Ask one of these questions at the critical decision point:
- Just out of curiosity, what needs to happen for you to make a decision about this?
- Just out of curiosity, what is it specifically you need some time to think about?
- Just out of curiosity, what’s stopping you from moving forward with this right now?
- Just out of curiosity, do you know why the average FSBO sells for significantly less than a home represented by a Realtor?
In each of these examples, what is imperative is that you remain quiet following your question. Silence becomes your friend; you must not prejudge their answer or put words in their mouth. They now know they need to give you a proper answer, and one of two things will happen.
Asking big, brave questions is exactly what you need to do to become a professional mind-maker-upper.
- Thing number one is that maybe twelve seconds go by. (This will feel like three weeks.) They will then come back with a real, honest answer, and you can work with that transparency.
- The second option would be that the time runs on longer. This is good news. Bite your tongue, sit on your hands, do nothing. Let the time go by. During this elongated pause, they are hunting for an excuse and often realize they do not really have one. They then respond with things like, “You know what, you’re right. There isn’t anything to think about,” or, “There is nothing that needs to happen,” or, “There is nothing stopping me.”
It’s the very fact that you were prepared to ask them the question they were not yet prepared to ask themselves that empowers them to make a decision you both know was right for them in the first place. Asking big, brave questions is exactly what you need to do to move from being just like everybody else to becoming a professional mind-maker-upper.”
From:”Exactly What to Say: For Real Estate Agents” by Phil M Jones, Chris Smith, Jimmy Mackin