Say the words, “land salesman”, and notice how many negative images come to mind. Do you think of the slick promoter selling swampland in Florida? Or the fast-talking huckster selling “improved home sites” in the Arizona desert, 300 miles from any town.

Sonny Salkind puts all of the old stereotypes about land salesman to rest and vividly demonstrates that selling land can be an honorable and, of course, profitable profession.

“I never sell land as an investment,” Sonny explains. “I sell it for a purpose. The land I’m selling now is a $40 million four-season resort residential community in the High Sierra, 16 miles from Lake Tahoe. I’m selling home sites to people with families. I don’t sell land as speculation or an investment. Even though much of the land I’ve sold has increased in value, I don’t believe in selling land as an investment. I don’t think it’s ethical because no one can predict how prices will go.

Ethical is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of Sonny Salkind. Sonny is completely unlike the stereotype of the fast-talking here-today and gone tomorrow land salesman. Speaking in a soothing and relaxed fashion, Sonny never uses high-pressure. In fact, when inviting people to attend his group presentations, he tells them to leave their checkbooks at home. And Sonny is not the migrating type of salesman. He finds a large development that he fully believes in and then he works there until it is sold out.

The Science of the Group Presentation

Some sales super-stars can effectively sell on a one-to-one basis and others excel with groups. Sonny is one of the rare individuals who does both presentations to arouse interest and identify the best prospects. The top prospects are then individually shown the home sites.

Sonny is masterful at organizing a team of people to achieve a common goal. This is unusual in the land sales business, but as Sonny explains, “It takes more than one tree to make the forest.” When Sonny does a group presentation, he has a “sniffer” at the door who skillfully sniffs out the sincere prospect from the rest. From 14 years experience selling land, Sonny has learned that there are three basic types of people who show up at group presentations. They are:

1. The Sincerely Interested: Those people who really have a genuine interest and desire to won the type of property being sold.

2. The Freeby Seekers: These are the people or couples who will attend any meeting or seminar if they can get a free meal, a free teddy bear or a free weekend vacation.

3. The Backseat Accountant: This is the type of person who will stand up at a meeting and attempt to show off his financial expertise by explaining that, somehow, the deal isn’t a good investment.

Sonny can almost instantly recognize each type, and when he does, he gives them what they need. “People who buy recreational land,” Sonny explains, “are not condominium owners in the city. They are families from the suburbs with two or three kids, a house with a big lot, and they own a dog and a camper. I can recognize them a mile off by the way they dress, and the way they walk and talk and smile. They are sincerely interested. They’ll build a house on the land and use it for a second home on their vacation.

Sonny can recognize the Freeby-Seekers and when he does, he will tell the sniffer, “Would you please seat these people at the baker’s table?” The baker’s table is where the non-interested are seated. Over the years, Sonny has figured out how to greatly reduce the number of uninterested seekers attending his information presentations. First of all, he does almost all of his prospecting in family neighborhoods where he knows the sincerely interested live. Secondly, Sonny doesn’t find it necessary or useful to bribe prospects to his presentations with free meals or prizes. He’ll serve coffee and maybe some doughnuts, and this is all. Furthermore, he doesn’t offer free trips to Lake Tahoe to see the home sites. “Other salesmen do this,” Sonny says, “to get the prospect to feel he is obligated. I don’t believe in it.” If the prospect wants to see the home site, Sonny explains, he’ll be happy to give them a complete tour – but he won’t pick up the tab. Using such honesty and cutting out the old-fashioned gimmicks, Sonny is able to cull most of the uninterested from his presentation.

The Backseat Accountant type is also easy to recognize. He frequently shows up at a presentation alone, without his wife, but he will bring his trusty calculator. As Sonny talks, he will be barely listening, off in some fantasy world of his own, and he’ll be furiously punching away numbers on his calculator. At some point, he’ll stand up and attempt to explain that the resort residential land is not a get-rich-quick investment. Sonny will calmly and patiently explain that he is not representing it as such, but only as one of the most beautiful developments in the High Sierra. Since Sonny refuses to fight him, the Backseat Accountant usually gets up and leaves in frustration. In his presentation, Sonny makes skillful use of stories, metaphors and humor. For those who come to the Development Information Center, there is a massive model of the entire resort community. On this huge model, you can identify the home sites as well as all of the amenities. As Sonny speaks, his prospects listen while he makes this $40 million four-season resort residential community come alive. Sonny knows how to involve all of his listeners’ senses as he paints word pictures, talks of the wind whispering through the pine trees, the fresh crisp air, and even the refreshing water from an icy, crystal clear mountain stream. Through his mastery of language, Sonny re-creates the total experience of this $40 million four-season resort residential community in the High Sierra.

Avoiding Temptation and Keeping Motivated

A good land salesman is subjected to many temptations. “I hear about projects and developments all the time,” Sonny explains. “Everybody says, Come to work for us, you’ll sell over a million dollars in land.’ But, I take a close look at it. I’ve got to sell land I really believe in, and work for a reputable company.”

It is fascinating how Sonny got hired on as a salesman for the development where he is presently working. When he called up to apply for the sales position, the sales manager said, “Now be sure to bring a resume.” Sonny walked into the office without anything in his hands. “Well,” the sales manager asked with a sneer, “where’s your resume I told you to bring?” Sonny reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handful of IRS 1099 forms showing the commissions he had earned in previous years. “Resumes are a bunch of bologna, aren’t they?” Sonny asked. “Anyone can type any garbage they want on a piece of paper and call it a resume, can’t they?” he inquired. The sales manager’s head was bobbing up and down in agreement. “I know I can sell these home sites. This is my resume,” Sonny said, as the sales manager’s eyes bugged out looking at the commissions Sonny had earned.

Impressed by his belief in himself, the company put him on -it was a bold, gutsy move, but the gambit paid off well for Sonny. He is a man who knows how to sell himself as well as his product.

In these recessionary times, even the best salespeople have periods of days or weeks when nothing seems to be selling. Sonny has a unique motivational strategy which he would like to share with readers of Personal Selling Power. “At the beginning of every year, I take out a blank check and I make it out to myself. I make it out for the dollar amount of income I plan to make that year. If it is $120,000, I’ll make it out for $120,000 and date it December 31, and I’ll sign it. Then I’ll put it in my wallet, and I’ll carry it everywhere I go.”

“Whenever business gets slow, or I get discouraged,” Sonny explains, “I’ll pull that check out of my wallet, and I’ll vividly imagine how great it will be to realize my goal in December. It never fails to cheer me up and get my fingers back to the telephone.”

It must work because Sonny has met his income goal for each of the last 10 years. At the end of the year, these battered, tattered checks are mounted in a little frame and hung on a wall. It is important to Sonny that goals be realistic. This year, for example, he knew the market would be down somewhat and he scaled down his income goals a little. Sonny encourages the readers of Personal Selling Power to use this motivational technique and find out first hand how effective it is in raising one’s spirits.

At his age, which is in the early 50’s, Sonny exudes a cheerfulness and joy of life that make him a pleasure to do business with. Bringing a new degree of professionalism to land sales, Sonny demonstrates that it is possible to make money the old fashioned way. He earns it, even in a field that has long been regarded with distrust by the general public.