I was thrilled to have the opportunity to represent Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate during the NAR Annual conference this year. My topic was “Mastering the Listing Presentation,” and my audience was the Women’s Council of REALTORS ®.
Let’s face it, when it comes to real estate, it’s all about the listings. While you may prefer to work directly with buyers, in order to grow your business you need an inventory of listings.
Although the presentation itself is important and needs to be well designed with strong visuals, there are five fundamental elements you need to master your listing presentation and get the business.
1. Think of yourself as a marketing company
It’s very important to think of yourself as a marketing company. Without marketing, it will be very difficult to generate listing opportunities. There will always be a handful of people in your sphere of influence who may want to buy. And through your network, you might also fall into some unpredictable opportunities. But in order to consistently generate sales leads, one must develop and execute a strategic marketing plan.
2. Practice
As real estate professionals, we can go weeks between listing appointments. That means we don’t get to practice our craft enough. One creative and fun way to get better at handling sales challenges and creating dialogue is to role play. Create a weekly meeting featuring two different brokers or agents each time role-playing various scenarios and then openly discuss the key issues with the larger group. Everyone can learn and pick up tips from their peers’ experiences.
3. Build trust and rapport
A two-step listings presentation allows you to set the tone for how you work and provides enough time to build a relationship.
It’s not a good idea to show up for the first time and sell cold. During the first visit you can inspect the property and get to know the seller. Why are they moving? What do they love about their home? This lets you know their hot buttons.
When you knock on the sellers door for a second appointment, you will not be coming in as a stranger trying to sell yourself and your company, but rather as a friend. You can come armed with a customized presentation based on their wants and needs. By doing this, you have instantly created trust and rapport.
4. Gain knowledge
The best sales people understand the product inside and out. The superstars have their finger on the pulse of the entire market, keep up with real estate news and laws. When you have true knowledge of all of the homes in the area, you position yourself as an expert and are a credible source of information in every customer interaction.
Have you ever walked into a store with questions only to have the salesperson say “I’m sorry I can’t help you…I don’t usually work in this section”? If you have been to an Apple store, this typically is not going to happen. The difference is knowledge, training and customer service. The more you know, the more helpful you can be, and if you enjoy your work and do it with a smile you are more likely to succeed. Apple calls their sales professionals “Geniuses.” Be a real estate Genius. Set up time every week to preview properties and get to know all the inventory in your market – inside and out.
5. Be Confident!
Confidence works. Customers can smell fear. If you are knowledgeable and have built a relationship with the seller, be confident in recommending a price range to market the home. This is where previewing inventory and understanding your market will come into play. When a seller says “I have seen that house and mine is much nicer so we want to ask for more money” you need to be able to say “that may be true, I have seen that home as well and here’s why we can price it.…” If the seller knows more than you about local real estate you could get caught in an embarrassing situation. Don’t let them know more than you about real estate.
Do your homework, and rest assured you’ll be confident and close the deal. Do not walk out of the home without asking for the listing. It showcases that you want the business and you are going to work hard to sell that house.
Happy listing!
