The following in not a trick question. It is question that needs to be answered honestly.
Here is the question:
"When it comes to selling real estate, do you know in which areas you are the most incompetent?
Take your time.
When you think about it, is it not the goal of sales training to help you define these areas?
Recently, I shared this as the goal of a workshop I conducted and it got a laugh. A week later, I received an email from a new agent who made her first sale because "I remembered what you told us."
This agent came to the workshop unconsciously incompetent, not knowing what she did not know, and left two hours later consciously incompetent, knowing what she did not know. She consciously applied what she learned and made a sale. She had moved from consciously incompetent to consciously competent. She had learned at a workshop what she should do, did it, and it worked.
Within a few months or perhaps earlier, as she repeats what she did consciously, she will become unconsciously competent, doing the right things right without thinking about what she is doing. Like learning to ride, then riding, a bicycle.
The above scenario has been around for years and is scenario shared by most trainers. It is called the four steps of learning. We are all at one of these stages on some level.
-Unconsciously Incompetent. We don't know what we don't know.
-Consciously incompetent. We become aware of what to do.
-Consciously competent. We actually do what we learned and it works.
-Unconsciously competent. We are successful but really cannot explain why.
Is not the goal of sales training to have the listeners leave the session consciously incompetent about the topic discussed, but see the agent make a sale because what you taught they applied consciously and it proved to be the right solution?
For purposes of our discussion let's assume that you are consciously incompetent when it comes to follow up. You know you should. You know you don't. You know you will not get better if you don't start practicing the right things right regarding follow up. So the first step is to decide to become consciously competent.
How do you do this?
Here's an idea.
Go to YouTube and type 'sales follow up' in the search bar. You will find several videos offering tips on how to follow up with your prospects.
But wait. If you are not going to follow up and actually do what the trainers say you need to do, why bother? After all, 'to know what to do and not to do it, is not to know." So says an unremembered source.
You might be surprised at the percentage of your prospects who actually sincerely request a call back.
You hear something like this: "We are not ready now. Please follow up with us in about a month." You may even track your prospect in your contact system. You look organized. And you are. The only thing you are not doing is actually following up.
Here's a challenge for you.
Pick an area where you know you need work (consciously incompetent). Maybe you need better skills returning voice mail messages or getting your messages returned, or prospecting, making a listing presentation, showing new homes, whatever.
Go to YouTube and key word your topic. Add the word 'training'. You will find videos that will address your topic. Then do what you are advised to do. Take action. As you become consciously competent by trying what is suggested and discovering that it actually works, you will become more excited and more passionate about your work, which could actually result in a sale.
If you accept this challenge, let me know what you did and what happened (you got the listening, sold the home, saved the deal, whatever).
I will write a column featuring you and your story for Realty Times and how you moved from consciously incompetent to consciously competent, simply by actually trying the process or taking the steps the trainer advised you to take.
This could be a great exercise and lesson for you, and a real encouragement to others.
Published: May 29, 2013
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