Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Creating a Successful Listing Presentation


 To improve your capture rate of listings taken to listing presentations given... it is imperative to plan what you are going to say beforehand, so that during the presentation you can focus on getting to know the Sellers, your semantics, body language and tonality.
First Know the Seller … Before you go face to face with sellers, gather as much intelligence as possible prior to the presentation about them... Know why they are moving, and when they need to move. Know about their mortgage balances and if they are current on payments. (Hard to ask I know…but necessary in today’s financial environment)…also try to discover their level of motivation to sell…and if there are 2 Sellers, make sure they are both on the same page.

Second Know the Property… City, County, Well, Septic, Additions, Repairs, and the Neighborhood are all important factors when it comes to pricing and who your buyer pool will be. Obtain copies of recent appraisals, inspections, and surveys if possible prior to meeting with the Seller…you can never have too much data.

Third Know the Market… Current market conditions can greatly affect pricing and how you present the home to a buying audience. Do your research and educate the Sellers … Have options ready for them if your plan A doesn’t work. As in the previous paragraph the more data you have the better. Don’t rely just on data from MLS…pull sold data from tax records to discover non-MLS sales from FSBO’s , and foreclosure and pre-foreclosure data.

Fourth Have a Business Plan… Have a written business plan to showing the Sellers your plans to get their property sold in the shortest amount of time possible while still attaining them the highest net dollar at the closing table. One idea to ad in a sheet show everything you do for the first few days it is listed…from putting it in MLS to marketing to making fliers and setting up Broker Tours and photo tours.

Fifth Be Enthusiastic!... Few sellers will want a boring agent to sell their home… start off with an exciting presentation and keep the level high throughout your listing period with them. Enthusiasm gets referrals!

Even though Sellers want to work with Agents who are enthusiastic about their property... you have to be honest … you must not attempt to hide or “soften” market realities.  Still be enthusiastic and show that you are excited about the opportunity …

Suggested Dialogue: Mr. and Mrs. Seller… We will need to work as a team to get your home sold…I will always tell you what you “need” to hear, which may not always be what you “want” to hear…just always know my job is to test the market and report the truth back to you.

Sixth Be Confident…If you are lacking in confidence, determine what you need to do to gain a belief in your ability to achieve success.  Are there skills you need to master to dramatically affect your confidence?  What one thing, if you did it better, would change your self-confidence? If a Seller perceives a lack of confidence in you at their kitchen table… they will surely perceive they will get the same performance when a low-ball offer comes in and the negotiations get tough.

Seventh Be Prepared to List Now….Have a Listing Agreement ready to sign with you, coming back later may cost you the listing. Seems simple enough but I am amazed at the number of agents who do not have a listing agreement pre-filled in for their appointments…leave the active date and the price blank. You want to be ready when they say “where do we sign”!

Lastly, Be Willing To Say No…. You are not just going to see if the Sellers want to list with you…More importantly You need to be going to see if the Sellers, and the property, qualify for your listing inventory! An uncooperative Seller or a property in poor condition, in a bad location, and overpriced is a REALTOR®s nightmare…and a surefire case of indigestion! A negative, mean, and uncooperative Seller rarely turns positive, nice, and cooperative as you progress into the listing period…They usually just get worse… Until you stab yourself in the neck with the same pen they signed the listing agreement with!

I hope these tips help you to capture more listings in the upcoming months…

Keep Prospecting!

Eddie Brown ©2012

1 comment:

GREG said...

Exactly! Especially knowing the seller which I think is the most important and hardest part.