Have you ever dealt with one of those sales people that will never leave you alone, or one that makes your hair stand on end with their never ending sugary sweet compliments? They often come across as insincere and sleazy, making you feel like you never want to be near them again.

If you yourself are in sales, and particularly, in the real estate scene, how do you avoid being perceived as the sleazy or slimy salesperson? How can you come you convince people without going overboard? Here are some strategies you can adopt to make you sales pitch more ethical and sincere:

Focus on Helping People

Rather than your end goal being to close a sale, focus on really trying to help your client find a solution to what their needs are. Whether you are talking to them on the phone, in person or through e-mail, most people can tell whether you genuinely care for them or not. Therefore, your focus should be on the person and you have to stop trying so hard to force yourself to be nice, as this will come off as artificial.

Don’t Pester your Customers

When you feel someone is not responding to your sales pitch, don’t try to pepper them with even more e-mails, calls and messages. Pushing people will only stress them out and make them dislike you. Some people are only looking or browsing to compare prices and are not ready to make a purchase. Give them space and time, and when they’re ready, they’ll get back to you.

Get to Know Your Customers

When you begin talking to your customers, spend the first few minutes actually talking to them like a friend in order to gauge their character and personality. Don’t talk about the house you’re selling or any product you have. This little chit chat session will set your customer at ease at make them open up to what you have to say afterwards.

Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep

Although it’s tempting to say things that will definitely convince a customer to close the deal, you have to remember that you are responsible for every promise you make. It’s also important that you don’t jeopardize you company or agency by putting them in a bad light when promises can’t be fulfilled.

Don’t Exaggerate Features

When selling a piece of property, don’t create stories about the potential of a place. People will appreciate your honesty more than they appreciate being told some benefit that has been blown out of proportions. If you are unsure about a certain fact, tell them you’ll check and get back to them.

Don’t Just Focus on One Spouse

If you are showing the property to a married couple, or two people, always give equal attention to them. If you try and butter up one party over the other, you risk alienating one customer. Never talk only to one person as if the other one is not there, even though the customers look like they don’t mind.