Knowing how best to execute your listing presentation and making sure that you are really comfortable with it are vital to getting and retaining customers.
Inside of the listing presentation, the opener and the closer are critically important. The opener sets the tone for the presentation and allows you to pitch towards the selfish desires of the customer. The closer allows you to work powerfully with the customer through clear communication. When they feel confident that they know exactly what you are telling them, they will most likely choose to select you as their agent.
My approach is to think in terms of pitching to the customer because there is a difference between what the customer thinks they want versus what they actually need. The customer may think they want a cheap agent, maybe they don’t want to pay for marketing, and they probably want the very best price in the marketplace, well above every other home that has actually ever sold. But of course, what the customer needs is the best possible price that is realistically achievable in the marketplace today. They need an agent who represents good market value; most importantly, they need effective marketing to get buyers to the property.
By pitching to the selfish desires of the customer we use the opener and the opener, which is a very simple conversation with your customer about pricing. What price were they thinking they want, and what price can they realistically hope to get? So let’s talk about price in terms of how an owner determines the price they want, how an agent determines the price they can expect, and how the buyer finally determines the price they will accept, with the understanding that you want to get your customer the very best price possible for their home.
The second component you want to help the customer understand is the importance of marketing. As you know, marketing is how you get the buyers to the property. The more buyers you can attract to the home, the better price you can expect to get for it. In addition to that, talk with the customer about the sell method. Do they have a preference between auction and for sale?
Of course, you will have to discuss your fee with the customer. Basic fees currently in the marketplace for agents are between 2% and 3.5%. Tell your customer that your fees are certainly not the most expensive, but you are also not the cheapest, and explain to them why you will offer them the best value. Tell them your customer exactly why they should choose you. This is your pitch to the selfish desires of the customer.
The order you present this information to your customer may vary with the situation, so don’t make this a formula approach. The point is to pitch directly to the customer’s individual needs, which means you will pitch to the customer in the order they to hear it, according to their situation. Selecting an agent, selling method, marketing, pricing, and any other steps that take you to final close, need to be discussed at the proper time for your customer.
Now, the steps to final close – called the summation or the summary close – are critically important. First, you want to summarize all of the key points that you have already spoken to the customer about, such as agreement on where the property’s value is likely to fall, the marketing strategy you have decided to follow, selling method, and payment for your fees. The summary close can be very powerful, so give this presentation the time it deserves to be effective. That could be 30 to 45 minutes, or even an hour spent working with the customer. You want to make sure you summarize all the most important points, that your customer is comfortable in knowing exactly what you have actually discussed, and that they are clear about the next steps they need to take in order to move forward in the marketplace.
As you develop your own approach to the listing presentation, make sure you’ve got a winning opener, a thorough closer, and most importantly, create an appropriate structure to influence each customer to choose you as their agent. Never ever underestimate the importance of follow through with your listing presentation, which means to be consistent until you have the property listed. The more you can socially prove yourself and the more you can demonstrate your ability to work in the marketplace, the more confidence your customers will have in you. Consider shooting a testimonial video where your past customers talk about their good experience with you and describe what you did with them during the sales process.