When your borrowers seem to be challenging your every word, not doing as they are told and kick and scream throughout the process, it’s not because of some genetic disorder, like you may think. Rather, the likelihood is that their challenging demeanor is rooted in and stemming from a fear. Fear can be paralyzing and it can also cause us to behave combative and dare I say, “bratty” at times.
Here are two techniques to help you to help your customers move past their fears so you can get them to their end goal and ultimately secure a client for life. Plus, possibly save yourself some migraines along the way.
Name the Fear
As soon as you feel someone is having a tough time moving forward, instead of asking your customer what might be holding them back and inadvertently putting them in a defensive position, suggest a few reasons why some of your past customers have experienced cold feet or reservations at one point or another during the process.
Explain how you were able to help them through that fear so they could meet their ultimate goals. Basically, you are sharing a case study, a cure and most importantly, empathy!
People respond to real-life examples, ones that mirror their own set of similar circumstances.
Show Me Don’t Tell Me
Be ready to present your case as to why and how your customer should move forward with your requests in a professional and visual manner. I’ve seen some wonderful examples of this with my own mortgage coaching clients who combine loan comparison presentation tools from various sources like, MortgageCoach.com with various media applications like Jing Project, Camtasia, Go To Meeting, and You Tube.
Using quick instructional-type or friendly reminder-type videos regarding the most common sticking points for customers while going through the loan process is another terrific way to get ahead of the fear and snuff it out before it even has a chance to rear its ugly head.
Statistics show that 65% of the population consists of visual learners. This is more proof why you simply can’t afford to assume that your customers, “got it” when you told them the 1st time, the 2nd time or even the 3rd time.
We are a nation of voyeurs who feel most comfortable and less fearful, when we can see our options, rather than just being told or sold-on our options.