Mike Browning

Tag: Sales Tactics

  • Ambushed By A Salesman In Real Time

    Ambushed By A Salesman In Real Time

    We both know why you should do certain things. And why you don’t.

    I keep coming back to this one: people put off stuff they already know they should deal with. Not because they’re lazy. Because they’re avoiding a hassle they’re pretty sure is coming.

    Take your land. You’re not looking to sell it today. But knowing what it’s worth, and what’s happening around it, can’t hurt you. You’d have the information sitting there if anything changes. If a neighboring tract comes up for sale, you’re not finding out last. And if it’s a good deal, you might be ready to move on it first.

    So why do most people pass when someone offers them free information?

    Mostly because they’ve been burned before.

    Mention you’re the slightest bit curious what your property’s worth and your mind jumps straight to a timeshare pitch. Numbers too good to be true. A guy who won’t take no for an answer.

    You ask one question. The phone starts ringing. And doesn’t stop.

    So you let it go. Not worth the hassle.

    That happened to me last week. My truck’s had a couple of recalls sitting open for a while (nothing major), and I’d been putting it off because I didn’t want to spend an afternoon at a dealership. A card came in the mail with a QR code, said I could schedule online. Figured I’d try it. The site barely worked, so I gave up after a few minutes.

    Except it worked fine, for what it was actually built to do.

    Within minutes my phone rang. Sales manager at the dealership. I let it go to voicemail. He wanted to know what car I was interested in and when I could come in for a test drive.

    A few minutes later, an email. Somehow he’d copied my wife on it too, asking what we were “working a deal” on.

    I asked for service. They tried to close me on a car I never mentioned.

    That’s the move. That’s why people stop raising their hand.

    When you raise yours with me, that’s not what happens. I’ll reach out, sure. Lightly. No pressure, no script.

    You can decide for yourself what that’s worth.

    PS -Most landowners aren’t planning to sell today.

    But things change. The ones who already understand the market tend to handle that better when it does.

    That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for. It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details affecting value that aren’t obvious from the road.

    Is it a bad idea to know where things stand?

    Get Yours Here

    PPS- If you’re not ready for a Reality Check but enjoy reading about land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.

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  • Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Sometimes people say things that don’t really make sense, but also make perfect sense. (Hey, there’s another one.)

    Years ago, ex-Hardline host Mike Rhyner said it on The Ticket. I think it might have been part of a spot for a car dealer, but I don’t remember for sure.

    What the Old Gray Wolf was getting at is this: everyone likes having a new car (or a used one that’s new to them), but nobody likes going through the process. From the moment you walk onto the lot and a salesman makes a beeline for you… to the haggling… to the warranty pitch you don’t need — it’s just a beating.

    Most people hate it. Me? I’ve learned to kind of enjoy it.

    But I negotiate for a living, so going through an adversarial situation like that is more like practice.

    For most people, though, it’s not that way. From the time you arrive, you feel like you’re being pushed along in a process.

    News flash: people don’t like that.

    Even when you’re doing something you want to do (like buying a car), the moment you feel like you’re being pushed, you instinctively want to push back.

    There’s a book called Power vs. Force by David Hawkins. A good chunk of it leans a little “woo woo” for my taste, but the core point is dead on:

    • Force pushes. Power pulls.
    • Force burns energy. Power builds it.
    • Force meets resistance. Power creates cooperation.

    Car sales tend toward the “force” side. And it makes sense — the dealer knows there are countless other cars out there, and if you leave without buying, the odds you come back are slim. So they push.

    Residential real estate can work the same way. Lots of supply (even in tight markets), and buyers and sellers are often under time pressure. Using force can move things along, but nobody likes it — and it’s a big reason the stereotypical agent gets a bad name.

    But land and lots?

    That’s a different world.

    There’s rarely real pressure to sell. If you don’t get the offer you want, you can just wait. Which means there’s no reason to force anything.

    If I try, you’re just going to push back.

    So I don’t.

    I lean into the power side — using cooperation to create a good experience, even if a sale doesn’t happen. It’s better for you, and it works for me.

    You end up feeling like you were dealt with the way you’d want to be, and you’re never left wondering whether I was working for you or just working you.

    No pressure. In this part of the market, it’s not just a better way — it’s the only way.

    I’d never push you to do anything… but is it a bad time to look at the current market for your property?

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
    Get a FREE, no obligation report on what it could sell for today.
    Get Your Lot Valuation

    Own land instead?
    Get a report for that here:
    Get Your Land Value

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  • The salesman’s doom loop: chase, convince, close.

    The salesman’s doom loop: chase, convince, close.

    If I’m “explaining”, I’m already losing

    You’ve seen it before, especially with car dealers. You so much as glance at a car online or ask for a quote to sell yours, and suddenly you’ve got your own personal stalker. Usually a guy. He’ll message, call, email, daily, like his only job is bugging you.

    And the more you say “not interested,” the more he hears “maybe later.”

    I swear, ignoring them works better than saying no.

    That’s the “chase” part.

    If you show even a flicker of interest, they move to the “convince” phase. You’ll hear every reason you should do what they want — buy the thing, sign the deal, whatever — completely ignoring the fact that it helps them way more than it helps you.

    They’re just trying to wear you down at that point. It’s exhausting.

    As a customer, it sucks. And if you’ve ever been in sales and your boss made you do it, you know it feels pretty gross.

    Even if you end up saying yes, are you really happy about it? Usually not.

    Then comes the “close.” You walk through the door or agree to a meeting, and now it’s game time.

    They say whatever they need to say to lock it down. Pressure ramps up.

    Nobody’s enjoying themselves at that point.

    I get this same nonsense all the time. People trying to sell me real estate marketing subscriptions. It’s awkward for both sides. I’ve even said yes a few times. Never happy I did.

    Turns out the stuff that’s actually useful doesn’t require a hard sell. Go figure.

    I’m sure you’ve had real estate agents do similar things. Show a little curiosity and suddenly you’ve got someone “following up” forever. You get hit with every sales tactic in the book, some you didn’t know existed. Then if you finally agree to meet, the first listing or offer that comes up is always “perfect.”

    Yeah, sure it is. Cue the close.

    It’s not fun.

    So I don’t do it that way.

    Yes, I send these emails. But I’m not chasing anyone. And I’m not going to browbeat you or wear you down into working with me.

    If anything, you’ll have to chase me, because I only work with people who actually want to work with me. Not folks I had to “convince.”

    I try to make these messages useful, maybe even a little entertaining. There’s good info in here, especially if you read between the lines. Some of it about land and real estate, some just about how the world works. You can unsubscribe anytime.

    But if I’ve got something that will help you and I don’t speak up, what good am I?

    I’m around if you ever need me. No chasing. No convincing. No closing. When you’re ready, we move forward.

    If it makes sense for both of us.

    Simple as that.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
    Get a FREE, no obligation report on what it could sell for today.
    Get Your Lot Valuation

    Own land instead?
    Get a report for that here:
    Get Your Land Value

    Just a glutton for punishment?
    Sign up now to get more articles like this in your email.
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