Notice in the example below how the real estate agent uses the information the Seller provides in each response to formulate the agent’s next question. These strings of questions allow the agent to stay in control of the conversation without educating, selling, or convincing the salesperson of anything, but still provide great value to the prospect. In fact, the agent says very little of substance, but still brings the sale to a close.

Agent: “Hi, I’m LS with The Way of Real Estate, and I’m wondering if you plan to move in the next 12 months.”

Seller: “Why, in fact, we are.”

Agent: “OK. And where will you move to?”

Seller: “Phoenix”.

Agent: “And when will be that?” (Up to this point, the conversation follows a knocking script.)

Seller: “Well, we’re not sure. I have a job starting there in four months, but my wife’s mother is very sick, so we can have the house until she dies.”

Agent: “I can see how your wife would feel more comfortable staying in the house. Is there a problem with keeping the house and selling it later?”

(I want to know why the obvious solution doesn’t work for him. He may or may not have thought of that.)

Seller: “Yeah, I have to buy back before the end of the year in Phoenix, and I’ll have to sell this one before I can.”

Agent: “So you need to sell before the end of the summer, but you don’t know how long your wife will have to stay in the house. What kind of solutions have you and your wife discussed?”

(I don’t want to make suggestions, especially when I would probably suggest things you’ve already thought of. This is the role of a sounding board.)

Seller: “Well, my wife is talking about renting an ocean view condo while I fix things in Phoenix.”

Agent: “Hmmm. So, between keeping the house and renting the condo, what do you think is the best solution for your situation?”

(The way of asking someone to “guess” between two things they’re undecided about often helps them choose the one they’re already unconsciously inclined to. People are often relieved to “guess.” I also agree with the respond anyway. I’d rather know now, before spending much more time with him, if he’s decided to keep the house.)

Seller: “Well, I guess the condo. His mom could last a long time yet, and I have a purchase to make in Phoenix before the end of the year. I’d rather my wife not have to deal with selling a house when I’m not here.” .

Agent: “Sounds like a reasonable option. Is there anything stopping your wife from agreeing with you? (I feel like this is the big problem, the one that makes it difficult for them to make the decision. I ask that you bring to the surface ideas that you may not be thinking about outright, but that need to be addressed so that you can make a decision.)

Seller: “Yes, she thinks she would like the familiar environment of her house at this point in her life.”

Agent: “That makes a lot of sense to me. So, on one hand, she has a strong emotional reason to stay in the house and you don’t want to upset her. And on the other hand, you need to sell and reinvest in Phoenix. What if you stay with the house and you don’t reinvest in Phoenix?

(I want to raise this topic, because it’s an option you have that you haven’t mentioned, and it will come up at some point.)

Seller: “It’s complicated. But I have a tax problem and if I can sell this one, I can transfer the equity to another house without paying capital gains.”

Agent: “I see. How do you think you’re going to make this decision?”

(Now he has all the problems laid out in front of him, so I’ll take him to a logical place of choice.)

Seller: “I think we need to have a serious conversation. The truth is that I have been avoiding it.”

Agent: “Well, since you have this talk, how can I support you with the real estate data you need?” (I’m not telling you any facts, but I’m telling you there are facts you could use.)

Seller: “Oh, well, what do we need to know?”

Agent: “I could set up some condo rentals for you and your wife to look at. Also show you the sales values ​​in your neighborhood, give you move-in quotes. That sort of thing.”

(I don’t want to start blabbering, just give enough for him to decide if he’s interested)

Seller: “I hadn’t thought of any of that. ”

Agent: “There are many ways I can add support, but not all of them would be helpful to you right now. Maybe you and your wife could come up with some ideas together about what you do and don’t need. How would you feel about doing that? ” (Now I have asked him to do something, but not for me or with me. It is a way for him to act).

Seller: “I think that’s a great idea.”

Agent: “Okay, fine. I’d like to continue our conversation after you’ve had a chance to talk to your wife. Would that be helpful?”

Seller: “Sure, I’ve enjoyed this.”

Agent: “Wonderful. So what’s the best way for me to follow up with the support that you and your wife are going to brainstorm about?” (I’m just closing an action you’ve already agreed to do. I’m not offering you a CMA or cleaning out your garage)

And so on.

Your role as a consultative salesperson in a conversation like this is to be a sounding board, not provide answers or explanations. It is following a protocol of asking a certain type of question using a question chain technique to help the prospect explore their situation. Your protocol gently steers the prospect in a direction that helps them make decisions. This is a highly consultative approach that supports a potential client in making decisions that are right for them. It’s also cleverly effective for you as a real estate seller. You could call it the yin/yang of the sale.