Successful real estate salespeople have a few things in common. One is a rock-solid listing presentation. A good listing presentation can make or break you very early in your career.
When I started in this industry, I didn’t have a large sphere of influence to tap into, I wasn’t particularly good at dealing with buyers, or FSBOs, or sign calls or hosting open houses. What I was great at was earning people’s trust in the setting of a formal listing presentation. Three months into my career I had 23 listings (admittedly, most of them were overpriced in a depressed sellers market…but still!) and it “put me on the map” so to speak.
I quickly built up trust and credibility among the public, as well as other members of our industry. I obtained 23 listings because I took the listing presentation component very seriously. This article is not about generating listing leads (that’s for another day) but more about converting those seller leads into active listings. There are three components to every listing presentation that are an absolute must:
1. Content:
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, “Wow, it looks like you’ve done a lot of work to prepare for this!” To each listing presentation I bring a small three-ring binder filled with information about me, market stats, a specific marketing strategy and a comparative market analysis. This is the old school part about my business. I used to use an iPad but technology will backfire on you if there are any glitches. Having good content to show your prospective seller will set you apart from the competition. This is something that only takes me about five minutes to prepare and costs less than $5 per listing package.
2. Comparison:
Don’t walk into a listing presentation to show how great you are…walk in there and show how different you are from the “average agent”. More powerful than market stats or personal accolades are using them in comparison to most salespeople in your market who sell very little real estate. A few specific examples are: Days on market…you versus the average, how close homes are selling compared to the list price…you versus the average, how many homes sold last year/month…you versus the average.
3. Confidence:
This is the most important one. I’ve never liked the term, “fake it ʼtil you make it” (I would rather figure out a way to actually make it). However, there is an element of truth to this cliché that can be very effective. The definition of an expert is someone who knows more than the average person about a particular subject. You need to remember this when you are presenting. Even if you are new to the industry, you know more than they do! Hold your head high, speak with purpose, do your research and hold your ground. If you walk in oozing with confidence (not cockiness) you’ve won half the battle already.
With these three basic principles in your toolbox, you will be unstoppable at the kitchen table.
Jesse Loader is a licensed Realtor in the greater Edmonton area, host of the Reach Your Peak Podcast, and a real estate coach to agents looking to take their business to new heights. Visit Reach Your Peak Coaching and Consulting.
