The Three Basic Things You Need To Do TO Be Successful In Real Estate Sales

 There is THREE basic things you need to focus on to become successfulin your career as a Real Estate Sales Person.

    1. List a saleable home                                                                                            
    2. Sell it 
    3. Tell THE WORLD                                                                               

sandie acordSounds simple, but it isn't.  The key word in point 1. is SALEABLE, that means you know the market and you have developed the sales skills to convince the seller of the right price that will cause the home to sell.  There is no self life in having an unsaleable listing.  It is expensive and exhausting, you can do all the flayers, prospecting, ads, Internet marketing, etc. but if a home is overpriced it will not sale...period.  You must know the market and have the data to back up what you are saying.  You have to know how to present it to the seller in a logical manor, and have the statistical data to prove what the right price is.

If you have done step 1. correctly, step 2. will occur in any market, an up market, a down market, a normal pretty housemarket.  If a home is price correctly it will sell.

Step 3 is were most agents really fall off the track, they work hard to get a listing, get it sold and closed and stop there.  That is not the way to build a business, that's when you work begins.  Following is a short list of things you need to do once the property is sold.

    • Place a sold rider with your name and phone number on the home
    • Call at least 200 homes in the area were you sold the home
    • Knock on 40 doors, 10 on each side of the home you just sold and 20 across the street
    • If you do want to send out sold card, make them different (this is the least effective, you must talk to people, not just mail things out.  If you do mail a sold card, then of course still do the first three in addition.

The script works every time, and you can down load the Just Sold Script at www.mikeferry.com.  Don't change it (I did for years before I "saw the light" and just used the script verbatim, it has worked for thousands of top producing agents for 32 years all over the US and Canada.  Agents coached by Mike Ferry average 75 homes sold per year.  While the national and Texas average is only 2-3 homes sold per year per Realtor.

The Just Sold Script: 

  1. Hi this is Liz with Liz Carter & Team Realty, I'm very excited to tell you I just sold your neighbors home, Mr. and Mrs. Jones.
  2. Normally when I sell a home a couple more homes come on the market right away, so I was wondering, when do you fokes plan on moving?
  3. Never...Never, really well where did your fokes happen to move from?
  4. Denver, that's exciting, how did you happen to pick this area?
  5. Schools...Schools, great, well if you were to move, where would you move next?
  6. Well we were thinking about Windsor Park Estate...Windsor Park Estates, gosh that's a great area, and by the way when do you see yourself moving?
  7. Maybe when schools out...When schools out, thats great, did you want to be sold by then or start selling now?
  8. Well we would really like to be there at the end of the school year so the kids can get adjusted...That's terrific, did you realize that in todays market it could take 4-6 months to get a home sold?
  9. No we had no ideal...No ideal, really, well what would be the best time to meet with you and your husband, so I can show you how I can help you get what you want in the time you want, won't that be great?  Is today at 3 good for you or would tomorrow at 4 be better?

Of course now you are simply closing and setting the appointment.  You will want to get a pre-listing package to them before you meet with them and of course always call back to confirm the appointment and pre-qualify them.  There is more to the script, and also there is the pre-qualifying script you can download on the Mike Ferry web site.  This is what agents do who want to succeed at a high level, don't sit around and wait for someone to call you, get on the phone and go find the people who need YOU to help them buy and sell Real Estate!

Trust me, this works I have used this and all the other scripts for 16 years, and I have averaged selling 200 homes a year for 10 years in a row.  I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have, just let me know.

Make 08 your best year ever, and try these three basic things to increase your production dramatically.

I very seldom send out a sold card, I normally just call, however there is a subdivision that is in the $500,000-$1,000,000+ range I am breaking into so above is an example of the sold card I sent to that area.  I have just sold two homes in Lakes of Buckingham and really like the area, so my goal of course is to be the Realtor they remember and will call when they get ready to sell or buy another home in the Katy, or Houston, Texas area.  Since this area is four times the average sales price in Katy, TexasI included a pocket calendar that I had mailed to all my past clients along with the sold card.  I mail something to my past clients four times a year, and call them often, plus I do a monthly newsletter to my past clients.  85% of my business is generated for past clients or past client referrals.  That's another thing...remember to stay in touch with your past clients.

www.lizcarter.com

 
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30 Comments on The Three Basic Things You Need To Do TO Be Successful In Real Estate Sales

Liz,

Thanks for the great tips for all of us realtors. Thank you for your knowledge gained from your experience

02/23/2008 05:00 AM by Russ Ravary-- Michigan Homes for sale-- Your local Real estate & Mortgage person (Remerica Hometown One)


Hi Liz, Bravo! You so succinctly have the recipe for success. I believe you could nearly shorten the list to just one item?  List saleable listings! The consumers will beat down your doors. I've been watching the top producers in my area - other agents help them sell it quickly (Step 2), and they are too busy to do step 3. 

02/23/2008 06:27 AM by Jim Dvorovy, REALTORĀ® Stark County, Ohio (Cutler Real Estate)


I have had great luck with sold cards by sending them to my expired database.

02/23/2008 08:18 AM by Shannon Aldrich ~ NH & Maine Real Estate Seacoast (Keller Williams Coastal Realty)


Hi Russ, hope it helps your business grow.  Liz

Hi Jim, yes true for most agents...however I sell about 50% of my own listing.  It's about having people in place who are well trained.  I have two great buyers agent and they average selling 30 homes each a year, from the buyers I generate prospecting 3 hours a day.  It's a process and takes time to build up a great team.  One person of course cannot do it all, however it all starts with the "'RAINMAKER".  If someone is not willing to put in the time to acquire great sales skills and prospect it would never happen at this level.  It's not for everyone, so I applaud whatever level of goals an agent has.  Most people can't do what I do, it requires a lot of time, rejection, and discipline to get on the phone for 3 hours every day.  Good luck in 08, Liz

Hi Karen, I believe in sharing and paying it forward.  Will help any agent in any way I can, so let me know if you need anything.  I've got 32 years of stuff stored up here, and love to help.  Liz

Hi Shannon,that's a good ideal to send sold cards to expired listing, just remember you need to also call them to set the appointment.  We have an expired listing letter we send out.  It has a list of many of the homes we have listed and sold that another agent did not.  It has the broker code of the first agent, and days on market with them, then it has our broker code with how quickly we sold it.  Be happy to share it, it's powerful.  I love calling expired listing, they really need my help.  Liz

02/23/2008 01:55 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Hey Liz.  I enjoy reading your posts.  I see you are full of motivation and excitement.  Now when will you be commenting on my blog next?  This morning at 2 am, or at 3 am.  I see you were commenting on my posts at 1:45 am this morning.  I guess we are both hooked on A|R

Don

02/24/2008 01:02 AM by Donald Bradbury, REALTOR Bucks County PA (The Bradbury Team at Coldwell Banker Heritage)


Hi Don,just gave you what you need to say to get that listing of the lady going to FL :).  Nope going to bed now...well one more comment.  I'me on vacation at my lake house, and all I've done is blog, sad :)  Bill is calling me his "bloging baby", and makes comments like, "weren't you sitting there when I went to bed last night"!  Two more days and back to reality, I'll go into withdrawals :).  Liz

02/24/2008 01:10 AM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Thank you, Liz,

Great Advice, and a Beautiful Card!

You eloquently state the obvious: Saleable Listing, and Selling It, you can't have one without the other!

Take care,  Laurie

02/24/2008 01:43 AM by Laurie Logan-South Central WI Real Estate (RE/MAX Preferred - Broker Manager)


Excellent post Liz,   I bookmarked this one.    We can't do it all.  I'm so busy.  I am trying to build a team but it is hard.  I'm open to any pointers you can give me.   Thanks,  Ricki Eichler :)

02/24/2008 09:30 AM by Ricki Eichler, your Texas Hill Country connection (Coldwell Banker Heart of the Hills, Realtors)


Hi Laurie, you got that one right!  It sounds simple, but it's not.  The advice I give people who ask me about getting into real estate?  DON'T...unless you understand the vast amount of time, work, and skills you need to be successful.  Chow Liz

Hi Ricki, so you wanna build a team?  I'm your gal, ask away.  I stated a team before it became vogue,16-17 years ago.  I made all the mistakes, and some great decisions too + I've had 16+ years of coaching by the best, Mike Ferry.  Be glad to help.   Chow Liz

02/24/2008 01:18 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Superb Post!! I totally agree that in this market we need to take salable listing with right price.

Thank you for my earlier response about prospecting.  I do door knocking to Expired's but that takes lot of my time driving from one house to another house because of distance between all the house.  I did call in the first few months and most of numbers were agent's numbers.

Wow! you are really a superstar agent with 299 deals/year with 3 hours prospecting. I would love to do that many deals this year (atleast the first two digits of your above number :-) ) May I know what exactly you did during those days, I mean whether you did calling or doorknocking, what timings were good for calls and door knock (I do door knock in the morning and hardly getting any one). Well, I got 1 listing from door knocking, so I know it works.  Could you please share your experience or what and when should we do prospecting (for newer agents like me).

Once again thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.  Blaison

02/28/2008 12:51 AM by Blaison Samuel (Prudential California Realty)


as a high analytical, i'm looking forward to more posts like this!!

03/02/2008 08:55 AM by Joshua Lazaro (Prudential Gardner, Realtors)


Hi Blaison,sorry I missed you comment earlier.  Correction, my highest year was 246 transactions closed.  I prospected from *;30-11:30 every AM.  You must do your prospecting first before your day takes over, and it always does :).  Remember the average agent only sells 2-3 homes a year, so if you start out your first year with 25 closed and add 20% a year, you are doing GREAT.  Liz

Hi Joshua, I have written several, especially earlier on "how to in real estate".  They were not very popular :), but if you want to see some of the things I wrote, click on my blogs and scroll through till you find the ones you want to read.  Liz

03/02/2008 01:40 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


that's interesting: you do 200 deals a year, and your blogs are "not very popular." but johnny salami does 3 deals since the new millenium started, and his blogs are featured AR posts!

03/03/2008 10:15 AM by Joshua Lazaro (Prudential Gardner, Realtors)


Great post.  I believe that too many Realtors believe that a listing is a listing.  I agree you need a saleable listing otherwise that listing is going to cost you time and money.

03/03/2008 10:56 AM by Bronson Barber (Utah Select Realty)


Thanks Liz! I have started prospecting in the morning time(as you advised...Thanks for the great advice).

What would be the script for door knocking around "Just Sold"; if its not your/company listing?
What would you say when they ask "It wasnt your listing" or "The other agent/office sold the listing and why are you informing that our neighbor sold the house"

I got this objection from today's door knocking, what would be the best answer for this objection

03/03/2008 10:57 PM by Blaison Samuel (Prudential California Realty)


Joshua, I have no ideal what you are talking about?  What has that got to do with anything?  Very rude comment on my post.  Liz

Hi Emily, I try to   not an easy task sometime.  Liz

Hi Blaison, I'm so proud of you    you deserve a gold star.  I sent your answer to you via e-mail, so hope it helps.  Remember the tonality, especially on the phone, down to rate of speech, pitch, etc.  In person the mirroring and matching is so important also.  I strongly encourage you go get to a productivity school ASAP, if not there is a CD you can listen to until you can get to one.  Keep me posted, and I am looking forward to hearing your first success story.  Just remember it takes time, and you learn by "repetitious boredom".  Don't let anything take you off your morning prospecting schedule, and be on th phone or door from 8:30-11:30 and then more in the afternoon if you have no appointment.  Good Job, Liz

 

03/04/2008 02:33 AM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Hi Bronson,you nailed that one.  We did a cost study and for every listing you take that does not sell it cost you $1,500!  That's a eye-opener...you count your time, all the basic cost, sign, lock box, MLS, pictures, paper, copies, stamps, letters, if you did any ads, and if you pay an assistant...adds up quick.  Liz

03/04/2008 02:59 AM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Thank you for your organized "how to"... now just gotta do it!

 

03/04/2008 06:15 AM by MARIE EPISALE - Pompton Plains New Jersey Real Estate (CENTURY 21 CREST REAL ESTATE)


Sounds like the old Mike Ferry philosophy. Good Stuff.

03/04/2008 06:51 AM by John and Lisa Marker (Keller Williams)


Hi Marie,yes thats the hard part...just doing it!  It's like prospecting...picking up the phone and making that fist call is the hard part, the rest after you get started is easy.  You can find 1 million and 1 reasons not to make the first call, then you day takes over and you never make it  .  Benn there...done that, fortunately most of the time...I did pick up the phone.  Good Luck, Liz

 

Hi John and Lisa,yes 100% MFO, I've been in one on one coaching for 17 years!  Best thing I did in my 32+ years of being in Real Estate.  Hope you have a great 08, Liz

03/04/2008 02:49 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Liz, what i meant was this: why are people flocking to read blogs by other agents that have very little success in real life, instead of scrambling to read YOUR blogs when you've been doing 200+ deals YEARLY. it's pretty clear to me which agent everyone should be asking for advice!

that's for the message, though! i'm glad we got that misunderstanding out of the way! Thank you!

03/04/2008 09:18 PM by Joshua Lazaro (Prudential Gardner, Realtors)


Joshua,yes me too.  I should have realized what you were trying to say, that's the one of the drawbacks to e-mail :).  Anyway as I told you, I will be glad to help you anyway I can.  I think you ought to give Blaison a e-mail, maybe you guys could do some accountability together.  Liz

03/04/2008 10:56 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


Great advice!  You make it look so easy!  I'll be calling around my next sale.

03/11/2008 01:58 PM by Matt Clark, Cincinnati Real Estate (HUFF REALTY Hyde Park)


Hey Liz, thanks for the tips. Doesn't it seem funny sometimes that we get so caught up in all the latest tech toys etc. that we forget about the basics? Thanks again for the reminder that it comes down to basic, simple selling?

03/11/2008 02:18 PM by Patrick Johnson (Windermere)


tHANKS FOR THE GOOD ADVICE AS A RELATIVELY NEW AGENT ILL TRY TO PUT THIS GOOD ADVICE TO USE.

03/11/2008 04:41 PM by BART WHITMORE REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT (THE REALTY MARKETPLACE)


Hi Bart,do one for you that will work, and stick to it 80% of the time and you will be successful...1remember if it's not in your schedule, it does not exist, 2.Nothing is so important it can't wait till noon (it's not brain surgery and no one is going to die, 3.  Share your schedule with everyone that will help you to keep you accountable.  You can do it, Liz

Hi Patrick, yep it's easy to get sideways, cause those other things are more fun :), will all do it.  Liz

Hi Matt, go get um, please let me hear about your successes!  Liz  pot of gold

03/11/2008 11:57 PM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


This is a "pot of gold" for sure.  I will be bookmarking this so I can constantly review it when I want to.  Thanks for sharing.

03/12/2008 12:24 AM by Tina Farinas, REALTORĀ®, e-PRO / Serving Placer & Sacramento Counties (Magnum One Realty)


Hi Tina, great, just keep doing those three things over, and over, and over again...you have no option but to succeed :).  Liz

03/12/2008 12:33 AM by Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)


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Real Estate Agent: Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter &  Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston) (Liz Carter & Team Realty-Top Realtor in Katy & Houston Texas)
Liz Carter,Broker/Owner of Liz Carter & Team Realty, Katy TX (Houston)
Katy, TX
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