Starting a career in new home sales is incredibly exciting. Still, any seasoned sales professional will tell you that your time as a sales trainee tends to feel like drinking from a firehose. From learning about a home builder’s products and floor plans to practicing overcoming objections and everything in between, this time is foundational for the future success of your new home sale career.
New Home Star’s team of new home sales experts share their tried-and-true tips, from mastering your mindset to honing communication skills, that helped kick-start their careers. If you’re a new home sales trainee or an agent who just wants to get back to the basics, the following five pieces of advice will set you up for success from day one.
1. Always Ask Questions
If you never ask, you never learn. And for new home sales trainees, that’s the main objective. Everyone has to start somewhere in this industry, and your team members know this better than anyone. Use them as a resource; they will always have valuable knowledge to give you.
Ask as many questions as possible to know everything about your builder, the homes you will be selling, your competition, and your ongoing sales training. If there is something you still don’t fully understand, ask for clarification. At the end of each day, review your notes, contemplate everything you learned, and come up with a list of questions for the next day.
As you become more experienced, you will take what you’ve learned and make it yours, but initially, you must lean into the training process. For now, be a sponge and soak up everything you can.
2. Take Role-playing Seriously
If asking questions is the backbone of your time as a new home sales trainee, then repetitive role-playing is the lifeblood. Role-playing is one of the best ways to learn and prepare for being on the floor.
As a new home sales trainee, you should take advantage of your team members and mentor’s knowledge and role-play whenever possible. During this time, memorize closing techniques, objection handling, and information about the community you will be selling in. The more you practice, the more it will become second nature to you.
3. Always Look for Opportunities to Learn
Whether you are in your first year as a sales trainee or you have decades of experience under your belt, every day brings new opportunities to learn. Remember to be open to the lessons as they come your way.
Be intentional about learning from your mentor. Watch them as they interact with prospective buyers and ask follow-up questions about their conversations. Never shy away from going out into the field. While there, remove all distractions and be present in the tasks at hand. Your time as a trainee means going outside of your comfort zone. Show up every day and decide to do the hard things you don’t necessarily like to do to succeed.
4. Shadow Sales Leaders
Surround yourself with the best new home sales agents. Watch them, admire them, and, most importantly, learn from them. Some days, the best thing you can do for your career growth is to listen more than you speak.
Shadow the top salespeople in your community during customer appointments to learn everything they do to be successful. Watching and learning from others is one of the fastest ways to improve not only your sales skills but also your interpersonal skills, which are just as important in this career. Focus on learning sales leaders’ best strategies for selling your builder’s floor plans and the why behind them. If your mentor can sell you on it, you can believe in it and sell it to a buyer.
5. Stay Patient, Stay Hungry
We get it. Being a sales trainee is a lot, and it's normal to feel inundated with the information you’ll absorb while also eagerly awaiting the time you’ll finally get to start selling homes. Remember, patience is the key to being fully prepared for when the time comes.
Stay organized and take notes on everything you learn. This will help you stay focused on your sales training. Use this period and its processes to get acclimated to your new role, the community, and the overall housing market. When you feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the current state of housing, it shows when you talk with potential customers.
Put your best foot forward every day of training, be eager to learn and understand, and give yourself grace! It's a lot of information, but once you pass that one-year mark, you will feel much more confident in your role.
