I was reading some interesting articles on closing sales, and when to close, and found a really neat article that talked not so much about the art of closing a sale, but more about identifying when a client my be ready to be closed on. Just a different point of view. If you have a Buyer, looking at homes and you think you may have found “the one”, just ask yourself these four questions.
1. Does your client want the house. And I mean, are they excited and have enthusiasm for this home, or are they just settling. Remember, it’s more important that they are happy, than it is that you get paid.
2. Does your client need the house. Depending on how well you did your Buyer Counselling Session, this may be the first opportunity you have to find out how motivated they are. Do they NEED to move. Do they NEED to move NOW, and if so, this is the time to close.
3. Are they able to afford it. This isn’t just a question of mortgage qualification, but also of use and enjoyment. If they can’t afford it and you don’t get a deal firm, then you’ve wasted every ones time. If you get a deal done only to have a client scraping by each month, you’ve failed to keep their best interests at heart and help them make a sound decision.
If you get a favourable answer to each of these questions, then it’s likely time to ask them a closing questions. What’s that you ask? Well try “would you like to put in an offer?”, and then wait. Remember, silence is the best form of pressure to put on client. Wait for their answer, because if you speak first, you lose.
