50 years ago... Inside... - Chattanooga Bar Association

16 Friday, June 13, 2008 HAMILTON COUNTY HERALD
WCR Continued from page 13
shifted when Palmer invited
McClure to speak about
crossing the divide between
builders and Realtors.
Whereas everyone was laughing
with Reeves moments
before, the crowd fell silent
as McClure talked about how
builders are running out of
money because of the elevated
interest rates they’ve been
paying on unsold homes. In
the hopes of surviving the
current economic downturn,
McClure urged Realtors to
become more familiar with
what’s available on the market
by taking a tour of newly
built and unsold houses.
“You’re the backbone of
our market. You sell more
homes than we do. We need
you guys and girls in a bad
way. So please help us
because our money is gone,”
said McClure. Palmer said
she’s planning to put together
an informal tour, possibly
for an upcoming Friday.
Teresa Groves, executive
officer of HBAST, expanded
on the idea of builders and
Realtors working together
during her keynote speech,
which followed McClure’s
moment at the podium. For
her, the best way to make
that happen is to encourage
members of the two groups to
develop relationships.
“During these (difficult)
economic times, we have to
work together as an industry,
whether you’re a Realtor,
builder or the owner of a title
or mortgage company. We’re
all a part of the housing
industry, and when one part
suffers, every part suffers,”
Groves said.
According to Groves,
communication is a key component
of improving relations
between the two factions.
For starters, Realtors
need to make builders aware
of the services agents can
provide and pass on the
things for which homebuyers
are looking, she said. This
will give builders a better
understanding of why a
Realtor is an important part
of the process of selling a
house and enable them to
adjust their designs according
to the needs of the market.
For their part, Realtors
can invest some time in
learning what makes a particular
home special, said
Groves. She also suggested
Realtors take the time to
approach builders on job
sites and treat the meeting
like a job interview during
which they explain how
they’d sell both the house
and the builder.
At the center of the dispute
seems to be respect for
the other profession and how
the money pie should be
sliced once a sale is complete.
Groves urged Realtors
to be respectful of builders
and not make disparaging
comments about their work,
and said builders need to
know that Realtors don’t
pocket all of the commission
on a sale. In addition, she
hinted that builders would
like Realtors to “work with
them more on commissions”
and that when a Realtor is
representing a buyer, more
sales might result if the
builder lowers his fees.
Although her comments
might not have gone down as
easy as the spaghetti that had
disappeared from everyone’s
plate, Groves received a vigorous
round of applause as
she stepped down from the
stand.
The atmosphere immediately
shifted back to electric
as Nina Boss, owner of
Century Title and chair of
the ways and means committee
of the WCR, launched
the basket auction. With the
contents ranging from inno-
cent (soaps, candles and
cologne) to mischievous
(champagne and other
sundry items for a romantic
evening), the more than one
dozen donated baskets sold
quickly. Karen Flores, WCR
member and assistant vicepresident
of Cornerstone
Community Bank, handled
the auctioneering with
humor at wit.
Good food, powerful networking
opportunities, a
willingness to tackle tricky
issues head on and a healthy
dose of fun made the luncheon
a rousing success for the
WCR.
All eyes are already looking
forward to the next
luncheon, scheduled for
Sept. 3 at the Clarion. Until
then, expect the WCR to
continue to “empower
women to exercise their
potential as entrepreneurs
and industry leaders.” ❖
Emerson Continued from page 13
one needs a computer, printer,
copier, digital camera, cell
phone and an understanding
of the ever-changing forms,
laws and requirements. I’ve
had many lockbox keys over
the years, but today, I have a
high-tech device that uses a
laser beam and my personal
password to open boxes!”
Even as Emerson marvels
at the technological
advancements in her field,
she says nothing has changed
at the fundamental level.
“Sellers want immediate
results and buyers want to be
satisfied they’ve bought the
perfect property at the best
price,” she says.
To meet the expectations
of her clients, Emerson has
vacuumed, washed dishes,
folded laundry, cleaned toilets,
rearranged furniture,
trimmed shrubs, walked dogs
and, in order to land a sale,
paid for windows, a garage
door, termite treatments and
a property surveyor. Going
the extra mile paid off,
though, as Emerson now
enjoys life in one of
Chattanooga’s premiere
gated communities.
Currently, Emerson
works with family, friends
and other clients at Heritage
Landing, where she’s lived
for 22 years. “Heritage
Landing is the most unique
condominium property ever
built in downtown
Chattanooga. The amenities
and green space are normally
found only in retirement villages,
not in a vital neighborhood
within walking distance
of a major metropolitan city.”
Emerson says “metropolitan
city” with pride because
the city she loves and in
which she grew up was once
known as a “chili, beans and
overalls town.” Today, when
she walks across the Walnut
Street Bridge and looks in all
directions, she sees unsurpassed
natural beauty and
thriving tourism.
Be effective in sales by understanding people
By Dirk Zeller
To be an effective salesperson,
you have to understand
people. You have to
understand that people buy
and sell for a set of reasons.
They also make decisions on
whom they do that with
based on their reasons, not
ours. Being able to read people
and ask the right questions
is essential to success.
Let me share the rules of
reading people.
People are egocentric:
This means they are selffocused.
They are clearly fixated
on what’s in it for them.
If we don’t know what they
want and link that with the
benefits of doing business
with us, we will stumble in
sales. We all look at the
world based on how a given
situation or opportunity
relates to us personally.
When we fail to connect the
dots personally with our customers,
we are rendered less
effective.
People make decisions
emotionally: Most of us
decide quickly. Some of us
gather our facts and information
previous to making a
decision. Once we gather
the necessary data, we move
to the decision. Even the
most analytical person will
make decisions based on a
feeling, need or emotion.
These people’s sales
cycles are longer than others.
Your job is to identify the
longer sales cycles and be
there at the appropriate time.
We must also send all the
data beforehand to be digested
by the customer before
they meet with us.
People will justify their
decisions with reasons: As
salespeople, we have to give
the prospect sufficient reason
to do business with us. This
frees them to move forward
in the purchase based on the
emotional impulse they feel.
They want to move forward
but are looking for a little
security to justify their decision.
We must provide a
compelling reason for their
movement forward now!
People delay making
decisions: The longer the
customer postpones making
the decision, the lower probability
the decision will ever
be made. As salespeople, our
objective is to provide the
customer with enough reasons
to get them to attach
benefit to our service. Our
other objective is to encourage
them and direct them to
act on it now once they have
the information.
The sooner we can provoke
a decision by the customer,
the higher the probability
that it will be in our
favor. The longer the time
between when you make your
presentation and when the
customer decides, the lower
the probability of success.
We must focus to shorten our
sales cycles.
People fear losing something:
The fear of loss is one
of the most powerful motivators
for action. People will
move more quickly to a decision
if they stand to lose
something than if they are
positioned to gain something.
As salespeople, we need
to put our compelling reasons
for action now in terms of
potential losses to our
clients. There are two types
of fear of loss: losing something
you have and losing
the chance to have something
you want.
“I pass office workers
with company tags on their
clothes out for noon-time
walks, young mothers pushing
babies in strollers, athletes
running or bicycling,
and sons or daughters pushing
their aging parents in
wheelchairs. The terrible
coal haze that hung over our
town and sent me to the hospital
when I was 16 is gone,”
she says.
“Our skyline has changed
and is still changing. We
have remarkable neighborhoods
in all parts of the
greater Chattanooga area,
and in spite of the frustrations
that come with being a
Both of these are forefront
in your customer’s
thoughts.
To be effective in sales,
we really need to master
understanding people and
what makes them tick. We
have to use a full complement
of techniques to help
our prospects and clients
make the right decisions for
their success.
Dirk Zeller is an agent, an
investor, and the President &
CEO of Real Estate
Champions. His company
trains more than 350,000
real estate agent, it’s still satisfying
and rewarding when a
transaction is closed and
both the buyer and seller
walk away feeling pleased
with his or her agent,” says
Emerson.
A brief chat with
Emerson, who has done a
considerable amount of volunteer
work for various civic
and community organizations
over the years, isn’t enough.
But it’ll have to do. Perhaps
someday, when her view
across time has been extended
even further, she’ll be able
to tell the rest of her story —
including the chapters yet to
be written. ❖
agents worldwide each year
through live events, online
training, self-study programs,
and newsletters.
He’s the widely published
author of “Your First Year in
Real Estate,” “Success as a
Real Estate Agent for
Dummies,” “The Champion
Real Estate Agent,”
“Telephone Sales for
Dummies” and over 300 articles
in print.
You can get more information
by visiting
www.RealEstateChampions.co
m ❖
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