You have your listing presentation, customized with local numbers, stats and past examples of how your marketing and market savvy has won clients a higher offer. But do you have a power move? A closing move? Earlier this year, we asked “Rainers” to share how they stand out when following up with potential sellers. Below are a few examples you can emulate as you try to win a signed contract at a listing presentation.
Looking for even more seller advice? Check out this guide that offers tips on everything from seller lead identification, to listing outreach, to long-term nurture ideas. More than fifty agents nationwide are featured!
CUSTOMIZE IT WITH ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND DRONE FOOTAGE
No one likes to feel like a number -- and that especially goes for a homeowner looking to sell. Prove to new prospects that they’re more than their listing price by customizing their listing presentation with photos or drone footage, like these intrepid agents.
I always drive by the home and take a few photos to put in my listing presentation. It gives me an edge when I am looking for special features that may make the home stand out. This shows I took the time to actually see the home and the sellers love that I drove by before the appointment. Not many agents do this easy step.
-- Tracy Lee Parker, Dallas,TX
I visited the property, and had to agree that there was a lot of value in the lot and where it was situated. I then had an ‘Aha!’ moment and knew exactly what to do. The next day, I came back with a videographer and his drone, equipped with a GoPro camera. He didn’t do anything fancy, just provided me with a link to 55 seconds of raw footage that really showed the situation of this home to it’s advantage.
When I met with the sellers 4 days later, I went through my normal flip-book listing presentation on my iPad, showed them sample single property websites, collateral materials and how people could text for info from my sign riders. But then I showed them the drone footage and explained that this was the type of footage that would be included in the video I would do for the property.
I have to say, their jaws dropped. They had never seen an aerial view of their home. They had to watch it at least 4 times! They loved it! They even noticed a loose tile on the roof that they wanted to get fixed before listing.
-- Marti Steele Kirby, San Diego, CA
THE ULTIMATE POWER MOVE: “GOOGLE ME”
Dick and Mary Greenberg have spent years building up their digital influence, and they can now point potential sellers directly to Google as a way to showcase their local dominance.
If we have a shot at, for example, a 4 bedroom home in the $600K price range, we'll do several simple long-tailed searches for homes like that: "4 bedroom homes for sale in Fort Collins CO", "Luxury homes for sale in Fort Collins CO", and address searches for similar homes we have sold in the past. We'll include printed copies of those pages, but if at all possible, we'll encourage our prospects to run them for themselves on their own computer.
Those pages make our case. Our IDX search site is right there on page 1, along with all of the big guys — Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, etc. And it's also notable that we are usually the only local agents or company on page 1. It's a compelling case that our marketing efforts are positioned to generate results. And in the case of seller leads, it generates some huge extra benefits — credibility for our marketing plan and a way to stand out from the competition.
-- Dick and Mary Greendberg, Fort Collins, CO
FOLLOW UP IN CONTEXT
If you don’t get the listing during your presentation, don’t fret. Be sure to confidently follow up so you remain top of mind as they sift through their options.
With regard to follow up after a listing appointment, I will normally follow up with an email when I get home. The email will summarize what we discussed earlier, as well as provide them links to the comparable listings that we viewed. That way, they can look at all of the pictures and details on their own devices, whether it be a desktop computer, laptop, notepad or phone.
I had a seller lead for a vacant lot last year. The sellers live in Florida. I called them as soon as I saw the lead in my email and also replied by email. I spoke with the seller and said I would look up comps. I emailed my marketing plan [and] comps the same day and suggested a listing price. The sellers said they will be talking to some other agents. I followed up in three days. The sellers said they are waiting to hear from the other agents. I emailed them something about the township. I followed up. I emailed some information about the neighborhood and houses on the street etc. I followed up again. After two weeks, the sellers said that I was the only one who stayed in touch, returned phone calls right away and that they had seen my website, etc. They listed with me.
LOOK FOR OPENINGS
We love this simple story about the importance of finding -- and focusing -- a common bond that you can use to show you care about the potential seller.
At a listing appointment a few years ago, Jean and [the seller] talked about bakeries. [The seller] waxed reminiscent about a strawberry shortcake she had gotten years ago from a bakery in Bayonne. One phone call later told us that the bakery was still in business, still made strawberry shortcake, and was happy to deliver it to her the next day. We got the listing. We use the same approach when a homeowner indicates a type of candy or flowers they like, or even a book they're planning to read. The key is to listen.
-- Wayne and Jean Marie Zuhl, Clark, NJ
Want dozens of ideas on how to capture and convert seller leads?
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Download the full guide to dominating seller leads here.
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