“There’s a stigma surrounding sales people, a feeling that they push people and try to convince prospects to buy. Coffman teaches you to reverse that thinking. They show you how to put the client in the driver’s seat.”
Name: Jennifer Rios
Title/Firm: Realtor, Realty Executives Metro One
Age: 38
Industry: Real Estate
Education: Bachelor’s in Business Administration from UMKC
Coffman Certified: Skills Level II
Career goal: Work smarter to achieve the American Dream
Why did Jennifer Rios sign up for the Lifetime Mastery Series with the Coffman Group? Simply put, she wanted to learn how to earn more money with less effort. “I was working harder than I had ever worked before,” Jennifer said of her position in primarily residential real estate. ”I went to Coffman to learn how to work smarter.”
What she learned was an entirely different philosophy of sales, as well as a fresh approach to each prospect.
“There’s a stigma surrounding sales people, a feeling that they push people and try to convince prospects to buy,” Jennifer explained. “Coffman teaches you to reverse that thinking. It encourages the prospect to figure things out for themselves, to identify and discuss their needs and draw their own conclusions. The Coffman system shows you how to put the client in the driver’s seat.”
The result of this approach, according to Jennifer, is a higher level of trust between salesperson and client. That, in turn, leads to stronger relationships, which are everything in an industry where repeat sales can make the difference between a mediocre and a stellar career.
“My ultimate goal is to build a clientele for life, not just be a realtor for one transaction,” she said. “I want to maintain my clients and be a resource for them. I want them to be happy with my service so they will come back and refer family and friends to me.”
Jennifer is already well on her way to achieving that goal. She is now in the top 10 percent in sales with Realty Executives Metro One, and she has earned local and regional sales awards. Equally importantly, she has achieved those levels in a way that feels especially satisfying to her—by being direct and honest, rather than playing the stereotypical sycophant or the brow-beating salesperson.
Most important, in learning to work smarter she has found a way to achieve balance in her life, while remaining in sales, where she has found a comfortable niche.
“I like to make my own choices, set my own goals and determine my own work schedule. That’s why I’m in sales.”
