We have spoken before about the importance of creating a winning listing presentation. Today we’re going to discuss how to achieve that.
The listing presentation, as you know, is your opportunity to explain your sales process and approach to a customer in a way that will persuade them to choose you to represent them as their real estate agent. You need to be able to communicate with them in a way that they will understand and appreciate.
Unfortunately, what often happens is that we tend to pitch to a customer from our own point of view, and present aspects of the selling process that we find most important, instead of speaking with them about their values, needs, and selfish desires.
The most engaging listing presentations are tactical in the approach to the customer. There is a definite structure to the process the customer is about to embark upon, so there should be a similar structure to your presentation. Also, using visuals – such as charts, listings, photographs, and some of the forms they will be using – really helps to involve the customer in the process, and is a very effective way to connect and achieve greater understanding.
You must know what the customer needs from you in this process, beginning with the need to feel “safe.” They want to feel secure with you – that you know what you are doing and you have their best interests at heart. You need to be the agent who can sell their property at the best possible price while keeping their marketing costs to a minimum. So you need to address those concerns with them in detail, with confidence and expertise.
As real estate agents, we are often more focused on features whilst the customer is more interested in benefits. Here’s a phrase you should use often: “which means.” This will help you to bring those features and benefits together, and define more clearly what your customer needs to comprehend. For example, you might say, “We will bring up some buyers from our database, which means that they can come look at the property before we take it live to the market – which means we could save you some money on marketing if any of those customers want to buy.”
An example of visuals you can use in your presentation are records of your previous sales, such as your open for inspection register, your auction bidding record, or a list of your last 20 to 100 sales. This demonstrates your ability to close a sale and deliver a great price for a given property, which shows your client that they can trust your advice. This is also an effective way to pitch a certain type of sale you want your customers to consider.
Your open for inspections list is also effective in showing the number of buyers who have actually come through the properties you have on the market. All of this serves to turn the conversation into real, tactical evidence and what it actually means for that particular customer.
One more suggestion is to show your customer an open for inspection register from one property you have had on the market recently. Show the number of buyers that you had through the property, then point out the number of second round open for inspections that you did. Next, show the number of 10-day callbacks and just sold calls. This will give your customer a much clearer view of how the real estate business really works, and demonstrate your expertise even further
Showing actual documentation of your success with a variety of properties is a powerful way to influence your customers to choose you as their agent over your competitors. Always keep in mind that the amount of time you spend with your customer in your listing presentation is not important; the most important quality is the time you spend in addressing your customer’s needs, concerns, and selfish desires.
I hope you benefited from today’s Coaching Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week!