The INVOLVEMENT FACTOR by Michael Dumas
There are twelve factors that can make your listing presentation THE perfect presentation- one that will instill the utmost confidence in you to the listing EVERY TIME. In Part 1 of this series, “Are you maintaining control during the appointment?”, we made the point that your goal, as the agent, was to get the sellers out of their pre-conceived idea of what a listing appointment should be, and move them in a totally different direction that is focused on their needs and wants.
It’s time to add the next brick to the building, factor #2- Get the customer involved.
Let’s start with some doses of truth:
Truth #1- YOU CONTROL THE STAGES AND FLOW OF THE APPOINTMENT. Period.
Truth #2- THE PERSON WHO TALKS LEAST ABOUT THEMSELVES AND MORE ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON WILL LEAVE WITH THE LISTING AGREEMENT. Always.
During a listing appointment, most real estate agents spend too much of their time shhowing the sellers their sales collaterals, their presentation, and their market analysis. It’s as if the customer will be so impressed by what they see written down that they will immediately beg the agent to let them sign a listing agreement at whatever price the agent wants- and do it right now! That may be an exaggeration, but that IS what is in the mind of most agents- and completely opposite from what the seller is thinking. The slide show, presentation and the market analysis are about YOU- not the customer. It’s as if the agent is saying, “hey, look how pretty my website is, or how many times my name pops up in a google search, or how flashy my powerpoint presentation is.”
Don’t be like that. Instead, learning how to engage the customer, get them involved, and make them feel a part of the process. This is not a dog and pony show. You are trying to sell someone’s home- so don’t insult them (and lose the listing!) and put on a show. The seller has not invited you in for that. They want to know what you will do to help their ease their pain (a.k.a. sell their home!) and achieve their goals.
I love a 5 to 1 rule. For every minute that you spend on a collateral piece, your marketing analysis, showing them a picture or graph, or talking about yourself, you should be spending FIVE minutes talking with the seller, explaining how you can help them, answering their questions, and discovering their issues- and letting them talk. If you do the math, in an hour long appointment, that means you should only be talking about 12 minutes. Or presenting. Or discussing your marketing. the other 48 minutes should be spent on them.
What is the best way you can do this? Asking questions. Lots and lots of questions. About their home. Their goals. Their dreams. Their plans. What they like about the home and neighborhood. What they don’t like. Why they are moving. What the homes best features on? Question. Probe. Get them thinking. Get them involved.
A Tell-tale sign of a powerful listing presentation, and one that will almost certainly end with a signed listing agreement, is when a customer takes a hands-on approach as opposed to sitting on their hands. And how do you do that? Get them involved!