You’ve gotten the call. Some folks in your neighborhood farm want to list their home for sale, and they want you to come over for a consultation. So, you’ve set up the appointment and now you’re counting the weeks until you get your commission check. Not so fast. Those sellers haven’t even signed the listing agreement.
If those sellers have also contacted 4 other agents, you may only have a 20 percent chance of obtaining the listing. The good news is that there are many ways to increase your chances of obtaining the listing. Therapist and Social Psychologist Wendy Lipton-Dibner states that there are three things that keep people from being able to make a decision: emotions, personal rules, and confidence.
When you understand these three reasons—when you plan your listing presentation around those key points—your chances of obtaining the listing will increase significantly.
Emotions Sellers may have some emotional attachment to someone or something that impedes their willingness to hire you. For example, they may feel a sense of loyalty towards a previous agent or a friend’s wife who just got her real estate license. Or, they may have some sort of emotional attachment to the property—especially if it has been in their family for decades. Ask questions and do research to discover whether there are emotional issues that may impede the sellers from signing on the dotted line. When you go into the appointment armed with the information necessary to support a seller’s emotional needs, then you’ve immediately overcome those objections.
Personal Rules Some people have specific internalized rules, beliefs, or ways that they do things that may be difficult to change. For example, many people always get gas at the same local filling station or shop at the same grocery store. They’ve created personal rules that compel them to rigidity. The same goes for hiring a listing agent. If the seller has some preconceived notion about a competitor’s brand being stronger than yours or if the seller has a strong belief about the amount an agent ought to earn, you’ve got to handle those objections delicately in your presentation.
Confidence The third, and perhaps the easiest to objection to overcome, is confidence. Some sellers just do not have confidence in your services. (Then, why did they call you in the first place, right?) However, since most sellers begin their research on the Internet, you can instill confidence before you walk in the door. Do this by saturating the Internet with informative blog posts, videos, and other information that will ensure prospective home sellers that you know what you are doing. And, a few positive reviews and testimonials on the online review sites won’t hurt too much either.
When you understand that emotions, personal rules, and confidence are what may be creating those seller objections, you are a step ahead of the rest.
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