The Immersion Technique

070320kd-immersionI have always considered myself a student of the sales process before I am anything of an instructor. And so I am consistently intrigued with the learning process. I know that as I become more aware of the manner in which people learn I can best tailor my presentation style to their learning preferences.

One such learning technique is what educator’s refer to as “immersion”. This occurs when a learner, willingly or unwillingly, finds him/herself in a new environment and must quickly adapt in order to survive. (Gee, that almost sounds like my first day in new home sales!)

The simplest example comes from those who are thrust into a new culture with no knowledge of the language. I’ll never forget a student from Mexico who showed up in my grammar school class knowing absolutely zero English. In a few short weeks he was communicating clearly. By the end of the school year you would hardly have known that he was not born in the United States.

I am a trainer, but I must be careful not to fall into the trap of an educator. An educator informs, instructs, and otherwise imparts knowledge. A trainer changes behavior. My job is not just to impart the knowledge and understanding of techniques that will help new home sales professionals succeed. It is also to spur them on to application of the new knowledge.

As a trainer, I wish that I were able to utilize the principles of immersion to get people to diligently apply what they’ve learned. I can’t do that, of course – but you can! You have the power to immerse yourself in your own learning. That comes through a dedicated effort not just to learn something new, but to live something new.

Here’s my advice: pick a technique today and immerse yourself in it. Just one technique, but go deep. Examples:

  • Determining the prospect’s motivation in the first 60 seconds.
  • Remembering every person’s name who you meet today.
  • Listening for the deeper meaning, and making it a point to pause for a moment to take it all in and fully understand.

Some of these things you already know how to do intellectually; you just need to commit to actually putting them into practice. Others you’ll need to investigate. Pull out your old training manuals and books. Do a web search on the topic. Call a peer and ask for help.

The point is to pick something this week/weekend and really immerse yourself deeply. See where it leads you. You might just change someone’s world!


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About the Author: Jeff Shore

Jeff Shore is the Founder and CEO of Shore Consulting, Inc. a company specializing in psychology-based sales training programs. Using these modern, game-changing techniques, Jeff Shore’s clients delivered over 145,000 new homes generating $54 billion in revenue last year.