Does Your Listing Presentation Need Help?
The listing presentation is the crucial key to your life as a real estate agent. It's that one moment where you truly need to shine. But most agents treat the listing presentation as, "just another task." The reality is that today's sellers are expecting more. They want props. They need "show and tell." They want to know EXACTLY what you're going to do and when you're going to do it.
The listing presentation is the crucial key to your life as a real estate agent. It's that one moment where you truly need to shine.
Too many agents agents treat the listing presentation as "just another task." However, the reality is that today's sellers are expecting more. They want props. They need "show and tell". They want to know EXACTLY what you're going to do and when you're going to do it.
Five necessities for sellers at a listing presentation include:
Price
What tools do you have in your toolbox to discuss price? Most agents have ONE-the CMA (Competitive Market Analysis).
But a CMA alone just doesn't cut it anymore.
You need items that are about more than competitive pricing-such as an absorption rate chart. This is a great tool to use to go beyond the basics with your clients. They're usually impressed because they've probably never heard of one and you're the only agent who ever told them why they need one.
How about an appreciation analysis? This is useful lately for those sellers who are all up in arms over losing 5% of their home's value in the last year. But how quickly they forget that their home APPRECIATED in value 60% over the last seven years! An appreciation analysis shows them that the 5% is insignificant in the "big picture".
Are you pulling ratios? Can you clearly explain what's happening in the moment of the market? Are you talking about what the market is buying right now so they can see what homes are selling and what homes are not?
All of these factors are important to pricing, not just the price alone.
Communication
This includes everything you do to communicate with them throughout the entire term of the listing.
Some ideas for communication tools include:
- Marketing activity report.
- Open House report.
- An extra copy of the marketing plan for the seller to keep.
- A pending-to-closing calendar.
A pending-to-closing calendar can be especially useful so that they know what's happening in the market once the home pends.
Marketing
This is where you truly need to shine. Clients need a clear visual picture of what you're going to do to get their home sold.
Take along with you examples of other homes that you have showcased-with pictures. Bring the ads you placed for those homes. Compare your showcasing and ads to other agents' generic materials.
Also, bring samples of all the marketing materials you will use for them, including 4-page flyers, "Just Listed" cards, and custom mailers. Seeing is believing. When they see that you have your act together, they will believe you are the best agent for them.
Technology
This is extremely important. If you submit their home to 15 different websites, you need a screen shot of each one of those websites on a sheet of paper. This clearly shows them where their home is going to be and how you're going to help it to stand out from the crowd.
Don't forget your own website. It's a great tool that you should never neglect. Your clients and prospects should be able to get listing updates from the MLS through your website. This way your branding is reinforced everytime they go to look at a listing. If they share a link to a listing with a friend for comment, that friend will see you branding too.
You should be able to create a password-protected resource page for your clients at your website, where you can put resources specific to their transaction needs. This could be copies of ads, important documents, marketing activity reports and more. By having a central area for each client on your website, everything stays in one place.
Photography
People are more visual than ever before. Without photographs, you have no marketing. Period.
Before the listing presentation, take 20 or so pictures of the home. Blow them up to 8" x 10" size and put them in a large photo album that you buy from an office supply store. Show them how you'd like to display their home in ads. Use the pictures to point out areas that need some work in order to sell.
Above all, when it comes to listing presentations, be prepared. Have facts and figures on hand-ready to go. And make sure you've looked everything over before you begin. A typo or other mistake reflects very badly on you. Get your tools in place. Use them to enhance what you do.
It's time to take your listing presentations to the next level.