A successful
seller's interview or listing presentation starts before you show up
at the house. Top-producers have a specific routine they go through before
they arrive to obtain a listing. Before you even begin your presentation,
follow the five steps below to insure that you will also obtain more
of the listings you seek.
Solid pre-listing package: This presentation should give the client a brief overview
of who you are and what your track record is in sales. It should clearly focus
on the benefits of doing business with you rather than with any other agent.
This piece should not be the big "Brag Book" that many people used
in the 80's and 90's. Sellers in the new millennium are busy. They don't have
the time to read 30 pages about how great you are. Give them the highlights and
include a section on the importance of pricing. This section will prepare them
for the price discussion.
Qualify hard before
the appointment: Have a specific set of qualifying questions.
The goal is to check their level of motivation to sell. You
need to know if their desire to sell is greater than their
desire to achieve a certain price. You want to know the where
and the why they are moving. You want to know their desired
time frame to move. That information is related to price and
motivation. Agents need to realize that motivation and price
are intertwined. The higher the motivation, the lower the price
the seller will accept. The lower the motivation, the higher
the price the seller will want.
In my qualifying I
always wanted to know who else they were interviewing. This
information really gave me an edge over the other agents. It
allowed me to bring or send them MLS data about the agent or
firm. It also gave me the ability to compare services. (Please
understand that you don't want to say anything to trash the
other agent or company. You do want to point out the differences
in your approach and track record compared to theirs.) Most
sellers think agents are all alike. I was there to show them
that we provide the best opportunity in the marketplace for
them to achieve a sale on their home. If you provide a compelling
list of benefits over another agent or firm, sellers will select
you almost every time. The only way you will lose a listing
is to get out-priced or out-commissioned. It never bothered
me to get out-priced or out-commissioned. Those kinds of agents
won't last long in most markets. When a potential client makes
a selection based on those two issues, are they a client you
want to do business with? My answer was no. They didn't have
enough respect for me, my team, and realtors in general to
warrant my investment of time, money, and emotional energy.
Develop a pre-appointment
routine: We should prepare for every appointment the same way.
We should have at least a mental checklist of things to run
through. Let me share with you my pre-appointment routine.
I would first look
at the market conditions and price ranges in their area. Then
I would review my comps to determine the price I wanted to
list it for. I would also determine the maximum I would list
the home for. I wanted to clearly know this before I walked
into the door. This takes the emotional aspect out of the pricing
game. You are making a decision based on the numbers.
I would determine
the strategy for showing the seller the benefits of working
with my team and myself. I would also review who else was going
to be interviewing for the job. I would then create a strategy
to insure that I took the listing. Upon final review I would
evaluate the likely objections I would receive based on their
answers to my pre-qualifying questions.
Practice the listing
presentation at least once: I would rehearse my listing presentation
one time before leaving the office. This rehearsal would prepare
me to emphasize the benefits, services, and reason they should
list with me at my price. I would practice the potential objection
and getting the listing signed at my price. I focused on practicing
success.
Leave with plenty
of time to get to the appointment: Nothing will wipe out your
preparation more than the death grip on the steering wheel
to get there faster. Make sure you arrive calm and relaxed.
I would visualize and prepare in the car by working on my closing
or tag lines. These phrases would lead me to ask for the order.
They were my set of phrases and thoughts that allowed me to
solve a problem then ask for the order.
Don't let success be based on chance. Prepare well before the appointment.
Great teams win championships in practice. They win them before the big game
is played. Preparation is essential for smooth and successful seller interviews.
Start your routine today.
For more information and help on creating a successful listing presentation, click here.
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