10 Habits of Top Agents - A Series

#5 Present Professionally

Every time an agent says to me “I priced a house today”, I respond with “You mean you did a listing presentation?”

Chances are that most times you are asked to look at a potential listing, you are not necessarily a shoe-in for the job. You have about a 1 hour opportunity to do something to get the sellers excited about dealing with you. Putting a price on the property or giving the sellers tips for preparing the house for sale are not going to do the trick. You have to WOW them. How do top salespeople WOW and win the listings?

LOOK PROFESSIONAL

I don’t mean wear a suit to every appointment, but keep the scruffy jeans for your day off. To a certain extent we are chameleons in this business. For the farm: good pants & shirt, sensible shoes or boots for walking. For the upscale property, break out the suit. Dress for the appointment, but always look professional. And never, ever wear shoes with tall heels! (Funny story here…to follow!)

TAKE CONTROL OF THE APPOINTMENT

No one is going to put their faith in a wishy-washy realtor. Be consistent in the way that you conduct your appointments. Let the sellers know what is going to happen. Know what you are going to say to lead into your presentation. Close for the listing with confidence.

  

EXUDE CONFIDENCE

Confidence will help you to sell yourself to the sellers. As salespeople what do we have to sell before we can sell real estate? Ourselves. And our company. We must have confidence in our abilities, and be excited enough about our value to excite the sellers.

  

USE A PREPARED PRESENTATION

Whether you use an electronic format such as Powerpoint, or a binder format, a well prepared presentation will guide you through discussing everything with the sellers that is important to getting the listing: your value proposition (WOW); your marketing plan (WOW); market and pricing information; the CMA. Prepare your presentation. Practice it. Know it inside and out. Over time you will discover the needs of your customers and enhance your presentation on an ongoing basis.

  

LISTEN WELL

You’ve heard the saying “You have 2 ears and only 1 mouth…talk half as much as you listen.” Start your appointment by asking questions of the sellers to determine their motivation and needs. Listen to their answers. It will help you to (a) know what to focus on in your presentation and (b) service the sellers well. Top agents are good listeners.

  

OVERCOME OBJECTIONS BEFORE THEY ARISE

Sellers do not always voice their objections. Sometimes you will leave their house not knowing why you didn’t get the listing. Part of your closing technique is to find out what their objections are if they are not signing the listing today. Why not get past the usual objections in your presentation? Know your market, your competition, and your customers and dealing with the usual objections up front just might clinch the deal!

All of the same principles apply when presenting to buyers. And don't take your friends and family for granted. Give them the same presentation. They also need to see your professionalism, and understand the market, pricing and your marketing plan just like any other buyer or seller.

Do you have a professional presentation? At Bowes & Cocks we’ll help you to understand your value and create a bang-up listing presentation that will get you listings even when you’re competing with top agents.