Interview with Alex Horne, Sales Consultant at Hotondo Homes

 

1. Where have you worked previously? 

Previous to starting work at Hotondo, I’d only ever worked in retail. I was working at Aldi as a manager and was seeking a career change.

 

2. Why the change into new home sales? 

I was eager to do something that utilised my brain more & offered career development. I felt limited in my previous management role and wanted to try something that challenged me.

 

3. What does your training look like? 

I started as a sales cadet so my role was to essentially to open the display home, handle all new enquiry and book in clients to meet with the Sales Consultant. The training was one-on-one with the consultant until I learned the basics. Within 9 months I stepped into a consultant role and Fred (from Spectrum coach) oversaw my development. We had weekly coaching sessions to explore my challenges & ways of handling different clients. I learnt a lot of the technical side as I went along, but Fred was the reason I developed my technique for closing which is simply to always close for the next stage.

 

4. What was your turning point in your sales journey?

I became the only consultant (and assistant) in March 2020 and found I was thrown in the deep end. It was the best way for me to learn. However, it wasn’t until 2021 when we had the building boom that I felt I’d found my rhythm. I prepared for all my meetings to allow me to be efficient and the above technique of “always closing for the next stage” became second nature. I found my groove and moving from stage to stage with clients felt natural. In fact, they were typically closing themselves and asking me how to pay money and move forward.

 

5. How do you overcome challenges?

I’ve learned that sales has a lot of ups & downs. Managing my emotional response to both has been a great learning curve. Anytime I need support with particular challenges I reach out to Fred for guidance. He can then talk me through the best way to manage the client, and how to manage my reaction to it.

 

6. What awards have you won?

In 2020 – 2022 I was ranked top 3 sales consultant. In July 21 – July 22 I was ranked top 2 Sales Consultant, and I am proud to say that I currently hold the highest achiever nationally.