Situation: You enter a listing prospect’s home and they immediately insist on knowing how much you charge, how much you will list the home for or how you will advertise the home. If you answer their questions right away, they are in control and you are being interviewed. You need to turn the tables.
Remember, you are the professional. You have the answers. You must give the sellers all the information they need to make an informed decision … but on your terms and schedule, not theirs.
Here’s a start: When a seller starts off asking about commission, price or anything else, say, “That’s a good question. May I ask this first: Are you absolutely, absolutely and I mean absolutely serious about selling your home?” You must get a firm “yes”. Continue with, “Is it fair to assume that you want the most money you can get … as quickly as you can get it …and with the fewest problems possible?” Politely request a ‘yes’ after each part of that question.
There are more techniques to add, but just this much will start you off in control of the interview.
Situation: A listing prospect is adamant that he wants a low commission and insists on knowing what you charge.
The reason I use the word ‘Inter-tec’ to describe my List More, Sell More system is that every technique and even the normal steps of the interview are totally interchangeable. Sometimes you will need to get the commission topic settled before you do anything else.
Having said that, I believe the better flow of a listing interview is to get the commitment that you have the listing first; then discuss and select the price second; and then discuss and select the commission third.
If you were following this logical flow and then lost a listing due to commission, I would have to ask: Did you have a sincere commitment that they would list with you before you gave the price presentation? Did they then select a good listing price? And did they understand that they could select the commission?
If you have lost even one listing due to commission, please call me to discuss this further. Let’s not lose another listing from a motivated seller.
How many tools are in your ‘toolbox’?
As a mechanic, a contractor or a home decorator, you wouldn’t go out to a job with one tool or one sample. And as a Marine, you wouldn’t go into battle with just a half dozen bullets. Why, as a sales agent, hoping to get a listing, would you go out with less than all the ammunition you might need to convince a seller to list with you?
To win the listing, you will need to create professional rapport; qualify to make sure you know the sellers objectives and motivation; convince them to list with you, at the right price, at the right commission and with the right staging. You also need the answers for any and all objections.
With the right and complete tools (you brain is your toolbox and every technique, question to ask, point to make and response to their question or objection is a tool) you can win every time.
Jerry Bresser has been training and coaching real estate agents how to sell homes faster and for more money for over 35 years. He recently published his second book, More Money In Your Pocket. www.jerrybresser.com or for information about the book, www.moremoneyinyourpocket.biz.
