The Lesson My Dad Had To Learn

My parents divorced when I was in my 30's. It wasn’t a shock. And it was very civil.

Over the next few months I saw my dad letting himself go. He wasn’t taking care of his teeth; wasn’t getting his hair cut; and sometimes he wore shirts out in public that were dirty. (So NOT him!)

He needed something to look forward to… A reason to get up in the morning. And something to talk to others about that he enjoyed.

I talked him into getting his real estate license and working in the same office I worked in. (I was a realtor for several years until having child #6 – call me Susie Slacker! LOL)

He decided to specialize in farms and acreages. Made perfect sense since he was a retired farmer.

He would stop by farms and rekindle friendships or build new ones. He knew which farmers were older and would probably be selling in the net few years.?

He was very busy – and happy – with what he was doing. He KNEW that it would pay off.

But when one farmer he’d been talking to listed with someone else, dad was hurt. He took it personally.

A month later, another farmer did the same thing.

I asked my dad if he’d had the conversation with these farmers to see if they were considering selling, and if so, when, etc.

My dad looked at me in indignation like I had just grown 2 heads!

“No! I never once mentioned selling – I didn’t want them to think I was some sleezy realtor!”

Since my dad personally knew these people, I can only assume that since my dad didn’t ask, the farmers thought he wasn’t interested in listing their properties.

My dad made a common mistake many people in sales make... they are afraid to ask for the sale so they beat around the bush and "hope" it will work out.

It’s so easy to get caught up in “building relationships” and staying in the “friend” zone that we don’t take a moment and actually ASK if the person is interested…

If we do ask, we learn what the person is thinking, what are they struggling with, and gain clues on what to share so we are hitting their pain points and helping them to see we have the solution.

Remember, if we don’t ask, the answer is always NO.

If you struggle with asking for the sale, especially online, I can help. Words are my gift. And I love creating messages that get engagement and conversations going and the transition statements that move the conversation from "friend" to "business" in a way that is a natural progression. :)

Send me a DM and we'll set up a time to chat. No pressure. No obligation. And no pitch-slapping! LOL