Step Two

So, you sent your pre-listing package to your prospective client already, right? (Here’s more about that) And now you’re ready to meet with the client and SHOW, not tell, why you’re the real estate agent with the stand-out skills they want from an agent in their corner.

Michael Krisa has additional tips for your listing presentation in the video below…the rest of the article continues below.

How do you set yourself apart? Do some research

Before you meet with your potential buyer or seller, you should know something about their motivations and what they’re looking for. You’re not there to cram all your successes down their throats, or talk about how you’re the best agent in town – you’re there to show you have their wants and needs in mind.

Your pre-listing package should have included a survey of some type about what your prospects are looking for, or why they want to sell their home along with some of its features. If you haven’t gotten that back from them, it’s a good idea to give them a call and get an idea about their motivations and needs, or you should try to get that info the first time you speak to them on the phone.

Before your listing presentation:

• Pull tax records for the home
• Check MLS for past sales
• Drive by the home and take a photo- show you went the extra mile
• Ask if they’re interviewing other agents- ask to be their final interview if possible (you want to be their last, best impression)

Use the information you find – of course, put together a CMA. But also put together CMAs of other homes in the neighborhood because other agents probably aren’t.

Of course, show up on time to your meeting with clients. Establish that you’re professional and considerate, right off the bat. Chat with clients and start to build a rapport. Find a comfortable place to talk, and then settle in to ask probing questions, and LISTEN. Adjust your presentation as questions come up that are important to the client.

What are the SELLERS looking for?

When you meet with your prospective clients, keep in mind what sellers generally want as you ask questions and talk about what you can do for them.

1. Sellers are looking for the greatest possible net proceeds from the sale of their home. (Notice “net,” not purchase price. “Net” can be influenced by a number of factors including terms, commissions, financing, or improvements.)
2. Sellers want the sale to occur at the RIGHT TIME. If you’ve qualified right, they want to sell right now. The speed of sale is contingent on price. A seller will likely not take an unreasonably low offer in the first week of the listing. They will compromise a little speed of sale to maximize their desired price, if they can control it.
3. Sellers want the fewest possible problems with their sale.
4. They don’t want their home to fall out of escrow at the same time they’re trying to close on a home in another location. They don’t want to deal with unscrupulous agents. They especially don’t want to deal with contingencies, escrow hold-backs, shaky buyers, or other problems relating to the sale of their home.

What YOU want from a seller is a client who is motivated to sell. Ask questions like “When do you need to move?” and “Do you need funds from this sale to move?” You want to qualify the seller during this meeting. Don’t take a listing if it isn’t going to be worth it.

To address the seller’s concerns, using visual proof is a powerful way to demonstrate that you can get the results they’re looking for. And a Success Book is a great way to do that.

Have a “Success Book” prepared

Check out our specific instructions here (https://agentinnercircle.com/real-estate-success-book/)

A Success Book is an actual notebook that you create which demonstrates your professionalism and your ability to get results for your client. Furthermore, it’s a compilation of all of your best present and past marketing efforts, your qualifications, first-hand accounts from your clients, and a pictorial essay showing why a client would do business with you over any other agent. Which is why you should consider making at least 6 copies of the book, bound in a notebook format.

So, what will a “Success Book” do for your practice?

Two things:

• First, Your Success Book will separate you from all of the agents who have only a brochure and business card.  Cards and brochures don’t demonstrate your ability to “perform,” so they tend to get tossed out at the end of the day…
• Second, Your Success Book is a living, breathing demonstration of your credibility.  Of the top 25 professions in America, real estate agents are rated in the bottom 5 when it comes to “professionalism.”  People are naturally skeptical.  Your Success Book will educate your prospects and clients on the unique difference of your service.

Do you have a marketing plan?

Presenting your marketing plan is the final step before signing the listing agreement.  It’s an extremely powerful tool for bringing all of the elements together into closure.  

Make sure they know:

Most agents will help you price your property correctly, give you advice on staging, put your home in the MLS, do an open house, handle showings, and possibly put an ad in a local newspaper.

Better agents will work hard to qualify every buyer who calls and negotiate a higher price for you.

The BEST agents do all the above while also creating ads and flyers that make your home stand out, taking stunning photos of your home, and getting maximum exposure for your home on the Internet.

We’ve got an outline for you to put together your own marketing plan- Just click this link to download. You might have fewer (or more) than 28 Steps- just modify to fit your practice.

Leave the listing presentation on a high note

By now, hopefully you’ve gotten the clients to fill out the listing agreement and disclosure forms, and you’ve agreed upon a listing price.

End the presentation by talking about how you’ll communicate during the sales process, and what to expect as next steps. If you didn’t get the listing, it’s ok to ask why so you can improve for next time. If it’s not a mutual fit, that’s ok too.

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