What it takes to be a great lister in real estate is the ability to focus on your client’s needs and fears, and to resolve those issues for them. You address these concerns during your listing presentation, and you take as much or as little time as is necessary to do so. Your most important task is to make sure your client is comfortable with you, and with your explanations of the process you will follow together to sell or buy their property.
During your listing presentation you want your clients to feel secure in your ability to see them through this process. You accomplish this sense of security by putting any fears they may have to rest. In order to do that, you have to know what their fears are. Do not assume all clients have the same primary concerns. Interview each client carefully and listen attentively to what they tell you. This is your first and best opportunity to prove that choosing you as their agent is in your clients’ best interest.
You also want your clients to really understand the process of buying and selling, and the best way to do this is through tactical visuals such as open for inspection booklets from past properties similar to the one you will be handling. These visuals will list all the people who inquired about the property, how many came to inspect it, how many returned for a second appointment, and what percentage then followed through with formal inspections, offers and bids. Once you have demonstrated your track record this way, your next move is to show your clients that you already have potential buyers to call in to view their property if they sign with you as their agent.
Another highly effective tactical tool is a list of your last 100 sales detailing property addresses, estimated selling prices that were on the agency agreement, the actual sale prices, and the difference in dollars between those figures. You can also show the marketing budgets for these properties, days on market, and final sale prices to demonstrate the cost and time benefits of quality marketing.
There are six standard concerns buyers tend to have:
Safety
Performance
Appearance
Convenience
Economy
Reliability
You need to find out which of these items are the primary concerns for your clients so you can directly address those specific issues to their satisfaction. Beyond addressing their concerns, you want to know what each client is really attracted to about a property. You will often be working with couples and you want to know what each of them is looking for, and what needs each of them wants to fulfill through this transaction.
By asking your clients quality questions and listening intently to their answers during the listing presentation you will get the vital information you need in order to best handle this property for these clients.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Coaching Tip, and I look forward to seeing you here again next week.