It’s true. I really don’t like salespeople, I don’t like to listen to a sales pitch and anytime someone says, "I just need twenty minutes in person to explain it to you", I already know in advance that whatever it is I don’t want it. And, for sure, I don’t want to listen to them explain it to me.
It is also true that I have made my living on straight commission since I was 17. I have not had a "job" or worked for wages, I’ve lived on commissions all these years. Several times over the years people who wanted to get me to sit still for a sales pitch so they could give me a "briefing" or "enlighten me" have pointed out that my attitude on this subject would harm by business. I don’t think so. In fact, I believe my attitude has helped my business.
Once I am interested in buying something I do want information: whatever facts and data I might consider important. But notice it is whatever facts and data I might consider important. I don’t want to be "rushed". I want to take my time. That amount of time might only be a few seconds, but still – I want to make my decision based on my time schedule not the schedule of someone else who needs to move things along. I don’t want to allow someone else to fixate my attention and then evaluate the relative importance of all the various "facts" for me. That’s my job.
The person who "only needs twenty minutes" wants to attempt to evaluate – for me – the relative importance of various data and then try to tell me what to think. All for my own good, of course. No thanks. I just want the facts, all of the relevant facts and then it is my job to decide which facts are important and which ones are not so important. To me. Those last two words are the key. To me. Which facts are important to me?
I believe it is the same, most of the time, with our buyers and sellers. In most cases we wouldn’t even be talking to them for very long if they weren’t interested in buying or selling real estate (I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t, anyway). My job is to make sure they have all of the relevant data. It is up to them to decide which of those data are "important". Is it a two-story home? Single level? Does it have a swimming pool? How close is the school? How much is the house? How much have other homes nearby sold for? Will I evaluate those last two for them? Absolutely. But it is still up to them to decide if it is the home for them or – if a seller – the offer is acceptable.
There are lots of examples of this but really, I want to treat them the way I would like to be treated. The way you would like to be treated.