The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (March 2024)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a monthly series presented by Melinda Brody & Company. It features some of the CRAZY things we have actually seen on New Home Video Mystery Shops. We are often asked....’did you MAKE THIS UP?’ The answer is NO. Everything you read in this series has actually been witnessed on a Video Mystery Shop. We couldn’t make this stuff up!!

In some cases, the names, dates and locations have been changed to protect the innocent (or NOT so innocent!)

If Melinda Brody & Company can help YOU and your team in any way, please contact us! We focus on Video Mystery Shops, One-on-One coaching, Sales Training, and MORE!

During the initial presentation the Sales Associate asked his prospects where else they were looking or considering purchasing a new home from. He discovered that they had looked at a competing community, Walden Ridge, and they were in the process of making a final decision between the two. The Sales Associate asked, "What is it that you liked most about Walden Ridge?" ?He discovered they liked the fact that the base prices of the competitor's homes were less. The Sales Associate then was able to compare pricing and showed the prospects that his homes actually offered many more ‘included features’ than the competition. He then showed them a ‘dare to compare’ analysis and the prospects discovered that they would actually be saving MORE money and getting included luxury features by purchasing with him!

PRO SALES TIP: Always know who you are competing with! Your prospects expect you to have INFORMATION about everything! You need to know your competitors’ communities and floor plans as well as you know your own. If you aren’t doing a monthly ‘competitive shop’ with your top 3 competitors, it’s time to start.

The Sales Associate had spent over an hour with the prospects, had bonded with them, and really felt like they were ready to purchase a new home with her. She sensed that they had fallen in LOVE with her Victoria floor plan and she THOUGHT they were ready, willing and able to move forward with the purchase of the home. However, the prospect had not done in-depth discovery or qualifying. She launched straight into ‘sales’ mode and immediately showed them houses and discussed benefits and features. At the end of their meeting, the SA suggested moving forward with the purchase of the home. The prospects looked surprised and said they weren’t planning on moving for at least another year. They had just started looking and were only in the ‘information gathering mode’.

PRO SALES TIP: As part of your Qualifying and Discovery session with your prospects ALWAYS ask them when they are planning on moving and what their buying motivation is. This will save you (and your prospect) a lot of time!

The prospects showed up for their appointment looking rather sloppy, as if they had just finished working out, mowing the grass, or rolled out of bed. They drove up to the sales office in a late model economy car. The Sales Associate immediately ASSUMED they could not afford his product in the community and basically told them to go look at the builder’s other community that was more of a ‘starter home’ community with much lower prices. Imagine his surprise when he learned that the prospects were very wealthy, cash buyers and they purchased from a competing luxury builder in the same community.

PRO SALES TIP: Never judge a book by its cover! If you haven’t read The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley, we suggest that you do. ?You might be surprised to learn that most wealthy and affluent buyers do not look, dress or act like the Kardashians!