By Tom Branch, on July 20th, 2010 
I was dropping off a deposit at my local bank this afternoon. After taking care of business, I prepared to exit the parking lot.
I had to go left across 3 lanes traveling the other direction. I cleared to the right and noted a vehicle in the center lane, I looked left and had oncoming traffic but had plenty of room. I pressed on the accelerator on the Smart Car. I remembered that car in the middle lane so I turned into the closet lane.
The next thing I hear are horns blaring and the see the other car pulling into my lane. I’m not sure if he started into my lane before I started across or if he wanted in while I was turning left. He was so close to me that I could not see the front of his car and his hands were waving frantically.
I made the next left and he followed me, I made a quick turn into a parking lot and while he started to follow, he decided otherwise and pulled back into traffic.
If I was at fault, he has my apologies. If he saw me coming across and decided to change lanes, there’s not much I could do after I started across.
Either way, a little courtesy would have gone a long way.
By Tom Branch, on July 19th, 2010 
Where Short Sales are concerned, the REALTOR®’s role is crucial. Proper pricing is always important, but it’s even more important with a Short Sale, because the foreclosure clock is ticking.
If the house goes on the market at too high a price, valuable marketing time is lost. The majority of showings occur in the first few weeks of being on the market, so you want to make sure the house is priced properly when it goes on.
Once an offer is accepted and a contract executed, that’s when the real work starts for the REALTOR®. The first step of course is completing the paperwork and gathering all the necessary documents.
Sending a complete Short Sale package in to the bank on the first pass is important. Otherwise the package just sits there until someone decides to let the REALTOR® know what’s missing. This could be days. This could be weeks. Sometimes the bank won’t call at all. They will just let the file sit until the REALTOR® calls and asks for a status update. The bank will not process any part of the package until they receive the entire package. Again, the foreclosure clock is working against us so we can’t afford to waste any time.
Once the bank receives the entire Short Sale package, it will go to a pre-processing department where the information will be verified. Next, the file will be assigned to a negotiator who should contact the REALTOR® with an update. If it took longer than 30 days to for the package to make it into a negotiator’s hands, sometimes they will require updated documents – pay stubs, bank statements, etc. They always want to work with the most current information. Then it’s time to review the offer contract and the other documentation provided by the buyer. If everything checks out, the bank will forward the package to their investor for approval.
The investor will either approve or deny the Short Sale. If it’s denied strictly based on the numbers, the negotiator will typically submit a counter offer back to the listing agent. If the bank needs a higher price for the house, the listing agent has to go back to the buyer’s agent and negotiate that. Sometimes buyers walk away at this point; other times they will bring their price up to meet the bank’s counter offer.
The sales price of the property is usually the biggest reason that a Short Sale will be denied. However, after reviewing the borrower’s financial information, the lender may determine that the borrower can repay the note or has the means to pay off the shortage.
We’ve seen a huge increase in “strategic foreclosures” where borrowers have decided to walk away despite having the means to pay the note. They have decided that they are so upside down that it’s financially better to walk away than to suffer the huge loss of keeping the property. Some of these homeowners attempt a Short Sale to avoid the negative credit impact of a foreclosure
Once everything is negotiated and all terms are agreed upon, the Short Sale can move forward.
By Tom Branch, on July 18th, 2010 
I recently wrote a blog titled, Five Types of Salespeople.
Many of the comments talked about the Problem Solver and the Counseler so I promised a follow-up piece with more details on the two. What I found interesting is that in reducing the text for a single blog, the “types” took on different meanings in the shorter context.
Here are the Problem Solver and the Counselor in their original forms.
Problem Solver
These are salespeople who enjoy getting in front of people, ferreting out problems, needs and wants, and discussing workable solutions. They have empathy for the customer, can see the customer’s needs from the customer’s point of view, and enjoy helping the customer solve their problems.
The problem‑solving person is good at establishing rapport with the prospect or customer, identifying what their needs, wants and desires are, developing creative proposals, and making effective presentations.
But when it comes time to ask for the order, or to close the sale, they tense up, lose their confidence, or otherwise fail to close the sale. Their customers or prospects, now having their needs identified and solutions presented, go elsewhere looking for a “better buy.”
This salesperson has done all the work, and an Order Taker for another company gets the sale – and the commission. After the Peddler, this is the next most common type of salesperson.
Counselor
In the business world, it’s not uncommon for companies and corporations to have a staff of lawyers, or “legal counsel,” on retainer to give advice in matters pertaining to the law, taxes, investments, mergers, or other difficult or legal situations.
The Counselor knows that when it comes to important buying decisions, his or her customers – be they companies, corporations, or individuals – should be no different.
To them, buying any type of product or service is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly, and can be an important tool for satisfying a need, solving a problem, or adding to their profits, convenience or lifestyle.
They know that their customers need professional and qualified representation and advice, and the Counselor will do whatever it takes to provide it for them.
Like corporate legal counsel, this salesperson postures him or herself as being “on retainer,” always available to give advice on matters pertaining to the products or services they sell. They make it clear in the customer’s mind that there is absolutely no need for them to go anywhere else for answers to the problems their products or services can solve.
The Counselor knows how to establish rapport, build professional trust and credibility, identify their customer’s current problems, develop effective proposals, offer credible and workable solutions, and make the presentation in such a way that their customers have no question in their minds that they must buy the concepts the Counselor presents, and hence, the product or service.
In addition, they have the ability to point out other potential problems that the customer might encounter, and help them solve those needs as well.
Salespeople who function at this skill level also carefully review the customer’s needs, both stated and unstated, and skillfully set in motion a plan to address those needs either now, or at a later, more convenient date.
Objections rarely come up because the Counselor has taken the time to anticipate what objections may arise, and then build the answers to the potential objections into his or her presentation.
This salesperson will get every drop of business the customer has, not because of price, but because the customer knows the salesperson really cares about them, understands their needs, and is willing to take the time to identify those needs and offer workable and credible solutions.
Epilogue
Are you someone they might classify as a “typical salesperson” – someone who is out to sell them another product or service, or who is interested more in the sale or commission they’ll earn?
Or do your customers and prospects view you more as a counselor – someone they like and can relate to and who is genuinely interested in them, and is making sure they have the right product for their individual and specific needs, at the best possible price? And in the event that what they’ve purchased does not or will not work for them, or if they’re not satisfied for any reason, will you make things right?
By Tom Branch, on July 18th, 2010 
Just as different salespeople have their own different and unique personalities, they also have different skill levels when it comes to selling and servicing their clients.
As we discuss the various types of salespeople and classify them according to their skill level, you will no doubt recognize some of the people you know or have encountered in the past. And as we do, take an honest look at yourself to see where you might fit.
Professional Visitor
This person doesn’t have any problem making appointments. In fact, they thrive on it. They enjoy visiting and talking to people, getting to know them, and may even engage in a casual discussion of their customers’ problems.
Order Taker
These people don’t mind talking to customers, clients or prospects, if they don’t have to initiate the call. They are uncomfortable making appointments, and would rather have the customer or prospect come to them.
Peddler
These are “sales‑oriented” people. They have good product knowledge, but severely lack “people skills.” They operate from a sort of “hit‑and‑run” approach.
Problem Solver
These are salespeople who enjoy getting in front of people, ferreting out problems, needs and wants, and discussing workable solutions. They have empathy for the customer, can see the customer’s needs from the customer’s point of view, and enjoy helping the customer solve their problems.
Counselor
In the business world, it’s not uncommon for companies and corporations to have a staff of lawyers, or “legal counsel,” on retainer to give advice in matters pertaining to the law, taxes, investments, mergers, or other difficult or legal situations. The Counselor knows that when it comes to important buying decisions, his or her customers – be they companies, corporations, or individuals – should be no different.
To them, buying any type of product or service is a serious matter, not to be taken lightly, and can be an important tool for satisfying a need, solving a problem, or adding to their profits, convenience or lifestyle. They know that their customers need professional and qualified representation and advice, and the Counselor will do whatever it takes to provide it for them.
How do your clients see you?
By Tom Branch, on July 17th, 2010 Detailed Market Analysis data for Allen, Texas:
The Allen, Texas market is still very stable. Year-over-year statistics reflect modest gains in almost every key factor. I believe June-over-June is down because of the impact of the Federal Tax Credit that moved sales into the earlier months of the year. This marked decrease is the rebound effect.
Source: CCAR and NTREIS
By Tom Branch, on July 15th, 2010 
We’re pleased to announce that our new mobile website is up and running.
We recently selected MobiCentric to provide our mobile website along with mobile IDX. The website includes a homepage with quick search function, an Advanced Search page, a Featured Properties page, an About Us page, and a Contact Us page. All pages are optimized for mobile viewing.
Not only can a user visit our .mobi page, but MobiCentric includes specialized code for our .com site that detects mobile devices and forwards those users to our .mobi.
You can visit our mobile website at http://www.thebranchteam.mobi.
By Tom Branch, on July 13th, 2010 
CRIME ALERT!
We had a resident become a victim of a crime earlier this week. Despite an active Crime Watch Program, one of the residents in the neighborhood had the wheels and tires stolen off their vehicle.
It’s always a good idea to park vehicles in the garage rather than in the rear of the house or on the street.
Source: Ridgeview Ranch HOA
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