Motivating yourself and your clients, and how to ask why

Professional boxer Dewey Bozella won his first fight in 2010. By itself, not a particularly noteworthy announcement. What is noteworthy is knowing that Dewey was 52-years-old and had just been released from prison after 26 years incarceration for a murder he did not commit.

One of the most fascinating parts of Dewey’s story is how he stayed motivated and how he kept his sanity (don’t forget, he was proven innocent after being in prison half of his life). Here’s what Dewey shared: “I focused on two things… self-improvement (he earned two degrees in prison) and staying healthy (boxing was his vehicle)”. It is hard to imagine how Dewey stayed motivated all that time… but he did. His formula was education and boxing.

Everybody needs their own formula for staying motivated. In her excellent book Get Motivated, Tamara Lowe suggests that everyone is motivated differently. The key is to understand your own “personal formula for motivating yourself”. As entrepreneur and speaker Jim Rohn said, “When the why is strong, the how becomes easy.”

One of my coaching clients recently shared her plan. It looks like this:

Bombard myself daily with inspirational material (books, CDs, positive people).
“Staying present” with where I’m going… what is my big picture?
Lead generate daily so I’m always adding new possibilities to my life.
Have a reward system in place to prevent burnout (“I always plan my next trip well in advance and I use a dream board as a visual reminder.”).

You don’t need to spend 26 years in prison to figure this out. The above formula is just one example. The key is to develop your personal motivation formula and stick to it every day. Some people don’t try… they just say, “I don’t know what I want.” One thing you can count on in your journey is that human beings are “meaning-seeking creatures.” Keep investigating your “meaning” and you will find the answer. Next, keep your answer in front of you at all times and you will stay motivated. Your formula will make you unstoppable! No excuses.

How to ask why

The salespeople who make the most sales are those who consistently work with highly motivated customers. Motivation is the desire to go from A to B, to make a change, to take on something new. Once the salesperson figures out the customer’s need, the rest becomes easy.

Too many salespeople spin their wheels by working with unmotivated customers. The obvious conclusion is that making the sale becomes dramatically easier if you can identify their motivation as early as possible in the process. Without that the odds are not in your favour. Bottom line: Make sure that you are working with the right people. Here’s how.

In real estate sales there are three questions that need to be answered when establishing customer motivation. Where? When? Why? The where and when are pretty simple. Sometimes the customer is a bit vague on the why part. Here are some great questions to help you get to the bottom of their motivation (why they are moving).

Five “why” questions to ask:

Mr./Mrs. Seller, what’s taking you to Regina?
You have such a beautiful home, why have you decided to move?
This is a nice neighbourhood – I’m curious, why are you moving?
After being here for five years, what has prompted your move?
Just so I understand, what’s important to you about this move?

There is a secondary benefit to being very clear on their why. Often as the process evolves, the seller/buyer can become emotionally wrapped up in the details and forget their original motivation. Sometimes a simple reminder from you is all it takes to help them get back on track. (“I know this is tough for you right now but at the same time won’t it be great when we finally get you moved and the children will each have their own bedroom?”).

Give them what they want and never lose the focus on their motivation. The whole idea is to help those who want to be helped. As Shakespeare wrote, don’t try to “make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”. Find those who need you and then remind them periodically of why they hired you. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, they forget. No excuses.