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Article Categories:Archive: The Motivator |
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| The Motivator | |
| The Motivator is a free monthly newsletter featuring hot sales coaching tips, sales reps' tips, mystery shopper stories and much more! | |
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Follow Up |
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| Follow Up Lessons Learned From a Scam Artist | |
| Have you ever received the infamous plea for money from Nigeria? This scam has circulated the internet for years. There was a program on 20/20 that showed people online at an internet café sending out messages and pleas for help and money too countries all over the world. | |
| Top 10 List for Creative Follow Up | |
| Published Bonded Builder News, page 29, Winter 2006. Since few prospects purchase a home on the first visit, we should all become experts in getting them to return. Here are some helpful tips: | |
| The Long Lost Art of The Personal Note | |
| You go to the mailbox after a long, weary day. You become the "master postal sorter", tossing obvious junk mail, stashing catalogs and groaning over bills. Then you notice a small, 4 ½" X 6" envelope with a non-descript return address (just street, city, no name), pretty stamp and your name hand addressed! | |
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Increasing Traffic |
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| Entrepreneurial Marketing-Creating Endless Traffic | |
| People always ask me, "Where do motivational speakers go to get motivated? Great question, huh? | |
| When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Go Marketing | |
| I did a seminar yesterday on "Entrepreneurial Selling" - my new topic. I put a fishbowl on the entry table to collect business cards. This was for two reasons; one was to give away my new best seller DVD product, "Best of the Best," and the other was to determine exactly how many people brought business cards with them. | |
| When Traffic Stops, Where’s Your Green Light? | |
| So, how are you enjoying the traffic in and out of your sales office? Nice, huh? It's almost as if you don't have to do anything to increase traffic and subsequent sales. Including staying on top of your game. | |
| Drive Up Your Sales | |
| Published FHBA.com. Time to get a strategy to increase sales. This is the year to sell better, increase referrals, bond with more realtors, make more follow up calls and be totally focused on helping the homeless own a brand new home. Let's begin with a simple Goal worksheet that will help DRIVE sales upward. | |
| Let's Go Fishing | |
| On-site salespeople need to get out, stop "sitting" their subdivision and learn to love the old fashioned skill of prospecting! | |
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Management - Managing Your Team |
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| 10 Sales Meeting Ideas for the New Homebuilder | |
| Power Point Presentation. Sales Meeting Ideas for the New Home Builder Sales Manager. Stale doughnuts, day old coffee. Where are the sales? Where are the contracts? Hopefully, this is not how you inspire your team! Your objective in a sales meeting is to educate, motivate and involve. | |
| My Top Producer Scored Low on Their Shop | |
| Sound familiar? Are you ready to call and fire your shopping company because you are throwing away money? Well, put down the phone and let us explain.... | |
| 20 Sales Meeting Ideas | |
| Stale doughnuts, day old coffee. Where are the sales? Where are the contracts? Hopefully, this is not how you inspire your team! As a Sales Manager, your objective in a Sales Meeting is simple... | |
| Is Your Team Clubbing or Closing? | |
| Take a look! You might be surprised at what your sales team is wearing. Do they look like a real Pro'? Or do they look like they are on their day off and going to Walmart? | |
| Disguise Your Sales Meeting As An "Experience" | |
| What do Mary Kay Cosmetics, Tupperware and Amway all have in common? They wrap a party around a meeting and make it an experience. When you attend a meeting with any of the above companies, it has a party atmosphere. | |
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| Ready Maestro | |
| As a sales manager, your job is much like that of a conductor on the stage. Your ensemble of (musical) talent is varied and ranges from the inexperienced accompanist to the virtuoso. And yet, to be successful, your orchestra (team) must all be playing the same tune! | |
| Handling 15 Types of Problems Sales People | |
| Is it frustrating to write an agenda, set up training modules, and organize administrative items only to be met with a challenging sales team who won't cooperate? Someone always arrives late. Another sales person rolls their eyes at every new suggestion. A third sales person never participates and looks half asleep. How do you deal with problem salespeople in your sales meetings? Here are 15 solutions: | |
| Are We Having Fun Yet? | |
| Since 9/11, the airline industry has suffered record losses. Remarkably the only airline making a profit is the one having the most fun - Southwest Airlines. Southwest has proven that BIG FUN = BIG PROFITS! | |
| 5 Keys to Hiring | |
| Hiring is a real skill and a critical one for the successful sales manager. Here are five keys to successful hiring: | |
| Super Sizzlin' Sales Meetings | |
| Stale doughnuts, day old coffee. Where are the sales? Where are the contracts? Hopefully, this is not how you inspire your team! As a Sales Manager, your objective in a Sales Meeting is simple... | |
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| Top Ten List for Managing Your Sales Team | |
| Published FHBA.com. Managing salespeople is both challenging and frustrating. A sales manager plays many roles...coach, psychologist, motivator, cheerleader. The list is endless. If you want to maximize your people investment, you must show your sales team how much you care so they can pass that caring attitude to the customer. Here are some tips... | |
| 14 Ways to Supervise | |
| TO BE a good boss, you have to be an effective leader. Here are 14 ways to ensure that your employees will follow: | |
| Where Do You Find Great Salespeople? | |
| I get asked that question about once a week. Homebuilder Sales Managers will call and ask if I know anyone that is a "closer", is motivated and wants to make a lot of money. Of course, the great ones are happy and work for my clients so I can't give their names out. But, I do have some sources for you of where to find salespeople other than running a useless ad: | |
| Train Your Sales Force To Use Their Ears More And Their Mouths Less | |
| Listening effectively is a really learned skill, and the successful salespeople know how to really listen to their prospects. When is the last time someone really listened to you? I am certain you feel important, cared about and respected. | |
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Management - Training Tools |
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| ...But I Can't Afford Professional Training | |
| Podcast on builderRadio.com, October 2008. All aboard... Get your train tickets out and get them punched! We are discussing how test/train/test can turn your team into top closers. While many companies are now cutting their training and shopping budgets, SMART builders are finding ways to continue training and testing and are seeing BIG results due to the continuous training. | |
| How to Integrate Training, Shopping, Coaching – to Turn Your Team into Top Closers | |
| Power Point Presentation. In this presentation, Melinda Brody reviews the benefits of implementing video mystery shops into your training program to achieve maximum benefits. | |
| Training and Evaluating Sales Teams Bring Sales Success | |
| Published Nation's Building News Online June 2008. While many companies are cutting their training and evaluation budgets, smart builders are finding ways to continue training and testing ? and seeing solid results. | |
| "How to Integrate Training, Shopping and Coaching" | |
| Many of our clients call and order shops. When I ask them what their objectives are and what is their game plan with the results, they are a little vague.. The answer to the first questions is, “of course, not fire them but check their weaknesses and work on those.” The problem is, they don’t have a process in place. If there is no plan, they will be disappointed when the 2nd shops also come in with low scores. | |
| 2008 Nationals: Train and Conquer | |
| Published in Housingzone.com March 2008. In the present sales environment, most builders are happy if they don't lose market share. Imagine how you'd feel if you actually gained market share last year. | |
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| Seller Beware | |
| Published Big Builder Magazine, May 2007. What happens on a video shop? Parked in the lot of a closed Sonny's BBQ in Palm Bay, Fla., the SUV's A/C blasting beneath the already baking mid-morning sun, builder mystery shopper Karen M. readies her hidden video recorder and microphone and starts briefing me on our cover story. | |
| Make Video Shoppers A Positive Tool | |
| Published HousingZone.com August 1, 2003. Third-party monitoring of sales performance is not new. First came paper-and-pen reports, then audio and, in recent years, secret shoppers equipped with tiny cameras and camcorders. | |
| It's 10 a.m., Do You Know Where Your Sales Reps Are...and What They Are Doing? | |
| Published Florida Home Builder Magazine March/April 2003. Smart builders do! They not only know what they're saying, they're watching them say it. They are watching a video tape of their sales team in action. Video mystery shopping is really called video shopping. The mystery is gone. Sales representatives must sign a release allowing the taping to occur and if you've chosen a professional shopping firm, they won't guess who the shopper is. | |
| Developing An Effective Training Program | |
| Training is one of the most profitable investments a company can make! Developing an effective and efficient training program is easy if you follow the four basic steps: Analyze, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. | |
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Press Releases - In the News |
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| Melinda Brody to speak at the 2009 International Builder's Show | |
| National Speaker, Melinda Brody, will be presenting two programs at the 2009 International Builders Show held January 20-23rd in Las Vegas, Nevada. | |
| Melinda Brody And Company Celebrates 22nd Anniversary | |
| September 28, 2008- (Orlando, FL) Melinda Brody and Company, Inc, a premier national training company celebrates its 22nd anniversary on October 10, 2008. | |
| Builders See Positive Results in Tough Market | |
| Melinda Brody and Company has been instrumental in assisting new home builders see positive results in a declining market. | |
| Melinda To Present At IBS | |
| "45 Insider Secrets to Build a Dynamite Sales Team" will be presented at the International Builder's Show in Orlando, February 13-16, 2008 by National Sales Trainer Melinda Brody of Melinda Brody and Company, John Palumbo, professional consultant of Theatre of the Mind Productions, and Jody Pilka, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Ryan Homes. | |
| Running a Business From Home | |
| Melinda Brody and Company (MBC), a national training company that offers mystery shopping, sales training, and training tools to the new homebuilder industry, has been operating its business from home offices for the last 20 years. Yes, many do operate their business from home, but what's unique about MBC is that the staff and independent contractors all work for the company from their home offices. | |
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| Melinda Joins Writer's Bureau | |
| Agent Direct News® has announced the addition of Melinda Brody, MIRM to their Speakers & Writers Bureau. | |
| Taking Kids Can Be Child's Play | |
| Published USAToday.com November 21, 2002. When Melinda Brody travels to speaking engagements around the country, her 9-year-old daughter, Sarah, not only often comes along, she nearly steals the show. | |
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Selling in a Tough Market |
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| 10 Tips For Today's Market | |
| As the market changes, so should your sales presentation. How do you adjust for current traffic? Utilize Melinda's Top 10 Tips for Today's Market. | |
| What Kind of Deal Can I Get? | |
| Have you heard that lately? I'll bet you hear it everyday at your sales center. With the current buyers market, prospects are walking in and instantly asking about incentives. | |
| Move That House! | |
| Published BondedBulders.com, Summer 2007. Don't you just love it when Ty Pennington of "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition" screams "move that bus!" and a beautiful new home is revealed on the show? Then it hit me. On site salespeople need to be helping their prospects, "Move that House"...their current house, that is. | |
| How To Stay Up, Even In Down Times | |
| When times are slow, the outstanding salespeople still write contracts and create "be-backs". It is always attributed to their positive attitudes. They have found a way to maintain their enthusiasm when everyone else is down and discouraged. | |
| A Tough Sell | |
| Published St. Petersburg Times October 13, 2001. For every 100 families who visit model homes, only three will buy. What keeps them from coming back? Salespeople who are are out of touch with what the buyer wants, a sales trainer says. | |
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Skills the Pros Use |
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| Secrets of Superstar Salespeople | |
| Power Point Presentation. In this presentation, Melinda Brody reviews five secrets of the superstars. There are salespeople and there are SUPERSTAR salespeople. The difference is the SUPERSTARS consistently and willingly do what the others refuse to do. The SUPERSTARS are on "automatic pilot" and pro-actively do the necessary steps to cultivate more sales all by themselves! What are their secrets? | |
| Top 10 Habits of the 10% Club | |
| Published The Colorado Springs Business Journal July 14, 2006. We are all familiar with the 80/20 Rule. 80% of new homes sales are made by 20% of new homes sales reps. I believe it’s more like 90/10. After working in a real estate firm for many years, I observed that 90% were members of the “coffee club” and the 10% were out hustling. | |
| Setting Sales Goals | |
| "I have sold five houses this month." It must be a realistic number. Put your goal in writing. The process of writing commits you to be serious about it! The sentence must be phrased in the past tense, as if it already has occurred. | |
| Cappucino Moments | |
| Barbara San Filippo of Romano San Filippo stood before us April 17th, all 5'0" of her ("us" translates into the National Speakers Association Central Florida Chapter.) She ended her presentation to a group of weary, road warrior speakers on the note of "cappuccino moments." Were we getting enough? I sat up in my seat and was intrigued to hear more. What on earth was she talking about? | |
| Is Anyone Out There Listening? | |
| Are you a great listener? Would you agree that it is THE most critical skill in selling? How can you "ask for the money" if you haven't listened to what their needs are? How can you build rapport if you don't listen for their name, learn about their children or hear their concerns? | |
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| Overcoming Speaking Fear | |
| The biggest fear of most humans is speaking in public, otherwise known as performance anxiety. In sales, whether you're a manger or salesperson, professional speaking skills will be a critical component of your success. | |
| Do You Want To Increase Sales? Study Your Kids | |
| Kids are fearless. They are little closing machines. They are persistent, tenacious and creative and do not take no for an answer. I have learned so much in sales from my daughter, 11 year old, Master Closer, Sarah Brody. Let's look at some lessons learned: | |
| 10 Secrets of Superstar Salespeople | |
| There are salespeople and there are SUPERSTAR salespeople. The difference is the SUPERSTARS consistently and willingly do what the others refuse to do. The SUPERSTARS are on "automatic pilot" and pro-actively do the necessary steps to cultivate more sales all by themselves! What are their secrets? To begin with... | |
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Targeted Selling: Singles, Women & Dogs |
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| What Women Really Want – Ways to Sell to Women | |
| Power Point Presentation. In this presentation, Melinda Brody reviews six ways to sell to women. The sales people who anticipate women's needs will be much further ahead of the pack. Women will never tell you what they want. They'll respond with "If I have to tell you, it's not the same". | |
| Tapping an Overlooked Homebuying Market: Single Women | |
| Published housingzone.com July 2008. Single women are a demographic that's just too big for home builders to ignore. A 2007 survey by the National Association of Realtors found that single women comprise 20 percent of home buyers. Comparatively, only 9 percent of home buyers are single men. Unmarried female home buyers are a diverse group that includes young singles, single mothers, middle-aged divorcees, widows and seniors. Among them are women who seek to establish a household with one or more friends. | |
| Home Is Where the Bark Is | |
| Published Orlando Sentinel - Homes Section, May 11, 2008. When Sherice Ward and her family were house-hunting last year, they had the unusal list of requirements: house size, price range, quality of schools and the like. | |
| Singles Are Untapped Resource In Sales | |
| Published Jacksonville Biz Journal, February 22, 2008. There’s little doubt the housing market is tough right now. But those in the industry say that lthough the boom times are over, it is still possible to sell homes. One way to boost sales is to focus more on a vibrant, cash-flush market — singles. | |
| Don't Forget Fido! | |
| Melinda presented this information at IBS on February 14, 2008 . The seminar is entitled, “Singles-Get In On the Market” and it is being sponsored by The Women’s Council. | |
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| Selling To Singles | |
| Industry leaders Maxine McBride, Melinda Brody and Susan Gunyou will present a “Singles – Get in on the Market” program at the 2008 International Builder’s Show from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 14 in Orlando. | |
| 12 Ways to Sell to Women | |
| Faith Popcorn's new book, "EVEolution" speaks of 8 truths of marketing to women. Number 3 is "If she has to ask, it's too late." In other words, the sales people who anticipate women's needs will be much further ahead of the pack. Women will never tell you what they want. They'll respond with "If I have to tell you, it's not the same". | |
| Highheels, Starbucks And Carpools | |
| Published SMI Magazine January/February 2005, www.smimagazine.com. "A woman's place is in the home" was the famous motto of long ago that made feminists cringe. Today, a woman's place is her home, and she is more likely than ever to be the owner. | |
| Everything Counts | |
| Our prospects are very judgmental; women, even more so. Everything counts. If a prospect visits your model and there are cobwebs and the bathrooms are dirty, they make a mental note about your sloppiness and how it may affect their future home. Our cars make a statement about our attention to detail. If a prospect is in your car and it is dirty with lots of fast food bags strewn about, they will assume something may be overlooked on the option list. | |
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The Selling Process |
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| Rock Your Sales With Star Power! | |
| Published AgentDirectNews.com, October 2008. Madonna has it. So does Mick Jagger, Elvis and Miley Cyrus. What is it? Star Power. How do you get it? Let' s look at some of the great rock icons and uncover their secrets for success year after year and what separates them from the lounge lizard singer at the local Holiday Inn. Let's look at how these rockers can teach us something about our "act". | |
| Handling Objections | |
| Power Point Presentation. In this presentation, Melinda Brody reviews the steps to effectively handle objections. Handling Objections is one portion of her 5 Star Selling Training Program designed specifically for the New Home Building Industry. | |
| Homebuilders, Learn to Sell Your Services | |
| Published HousingZone.com August 2008. When Jason Swaner began selling condos at Texas & Pacific Lofts, an urban reuse project in a historic railroad station in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, he encountered a challenge. Swaner, a new home sales consultant for CondoSmart, the selling agent for T&P Lofts, had never before sold homes with a homeowners' association. | |
| I'm Not Your Up | |
| Everybody is your customer! Do not curb qualify based upon appearance, car, etc.... | |
| Closer's Corner | |
| Published SMI Magazine November/December 2007, www.smimagazine.com. I just returned from a Florida road trip. Once a month, I visit my clients and ask how the video shops are working for them and what skills their sales team lack. I'm sure you're not surprised at the number one answer: | |
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| Is Your Builder A Category of One | |
| My good friend and fellow speaker, Meredith Oliver, recommended a book she has read TWICE, "Becoming a Category of One" by Joe Calloway. Since I know Meredith's hectic travel schedule, I was most impressed she read it twice, and decided I needed to check this masterpiece out. Meredith was right. The book is AWESOME. | |
| Tips, Tricks, and Techniques Learned on a Time Share Tour | |
| I like a bargain. I use coupons when I shop - such as "buy one, get one free" at Publix, and the Entertainment book when eating out. Every penny adds up and I like to get my money's worth since I work hard for it, (just like Donna Summer sings in her disco song). | |
| The Demo Made The Difference | |
| My boyfriend Howard and I recently shopped for a surround sound system for the family room in my home. Being the non-techie person that I am, this whole experience gave me a migraine before we got in the car. I was hoping to meet a salesperson who would take charge, explain everything simply and make the process an easy one. Sometimes we are bombarded with so many choices; we decide not to make a decision to avoid making the wrong one. | |
| Natazu | |
| Disney has a great TV commercial on its newest park, The Animal Kingdom. Several people are front and center yelling, "Natazu". The camera shots show rides, attractions, shops and restaurants in addition to all the animals that roam the Savannah. Disney knows how to deal with objections. BRING THEM UP AND THEN TURN INTO A BENEFIT! | |
| 10 Lessons Learned from 10,000+ Mystery Shops | |
| Published Florida HomeBuilder Magazine September/October 2005. We can always see a "process" at work on site and are forever impressed by great closing skills. After watching thousands of video shops, we will now share the 10 things we've learned from over 10,000 shops. | |
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| Dish The Dirt | |
| You know you want to! Let's talk DIRTy for a moment. As in the homesite; the lot; the plot; the earth where the slab is laid. Got it? | |
| Too Many Choices | |
| Have you been to the Gap to buy jeans lately? I took my 15 year old and the choices were overwhelming-slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy or extra baggy. Then we were asked if we wanted them acid- washed, stonewashed or distressed? (I was starting to get distressed!) Next was button-fly, faded or regular. Aren't there just plain jeans out there anymore? | |
| The Art of Seduction | |
| For salespeople, seduction is a totally different technique than the ones used by Casanova. To truly woo your customer into buying their home from you, just follow the simple rules of SEDUCTION. | |
| Fear Factor Selling | |
| How do you handle unqualified traffic? How about dealing with a realtor whose customer loves your community, yet the realtor has ten more units on her list to show them? Are you good at handling irate buyers? What do you do when traffic is slow -- read a book? (If you're reading a book, it better be on selling!) | |
| Customers Don't Want to Be Dumped | |
| In a recent Sex in the City episode, Carrie experienced the "Post It Note" dump. She woke up and on her computer screen, the yellow sticker said, "Sorry. Can't do this. Don't hate me." Women hate to be dumped. | |
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| Ring, Ring, Ring...Pick Up The Phone! | |
| Great selling begins when the phone rings. This is your wonderful opportunity to set an appointment. The main point is to control the conversation. In addition, you going on a prospect call is the following. | |
| Who’s On First, What’s On Second | |
| I have an easy way for you to remember the 6 Important Qualifying Questions - Who--What--When-Where-Why-- $. Say them out loud, fast, 5 times. Do what my 13 year old does, write them on your hand. Here's why these 6 questions are important to your sales success. | |
| Who’s Your Real Competition? Try Home Depot! | |
| Although the above objections need a planned response, the true competition of on-site SR's in Home Depot! In other words, you are competing with the customer's notion of remodeling and staying in their existing home. | |
| Five Steps to A Better Presentation | |
| Published Florida Home Builder Magazine, January/February 1998. Here's the living room. Here's the dining room, this is the master bedroom, here's the blah, blah, blah..."Bor-innng! We've shown the same model 1,000 times, eaten lunch and dinner there, written contracts there at 10 p.m. .... it's hard to GET EXCITED about it! Remember to your prospect today is opening day! If you follow these five steps in demonstration, you will get more excited about every prospect you interact with and increase your sales! | |
| There’s A Buyer On the Line | |
| What is the main goal of the prospect phone call? TO GET THEIR BODIES IN THE DOOR!!! The SR above just answered their question and did not attempt to ask any questions or attempt to SET AN APPOINTMENT. | |
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