Why Winging It Isn't Cutting It Anymore!
I have worked with hundreds of agents who all have their own style, their own personality and their own unique way of doing things. This is exactly what makes our real estate industry so special, we have a melting pot of diverse and interesting agents.
Many of these agents have a very specific set way of operating their business while others pride themselves on being able to "wing it" at presentations with clients. And while I am all for being able to think fast on your feet and communicate without effort there is something to be said for having a more organized and specific set of visuals and sample marketing pieces that you need to show your clients today. Today's client is more visual then they have ever been. The internet has trained us to quickly assess information and gather key decision-making facts on the fly.
While winging it used to be a common method or practicing real estate, it isn't working the same way for real estate agents anymore. Clients are savvier than ever before and they want a visual "show and tell" experience. They want to be wowed, they want samples and they expect to clearly understand your process. If you don't have something to show them while talking to them, you don't leave them with anything to be able to study and consider after you are gone.
I remember many years ago I was coaching one of my clients on the best way to make a strong impression at the listing presentation. Her issue was that she kept losing listings against a newer agent who had recently started competing against her in a specific geographical farming area. When I asked her to walk me through a typical listing presentation I was shocked to find out that she didn't have a system, a process or a plan. She told me that she had so much experience in that community that she didn't need to have a plan. She said she had been "winging it" for years and never had to have one. I reminded her that the new agent must be doing something that the potential sellers liked because she had won the last 3 listing appointments.
I told her we needed to start with 5 specific visuals to at least be able to compete against this agent. The first visual we started with was an agenda because I needed her to have a road map to follow. When she was explaining to me how she would "wing it" while at presentations it felt very disorganized and chaotic. I wanted to bring some structure to her presentation and give the potential sellers some confidence in her abilities to lead the conversation. The second visual was a detailed Seller Plan that showed every step that the agent took to aggressively market the sellers home. I wanted the Sellers to have a visual reminder of all the things that would be done to get their home the most exposure possible. The third visual was a collection of samples of all marketing materials used to market the home. The fourth visual was a large photo book that showed 8 by 10 enlarged photos of a sample home, this showed the Seller how important great photography is to the sale of a home. The final visual I had my client show the potential Sellers was a marketing calendar and a pending to closing calendar. The marketing calendar showed a complete visual plan of everything that was done to market the home and the pending to closing sample calendar showed the seller all the things that needed to be done once the property pended. I wanted the seller to see the extensive work that would be done once the property pended.
I wasn't quite prepared for the response I would get from my agent once she presented these visuals at the next listing presentation she went on. She called me and was so excited to report that she had competed against the same agent and had won. She told me that her presentation was completely different now that she had tools and visuals that could guide her presentation. She said she felt more confident and she said the Sellers were so impressed. She told me that she also felt so much more comfortable at the presentation and that her presentation took less time.
When you present visuals, you allow the client to engage more of their senses and you provide them with a "memory marker" of who you are and how you can help them.
Stop "winging it" and start showing visuals at your presentation and let your presentation skills shine.
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
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