Whenever you say, “I love you”, that is a canned presentation.

You didn’t invent those words. You heard them from others many times. Even as a small child, you quickly discovered that how you say them and when you say them affects the outcome of a desired reaction.

Our top salesman at my father’s business protested loudly and firmly against my then-budding idea that salespeople could and should memorize their sales presentations. “Every prospect is different. You can’t use a canned presentation. No way! Period,” he said. Later that day, he took an incoming phone inquiry and I heard him use a phrase that I had heard him use several times before. Surreptitiously, I tape recorded (tape came before CDs and digitized recorders, so you know this was a long time ago) all his calls for the next week.

I was amazed. Eighty per cent of what he said was word-perfect repetition. Not only were the words the same, but the gestures, tone of voice and emphasis were the same. He was like a musician who played the same 100 tunes for every performance, but not in the same order. Individual points, questions and responses to objections were always the same, but the order was not.

That’s when I coined the word InterTec (short for Interchangeable Techniques) and the definition: The random selection of pre-memorized language.

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Keep it simple: If you can get the sale by saying, “Boo”, don’t say, “Boo-boo.”

When showing a home to buyers who show some interest say, “You like it, don’t you?” If they say yes, say, “You want it, don’t you?” If they say yes or show any positive response such as nodding their heads or smiling, say, “Why don’t you buy it?” You will be surprised at how many people will say, “Okay.”

In the same vein, when making a listing presentation and you get positive feedback about some point of your service, say, “You like that, don’t you?” If they say yes, say, “You want me to do that for you, don’t you?” If you get another yes, say, “Why don’t you let me get started?”

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Rest and recreation: To improve your results and have a better life, take one day a week off for R & R.

Divide the word recreation. You get re-create. Give your mind and body a chance to re-create itself.

College students habitually make Sunday a day of cramming for upcoming tests. The faculty at Franciscan University of Steubenville said, “No studying on Sunday. Make it God’s day and a day of rest and recreation.” The rule was gently but firmly enforced. The result: test scores went up across the board.

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Quarterly check-up: Average skills will give you an average living. Above-average skills will make you a fortune!

What have you done today to advance your skills for getting appointments with FSBOs and others? Converting appointments to listings? Getting listings priced right to sell faster? Getting commissions increased to net sellers (and yourself) more money and quicker sales?

Are you getting all the well-priced, full-commission listings you want or need?

Jerry Bresser has been training and coaching real estate agents how to sell homes faster and for more money for over 35 years. He recently published his second book, More Money In Your Pocket. www.jerrybresser.com or for information about the book, www.moremoneyinyourpocket.biz.