This year, I invested in my health and fitness. My walks extended into miles, my workout became both more intense and more frequent. And the more I pushed myself to a healthier self, the more agile I became. And I realized I could apply my actions toward tips for improving your sales agility.

Why do you need sales agility?

Sales agility is the power to adapt and respond with a combination of intelligence and speed. You’ve prepared yourself through sales training, on your own or with a coach. From a fitness perspective, when you’re in good shape, you benefit from greater flexibility. You move more easily. Bending and lifting isn’t a problem. Twisting, moving, and sidestepping obstacles comes naturally.

In new home sales, what does it mean to be in good shape?

You must be fully prepared to rise up and address changes in the market—like pricing, interest rates, products, customer buying behavior, availability, and timing. From 2021 to 2023, the housing market swung like a pendulum, and then stuck. But not in a good place. New home sales professional had spent two hectic years writing contracts and apologizing for delays because of the unprecedented demand. In 2023, it’s like that fire hose was shut off when mortgage rates went back to pre-pandemic levels and then kept going up.

Home builders weren’t prepared to handle the extreme demand for new homes during the pandemic. Many hired inexperienced new home salespeople. When the demand slowed, these untrained people didn’t know how to actually sell a home (as compared to just writing a contract for zealous buyers). No skill = no sales agility = no conversion.

When you’re “out of shape” skill-wise, you’re not selling. So, how can you improve your sales agility?

Tip #1: Do a selling skills inventory.

In order to become more agile in selling, you must recognize your stumbling blocks. 

Where do you need to build up your selling strength? Is your negotiation skill out of shape? Can overcome objections swiftly? Are you effectively communicating with your homebuyers? How’s your organization and follow-up? Do you get in a good daily workout with your CRM?

Conduct an honest review of your abilities so that you can map out the route to exceptional sales agility.

Tip #2: Shake it up. Break it up.

Your sales process is your sales process. But the way you execute the steps might need a fitness check for sales agility purposes. Do you have some bad habits to break? Just like we can get lazy with some actions, it’s easy to pay less attention to daily tasks, maybe skip some entirely.

Just remind yourself that even though you’ve sent a particular email countless times, your buyer is seeing it for the first time. Give each buyer your full attention. Avoid making assumptions. Reset your behaviors. Then focus on developing each one to your fullest. Become a superior negotiator so that you can control any conversation. Prepare to respond to objections so you’re not stumbling. Whatever is keeping you from being agile in selling, work on it. 

Tip #3: Listen before you respond.

You’ve been told over and over that active listening is essential to being successful in new home sales (or any sales, for that matter). This is one of the biggest problems I see when I’m conducting sales training. The new home salesperson jumps the gun. They’re so excited that they fail to listen for clues and cues. Never prepare your response while the buyer is talking. Instead, by having sharpened sales skills, you can listen to every word and be prepared to respond with agility!

Tip #4: Be accountable.

Learn from failure and adjust immediately. Don’t look for someone or something to blame. It’s a waste of time and will not change the outcome. But you CAN make a difference the next time. 

Ask yourself what you could have done better. From qualifying the buyer to asking for the sale, think about ways you can learn from the experience in order to easily maneuver around a similar situation when it arises. 

Tip #5: Don’t just sit there.

Are you a couch potato type of salesperson or a true professional? Procrastination is the enemy of sales success. Don’t postpone activities, like adding notes to your CRM or following up with prospective buyers. The agile salesperson doesn’t need to be prompted. They know what it takes to convert a customer. And sitting still isn’t the answer.

Tip #6: Use technology.

In addition to working on my physical fitness this year, I’ve put in time to become more adept with technology. We all became comfortable with Zoom meetings during the pandemic but are you continuing to exercise the value of digital selling tools, like video technology to cultivate buyers? Are you sending video emails and links to virtual tours, interactive floor plans, and drone videos?

And if you’re uncomfortable with writing, check out ChatGPT. This AI tool can provide you with ways to use ChatGPT for generating sales content.

Tip #7: Seek sales training.

You don’t have to do this alone. For physical fitness, people invest in a personal trainer. For sales agility, rely on an experienced sales trainer. As with any coach, mentor, or trainer, you need to find the right fit. Interview a few so that you connect with the professional who can make a difference for you. 

Another year is coming to a close. What were the highlights for you? Celebrate those and then look at where you can plan to do better in the future. But real, lasting change doesn’t happen with a resolution. Follow a path to make it happen and make it stick. But what does it take to make positive change?

The simple answer is motivation.

But I’m talking about the kind of motivation that gets you excited at the thought of it. The powerful desire to push yourself, to never allow excuses to give you an “out”. When the motivation is powerful enough, you can change.

If you want to change, you must believe in the reason for it and have heartfelt hope that it can happen.

Life-saving change

Change isn’t easy. And it can appear too difficult for some people.

A study of cigarette smokers who were diagnosed with lung cancer showed that even after treatment, 13.4% of lung cancer survivors continued to smoke. Similar results have been shown with studies of cardiac patients who continued unhealthy and risky behaviors in spite of their treatment.

When your life is at risk and you can’t change to save your life, what more do you need? For some people, the weight of change is just too much to bear.

What drives your motivation to change?

We can all benefit from positive change. Maybe you could be more timely, more responsive, less addicted to your phone, or make better use of your time. These aren’t life-saving changes but they’re certainly helpful in your daily life.

As you decide on the changes, consider your motivation. Is it strong enough to drive you to alter your current behaviors? 

Try digging deeper. For example, if you want to lose weight, it’s not just because you want to look and feel better. You probably are hoping to live longer, long enough to see your kids grow up and have kids of their own, or to turn more dreams into reality. 

Is your goal to improve your work habits? What would those changes get you? A promotion? Higher income? Think about other benefits, like increased confidence, the ability to inspire and lead others, and being the driver of greater change.

So, look at the deeper motivation.

Understand the types of motivation

There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation is the desire to be rewarded or avoid negative consequences (the reward being the absence of punishment). A financial bonus is an example of extrinsic motivation. Students are extrinsically motivated to earn good grades, which could lead to other rewards (like more career opportunities). Competitors are motivated to win a prize, even if it’s just a title. Stores offer extrinsic motivation to shoppers in the form of discounts, rewards, and special offers.

Intrinsic motivation is internal, the desire to achieve satisfaction from an action or behavior, without a visible reward dangling out there. It’s often demonstrated in our passions. We volunteer because we feel good about helping others. We learn because we enjoy feeding our curiosity and hunger for more knowledge. We train because we appreciate the value of mastery.

Avoiding negative repercussions also reflects intrinsic motivation. We don’t want to disappoint, to draw the anger of the boss or partner, or live an unhealthy life that leaves us feeling tired and unhappy.

Look at what you want to change. Write the motivators for each one. 

Now, think about the motivation in relation to the change. Is it strong enough for you to succeed?

You’re the only one in control of change.

What does it take to change? Whether or not you succeed is entirely up to you. But remember this: You must manage change or the change will manage you.

There’s a new year around the corner. Don’t waste your time with resolutions that will fade away quickly. Work on a change management plan that describes the changes you want to make. Then answer the questions of why, how, and when.

I welcome the chance to help you with your change. After decades of coaching and motivating sales professionals, my intrinsic motivation comes with the joy of helping others achieve their goals!

Self-management comes before effective management. You must master yourself before you can successfully direct others. It’s time to be self-ish. By that, discover the value of self-management, self-awareness, and self-discipline in sales leaders.

Self-management is the ability to consciously manage your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. It requires a concerted effort, particularly during stressful times. And anyone in management knows stress comes with the job.

In the workplace, effectively managing yourself shows up in how you interact with people—co-workers, employees, customers, vendors, and management. You can be collaborative or combative, empathetic or disinterested, proactive or reactive, to name just a few. Self-regulation also impacts how you manage your time and tasks. Do you spend too much time on certain aspects of your job, to the detriment of those you’re ignoring? 

Here are some examples of good self-management:

• Setting goals with an action plan and timeline to achieve each one.
• Holding yourself accountable.
• Staying focused on what you’re doing, such as listening to others without letting your mind wander or preparing your response while they’re still speaking.
• Creating a system to prevent distractions, which includes setting boundaries with others.
• Set priorities and stick to them.
• Understanding what it takes to motivate you, and, just as importantly, what doesn’t work.
• Knowing when and how to ask for help.
• Responding appropriately to others (e.g., controlling your emotions).
• Saying “no” when you need to manage your time or meet expectations (or both)..
• Accepting or initiating change to solve a problem.
• Asking for and giving constructive feedback.

These are important skills and traits for anyone, but for someone in sales management, you’re a role model. Think about what you’re modeling to your team. And when you see a behavior or action that isn’t useful, ask yourself if this is something they learned from you!

Time to get self-ish.

If you’re ready to get self-ish, let’s look at self-awareness. It’s one of the most important traits of emotional intelligence, which is a key indicator for the quality of leadership.

Self-awareness is defined as “your ability to perceive and understand the things that make you who you are as an individual, including your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts.” When you key into the reality of your behavior, decisions, and actions, you can see where change needs to happen. You can also leverage your strengths, even putting them to better use. Maybe you recognize that your listening skills could use work or that your ability to read people is something you can use to train your new home sales team.

People who are highly self-aware can and DO objectively view themselves. There’s no ego involved. They realize that improvement starts within. It can be hard to be brutally honest with yourself, but remember that no one else is watching or listening to your evaluation.

Be your own disciplinarian.

You start with self-awareness. Next, you need discipline to keep yourself on target. How many times have you promised to change a behavior, like losing weight or quitting smoking? Did you stick with it? The trigger for success is to recognize that once you give in to an impulse, you open the door to doing it again. “I’ll get back on track tomorrow” or “Just this one won’t hurt me.”

Yes, it hurts. That door is open because you didn’t have the discipline to keep it closed and locked. Now, you’ve created an exception, which allows for repeat behavior. Trust me. Keep that door shut. When you’re tempted to open it, ask yourself, “What will this misstep cost me?”

Over a century ago, Elbert Hubbard defined discipline as, “the ability to make yourself do the things you should do, when you should do them, whether you feel like it or not.” 

The inherent pain in discipline is that you fight against your own urges. Your brain wages an intellectual battle between what you “want” and what you “should do”. Discipline drives you to keep working on yourself  because, in your heart, you know you can do better. It’s what keeps you from compromising and accepting “good enough” as good enough. It never is.

Start with your “self”.

If you want to be better, start with yourself. Get self-ish so you can discover the value of self-management, self-awareness, and self-discipline in sales leaders. Strengthen your emotional intelligence so you can guide your new home sales team members to learn and grow with you. If you need help with sales leadership training, let me know!

For decades, I’ve been working with new home sales professionals to strengthen their sales skills, which includes a positive mindset, negotiation, and asking the right questions. In recent years, these same salespeople have been served up a mouthwatering buffet of technology to give them more advantages. But are you training them with master digital selling tools? Or just leaving it as self-serve?

From my experience, new home sales professionals aren’t fully utilizing the CRM they’ve had for years. How can we expect them to embrace even more technology? And by embrace, I mean become so enthusiastic that they invest their time into learning every aspect and putting each one into practice in their sales process.

According to Salesforce, 66% of salespeople say they have too many sales tools. Do they really have too many or does it just feel overwhelming because they don’t know how to use them? I suspect the truth lies in the latter.

“The way forward isn’t simply ditching tech. It’s about optimizing critical tools and getting rid of nonessential or redundant ones,” says Adam Gilberd of Salesforce. “Sellers indicate there’s plenty of opportunity here: only 37% strongly agree that their company takes full advantage of its CRM.” 

You don’t set it and forget it.

My son is a professional photographer. There was a time when he was getting started that people looked at his images and said, “Your camera takes great pictures.”

It’s not the camera. He didn’t just set the camera on a surface and leave it to do the work. It’s the person who has mastered the tool to capture the visions he sees. The same is true for digital selling tools

I spoke with my friend, Sara Williams, Director of Sales at Anewgo, about this challenge. Anewgo is a leading innovator in tech tools for the new home construction industry and Sara is a smart sales and marketing pro—including in-depth experience selling new homes and later working for Lasso.  

“If you don’t leverage the tools, they won’t work and nothing will help you. A camera won’t help you if you don’t learn about angles, lenses, etc.,” Sara told me. “The people make the difference.”

You have it. Now use it.

As someone who remembers placing print ads and doing expensive brochures to promote new homes and communities, I’m excited about the vast opportunity that technology has gifted us. I admit I’m not as skilled with these tools as people like Sara Williams, but I respect the value. As a professional new home sales trainer, I encourage sales leaders and teams to include training to master these digital selling tools.

Technology enables you to do something—like requesting an Uber, shopping online, and connecting with people. It doesn’t do these things automatically. Even with AI, you have to prompt the program with your thoughts. But I do find it surprising that the same people who complain about too many digital selling tools are so quick to watch TikTok, order dinner delivery, or brag about the cool app they have for fun things like betting on sports, playing games, or dating. Maybe these people should reconsider their priorities.

Builders and sales leaders need to invest in sales training to teach their teams the why and how of tech tools. From CRMs to AI, virtual tours and videos to social media, there are so many ways to be more effective in new home sales, particularly with the power of visualization. If you know how to use them.

Present a better story.

Selling is about being a storyteller. Success comes when you’re a great storyteller. 

“When I have great sales aids, my story is so much more impactful,” Sara explains. “Here’s how you do it. ‘Imagine, we’re going to have ponds and lakes and a dog park, but it’s a pile of dirt right now but I can show you the video of what it’s going to be. And your home is going to look like this, with a red door and shutters. Just look at this visualization. Trust me, it’s going to look great, but let me show you.’

“When I use these tools, I’m not showing you someone else’s house, but your house in the colors you just picked out. The visualization tools help  build trust between the builder and the buyer and the salesperson. I don’t have to “tell you” I can “show you” what your new home will look like. ” 

A skilled new home sales professional can get their customer to yes. But with technology, they can get to yes faster. 

“Look at how Amazon uses AI to provide recommendations. We have the same ability. AI can prompt a salesperson that a customer has looked at white house with black shutters and a red door, and then the same AI can pull up content about that,” Sara explained. Anewgo’s Insights feature was created to personalize the customer’s journey in this way. 

With the right training, a seasoned sales pro makes things look so easy. Like a ballet dance or anyone good at their craft, their performance appears effortless. But the dance is performed and practiced over and over. 

Sales training isn’t a one-off proposition. When you realize that 84% of sales training is lost after 90 days, you understand the importance of ongoing training and putting the knowledge into practice everyday. Sales training delivers 353% return on investment, $4.53 for every dollar invested. 

The question shouldn’t be “Are you training to master digital selling tools?” but “Why aren’t you?”

I’ve been looking at recent

It isn’t.

You can learn to drive a car and pass the driver’s license test. You can earn a high school or college degree and walk away with a diploma. You can train for a marathon and complete it, walking away with a certificate and a tired body. But these are milestones that show what you’ve done, not what you can become or what you can do with what you’ve learned. Ongoing training is necessary to maintain your strength in your chosen profession. 

Technology continues to evolve. Are you keeping up? Do you know how to leverage these digital tools to perform better? 

Our culture changed with the pandemic. How has it impacted your work and your company? Have you made adjustments in your process to stay current?

I’m sharing sales training statistics that should scare every sales leader, as well as motivate sales professionals to seek training.

84% of sales training is lost after 90 days.

How much of what you’ve been taught has stayed with you? For how long? Would you be surprised to know it’s estimated that 84% of sales training is lost after 90 days? Training attendees emerge from their sessions all powered up, motivated to apply their newfound knowledge to their work. 

And then they are confronted by the real world—daily tasks, challenges, responding to customer requests and complaints, juggling a barrage of information—they fall back to old habits. They’re being reactive, instead of proactive, because new habits haven’t been acquired, just introduced 

For the same reason that the couple that “wins” on “The Bachelor” never stays together, your sales team isn’t maintaining a lasting relationship with their training knowledge. Once you get away from the highly supportive, motivating, and enclosed environment of the training session, the shine dulls. 

Never assume that the knowledge that comes with sales training will stick. It’s a start. A first date. Not a lasting marriage.

The average company spends $10,000 to $15,000 to hire a salesperson and only $2,000 a year to train them. 

How does this make any sense? If you bought a high performance car, would you neglect its maintenance? You expect your new home sales professionals to be superstars but you don’t invest in them.

We like to explain to homebuyers about the cost of ownership for their purchase. The same holds true for the people who are selling the homes. There’s a cost of ownership for the employer, and that includes training. Protect the investment you make in hiring a salesperson by investing in their skills, knowledge, and ability to succeed.

70% are self-taught.

This is one of the sales training statistics that should scare every sales leader! Nearly three-fourths of sales professionals have had no formal sales training. They’re winging it, ad libbing, and relying on trial and error. Do you really want them practicing with your business? And what have they taught themselves? Where did they acquire the knowledge?

Some builders and sales managers like to hire people with no sales experience, because they don’t arrive with bad habits. That’s not a bad strategy, but these people need training to shape them into successful professionals.

The ones who are self-taught must be retaught, in many cases. Break the bad habits and replace them with good skills.

Either way, don’t rely on the training—if any—that your new home sales professional brings to your organization.

66% of sales people are overwhelmed with tools.

According to Salesforce, a majority of salespeople don’t know how to use the digital tools you’re handing them. Think about how your sales team is using your CRM. Are they making good use of this expensive tool? Are they using social media in an effective way? Do they use videos—creating, sending, and sharing them?

Your new home sales professionals need to be trained on what sales tools can do, why they need them, and how to use them for the best results.

52% of underperforming companies do not measure sales training effectiveness.

Aberdeen Research confirms that management doesn’t put enough effort into measuring the impact of sales training. Is it doing any good? It’s not enough to invest in a sales training program. You must ensure it’s doing the job you’ve entrusted to the trainer. Is it improving engagement, communication, and conversion? Are salespeople adopting better habits? Are they retaining their training? 

As a sales leader, you owe it to your team and your company to evaluate the sales training program on a regular basis. 

61% of sales professionals say selling is harder today.

A study reported that 61% of salespeople say selling is harder than it was five years ago. In new home sales, we know this to be true. The housing market went from off the charts to sluggish in a little more than a year. 

What does this statistic tell you? Your people need training. They need sales skills to better communicate with their buyers. They need to explore strategies when they feel stuck.

Search and rescue dogs are trained to seek out victims. When they fail, as happened frequently in the aftermath of 9/11, the dogs get frustrated and become despondent. To help the dogs, their handlers would have a colleague hide and allow the animal to find them. In this way, they created a feeling of success. 

Sales training has the same effect on your team. Right now, they’re frustrated and despondent because they’re not closing sales. Give them the boost they need by offering sales training.

A sales training statistic to excite you: Sales training ROI is 353%.

I’ve heard builders and sales leaders say, “Sales training is expensive.”

My response is, “Ignorance is expensive.” They’re not even looking at sales training ROI!

“But what if I pay for their training and they leave?” they ask.

“Ah, but what if you don’t train them and they stay?” I tell them.

Sales training delivers 353% return on investment, $4.53 for every dollar invested, according to TaskDrive. It’s a no-brainer. Sales training ROI alone is a reason for an ongoing program.

The right training and coaching leads to higher conversion rates and higher retention rates. Your top performers will stay because they feel appreciated and respected. And you could convert an average sales performer into a star!

The numbers don’t lie. Sales training is powerful.

Why is “no” such a hard word to say or hear? In new home sales, it’s a given that you’re going to hear it in any negotiation. But have you mastered how to say “no” and keep moving forward in the discussion? It should be included in any

Your job is to sell your customer the right home for them—providing a solution, not making a sale. Your buyer wants that home at the best price you are willing to offer. That’s the basics of price resistance.

You want to please your customer, but not at the cost of profitability. You won’t have a job much longer if you choose that route.

Some customers are testing your boundaries, looking to see how elastic you are. Others push hard, perhaps with unreasonable demands. In either case, you should be ready with your responses so that you control the negotiation. Before you say “yes” under duress, learn how to say “no” and keep moving forward.

Start with a kindness warm-up.

“No” can feel like rejection. Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end, it’s not pleasant. Someone is about to experience disappointment, frustration, or even anger. When you know you need to turn down a prospective buyer’s request, don’t jump into it. Like any unpleasant news, soften the blow with kindness.

Thank them for their interest, because they obviously wouldn’t be requesting a concession that you have to reject if they weren’t prepared to move forward. 

• Remind them of the positive aspects: “I appreciate that you want this home. It’s a great fit for your needs, and I’m willing to do what I can. Unfortunately, what you’re asking isn’t something we can accommodate. But there are so many others to work through, so let’s look at what we CAN do!” 
• Show empathy: “I can appreciate your situation. What you’re asking makes sense given what you’ve told me, so I’m sorry that I can’t say ‘yes’ as it stands right now.”
• Communicate your understanding so they feel you’re listening: “I can see why you would need that. Unfortunately, I can’t give it to you.”

Preface the “no” with a “but” statement.

In the art of improv, there’s a method known as “Yes, and”, which is used to expand on a point. “And” is a continuation of a positive thought.

In sales, you have the “No, but” method. You’re delivering a negative while adding a positive twist. In the world of “No, but” selling, you’re not ending a conversation but redirecting it, lifting it upwards.

• “I really wish I could make that work, but I can’t. Why don’t we look at the other (features, conditions, priorities) that will make this work.”
• “I’d love to agree to that condition, but our builder has established standards to protect our customers—buyers like you.”
• “Oh, if only I could! It’s just not something we can give you.”

Be transparent.

“That’s a great idea and I wish I could say ‘yes’, but we just can’t offer that. And here’s why.”

Explain to your buyer why you can’t say “yes” to their request. When your buyer understands your position, they have deeper insight into your company: the vision, integrity, and quality of the products. Saying “no” can be a way to show that you don’t make deals for some customers and not for others, that you maintain a high standard.

Also, be clear about the difference between the words “don’t” and “can’t”. “We don’t” conveys that you’re unwilling to agree to their request. “We can’t” communicates that you are unable to give them what they want. As subtle as these differences may seem, your buyer may notice whether you’re unwilling or unable.

Show flexibility.

Can you find another way to get to what they’re trying to gain? If you can say “not this, but maybe that”, you might find a solution that’s feasible for you and acceptable for your buyer. Remember, a successful negotiation occurs when both sides walk away feeling satisfied with what they received.

“While I can’t give you that, let’s look at some other options that I can offer. Maybe we can find another way to help you get to where you need to be.”

Postpone the discussion.

You can also skip the “no” for the moment. Take control of the conversation without dipping into the negative zone.

“I’d like to say ‘yes’, but we’ll need to take other things into consideration. Can we circle back on that point later? After we’ve looked at everything?” 

You then use the time to focus on the selling points that establish value in the mind of your homebuyer.

A painless “no” on the way to “yes”.

When you know how to say “no” and keep moving forward, you protect your selling position: your time, your builder’s profitability, and even your confidence. Using any of the examples in this article presents a way to say “no” without being negative. Maybe it’s “not now”, “not yet”, or “not under these conditions”. 

In your sales training, practice your responses when you have to reject a customer’s request. When used correctly, “No” is a negotiating point. And it’s a word that helps you maintain balance in your life, and this skill will guide you to be a better sales professional. Learn how to say “No” and keep moving forward.

Leading a team is a challenge. Leading an all-star team requires nearly flawless execution of skills. I’ve been working with sales leaders for several decades. If you’re in or striving for this position, let me help you avoid the 9 common

#1. Being a buddy, not a boss.

Maybe you feel it’s important for your sales team to like you. Sure, a friendly environment leads to collaboration, but it can also result in a far too casual atmosphere. Your job is to lead these professionals in their careers, to provide knowledge, direction, and training. When they perceive you as a friend, they’re less likely to take you as seriously as they should. They might question or ignore your direction, believing that their “friend” gives them all the latitude they want. Be mindful of what they need from you in their role as a sales professional. Friendship isn’t on the list.

#2. Allowing a lack of accountability.

As you’re working hard to avoid these 9 common sales mistakes, be sure you make this one a priority. Accountability—or, more accurately, the lack of it—is a big issue in the workplace. Finger-pointing and excuses take the place of problem-solving. Don’t allow your team members to waste time and extend conflicts by not accepting responsibility for their choices, words, and actions—and the outcomes that result from them. When a person under your sales leadership doesn’t hold himself accountable, push back. Give them a safe place to land when they’ve made a mistake so they understand that accountability isn’t synonymous with rebuke or punishment. Encourage and reward accountability. Most of all, model it in your own behavior!

#3. Providing insufficient feedback.

It’s easy to lavish the winners with praise, but what everyone needs is constructive criticism. Sales leadership means leading them to greater success in sales. Provide feedback to discuss their challenges as well as their successes. Look at how they could have approached their sales situation differently. Do this one-on-one and as a team.

#4. Not doing enough check-ins.

Similar to providing better feedback, sales leaders should remain accessible and visible to every team member. Schedule a weekly check-in call with each new home sales pro instead of assuming each person will reach out if they need you. They won’t. They don’t want to bother you, they try to figure things out themselves, or they go to someone else—someone who might give them advice that doesn’t reflect your belief.

A weekly check-in doesn’t have to take more than five minutes and can be a phone call—just not a text or email. Use the time to build a personal connection.

#5. Coaching on transactions rather than skills.

Coaching must present a balance of training for skills and outcomes. A coach in the sports world works with teams and players, building their individual strengths as well as teamwork. They focus on the right ingredients to succeed on the playing field, which often requires succeeding off the field. Train your team as groups and individuals. Look at what they need to reach their goals. It’s not enough to give them a sales process; infuse them with the skills to execute it like an all-star.

#6. Overlooking the differences in your team members. Individualize!

The best teams are a combination of unique people with unique talents coming together. They can be role models and mentors for one another, and inspire growth. But as a sales leader, you need to encourage and nurture the differences in your new home sales professionals. Who is stronger at negotiation? Who has the best customer service skill? Who is the CRM master? Build awareness of these core strengths and train the others up to these levels.

#7. Spending too much time with underperformers.

Your time is limited. How are you allocating it? If you’re like many sales leaders, you spend an inordinate amount of time trying to coach the underperformers. Is that the best use of your time or could you be more effective with a different distribution?

Break your new home sales professionals into three categories: Top Performer, Steady Performer, and Underperformer.

The Top Performers don’t require much leadership, but shouldn’t be ignored. Use your weekly check-ins and ask them where they need training and support.

The Steady Performer is where you have the most potential for growth. These new home sales professionals are just a few steps from being a Top Performer. Allocate at least half of your coaching and leadership time budget to these salespeople. Find out where they need help to move up to the next level. 

The Underperformer should get the smallest piece of your leadership time. Are they making sufficient effort or relying too much on your help? Provide them with goals, the tools to achieve them, and a timeline for getting there. Tell your Underperformers you’re available but encourage them to work harder. If they can’t move up to Steady Performer, your job as a sales leader is to direct them to a career that better suits their skills.

#8. Skipping the trenches.

Have you ever watched a war movie where an inexperienced officer is put into action with more experienced soldiers on the front line? The officer, who has often been trained only in a classroom, is completely out of their element and their soldiers know it. They don’t respect this person who has been cast in as a leader. 

Make time to get in the trenches with your sales team. Visit their communities and work side by side with them. Watch them handle a meeting with a prospective buyer. See how they conduct the model home tour. Provide feedback on the experiences you witness and jump into a sales presentation once in a while—just don’t ever hijack it!

#9. Overlooking the value of ongoing sales training.

When is sales training complete?

The most honest answer is, “Never.”

Look at the top athletes in their sport. With Tom Brady now firmly in retirement, Patrick Mahomes is perhaps the most talented quarterback in the NFL. Does he still train? Of course. Because he knows he can become better with more work.

Navy SEALs and other military special operatives have undergone the most grueling training any soldier can endure and yet they don’t stop. 

So, why do you let your new home sales professionals get out on their own playing field with lapses in training? Did you know that 84% of all sales training is lost after 90 days? Education should be a continuous endeavor. And it starts with a commitment by sales leadership.

Stop being a fixer.

Like your salespeople, where can you be better? Begin with self-awareness. Where do you have opportunities to improve?

Next, create an action plan to proactively avoid these 9 common sales leadership mistakes.

Then, contact me for sales leadership training so you can be the best one to guide your new home sales team.

But if you do, you will still be limited by your negative thoughts and beliefs.

The best way to combat cognitive distortions and negative self-talk is to start with recognizing them. Where does your focus take you? Make an effort to catch yourself when your mind strays to the negative.

Instead of “No one is buying in this market”, ask yourself, “What can I do to better influence uncertain buyers right now?”

Rather than assume others are just better at new home sales, become better. Read, seek mentors, take advantage of sales training—online, virtual, or in-person. Go to LinkedIn and reach out to people who are maximizing their opportunities. Believe me, the homebuilding community is filled with people who are willing to offer helpful advice!

The interest rates aren’t in the way of your success. The uncertainty of today’s homebuyers is not in your way. Free yourself from the ties that hold you back. Look for the opportunities to break free.

There are no limits outside of your own mindset. And the only one who can change that is you. But if you want help, I’m right here!

How’s your sales performance? If you’ve been stagnating with gaining new home sales, it’s not necessarily the

When a baby elephant is first placed in a circus, the trainer ties a small rope around its leg and tethers it to a pole to keep it from running away. If the elephant strains to get free, the rope is still strong enough to hold the young animal. The youthful bravado—or is it stubbornness?—keeps that elephant tugging at the rope. Still, it’s immovable.

As the elephant matures, the trainer doesn’t adjust the size of the rope. They don’t have to.  By that point, the elephant has become conditioned to believe that it cannot break away so it no longer tries.

If you put a handful of fleas in a jar and screw on the lid, they will keep jumping against the lid to try to get out. However, after a few minutes, the bugs are tired. They’ve accepted the reality that they’re not breaking through that barrier. If you remove the lid after their will is exhausted, the fleas remain in the jar. Like the elephants, they are conditioned to their confinement and no longer test their boundaries.

Keep testing your limits.

Have previous failures doused your enthusiasm and capped your confidence? Are you conditioned to accept imaginary boundaries? Have you exhausted your will to keep pushing?

Yes, we’re experiencing challenges with this housing market. We have been for over a year. You either rely on resilience to free yourself from the tether or choose a different career.

But if you do, you will still be limited by your negative thoughts and beliefs.

Are you distorting your reality with negative self-talk?

Negative self-talk will cause you to accept things you shouldn’t. The elephant, for example, didn’t realize the strength of its own power that came with its growth. The fleas accepted their fate and failed to see the opening when it came.

The psychology of negative thinking patterns has produced a list of cognitive distortions. Maybe you’re an all-or-nothing thinker who believes, “I’ll never reach my goals” or someone handicapped by a mental filter that causes you to jump right into negative thinking. Someone offers a compliment, like “Hey, good job on that presentation” and you reply, “I should have prepared better.” Or you catastrophize: “This housing market isn’t going to improve.” Maybe you suffer from personalization, taking on all the blame: “I’m the one holding everyone back.”

There are many types of cognitive distortions—all of them unhealthy. And if you cave into any of these negative thinking patterns, your failure in new home sales is a foregone conclusion. 

The best way to combat cognitive distortions and negative self-talk is to start with recognizing them. Where does your focus take you? Make an effort to catch yourself when your mind strays to the negative.

Instead of “No one is buying in this market”, ask yourself, “What can I do to better influence uncertain buyers right now?”

Rather than assume others are just better at new home sales, become better. Read, seek mentors, take advantage of sales training—online, virtual, or in-person. Go to LinkedIn and reach out to people who are maximizing their opportunities. Believe me, the homebuilding community is filled with people who are willing to offer helpful advice!

The interest rates aren’t in the way of your success. The uncertainty of today’s homebuyers is not in your way. Free yourself from the ties that hold you back. Look for the opportunities to break free.

There are no limits outside of your own mindset. And the only one who can change that is you. But if you want help, I’m right here!

Small minds don’t generate big business. To grow your business, you need to think big. Really big.

Broaden your vision.

Brendon Burchard said, “I will not let my small business make me small minded.

Instead of thinking within very tight, well-defined boundaries, think bigger. Go where no one else is going.

There is a myth-conception that says it takes money to make money. This implies that you must start with a lot of money to make a lot of money. If that were really true, how could Steve Jobs, David Oreck, Bill Gates, Rachel Ray and countless others have succeeded? They had very little seed money. And they didn’t let the lack of cash limit their success.

Jobs founded Apple with $1,300. Ross Perot founded Electronic Data Systems with $1,000. Adolf Coors invested $2,000 to form Coors Brewing Company, one of the largest in the world.

Michael Dell, a pre-med student, started his computer company with $1,000 in his dorm room, then dropped out of college at age 19 to build it. Through his foundation, Dell has donated $100 million to the University of Texas at Austin, the college where he never completed his education.

In 1978, John Mackey and Rene Lawson borrowed $45,000 from friends and family to open a small natural foods store in Austin, Texas, called SaferWay. You might know it better by its eventual name, Whole Foods Market.

Young newlyweds Ruth and Elliot Handler started a business in their garage in 1945, making picture frames and using the scraps from those frames to manufacture doll furniture. The company was known as Mattel Creations and expanded to become the top toymaker in the world, Mattel. Ruth designed the Barbie doll in 1959, inspired by watching her daughter dressing paper dolls and realized that actual dolls were limited to babies. She saw an opening in the market…and filled it,

In 1995, in Pierre Omidyarʼs living room, he wrote the technical code for an online auction site. Pierre launched Auction Web on Labor Day, 1995. Two years later, he changed the company’s name to eBay. Within three years, it was ranked number 326 on the Fortune-500 list of companies.

Two teachers and a writer—who met while attending the University of San Francisco—invested $1,350 each in 1971 to open a coffee bean store in Seattle. In 1987, the founders sold the company, Starbucks, to their former marketing director, Howard Schultz. And you know the rest.…

Are you allowing the lack of money to hold you back? How badly do you want to succeed? Are you ready to open up your mind and think bigger?

Be resourceful.

Each one of these small business owners proved that you donʼt need unlimited resources to succeed. You just need unlimited resourcefulness. That means being creative and diligent about dealing with obstacles and managing objections. You don’t take “No” as an end but as a cue to move in a different direction. 

A resourceful new home sales professional doesn’t just sit in the sales center and wait for people to walk in. They drive traffic, brainstorming and collaborating with the marketing team to explore new tactics. They don’t rely on “the way we’ve always done it” because these sales pros know that the same old thing isn’t going to deliver different results.

Big businesses are grown by people who prove they have the resourcefulness to grow small companies.

Being resourceful means making the most of the time, energy, money, connections, health, talents, passions, and other assets you have. Use them to overcome obstacles, to find overlooked clients, to achieve over-the-top results and to overtake your competition by envisioning success where others see failure.

In her book, New Market, New You, my friend Ronda Conger quotes Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance:

“Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month. But for years and working really hard to make that future a reality.”

Are you thinking too small?

Most new home sales professionals are like small business owners. They are alone in a model, responsible for all the sales activity for that community. 

And they need to think like a business owner—about lead generation, conversion, and other KPIs that determine success. New home sales professionals should recognize the need to keep training, to strengthen their skills, like negotiation and sales presentation. Improve the ability to ask the right questions, to actively listen to a buyer, and to cultivate trusted relationships that lead to sales and referrals. If your chosen career is new home sales, you need grit and resourcefulness. Do you have enough of both?

When you’re sitting in your model without a customer present, think about how you can generate big business.

• Contact buyers who didn’t buy. If they bought elsewhere, why not from you? If they’re not yet ready, why not?
• Keep learning. Education never stops unless you let it. Read books and articles, listen to podcasts and TED Talks, catch up on recordings for all those webinars you registered for but didn’t attend.
• Reconnect with previous buyers. Ask how they like their home, the neighborhood, and if there are any particular features that really matter. Send a note on their birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion. Remember, your best source of referrals is your past customers.
• Dig into your CRM. Scroll through your notes to look for opportunities to communicate with people in your database. If you haven’t stayed up-to-date on your CRM, use your available time to make the most of it! Enter notes, dates, reminders, and ideas.
• Network. Connect with new home sales professionals in different markets. Talk about what works and doesn’t work. Follow sales leaders on social media, and be sure you post for yourself. Also, keep adding contacts to your lists.
• Review your metrics. Where can you improve? Where can you increase your lead generation? Be honest with yourself. Then seek training to get better.

For starters, here are 8 ways you can be a better sales professional.

Stop stagnating. Think bigger. Be resourceful. Need a boost? Sales training? I’m here.

A

Know the symptoms of chronic buyer uncertainty

A buyer walks into a model home. No, this is not the start to a joke, but the first sign that a buyer is, indeed, serious about buying a home. If they weren’t, they’d stay at home and just wander from one builder’s website to another, browsing floor plans and communities to their heart’s content.

But they’re standing (or sitting) in front of you, they WANT to be sold, to be cured of their woeful hesitation. It’s like a patient in a doctor’s office. Cure my condition. Relieve me of my doubts. Make the pain of uncertainty go away!

Before you can succeed, you need to go through the exploratory questioning, also known as discovery. 

The mistake that I see with many new home sales professionals is that they stop too short on the questioning. They take the buyer’s answers at face value. Remember the joke that goes like this:

“Doctor, it hurts when I do this.”

The doctor replies, “Then don’t do that.”

In the new home sales world, here’s the equivalent of that conversation:

Your buyer says, “I’m not quite ready to buy yet.”

The salesperson asks, “When will you be ready?” and then makes a note to follow-up.

Neither the doctor nor the salesperson treated the real problem for the person who came to them for help. The customer probably doesn’t give up. Like the patient seeking a second opinion, that buyer goes looking for someone who can cure his hesitation. Guess who earns their trust and loyalty? The one who delivers the solution.

It’s not “When” but “Why”

Instead of accepting that the buyer isn’t ready, the great salesperson asks more questions to find out why homebuyers aren’t buying.

“What’s getting in the way of you buying this home that you love?” 

Asking “When” feeds into the uncertainty. They’ll give you a vague date, because they’re uncertain. “When” is the wrong question. You need to know “Why”—why they’re hesitating, why they’ve come all the way to your model home if they’re not ready to buy.

If it’s price, you find out the boundaries. Don’t throw out a discount immediately, but learn what’s comfortable for the buyer and then work to meet that challenge.

If it’s the interest rate, you remind them that they can always refinance, but waiting only means that the price of the home will go up. Cure the misconception by explaining the cost of uncertainty in no uncertain terms!

If the home itself is causing chronic buyer uncertainty, then you find out what’s causing the doubt. And you present better options.

I know, this seems like New Home Sales 101. But if that were true, why are salespeople underperforming and not converting more prospects who walk into their model home? Probably because their sales training hasn’t actually trained them for these objections.

How to diagnose chronic buyer uncertainty

Every potential buyer tells you some of the things they want in a home and neighborhood. It’s then up to you to learn more. 

“It hurts when I do this.” 

“But what about when you do this? No? Then it’s not a bone issue but a nerve issue.”

“You don’t like the kitchen, is it the size, the features, the layout? What do you need and why?” You’re not questioning their preferences, but attempting to understand them. You’re doing your job.

To know what your homebuyer really wants, you must spend quality time learning everything you can. From whether or not they have kids or pets to the things they do in their spare time, from who does the cooking to how they plan to use the garage. 

Ask. Observe. Diagnose. Don’t rely solely on their words but study their actions. At what point in the conversation do they seem uncomfortable? That’s a symptom you need to address.

Get to know them. Study their character. Learn how they think. Then you will understand how to respond to their needs, their homebuying objections, their spoken and unspoken desires as a homebuyer. You will also know when to quit selling, either because they’re ready to buy or because they don’t want to…yet.

When you fully understand what’s causing chronic buyer uncertainty, you’ll understand why homebuyers aren’t buying, and you successfully cure the condition. Work with your team with new home sales training that centers on what’s ailing your homebuyers and how to cure their chronic uncertainty. Need help with effective sales training? I’m here.