Telling Isn't Selling Plus Two Other Lessons from Floyd Wickman

I was recently asked what I've discovered about selling, coaching, and building relationships over my years with The Floyd Wickman Team.

My answer? The fundamentals haven't changed nearly as much as people think.

The market changes. Technology changes. The way we communicate changes. But people still want to be heard, understood, respected, and cared for.

And that brings me back to three of Floyd's philosophies that are just as important today as they were when he first taught them.

1. Telling isn't selling

Think about your last listing appointment or buyer consultation.

Who did most of the talking?

You or the Client?

Floyd taught us that the person asking the questions controls the conversation. Not because we're trying to manipulate anyone, but because you can't possibly help someone until you understand what they need.

Too many salespeople are so anxious to demonstrate what they know that they forget to find out what the other person wants to know.

They talk about their marketing plan, their experience, their company, their past sales. All important information, perhaps. But is that what the Client needs to hear?

Maybe the Seller is worried about where they'll live after their home sells. Maybe the Buyer is afraid of making a mistake they'll regret. Maybe the objection you're hearing isn't the real objection at all.

You'll never know unless you probe.

And then LISTEN.

Here's an assignment for you: On your next appointment, make a conscious effort to ask more questions before you offer an answer.

You might be surprised by what you discover.

2. The first transaction isn't the finish line

I believe one of the greatest mistakes real estate professionals make is treating the closing as the end of the relationship.

It's not. Or at least it shouldn't be.

Anyone can make a good first impression. Anyone can deliver a polished presentation. But will those Buyers and Sellers remember you when they need help again? Will they trust you enough to introduce you to someone they care about?

That's how a real estate career is built.

Floyd taught us to build a Book of Business, not simply a list of names and addresses.

There's a difference!

Your Book of Business needs to be a roster of people whose lives you've had the privilege of touching. People who have trusted you with an important decision. People who know, long after the closing, that you still care about them.

That doesn't happen because you send them a postcard once a year.

It happens because you take a genuine interest in their lives. You stay in touch. You remember what's important to them. You offer your knowledge and experience without expecting something in return every time.

And when they need real estate advice, they know who to call.

What would happen if you reached out to five people in your Book of Business this week?  Not to ask for business. Not to tell them about the market.

Just to reconnect.

To find out what's happening in their lives.

And to listen and care.

3. Education without application is worse than worthless

That is one of Floyd's philosophies, and I've repeated it more times than I can count!

Think about how much time and money real estate professionals spend on education.

We attend seminars. We watch videos. We read books. We collect ideas.

And then what?

If you leave a training session excited about what you heard but don't change anything about what you DO, what did you really accomplish?

This is why Floyd designed his training around application.

We don't just teach a dialogue and hope you'll remember it when you're sitting across from a Seller.

We explain the thinking behind it.  We roleplay it so you say it naturally.  We ask you to use it on your appointments.  And then we hold you accountable.

This is why I believe so strongly in coaching. Knowing what to do and consistently doing it are two entirely different things.

If you know every prospecting technique by heart, but still have an empty appointment calendar, what good does it do you?

While some would agree their Book Of Business is important, they still go months without contacting the people in it.

Knowledge doesn't produce results. Application does.

My challenge to you this week is simple. Choose ONE thing you already know you should be doing. Then, just for 5 days in a row, do it consistently.

It always comes back to the fundamentals

After all these years, I still believe that selling is about serving people.

Ask better questions. Listen to the answers. Care about the person sitting across from you. Stay in touch after the transaction. And put into practice the skills you've worked so hard to develop.

There will always be another market shift, another technology, another shiny object promising to transform your business.

But don't allow those distractions to pull you away from what works.

The fundamentals built successful real estate careers decades ago. They're still building them today.

And the best part? You don't need to wait for the market to change to put them to work. You can start today.

Love, Mary