Wouldn’t it be great to win the listing before you even give the presentation?
You’ve been there, right? You walk into the home, and you say, “Mr. and Mrs. Seller, other than price, is there anything we need to go over before we sign the paperwork?”
Their response? ” We are not ready to sign anything yet!”
Yikes. Here comes an hour of doing your best dog and pony show, trying to convince the seller that they should list with you.
There is an alternative though. It has happened to me, and to many of the top real estate agents. It’s not just getting lucky. You create your own luck. There are hard and fast rules to follow that will dramatically up your chances of winning the listing without having to do a full-fledged listing presentation. In fact, by following these simple rules, more times than not, the question won’t be whether or not you are the right agent for them, the question will be are they the right client for you? In other words, will they take your professional advice on pricing, staging, and marketing, and allow you to get them the most money for their home in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of hassle for them? See, when you conduct business as a true sales professional, you get to pick your clients.
So what are 3 ways to win the listing without having to do a full-blown presentation?
1.) Have A Strong Pre-Qualifying Script
Do you STRONGLY pre-qualify every single one of your listing appointments before going out on them? C’mon, be honest. It’s just you and me talking here. I’ll be completely honest with you. While I have a pre-qualifying conversation with every one of my appointments before I go on them, 5-10% would not qualify as STRONG. Why? Good question. Some days, I am in a rush. Some days, my mindset is a bit off, and that little voice in my head says if I push them too hard, they may cancel. Once or twice, I was going through a rut where I hadn’t booked an appointment in what seemed like forever, and I just wanted to pretend this one would be a solid one that would lead to a listing.
Did you really hear what I am saying in all of these answers? They are excuses. Nothing more, nothing less. Stop making excuses, and start getting results. I promise you, you will lose some appointments in this stage of the process. Congrats! That is a good thing! You see, when you strongly pre-qualify someone, you are weeding out those with low motivation, those with unrealistic expectations, and those who just are not able or ready to sell, right now. For those of you that have not followed the Mike Ferry school of thought, a lead is someone who will sign the contract in the next 1 to 7 days. Not next week, next month, or next year. Put those people on a nurture drip campaign. But do not focus on them. Focus on real leads, people who need your help in the next few days. So ask the tough questions before you go out. It increases the likelihood that the seller, is motivated, ready, willing, and able to sell…TODAY.
2.) Have A Kick-Ass Pre-Listing Package
Do you have a pre-listing package? Do you use it? Is it the generic pre-listing package that every other agent in your office is using (YAWN)? Or, do you have a kick-ass pre-listing package that sets the bar for your market? When you teach a class, (you are teaching classes in your market, aren’t you…it’s the best way to master information!) are the agents begging you to give them a copy of your pre-listing package because it is that good?
If your pre-list package is not out of this world, block out some time in your calendar in the next 24 hours and fix it. No, don’t fix it, you’ll just be putting lipstick on a pig. Scrap it. Get rid of it. You are a professional sales person. Create a professional pre-listing package that will knock the socks off of your potential clients. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Hell, you don’t have to spend any money if you are with Keller Williams. Use the pre-listing package that is part of our marketing as the skeleton and build it out from there. If you are not a Keller Williams agent (we should talk if this is the case,click here to contact me), see if your office has a package you can modify to fit your needs. I have had agents ask me on more than one occasion what to have in their packages, so maybe my next post will focus on just that, and I will add a link to it here.
At the very least, you will want to have your complete marketing plan, your staging plan, a bio of you and if you have a team- their bio, any guarantees you may offer (for example, we have a satisfaction guarantee that in essence turns the listing into a 1 day listing contract), outstanding testimonials, and statistics on how you beat the market. Your goal is to get this in the seller’s hands immediately, and ideally, in print. Fedex the package next day delivery, or have a courier drop it off for you. *Bonus- send it to their office if you can, because their co-workers may see it, or see them going through it, and ask what it is. They will say “my Realtor sent it to me.” Last ditch effort to get it to them in person is to drop it off at their door yourself. Caution- if you go this route you must say “Hi, I am on my way to an appointment in the neighborhood, and I just wanted to drop this off real quick.” Leave your car running and DO NOT step over the threshold of the door. Why? Because if you do, you will now be on your listing presentation, and neither you nor they, are prepared! You can always email it as well, but a hard copy is the first choice.
3.) Show Up On Time, Looking Like A Professional, And Be Enthusiastic
What does it mean to show up on time for a 4:00 PM appointment? I will give you a hint, it doesn’t mean be screeching to a stop in front of their curb at 3:59 PM, reaching back for your briefcase and file as you run up their grass in a mad dash. It also doesn’t mean showing up at 4:05 PM and bitch about traffic. It means pull up in the neighborhood at least 10-15 minutes before your appointment and get your mindset right. Go through some affirmations. If you are a fan of Tony Robbins, make your power move. Visualize yourself getting the contract signed with a big smile on the seller’s face. Then go to the front door and ring the bell precisely at 4:00 PM.
When they open the door to greet you, are they going to see a professional, or a harried amateur, who barely made it there on time? Are you going to look as if your mind is somewhere else, or are you going to look like a confident warrior? Are you going to be in jeans and a t-shirt (don’t laugh, I have seen it with my own eyes), or will you be in a suit, or similar professional attire if you are a woman? It matters. It all matters. you are being judged from the very first phone call, when you go through your pre-qualifying script, you are being judged on the materials you send out in your pre-listing package, and you are being judged on your appearance when they first open the door, so make it a good first impression.
So the door opens at 4:00 PM on the dot, and there you are, a warrior in a suit, looking confident as all hell. Be careful of not only what you say next, but how you say it, because this is where you only get one chance to make it a killer first impression. Smile. Bigger. Not cheesy, just bigger. Show them you are someone they can like and trust. Shake their hand, in a firm handshake. Make eye contact the entire time…but make sure you blink, don’t look like a creeper. And say these words: “Mr or Ms. Seller, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to meet with me. I am very excited about helping you getting your home sold.” Say it with enthusiasm. Be excited to be there. SHOW them you are excited to be there and excited to be helping them get their home sold. Whether this is your first listing of the year or your 150th, let them know your excitement and enthusiasm. Mike Ferry always tells us at his conferences, “You can be the most talented, successful agent in the world, if someone goes against you with less talent, and less track record, but with more enthusiasm, THEY have a better than average chance at beating you.”
Enthusiasm is contagious. It shows you’re hungry. When you add it with a professional look, being question based in your approach, and having your pre-listing package do the heavy lifting for you before you get there, you have a damn good shot at getting the contract signed without having to do a presentation.
Try it. You will be amazed at the results.
If you have tried it, tell us about the results in the comment section below.