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As property managers, we have to remember that there are just some things out of our control. For example: a noisy neighborhood! From street noise to a rumbling railroad, noise in the areas surrounding our properties can have a direct impact on whether a prospect chooses to make our community their home. By utilizing one (or more!) of these 4 move-in gift options, you'll demonstrate that you're willing to do everything you can to help make living in your community a positive experience for them!

The Yes Close

Many sales professionals make the mistake of attempting to use the same closing technique on everyone. The truth of the matter is that our closing techniques must be as diverse as our customers. I suggest finding 3-5 techniques at first that you are most comfortable with and then putting them to practice.

Sales is all about listening. In fact, I'm pretty certain I heard a statistic once that the most effective sales people speak only 20% of the time (Yikes, get me a muzzle!). As you get to know your customer, you should be picking up on buying signals and personality traits that will help lead you to the right close. Below is a list of my Top 5 Closing Techniques, if you find that asking people for money is a little difficult, numbers 1 and 2 are a good place to start. As you build your confidence, you can work your way to numbers 4 and 5!

The Summary Close

This technique allows you to use the information the prospect has already given you or agreed upon to summarize their needs and really drill down to the feature+benefit+emotional appeal aspect. All you do is summarize how what you have fits in to their list of wants and needs. It may sound a little something like this:

"From what you have told me, you lead a very busy life. The convenience of our location to your job coupled with the fact that we have an onsite gym means you'll spend less time commuting and you'll have more time for the things that are most important to you. Plus, you really love this view! It sounds like we have checked all of your boxes, is there something keeping you from applying today?"

Did you ever play that game as a kid where you ask a series of questions you know will be answered with yes, only to follow up with a question that would typically be answered with a no, but because of the number of yeses you received your unsuspecting target answers with a yes? The "Yes Close" works exactly the same way! You summarize previously agreed-upon points into a stream of "yes" questions (usually 3-4) then ask for the sale. With yes on the mind, you'll get the go ahead. For instance:

You mentioned you wanted a first floor apartment, correct? Yes!
Was having a washer and dryer an important feature for you? Yes!
Is the location of our community convenient to your place of employment (assuming you already know where they are employed). Yes!
Do you like the amenities our community has to offer? Yes!
Can you picture yourself living here? Yes!
Are you ready to make this apartment your home? Yes!

The Which Close

A good sales professional asks questions to help narrow down a prospect's search and pinpoint the best possible options available. This is even more important in multi-family housing because Fair Housing laws require that we make all available housing options, available to anyone who qualifies. So, how do you create a sense of urgency, like the good sales professional that you are, and avoid showing every vacancy to every prospect without steering? You ask questions! You identify the prospect's needs. You narrow down the choices to 2-3 options based on what the prospect wants. You may have four, third floor apartments available but only one of those may have new appliances or gets the morning sun, or whatever. You narrow down the options to a limited few and once they have seen the options, you don't give a prospect the opportunity to tell you no. Simply ask, which apartment home do you prefer?

The Assumption Close

This is one of my favorites because I always just assume that everyone is going to do exactly what I want them to (And yes, I know what happens when you assume....YOU GET THE SALE!). This technique is actually really easy and requires a more confident approach, but still isn't straight up asking for the money. Ultimately, when you finish your sales presentation or tour, you simply "assume" the prospect is going to buy and you begin the next step. "Here's the paperwork I need you to complete, when do you want to pick up the keys?"

The Show Me The Money Close

This technique is all about the Benjamins baby! If asking for the sale comes easy to you, then you'll love this straight forward approach that works well with prospects who are sending off hot buying signals or want just the facts ma'am. It's as easy as saying, "How will you be paying today?"