Scheduling the Next Appointment is Everything in New Homes Sales!

If the customer won't schedule the next appointment, you have nothing.

If a customer is unwilling to schedule the next appointment, you have nothing to work with my friends. It's crazy to me that this is still such a problem amongst salespeople. Top Sales Performers are absolute maniacs about always scheduling the next appointment.

You should ALWAYS have a next scheduled appointment coming out of every encounter, every conversation, and every appointment with a customer. The more you commit to scheduling the next appointment before they leave, the more sales you're going to make, and sooner.

I challenge you to start asking every single customer this question:

"Can I make a recommendation?" These 5 simple words are so powerful when it comes to being able to set the appointment with your customer. I'm dead serious, "Can I make a recommendation?" is an extremely powerful question when it comes time to transition into scheduling the appointment. Here's why.

Let's say you've gone through your sales process, (or as far as they will physically let you go) and you've found a great solution for them and have started discussing next steps. You feel like they're a great fit for you, your community, and your company. So now it's time to transition into scheduling the next appointment by starting with this phrase. "Can I make a recommendation?" Naturally the customer says, "Of course." You now sound like an expert who makes recommendations. And now they're completely open to your suggestion.

Next you say, "Why don't we schedule an appointment for. (date and time)? That way we'll have time to wrap up the process and work on any other questions you may have. Does that make sense?" And naturally there going to say (assuming you've done a great job up until then) "YES!"

This is important, and critical to setting the next appointment. You can't be guilty of letting the prospect say something wishy-washy like "Well, we will let you know" or "Well, we'll get back to you" and you just say "Okay."

"NO, NO, NO, NO!! We're not going to do that!!

Even if they say, "Could you give me a call in the next few days?" You say, "I'd be happy to do that, but let's also go ahead and schedule an appt. for Friday at 2pm, that way we won't miss each other."

This is very important, and it's critical for actually setting the appointment. I want you to make a COMMITMENT to yourself that you're never going to allow any selling situation to end without setting and clarifying the next sales encounter. Regardless of whether it's a conference call or an in-person appt.

You have to make sure that there is ALWAYS a next appointment and a next STEP before they leave!

So, your next question might be, so what do I do when the prospect gets a little bit squirrelly, and says, "This was a great conversation, and we really appreciate the time you've spent with us, but the timing just isn't right for us right now. We'll give you a call when we're ready." And then if you're not prepared, you're tempted to say something weak and lame like, "Ugghhh..., Yeah, Uhmmm sure, Uhmmm Okay, how about I give you a call back in a few weeks. Is Monday or Thursdays better for you?"

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!

Instead, you're going to have a backup plan for when they push back. Let's say the customer says, "I'm really busy the next few weeks. Could we just give you a call back in a few weeks, and maybe get back together then?"

When this happens, you're going to reply with your CONTINGENCY plan. "Mr. Smith, I really appreciate you saying that, but having done this for quite some time, I know that when people say this, it's usually because its's a nice way of saying they're not interested in getting together again. Is that what's going on here?

And then WAIT for their reply!!

When you do this, you're going to find that the customer will say one of two things. Either "Yes, this area, or isn't really working for us," or "No we would like to get together again, but we are really busy the next 2 weeks." In that case you can reply . . .

"Okay that sounds reasonable. What if we go ahead and schedule something for the following week so we can avoid the back-and-forth? We'll get back together the following Monday at 6pm. Does that work for you guys?"

Either way you're going to know right away whether the prospect is a qualified buyer who is interested in what you have to offer and wants to meet again, or they're a customer who is going to ghost you, and you won't know why??!!

I hope this was helpful my friends, and remember, your time is valuable, as is theirs. Don't waste either of your time, ask every time for the next appointment so you know where you stand and where they stand!!