You and I are matchmakers... no one wants to be SOLD anything Karen Climer .  Find them what they want and need and priced where they can afford and the property listing "sells" itself because it fits like a glass slipper.

I have always been a salesman whether it was running my construction business or as a real estate agent.  That being said, I remember my first interview by a broker to join their brokerage.  She asked me to define an agent.  After my long answer, she stepped in and said, "you are a salesman and you have to find customers."  I agree and I believe being a salesman is an honorable profession, but it depends on your style (or tactics).  It really does depend on how you go about it.

I am a problem solver in the sales  business.  I need to be at the top of my game at all times.  Sales is my passion.

I tend to employ some of the other senses in addition to what people may "say".  Actions can speak loudly and so can the written word although both can be identified as boastful by some.  Feelings (gut and otherwise) can't be discounted either.   And then there is common sense. . .and an entirely different can of worms can be exposed.  Oh My!

Sales is the greatest profession in the world when it's done with honor.

I am an entrepreneur, I own a business and that business is sales. A REALTOR that denies they are in sales denies their profession and defines their ignorance.

No apologies and oh by the way...

Doctors sell, priests sell, school teachers sell...nothing in this human world happens until a sale happens. Our economy, our future and our  earned  (or inherited) lifestyles require(d) sales...the movement of money comes from sales.

No matter what we might think, we are selling most of the time, in many different life situations. When you go for a job interview, you are selling yourself; when you are instructing a child, you are selling a code of conduct, philosophy or ethics... and so on. In real estate, we are clearly selling or promoting at all times, be it houses, ideas or courses of action. 

Some do it so naturally that it doesn't seem like sales, almost as if it's done on subconscious level.

I was not gifted with a "natural sales persona", so I made it a point to learn better methods and concepts on selling with more grace & success...it worked! 

Many may be keeping this in the back of their mind, but the very fact of being on ActiveRain is to sell, mainly to sell others on trust in their abilities to perform. Some just do it more gracefully, and some are still learning...including myself after decades in the industry (I'm retired as both a mortgage originator & real estate agent, but working in a different industry that involves sales).

I have always said that this is not a sales business but a COMMUNICATIONS business. I provide information to help clients make informed decisions.

I know many will disagree. That is fine.

I have been known to dissuade folks from buying as often as I recommend they pull trigger. 

The one commodity I present for consideration is myself and my company entering its 22nd year of knowledge and experience. And that offering is not made to all! 

🎄🎅🎁

A real estate agent that is not skilled at selling is merely a clerk or transaction coordinator and likely to be not deserving of the big checks involved in this game.

Karen,

Sales has never been a bad word in our dictionary.  It all depends how one goes about it.  Recently, we were at Best Buy considering replacing our TV.  And the SALES person did not want to listen to what WE wanted, he wanted to sell the most expensive TV for HIS commission....We left without buying and decided, we really did not need it for the few hours we watch during a week...A

Is real estate sales my business? Yes, it is.

What am I selling? I am selling a bright future in a home of your own or the ability to move from a home that is no longer the best fit for you.

How do I go about doing it? I apply my 20+ years of experience in this business.

I do enjoy being a residential real estate guide. By the time we have made contact, they have been referred by a trusted source. Buyers and sellers are more savvy than ever and most know what they already want. My job is to help get them to the closing table!

I find it hilarious that some people cannot accept that others' opinions are different from theirs and they feel the need to correct or otherwise in some way make them wrong with their judgment. 

Why is it not okay to allow someone's opinion or own perception that they are not a salesperson or do not have a sales pitch?

We all experience life in our own way.  We all beat our own drum in a way that we choose. I go about my life and business by letting people be who they are, where they are.  If they are in a different place than me, that's okay. I have no compulsion to tell them who they are or what they do. 

I prefer choice not sell. I am okay that you or anyone else experience what you do, and how you see life, differently. 

My first real estate license said it very clearly "Salesperson."  We are trying to get homes sold or sell a seller on accepting our buyer's offer.  We are salespeople.  Then again, in everyday life people are salespeople.  Ever want Chinese food and your spouse wanted Mexican?  Did you try to sell them on Chinese or did they sell you on Mexican?  Guys, did you just flop out a ring and she said "ok, when do you want to do this?" or did you have this huge thing planned to try and convince her to say "Yes!" when you asked?

Heck, I'm trying to sell you on my answer right now!  So please, upvote me if you "buy" what I'm "selling".  LOL!

I believe that I've always had a BS degree (Bachelor of Salemanship)... LOL was taught to never lie to anyone, as it will get you someday. But it's okay to stretch the truth with a good story!!!

We're always selling ourselves. I think some agents think they aren't selling because they aren't the ones that own the property that is being sold. But niw, there is a check box in the MLS that says " All Negotiations Through Lister ". So it's good for agents to know at time of listing what price and terms the sellers have authorized them to negotiate on their behalf.

I laugh when people say they're not a sales person!  Everyone sells themselves every single day regardless of profession.  People now spend an enormous portion of their time persuading, influencing, and moving others. Have you ever spent time with a toddler?  They're selling you something every minute.  ie having adults enjoy tea parties, talking on pretend phones, dressing up . . . 

Check out Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others

Everything in life is sales.  Everyone is selling something - themselves, a product, a belief, an idea...we're all sales people, but the phrase 'sales person' brings up visions of sleazy people slinging subpar products.  

I don't stray from saying I'm a sales person, but in my business I take the role of an advisor...I educate people, offer advice, and of course they know I have a product to sell, too, 

I prefer to describe myself as a real estate professional. Sales are a segment of our services.

Some of us are so good that we have become masters of the sale process and operate beyond salesmanship. How? By being that person without effort!

I don't feel that when representing a client that I am selling anything.  My goal is to assist them in making the best decision for their future.  My sales expertise comes across in making the best offer and negotiating with the other party.

Yes, we're sales people but we go way beyond that. I stay in touch with my clients after the close. I'm here if they need anything. I often have clients reach out for restaurant recommendations, vendors, announcements, etc. I'm more excited about my clients getting something than I am about the sale. I also help people network.

Call it whatever you want, if you are not selling, you are starving!

Earlier this fall, my firm has rebranded all of our agents as Advisors, a title that is far more accurate of the work that we do. In NYC, most of the inventory for purchase are co-op's- and they can set rules that require an advisor rather than a salesperson. If a buyer inquires about purchasing a co-op,  I can advise them about the building requirements and what they can and can't do with the apartment. For example- the co-op might require a 30% down payment (not out of line in some neighborhoods), a debt to income ratio of 25% or less, post closing liquidity of 2 years of mortgage and maintenance payments, no family gifting, and no guarantors and then the buyer needs to know that the building doesn't allow pied a terres, Washer/Dryers in the apartment and only permits dogs under 25 pounds. Virtually none of this information is found on the listing sites (we also don't have an MLS in Manhattan).  Client ok with all of that- well then understand - highest bid doesn't always get the apartment. When I help the buyer structure a bid- we walk through all of their financials for presentation to the seller's agent- and I often help clients win the apartment with a bid that was overall the strongest financial package rather than the highest price.  This all falls into the category of an advisory role. I have had to talk clients out of pursing a more expensive home because they are ultimately a poor fit for the building-and it's a painful process to be rejected by a co-op board, and it's a long and intrusive process to apply to a co-op board. By the time the buyer receives a decision from a co-op board whether they can move forward with the purchase or not- the contract with buyer and seller has been signed, the bank (if any) has gone through the underwriting process, and the buyer has had to submit a lot more documents and invasive personal information to the co-op board than they submitted to the bank. 

What we, as agents, are selling, is our access to information and our expertise in advising. Much like Financial Advisory or even Institutional Software sales- our role is very deeply intertwined with our clients needs. There are lots of other sales roles out there that are much more commoditized, and they are just sales people, not advisors.