One of the greatest challenges in any business is getting clients. You probably categorize this as selling, and you are right.

Are you one of the people that thinks being a salesperson is a negative thing? Most of us that are interior designers don’t like to think of ourselves as sales people, and we shouldn’t. We are really high-level consultants that guide our clients to make good investments in their homes or businesses. This is all about a shift in your perception.

The trite saying is that “perception is reality,” so change your perception.

Creating a viable business takes courage and perseverance. Those are just two of the success traits of any successful business person.

If you don’t like to “sell,” then look for other ways to uncover your client’s and prospect’s needs and show them how you can fulfill them better than any other designer in your area. 44% of all designers are hired because of a “click” with the personality of the client. Of course you have to show your ability to do the job well and you have to show your creativity.

Many of our greatest challenges in our business and life are related to communications challenges.  One of the most important tools is active listening.  Part of that is asking carefully crafted questions.  How are your skills?

Here is a checklist of extreme listening skills:

• You are mirroring the body language of the person exactly
• You are looking the person in the eyes
• You are fully engaged and your mind is not wandering
• You are not thinking about the next thing you want to say
• You let the person complete their side of the conversation
• You show you are listening by “so what you are saying is…” and paraphrase what they just said
• “Did I miss anything?”
• “What other concerns do you have?”  This is where you are uncovering their objections.
• Is there anything else?
• Use the types of words that coincide with their modality (Neuro Linguistic Programming – NLP – Meaning of the communication is the response you elicit)…
  • Visual – see, envision, imagine
  • Auditory – hear, sound, rings a bell
  • Kinesthetic – feel, in touch, wrap it up
• “So what I hear/see/feel you saying is _____________________.  Did I understand you correctly?”

NLP goes deeper than this, but if you can master the listening skills, you’ll have better connections with your prospects and clients.  This will result in more business, and more success for you.

If you want to determine a prospect’s modality, here is a series of questions you can ask:

• What is the first thing that caused you to buy your home?
  • Was it something you saw or read about (visual)
  • Did someone tell you about it? (auditory)
  • Or was it the way you felt about the Realtor or home? (kinesthetic)
• I’m curious because I really want to fulfill your needs…

This is a sequence you can use to engage a prospect and understand how they process information.  The better your listening skills, the better you will be able to answer their greatest concerns.

These are not new principles, in fact, this is from Unlimited Power with Tony Robbins and it was written in the mid 1980s.

Let me know how this works for you and if you’d like more information on NLP.  We’re doing a Monthly Mentor coaching session with Barbara Barton, CMKBD and certified NLP coach on Thursday, July 30th at 1 pm Eastern about How to Tame Your Emotional Roller Coaster.  If you’re not a Gold Member, we invite you to try our $1 30-Day test drive.
Just click here to sign up now.

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