When you have listings, you have something to advertise, something to promote and something to prospect around. Throwing open houses gives you a reason to meet the neighbors and tap into your database, not to mention countless social media posts, excellent video content and fresh blog material.
Having listings also gives you an opportunity to snag referrals when you knock it out of the park.
Listings make your phone ring, and keep your calendar full.
The real question is: Do you have enough inventory on your shelf to meet buying demand? If not, how do you get more?
The trick is to create more listing appointment opportunities — and make sure you nail the appointment. Here are a few tips to help you do that.
Create more opportunities
Focus on the word “create” here. You don’t “stumble upon,” “hope for,” “get” or “find” more listing opportunities — you create them.
Everything in business is either intentional or accidental. It’s either the result of choices you have made or the result of choices that you have allowed others to make for you.
Be intentional about your seller prospecting, and you will have a wonderful inventory of saleable homes and raving fans; be accidental, and you will be frustrated with listings that won’t sell in areas that are not your “focus” with grumpy sellers you don’t enjoy working with.
Find the sellers you need to meet
When you are examining the best way to up your listing game, you are really looking for the best way to get in front of more of the right people. The opportunities are endless.
For your biggest return, think about the activities that have the highest degree of people contacts. Here are three ideas that you can put to work immediately:
1. Leverage open houses
Next to taking and promoting a listing, an open house is the most leveraged activity that an agent can undertake.
Here are a few marketing activities that can help you meet more future clients:
- Invite the neighbors
- Send mailers to your database
- Post a video invitation
- Do a Facebook Live Q&A immediately before the open house
- Create social media posts
- Put out a print ad notice
- Add online announcements on major sites and your local MLS
- Display your signage
- Create engaging brochures, fliers and handouts
Be creative, authentic and fun. Remember, it’s about making contacts and showing others how amazing you are at what you do. And don’t forget a sign-in book!
2. Think about who you know
Pick five to 10 strategic people: customers, friends and business partners who have a deep network of contacts. They might be teachers, landscapers, lenders, squadron leaders, nurses, community leaders or other business owners.
Make this group your VIPs, lavish attention on them, and share your goals, victories and customer testimonials accordingly.
Take them to lunch, share what you do, and find out what it would take to earn their referrals. If you have eight people who are highly tuned into your business and enlisted in your success, and each send you five listing referrals a year — that’s 40 new listing opportunities — the numbers add up fast.
3. Identify a fantastic listing to highlight every week
Showcase a fantastic property — a great buy, a unique piece of real estate, a great cash flow investment property, whatever the case may be — and make it the center of your conversations that week.
Preview the property, talk to the neighbors, call your database, and ask people if they know anyone who might be looking for this type of property (or if they know anyone who has a similarly amazing property that they are considering selling).
Post it on Facebook, do an open house, send your “listing of the week” out to your database. Done right and consistently, everyone in your sphere of influence will be anticipating your listing.
Pretty soon, you’ll have plenty of your own listings to spotlight! (If you borrow a listing for this activity, just be sure to get the listing agent’s permission.)
Don’t underestimate the power of the words you use
When you talk real estate, do you talk about listing homes or working with buyers? Do you talk about how great business is, or do you sound defeated?
Are you energetic or kind of a downer? No one wants to list their home with a mediocre agent — and you’re not going to get referrals out of pity.
Be magnetic. Adopt the language of a go-getter. Love what you do, and people will want to be part of your success.
Holly Lovett is the broker owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Main Street Properties. You can connect with Holly on Facebook.
