50+ Ways to Double Your Produciton

#4 Qualify Everyone First, no exceptions. Top producers do this every time no matter what. Friends and family? Same thing, but grill them twice.
 
Quick qualifiers: "You're interested in buying a house? Great, because I help people buy houses! Let me ask you a couple of quick questions and I'll have a better idea of how I can help you. Do you have just a minute?
 
1. Why are you thinking of buying right now?
2. What would happen to you if you couldn't?
3. What's the maximum cash you have to work with right now? Does that include your closing costs?
4. Suppose I found you the right home, and it was what you wanted, but the only way it would even work was if you could come up with another $_____.
Is there any point in showing you that home, or should we show it to one of our other buyers?
5. What's the highest monthly payment you would even consider? Does that include your taxes and insurance?
6. That's fine, but just suppose I found you the right house and the only way it would ever work, given your down payment, was if you could come in with another $____ per month. Knowing that, is there any point in showing you that house, or would you rather we sell it to one of our other buyers?
* 7. What are all the things you want in the home you're going to buy?
8. Which of those things could you do without if you had no choice?
9. And…?
10. And if you REALLY had no choice?
 
* If the buyer feels pressured, say:
"Please understand that it doesn't make any difference to me. All that matters to me is that you get what you want, you can afford what you select, that you make can make a decision and that you allow be to be your agent. But it's your money and your choice and I can't be the one who decides for you where you can't live.
If you want to stay within those financial conditions, that's fine with me and I'll do my best to help you there. But wouldn't it be a shame if I found a place you really would have liked and would have bought, but I didn't even show it to you because I thought there was no way you could come up with a penny over $27,000. But for, say, $28,000 you could have had it all. I don't know how it's going to turn out, and if you want to stay within the $27,000 there's where I'll look. But if I run across the one you want, knowing it would take $28,000 to get you in, should I show it to you or not?"
 
After all the questions are answered, if you suspect any problems, you can tell the buyer about them:
"Let me ask you something. What you have just described is going to be a problem. Let me tell you what it is and you can tell me what you would like to do. If I understand you correctly, you are hoping to buy property around here, but you won't need anything for another seven or eight months. Is that right?
"Then my advice is to wait for about six or seven months before you even look. If you saw it today and it was a special place, I promise it will be gone LONG before you are ready. And if you saw it today but it stayed on the market for another seven or eight months from, THAT's the one with a leaky roof or a cracked slab. Does that make sense?
"Then thanks for coming in. Shall I keep in touch with your every month or so?"