The 3 F’s: Feel, Felt, and Found

I received an email over the weekend asking me to elaborate a little more on my most commonly used sales practice when I am involved in a conversation and hit a significant objection.  One of the objections that were suggested for me to use was the infamous “I don’t want you to pull my credit” or the “I don’t want to give my social security number right now”.

 

I always stick to the 3 F’s (Feel, Felt, and Found).  It’s extremely important, however, that you allow the client to express how they feel.  You can ask this simple question:  Tell me why you feel that way.  After you get an answer explaining how the client feels, you can now go into the 3 F’s.

 

Feel – Reiterate their feeling, and make them aware that you understand exactly how they feel.  In this certain situation, “I completely understand why you feel a little timid about me checking into your credit, and I would never want to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable or pressured”.

 

Felt – Explain to the client that you have had several other clients that have felt the exact same way.  In this certain situation, “Now, I have had several clients in the past who have felt a little nervous and anxious about checking their credit as well”.

 

Found – Tell the client exactly what your clients have found.  In this situation, “However, what they have found is that I don’t need to do an initial check into your credit right now.  I operate a little differently than other Loan Officers.  We can either do a Pre-Qualification where I do not check into your current credit situation at all, OR, I can provide a full pre-approval which is the safest way to go because your loan is run through initial underwriting, and you know exactly what conditions you have to meet in order to get financing.  Which do you feel more comfortable doing right now”?

 

Either way you look at it they are committed to buying a pre-qualification or a pre-approval, but it is their choice overall which method they are going to use.

 

In conclusion, the Feel, Felt, and Found method is one of my most used objection handling series of statements.  It truly shows that you care about the client, you have been through this before with other clients (so you are experienced), and you have worked this out to benefit them as much as possible.

 

I hope that you all stop by and read through these related posts:

• Overcoming the First Objection
• Selling Emotion After the First Objection

Pre-Qualification 2.0: Overcoming the First Objection

I just recently posted the Difference Between a Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval, which goes hand-in-hand with the proceeding post in maximizing your Pre-Qualification Process.  The post takes you through the various differences and processes of both a pre-qualification and a pre-approval.

 

Most Loan Officers in our vast mortgage industry view the Pre-Qualification process as a huge burden.  They tend to feel that they are a waste of their time right now for a minimal gain in the future.  In my opinion, that is completely off base.  The Pre-Qualification process is a place for you (as an industry professional) can shine!  However, there is that one obstacle that we have to get over before pursuing how to capitalize on a Pre-Qualification:

 

If you are receiving referrals or have a few different lead sources (internet, telemarketing, pay-per-click, etc) you always want to be the “one and only” contact for that client.  In most cases, that’s not what is happening.  However, instead of throwing in the towel, there are several phrases that you can say in order to overcome the “I already got a pre-qualification letter” objection:

 

1. That is excellent, Mr. ____!  I want to make sure that you were educated on all of your financing options and you completely understand them!   How many loan packages were explained to you? (or) What is your biggest concern with your purchase process?
2. That is absolutely not a problem, and I apologize for not getting back to you sooner!  However, I would love to show you what I can do for you since I have been in the industry for __ years, and I really don’t need to pull your credit to provide you with several options (similar to David Bartels’ White Paper scripts).
3. Great!  Have you already selected a Realtor?  I have a couple of Real Estate Agents that are excellent, and I would love to get them in contact with you.  Have you thought about anybody else to use in the process for your closing or title insurance?
4. I’m glad you were able to get in contact with someone already!  Most Loan Officers today are skipping over the pre-qualification process and going right to a pre-approval letter because it is a contingency letter stating that you have been approved through underwriting.  It gives you and the seller more confidence when you put an offer on your future home.  Typically, I can get this up and running in 24 hours; is it something that you would like to look into?
5. In today’s mortgage market, I am so happy that you were able to get Pre-Qualified!  I’m sure your Loan Officer has told you about how rates are affected by Mortgage Backed Securities and not the 10 Year Treasury, right? (courtesy of Mortgage Market Guide).

 

Now, what happens if the person says “No” or refuses to hear what you have to say?  Don’t panic, and definitely don’t argue with the client.  As the saying goes, “Kill them with kindness”.  After all, even though they didn’t get the pre-qualification from you doesn’t mean that they won’t get the financing through you, right?  Right!!

 

Your primary objective and goal right now should be out-teaching your competition!  Put their information in your drip e-mail campaign, or your follow up calendar.  Let the client know that you will be following up with them to check on their situation.  If you are missing a vital piece of contact information (home address, e-mail, secondary phone), ask for it so you can get them out market reports as they are published.  Ask if there are any reports or information that they would like to see right now.  And most important, stick to the Follow-Up schedule!

 Overcoming that first objection is the first step to maximizing your Pre-Qualification process and enhancing your relationship with your client!