New Home Sales in 2008 And Beyond
As the housing slow down begins to slow down’, many things have changed in new home sales. The days of consistent $100,000 commission each quarter are over, gone with the wind. The days of the order take sales person has also vanished, joining the ranks of stagecoach drivers and neighborhood blacksmith. So what is to become of us? Those dedicated and committed to the art, responsibility and fulfillment of helping family realize the dream of home ownership? It’s up to us. The 3 Truths below may be just what you need to survive.
Truth #1.
Thing have changed and will never be exactly like before.
This is not a “Who Moved My Cheese” warm and fussy, this is a fact. None of us like change, however, we have two options. Move On or Move Along. Deal with it, make the best of it, enjoy life, and still give 100%. That’s Move On. Get out of the business and change everything about your career path. That’s Move Along. Those are your choices. You can not stay in home sales, or for that matter any sales, with a bad attitude. You must stay positive about what you do. Please don’t deceive yourself, even when the pendulum swings and new home sale are back, most builders are going to limit sales people’s income. One divisional manager, of the second largest builder in the nation, actually told his sales team; “Sales people should make between $80 and $120,000”. If you stay, make sure you stay for the right reasons.
Truth #2.
Most builders treat sales people like second class citizens.
This should come as no surprise to most new home sales people. The majority of builders are construction driven and many construction minded managers believe homes sell themselves’. If you look at home sales in the boom times, there is some rational for this belief. Remember the days of the order taker? Hopefully as more and more of the “May I take your order down here?” sales people flee the business, those professionals that remain will earn more respect. In the meantime, when the “Special” meeting is called on two days notice, it won’t be for a Saturday. It will be on a Tuesday when half the sales team is off and must attend. Or write a contract at 9 PM on Saturday night, after 10 hours in the model, and see if I.T. can help with your computer problem. Don’t wait for a “Sorry” or a “Thank You.” It’s the life we have chosen. It’s what we do. Stay positive. That’s the key.
Truth #3.
You are in charge of you.
Simple? Yes. It almost sounds like a variation of the five year old who claims; “You’re not the boss of me!” It is, however, a very important truth. What you do with your time, talent, tools, training and temperament is up to you. Do you follow up with the families you met? Do you have a system or plan for selling? Do you stay organized? Does your head hit the pillow at night knowing you gave it your all? We can blame everyone from our manager to the product. From the location to the marketing company and yes, many times one or more of them are bad. We are, however, in charge of us. Everything we encounter, we react to. This is a natural behavior. How we react is a learned behavior. How will you behave today?