Leigh Thomas Brown says salespeople fail because they create friction in the buying process. He bought auction software in 2024 and found the best vendor was the one with minimal obstacles, rapid service, and enthusiasm. Remove friction: be available, say yes, and fix problems later.
You want to increase your sales, right? Yes, it's probably the number one item on any salesperson's business plan. However, whether you're selling real estate or mortgages or cemetery plots, there's got to be some detail and some action about how you're going to increase your sales. They're not just going to happen because you wished for it. So let's talk about one of the reasons salespeople get in the way. They, number one, forget that the goal is to get somebody else what they want. That's what I do in real estate. It's not about me forcing somebody to buy a house or sell a house. It's if they want to sell, how do I help them accomplish that? And if they want to buy, how do I help them accomplish that? It's about the steps and the process and how we get from point A to point B. You've got to remember that if you're the pushy person, you're not going to last long, especially in today's world where AI is not very pushy. It's also not as smart as the human relational intelligence. So you got to figure out that balance. And one of the ways you can figure that out is by understanding the second way to increase your sales.. And that is to reduce friction in the process. And if you want to know what friction looks like, let me give you an example. I became an auctioneer in 2024. Now, of course, I'd been doing charity auctions for a while, but I said, hey, Leigh Thomas Brown, go get the license, and then you can auction real estate too. Well, in the process, I had to set up auction software because that's not something that goes with my regular real estate platform. So I started reaching out to the different auction platform companies. The first one that I'd heard about from a friend, highly recommended. Okay, I was already halfway sold because I love the person who sent them to me. So I went to their website and inquired for information, and then it forced me to set up an online meeting. So I set up the online meeting, and when we had the online meeting, the fella on the other end started asking me questions that I already answered in the form. So my patience was already getting real slim, and then he said for me to set them up, I'd have to have another meeting. So it was find the website, set a meeting, have a meeting, have another meeting. And I said, all I want to know is how I get going. I'm ready to buy. And he said, that's not how we work. We have steps and steps and steps. So my temper may have flared and I may have hung up the phone and moved along. I would never use somebody who causes friction in the process. I'm a buyer ready to buy. You should be ready to sell. So I called the second company. And the second company was a very nice young man. And I looked at their website and it looked like a 1998 website. And yes, I'm old enough to remember what our sites looked like back then because my daddy was one of the first people in the Charlotte real estate market to have his own website. I remember what they looked like. It's dreadful. So I talked to the salesman and I said, "Oh my, this is a rather dated site. Y'all gonna update this anytime soon?" And he said, "No." I said, "Do you like it?" And he's like, "It's all right. Why should I use it?" A lot of people do. He wasn't excited about his own website, and I felt kind of sad for the fella because he's selling something he doesn't believe in. So he wasn't really selling it, he was just making it available, and I just really felt sorry for him. So I did not buy that product because as a buyer, I want to feel good and energized about the dollars that are leaving my pocket. So I reached out to the third company. And the third company said, we're on it, yes, yes, yes. And I said, well, I need X. And they said, all right. And I said, I want to test Y. And they said, let's do it. They spent a crazy amount of time with my team members to help them feel comfortable with the site, how to upload it, provided customer service ongoing until everybody was happy. There was no friction. There was excitement to be my vendor of choice. And in fact, they sent me a little package in the mail with their little notebook, and I chose Auctioneer Software, and they sent some ink pens and some koozies because everybody loves koozies. And I just want to remind you that if you want to sell more, you got to make it easy. Be available. Be the person who says, let's figure it out, not the person who says, eh, it is what it is. That's frankly how a lot of people get themselves into a miserable rut in life. You just accept mediocre. Choose not to accept mediocre, whether you're the purchaser or the one doing the selling. And if you feel like you've gotten a little mediocre, my challenge to you, go ahead and take it up a notch. Figure out how to start saying yes. And then if you have to patch it together later, well, that'll be all right too. Check out some of my other videos and come back and hang out. Let me know what's given you some friction, whether it's in sales or life.
