KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Mastering Real Estate Conversations That Convert

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Summary:This episode is a deep dive into the art and science of sales conversations for real estate agents. It moves beyond basic scripts to teach the psychology of converting leads into loyal clients. Listeners will learn tactical questioning techniques to uncover true motivation, frameworks for handling the most common objections with confidence, and strategies to build instant rapport. This is a masterclass for any agent looking to elevate their communication skills, increase their conversion rates, and ultimately close more deals by mastering what to say and how to say it.

Right. Welcome, everybody. This is part five of going through this process of jumpstarting your particular career in whether it's an entrepreneur in the real estate space or you want to call yourself a real estate who is becoming an entrepreneur. Now, one of the key areas that I've actually come to realize in a sales environment is the conversations that you have with people can make a huge difference. And today what I want to go through is how to actually become what we can refer to as a sales master. Now, a sales master by definition is a person that has a high level of skills when it comes to having a conversation with somebody, but also has a high level of knowledge on the actual topic itself. So that's how you become a sales master. Now, the knowledge on a specific topic, that's something that you would be passionate. about. You would get all the resources and information, whether it's a product, whether it's a service, whatever you're offering. You need to understand it to the absolute highest possible

level. So once you've got that knowledge, you then need to master the skill, which is having that conversation where you can actually deliver it. And that's what I want to go through in the session is to really show you how you can elevate your conversations to that high level. Now, I'm to be sharing with you two acronyms that are absolutely powerful and it's really it's kind of like a technique that you can use when you're having a conversation with individuals and i'm also going to share with you one of the classic objections that you may receive and how to turn that into your favor it is a very very simple technique it's a skill that you can learn once you can understand that and you'll actually hear the key little phrases that come from your clients,

you're actually going to be smiling in the back of your head because you can go, this is amazing. I just leave this particular conversation and suddenly, whoops, it changes, and the objection actually becomes an opportunity. So it's a very, very simple technique. I've used it for over 20 years. I was taught it back in 2001 by one of my mentors. and it honestly, it just transformed the way I had sales and conversations with people

when they come back and they say, oh, no, that's too expensive. And you suddenly go, all right, let's go through this particular process. So let's have a look at the very first. And the very first is to become very effective as a sales master. And it's all to do with the conversation. Now, the very first acronym that I'm going to share with you is an acronym. It's called Brave. Be Brave.

So brave. B-R-A-V-E. That is the actual word. That is the acronym that we're going to be going through just quickly so that you can have a very, very effective sales conversation. So on a piece of paper, just write B-R-A-V-E basically underneath each other so that you can actually have the space to find out what each one of those letters actually means. So the B. And the B is actually, it's just be yourself. be your authentic self so too often i've had conversations with a salesperson and you kind of catch

them off gone they're busy speaking to another sales consultant they're very calm they're very relaxed their language is not the most appropriate at times but it's it's very natural because that's who they are then you come up to them and you say hey by the way i just like to get some information and suddenly it's like they've done a transformation suddenly they're prim they're proper they're They're talking with words that actually make absolutely no sense because they're trying to elevate themselves to somebody else. And you pick that up straight away. So one of the big things here is be your authentic self. If there are certain words that you don't naturally use when you're actually having conversations with people,

don't suddenly add them into your repertoire of words that you use because it just may not come in the wrong. right context when you're actually having that conversation with somebody. So don't go and use words that you don't actually understand yourself, but you heard it. And because it sounds cool, you want to actually use it. Because you might be speaking to somebody that is at an extremely high intellect. They understand that word to the highest possible level. And what you're telling them makes absolutely no sense. So the be is be yourself.

Be your authentic self as you're going. through. It also is going to help you feel a lot more calm and relaxed as you're going through this actual conversation. The second, the R, is you need to build rapport. All right. So building rapport with your clients is so important. And this is where a second acronym, I've shared this so many, so many times, the second acronym that we're actually going to bring into it. And so But building rapport, actually, we use this particular acronym. Now, so at the bottom of your page, you can just write this down. It's the Ford method, F-O-R-D.

So the Ford method is related to rapport. And this will just help you to expand on how to have a conversation with somebody that's in an easy particular way. So now you're calm, you're relaxed, you're authentic. You're now going to start building rapport. So what do you do? Well, having a conversation with somebody. If you've got this Ford method in the back of your mind and you just use the structure, the conversation is going to feel very natural.

So it starts like this. Hi, how are you doing? Fantastic. You now the F is for family. You can start asking them questions about the family. Hey, is this your child? That's fantastic. How big is your family?

You can start asking questions that are family related. How's the family doing? If you know them a little bit better, how's your son? I'll see he's just finished school. He's going into college. Asking these particular questions, really it's a high level and it really starts to break the ice. It's really one of the biggest ice break is that you can actually ask someone because you are coming from a level of compassion and you're actually asking something which is not, hey, do you want to buy this? You're not just jumping straight in with an actual sales.

You're actually calming the situation down. So building rapport starts with the Ford method, F for family. Just ask questions about the family. It then goes through to O and O is all about the organization, which is their business. And asking about the business can be, hey, you're using this particular product in your business. Hey, how is your business going? It's a very low level conversation about the organization, about their business. How's business going?

Hey, I see that you're expanding into these particular areas. Hey, I'd see you want this particular product. How's this product going to assist you in your particular business? So having that, you'll find the conversation starts to go backwards and forwards. Now, the O is actually probably one of the key components when you're actually building rapport. Why? Because now you need to start doing that active listening, hearing their requirements, hearing everything. And the reason for that is when we come to objections later, it's this information that they're sharing with you that you can actually use back on them and actually changing the conversation.

So you're building rapport. You've already had a conversation about their family just to break the ice. You start going into the organization about their business and seeing how things start to build from there. What you'll find is those conversations around the organization can actually go for a longer period of time. And then it gets to an awkward silence movement sometimes. And that's when you'll actually go onto the R. So R starts to bring it down. And that is for recreation.

Those are the hobbies, things that people like to do for fun. And it's really having those conversations to just see, hey, you're using this in what environment. You know, what are you guys like doing on the weekends? Just having those conversations, it starts to bring it down. And this again starts to open up so you get to know and understand the individual at a much deeper level. So asking about the recreations, hobbies, funds, etc. Really brings everything together. And then it comes down to the D.

The D is actually for dreams and desires. And one area that I've used often is when they're talking about a particular hobby, I like to add a little bit of humor. And I always say to them, just imagine this. Just imagine if you actually was making an income from that hobby. So that's actually a dream, a desire, something that they really enjoy that's doing fun. I've had conversations with people that love playing golf.

And when I finish it, I'll say, Just imagine if you're playing golf and actually making a living out of it, playing the Ned Bank million dollar golf tournament, winning that tournament, and actually getting a prize money of nearly $8 million in your bank account, how would that actually make you feel? And it's dollars, by the way. And you can see the smile that goes on their face.

So building rapport is using that Ford method, family to break the ice, organization to really get deeper, dig deeper, dig deeper, getting those words fumbled, around so digging deeper to really understand the business environment that they're in the are as the recreations as are basically what they like to do for hobbies fun etc and the dreams and desires is taking what they want and seeing what it would look like in the future and actually pulling it all together now this is a conversation that you can have in any scenario so whether

it's a social whether it's a formal you can use that forward method to build rapport so so important Now, now we're going back on to that acronym, the brave. So we've covered the B, be yourself. The R is the rapport. Now, the A is something that is so, so key. You see, by being yourself, you'll be calm and relaxed. Building rapport, you will ask questions and you're going to get a lot of information. The A is about actively listening.

That is so, so important. Actively listening means that you're not talking. It means that you're actually listening, you're having eye contact with them, you're actually nodding, you're actually feeling what they're actually saying to you. And you can even use phrases like, wow, if I heard you correctly, you actually said that you're taking your business internationally. That is amazing. So the A is actively listening, such an important part because you're going to start

building up so much information about your particular clients that you will then, be able to lead into, which is the V offering value. You see, once you know what your clients needs and what your clients wants, then you can come and you can add value. So the V is offering a value to that particular client. One of the actual areas that I've actually seen with clients or with salespeople, they start with the value. Hey, we have this particular television.

It is X amount of inches wide. it has this, it has this, it has this, adding all of these different valued features without understanding me and my requirements. So that value really must come in after you've done that rapport building and actually got that conversation going, listening to their wants and their needs, and then all you're doing is you're matching your value to what they require. Now, this leads us to the very last part because some salespeople, they will offer value that just doesn't exist. We need something within 24 hours. Absolutely.

We can deliver in an hour, but they're like 600 kilometers apart. So this leads us to the last acronym letter, which is the E. And this is understanding the expectations. And understanding the expectations, as you've actively listened, you know, they want to needs, you've offered your value, your value offering through to them, that will engage in further conversations with that particular client. And now you can start setting those expectations, expectations of from yourself of as to what you can deliver, as well as expectations from the client, what they require. Hey, we actually require this to be sold

within seven days. We actually require this product to basically be in store. We actually require this product to basically be installed by the end of tomorrow afternoon. So having these expectations is so important. This was one of the fundamental failures of a big company that I was dealing with a couple of, well, just in December. I ordered some material to do some building. Now, the expectation is I went onto their websites. I ordered the product.

It said it there. It said it's in stock. I placed the order. I paid for it. And this was going in connection with contractors that were coming through. So everything was timeline. Everything was in place. They said delivery within three to five days. And I thought that is absolutely perfect. They had given me an expectation. However, two weeks later, no delivery. I was on the phone call to them asking them. The first consultant basically said to me, we are humbly apologize about this inconvenience. We will get it out within one to two days.

So they set a new expectation. Now, I made all the arrangements. A week later, still had not been delivered. My phone call was very straightforward and simple to them. Please cancel, refund and send me my money back. To this day, I will never place another order with that company ever again. why because the expectations that they set which was in black and white they did not meet their integrity has been lost and ultimately I will take my business elsewhere and that's

exactly what a lot of customers do so when it comes down to expectations make sure they are digging into to understand their expectations and what you can deliver on your side and once you've got that balance you're actually in for a very effective sales conversation. So use this acronym. It's called brave. So be brave. So the B is basically be yourself, be your authentic self.

The R is build that rapport with the clients. The A is make sure that you're actively listening through this process. The V is offer your value, whether it's a service or a product to your particular client. And then the E is understand the expectations that's. are met from your side and their requirements. This will actually elevate everything to that next level. Now, that's a great way that you can actually start to build those conversations as you're going through. However, there's always this little caveat that comes into it every now and again, and these are the objections. And objections are something that so many times can knock a salesperson

right out. And this is a skill that you can actually learn. Now, I want to just give you the very high level overview of the skill so that you actually understand how to transform it from an objection into an opportunity. All right. So one of the greatest objections that actually comes out is price. You're too expensive. This is something that always comes out. You're too expensive. I can get this product cheaper from somebody else. I know somebody who will offer me a better commission rates than you. Price always comes up. Now, one thing that I've always learned, price does not mean a sale can be going forward or will collapse. If everything is based on price, people will just go for the cheapest. But why is it? Some clients, they ignore the price. And the reason for that is they

see the value in the actual service offering. So when we start, simple little process. Step number one, if someone comes to you and talks about price, oh, you're too expensive, I can get it cheaper somewhere and somewhere else. You start by acknowledging that objection. I understand price is important to you. You actually acknowledge it. Now, by acknowledging it, what actually happens is a sales or an actual customer, they will confront you and they actually feel.

this is too expensive. I'm not interested. But when you actually acknowledge them, you actually start playing in their court if you want to. So you're actually on their side and they're a little bit more open to having a question, having a conversation. And then you start saying, I understand. The second part is, can I ask you what specific service feature or benefit are you looking for? So in essence, what we're actually done is we acknowledge the price or the objection. We then ask them the question. So what specific service feature? And ultimately what this question does is it takes their focus away from the price onto what they want.

Now, if you remember, when we're going through building rapport and having everything about the organization, we would have understood what they're looking for in their business. We'll understand their business a little bit deeper. So that's why it's so important that we have that conversation. And then when we get to the objections, we're actually understanding. Oh, but you actually mentioned that you're looking for this within the next two weeks. We actually have an ex-stock. And I know that a lot of our competitors, they don't actually have it in stock.

So it's going to be something where, well, we can do it right now. We can actually fulfill it. You need to understand it. Understand their particular concerns because there's a reason they've come to you for this particular product or service. Now, once you can understand and get clarity on that, well, now it's a matter of just saying, hey, well, this is my unique value proposition. And you can always start. We might be a little bit more expensive. However, we have this.

And it actually talks to them. Now, this little process is something that you can practice on an ongoing basis. You can even practice as a customer. go into a supermarket, go and have a look at electronic appliance and just say, wow, this is expensive and watch the actual salesperson. Most times they'll just go, oh, well, that's the price. And you'll actually feel it. You just don't want to deal with them. But if the salesperson goes, well, I do understand that. What are you specifically looking for? I'm looking for this, this and this. And they go, well, that's fantastic because I know that price is a big point,

but we actually part of this product has all of it and it has this which can deliver this this this and this and ultimately what happens is you start to redirect the focus away for price and ultimately to value and that is one of the big keys when you're having a conversation with someone when it comes to trying to overcome those objections you want to move it away from price and you want to get the focus towards the actual value. And ultimately, once you turn it to value, suddenly it's right, I really do need this. That is exactly what I want. And ultimately, you will then start to get a sale that goes through. It is a very simple process of going through it. So step one, you acknowledge it. Step two,

you ask them about their concerns. What is it exactly that they're looking for to understand at a deeper level. And then step three, it's actually offering the value. This particular product or this particular service can do this for you as well as it can do this, this and this. And it starts to build it up. Now, if you're selling equal products, so for instance, if I've got a widget A and a widget B, they're identical, I can't go on the features of a particular product. I would have to go into the service of the particular product. Hey, we've got after sale service that and assist you in setting it up. We've actually can do this for you, this for you, this. Those are the values that you're starting to add through. Now, what is absolutely key important

as an entrepreneur in the real estate space, you need to understand the value propositions of all of your worthy rivals that are around you. Why? Because if you have a client that comes through to you and it says, your commission is this, but they are offering this particular commission and you start sharing your value proposition to them and they go well they're also offering the exact same thing now you're actually sitting in a position where you have actually added the value and moved it back to price and you've given it to somebody else so it's very important that you do understand your market you understand your worthy rivals and you make sure that your value proposition stands up out and above everybody else so that you can have this

conversation with them. It is so, so key to it. Else, you find that you'll lose actual deals and signing up off properties. So create this particular opportunity with this conversation and move it from price through to the value that you can actually offer through to your clients. Now, I want to give you a bit of an action plan that you can actually take away as you're going forward the first one is practice that actual forward method set up times where you're having conversations with other colleagues your different peers and use that forward method just say hey how's the family going and how's business going fantastic so what did you do on the weekend oh that's great and in the next week what are you planning to do is the forward method in a very short basis have that

objection. Okay, so we're looking at this particular commission. All right. So what exactly, and I understand you, what exactly are you looking for? I'm looking for this and this. Oh, that's fantastic because this is what I can do and this is what I can offer. If you start practicing these role plays on an ongoing basis with peers and people around you, you're going to stop mastering it. And if you don't have people around you, practice it on your next appointments. You may not get the actual listing. You may not get that particular client, but practice it in live. And ultimately what you'll find is the more you practice it,

it will start to increase. Now, once you're actually doing these role plays or doing it for real, you'll then need, you'll actually see where you feel uncomfortable because you start to stutter or you go, oh gosh, I shouldn't have said that. You must make a journal note of that so that you can review and refine it. You want to work what's natural for you. Remember, we want you to be authentic. We want you to be yourself when you're doing this.

So if it's not authentic for you to ask about the family, work it in a different way. It must feel natural to you. So you actually review and refine the way you do this process. And it actually will become very natural to you in your particular conversations. And then the final part is track it. I started out very, very early where I used to track all of my particular appointment. and I used to track it in the simple, this was the client, did I get it? Yes or no. That was a simple tracking. And I used to look at my appointments and go out and say, okay, I used to go out on, say,

20 appointments and I used to get two listings. Now, that's not a great ratio. I would rather go out on five appointments and get two listings because it's giving me more time. Now, by tracking it, I actually used to then reflect back seeing how I could refine it, the adjustments that I made, did it improve my conversion ratios? Yes or no? Why is conversion ratio so important? Well, we want to work less and we want to actually earn more. That's kind of like the old solution to people's life. We want more time and more money. So I would refine that. Did that work? Well, I went on 20 appointments and I didn't get a listing. All right. It's definitely not working. I would make some kind of adjustments and suddenly I went on 20 appointments.

and I've got 12 listings. Something is working. And that's ultimately what you want to do as you're starting to go through it. When you're starting to attract and actually analyze those conversion ratios, you're actually going to see what works for you and then just becomes natural. And then when you actually go out on appointments, you don't have to have a piece of paper in front of you. You don't have to prep yourself.

It's just a natural conversation that you're having with that particular client. And at the end of it, you're actually going to become a sales master. You're going to be able to convert conversations every single time. And you're actually going to see the impact it has in your business. So become the next master of sales. Right. So that was giving a nice little overview of what we went through. If you've got any questions, I do see there's a few that's popped into the actual chat box.

as I'm going through it. I always have that little pause break just helps me to cut it everything there. So Yelisa motivates me to start the new work with confidence. I'm new to real estate and confidence in selling. So I like that you started with the two ends, real estate and added confidence in selling. So remember, your confidence grows when you know how to do it. Linda, work smart, not harder.

I remember the very, very first appointment that I ever, well, when I say appointments, I'm talking about getting a position, an employment position. I didn't send a CV. I actually sent a business plan because it was my very first job. I had my own business that I'd been running for a couple of years. I remember they flew me down to Cape Town. I sat in front of the owner of the company.

And the first thing that he said to me was anything that you do, just make sure that you work smarter, not harder. That is how I've built my business to where it is right now. So I love that particular comments out there. It is such a strong one that really people so too often, they do work harder, not smarter, and then they start to burnouts. So as a coach, for me, ultimately, I try and transform that. I try and change it so that you're not working harder. You're working smarter.

And that's why when you track and analyze those conversion ratios and you know what works, that's all you do. Thank you.