Over recent years, the mortgage sector has put great effort into transitioning the role of a broker into one largely dedicated to trustworthy advice and consultation. While absolutely a positive journey, it’s imperative that brokers don’t let their sales muscles atrophy. Regulations and sector changes have certainly re-imagined the way that a broker can sell, but they haven’t taken away the need for them to do so.
Read more: Free tools to help you manage your sales pipeline
A modern broker still requires sales savvy and these are the top skills that can help:
Communication skills are important for practically every role, but they are especially necessary in sales. From basic skills with grammar and spelling to how to speak convincingly, communication makes up the better part of sales.
Recently, adapting your communication style to different platforms has become an especially useful skill. Speaking over video conferencing, for instance, requires different skills to face-to-face communication which is different again to email. Learning how best to modify your tone and word choice for the platform you use is really valuable.
Confidence is key. It may be a cliche, but it is one that’s earned its place. Approaching prospect conversations with confidence can go a long way to setting the potential client at ease. Coming across as self-assured makes it easy for clients to have faith that you won’t steer them wrong.
Know your audience. We’ve touched on this point several times, but it is crucial to success. All of your communication and interactions should be tailored to the type of prospect you are trying to reach.
Whether the audience is career landlords or first-time buyers, each audience will have different needs, questions and objections. Understanding what those will be, enables you to sell in a way that feels both personal and genuine.
Read more: Attracting first-time buyers
For brokers, referrals are a vital source of new business. Each client that you work with could introduce you to one or more prospects through their network. In order to make the most of that, knowing how to build (and maintain) relationships is a key aspect of selling.
Read more: Boosting customer retention with CRM
One skill set that doesn’t always get its due is thought leadership. Establishing yourself as a trusted and knowledgeable resource enables clients to feel secure in taking your advice. In addition, becoming a thought leader or industry expert is a great way to expand your reach and get your name in front of a much wider audience.
Don’t wait for questions or concerns to come to you. Instead, take the initiative to head them off before they become an issue. If you know that many of your clients have questions at a certain point in the process, be proactive and send them a solution ahead of time. Don’t give friction a chance to take root. Use your expertise to see when things may lose traction and act accordingly.
Read more: How to convert more enquiries
Great brokers have great sales skills. Spend some time developing and honing the above skills and you will undoubtedly see significant growth. But above all, keep the client in mind and work to provide the best service possible. Providing a great experience makes the job of selling that much easier.