in the work place to encourage relationship building and trust building. These two concepts are key to communicating with buyers. He then follows up with a video titled, “More on the Millennial Question” and advocates for the importance of training on such techniques to support staff in their work environments.
So what does relationship-building sound like? It is similar to when you meet anyone for the first time — you ask them questions, and you connect on something you have in common. This can include such things as sharing something personal, or even an experience you had going to a beach that is near a home you are recommending to them, or how it is important for you as well to travel with your dog. It is about connecting and sharing together. I recently listened to a call where there was sharing about how warm it was in Boston on New Year’s Eve, and it sounded like two friends talking. It is about bringing two people together who connect and that makes each person feel good.
The next piece is emotionally connecting the buyer to the experience they will have when staying at the home. Once there is a feel for what is important for their upcoming stay, then you can do what I call “putting them in the moment.” In order to do so, use the word “you.” It can sound like, “You are going to love the location of this home to the beach. You will be able to easily go back and forth to the home for lunch, snacks or naps during the day.” This starts the process where the buyer is visualizing themselves having the experience and getting excited about their trip.
After all, vacation rental sales are emotional sales, not transactional sales most of the time.
