The ultimate goal of every single listing appointment is to convince the prospective client that the agent is the best possible person to sell their home and deliver the best result.
Your listing appointments will only convert if you have the skills to get those listings signed, and you’ll do that by demonstrating exactly what makes you the right agent for the transaction. If, on the other hand, you fail to convince them, you’ll invest hours of your time preparing to list a home, only to see another agent take the listing contract.
Learning to take listings is one of the toughest skills in our industry, if not the toughest. It begins with setting a listing appointment, which is a totally separate skill on its own. Once you’ve landed the listing appointment, you must be able to craft your presentation in a way that helps you convert those appointments at a high rate.
Your presentation has got to be bulletproof. It must be scripted, practiced and probably even memorized if you want to jump your conversion rate. Think of it like an outline that you can deliver on-demand any time you need to.
The truth is that many agents aren’t willing to do the work to improve their presentations. They do not treat every presentation like an interview, but that is exactly what these appointments are: an interview for the job of selling the home.
If you’re currently scheduling appointments but your conversion rate is low, you’ll likely need to practice and role play your presentation. And here’s something you may not have considered: If your sign rate is already high, it’s possible that you need to go on more listing appointments than you’re currently scheduling.
Each presentation will be different, and you’ll use the opportunity to differentiate yourself from other agents, so you must take the time to craft your message. Then, incorporate your message into this three-point presentation plan at each listing appointment to help sellers understand the three reasons that every house sells.
1. The buyer must have the right emotional reaction when they walk through the home
Help the seller understand your in-house capabilities that will create this experience for the buyer.
- Do you use someone to stage the home?
- What home prep will you recommend?
Answer the questions that will help the seller understand how you’ll create a positive emotional experience for buyers.
2. The home must have the right exposure online and offline
Explain the steps you’ll take to ensure that the house gets maximum exposure.
- Will you use professional photography?
- Will you incorporate video?
- What kind of ad campaigns will you use?
- How will you use social media to market the home?
- Will you partner with portal sites to maximize exposure?
- Will you hold an open house?
- What is your communication plan?
- How will you follow up with interested buyers?
Explain your marketing plan to the seller and help them understand what works best. Show your sales statistics and the results you deliver, because results are what count in this business. You either sell the home or you don’t. There is nothing in between.
Outline how you’ll market the property to other agents, and identify the steps you’ll take once buyers show interest.
Reviewing the communication plan is critical. One of the top complaints clients have about their real estate agents is that they never hear from them. Trust is built with clear expectations. Laying this out right from the first meeting will take a ton of stress out of the process for the seller and lead to more referral business in the future.
Develop a clear marketing value plan to show the seller how you’ll drive exposure both online and offline.
3. The home must be properly positioned to sell
This step includes the market analysis and how you’ll make sure that the seller has the best data to help them make decisions.
- What methods are you using to develop your market analysis?
- How will you ensure that the information you’re using is relevant?
- How will you help them interpret what the market is saying right now?
Include a discussion of active listings — especially the homes that aren’t selling — pending listings and homes that have already closed so the seller can understand what’s currently happening in the market. Use concrete numbers to help them interpret the current situation.
Finally, share a deliverable when you’re done: a brag sheet, visual aids or a PowerPoint slide deck. Develop a presentation that works for you, get great at delivering it, and use personalized visual aids to convert your listing appointments into listing contracts.
In today’s market, agents can’t expect to simply place a sign in the yard, post the property on the internet and then wait for a buyer. Instead, explain these three points clearly and concisely to the customer.
Practice your presentation and develop nuances like knowing when to lean in, when to raise your voice, and how to use your body language to connect with the sellers. Practice your presentation repeatedly and record yourself saying it so you can see and hear how you’re coming across to the audience.
Every agent wants to win more listings, but few are willing to invest the time practicing. You must be willing to do the reps and craft your presentations so that sellers will likely sign with you. Here’s how.
Tom Toole is the founder and team leader at Tom Toole Sales Group. Connect with him on Facebook or LinkedIn.
