The Perfect Presentation- Part 4: “Present With The End In Mind”

The END 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 get the listing EVERY TIME.  In Part 1 of this series, “Are you maintaining control during the appointment?”, the point was made 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. In Part 2, “Are you getting the customer involved in the sale?”, it was discussed how you as the sales agent needs to get the customer, as the buyer, to take a “hands-on” approach and get them involved- that way they have some “skin in the game” and will feel compelled to take action. Part 3, ” Take it and break it” was a discussion on taking your sales presentation, breaking it into smaller pieces that can be analyzed, and then rebuilding it to ensure each section, each piece used, each collateral piece, is there to serve a purpose and for you to understand what that purpose is..

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.

Truth #3- WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHY EACH PIECE OF YOUR PRESENTATION IS THERE, YOU WILL BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THAT PIECE. Knowledge.

Truth #4- WHEN YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, IT WILL BE EASIER TO STAY ON THE PATH TO GET THERE. Experience.

Begin with the end in mind. A simple statement. But do you know where the end is? When you go into an appointment, do you know what your goals are? Your mission? Your end-game? Do you know what you want to achieve? Do you know the measurements to know when you have achieved it? Is your mind focused on that goal? This is a lot of questions to ask, but is necessary for understanding that gravity of that one statement. The end. In Mind.

During your sale “pitch”, is everything that you are doing, saying, sharing, showing, and asking being done, said, shared, shown, or asked to help you achieve your end game goal? A football team prepares hours upon hours for one simple goal- to get into the end zone. And they prepare weekly for that goal. and to repeat it. Over and over, knowing if the goal is accomplished several times in a game, they just might win. It’s the same with your end goal.

Tell the customer- many times in fact- what you goal is. Tell them that by using your expertise and knowledge about the market and your product, you can help them. That you both have the same goal. A successful closing. Or increasing revenue. Or decreasing costs by improving efficiency. Whatever the goal, explain it, tell it, bring it out in the open for all to see and share.

Getting to an end point, or closing point, is a problem that most sales people face. Why? Because the customer winds up controlling the flow of the presentation. How? With objections. With excuses. With concerns about price or costs. The average sales person usually leaves the presentation frustrated, confused, and upset when these things occur. If the customer controls the presentation, and does not know WHY you are there, and what YOUR goal is, you will never get a chance to get a closing point. No close. No agreement. No Sale. No Money.

What is your job as a sales professional. To sell. Period. You might have other jobs, like preparing. Reporting. Processing. Prospecting. But your number one job is to sell.  And if you don’t know what you are trying to accomplish when you present, you will not sell. Period.

Before you go into your next presentation, make sure you know what you are selling. Make sure you are prepared with your presentation and your sales collaterals. Ensure you have your contracts ready. But most of all, be ready with your end game. Know why you are there. And work towards that goal. Keep your eyes on that goal. The prize is there for you to take. Are you ready?

 

The Perfect Presentation- Part 3: “Take It and Break It”

The BREAK IT FACTOR by Michael Dumas

A perfect listing presentation is what every real estate agent longs for- that “killer” presentation that will get the seller to sign, the “Home Run” that will get a sign in the yard, and that “Knock Em’ Out” appointment that leads to more listings and more closings. That presentation is readily available to each and EVERY agent out there- if they just take the time to build their presentation right. There are twelve factors that will make your listing presentation THE PERFECT presentation- one that will instill the utmost confidence in you to get the listing EVERY TIME.

In part 1 of this series, “Are You Maintaining Control During The Appointment?”, it was discussed 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. In part of this series, “Are You Getting The Customer Involved In the Sale?”, it was discussed how the agent needs to get the customer to take a “Hands-On” approach and get them involved- that way they have some “skin in the game” and will feel compelled to take action.

Part three is a little different- this one does not involve the customer. So Let’s add another brick to the building, factor #3- Take It and Break It

The Doses of Truth discussed thus far:

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.

Truth #3- THE PERFECT LISTING PRESENTATION STARTS AS AN IMPERFECT COLLABORATION OF MATERIALS AND IS TAILORED TO YOUR PERSONALITY AND STYLE TO ACHIEVE A DESIRED EFFECT. Broken and the Perfected.

The best way to improve your listing presentation is to take it in its entirety and put it all on the table in front of you. Every thing you use: your scripts, your photos, your marketing reports, your website, your marketing analyzis form, your virtual tours, your flyers, your advertising pieces- all of it.

Once you have everything laid out in front of you, WRITE OUT your entire presentation. Line for Line. Word for Word. Make note of the collateral pieces you use. When do you show your website? When do you show your marketing reports, when do you show your advertising flyers? Also make note of WHAT you say when you use those pieces, HOW you HOLD THEM and DISPLAY THEM, and WHAT INFORMATION you discuss on them.

Finished? Now break it apart. Break it into little pieces or segments.

Now analyze everything. Ask yourself why each collateral is there. Why you say the words you use. Why you go in the order you do. What is the benefit of each piece? What does it do for the sale (the listing!). WHO does it benefit, you or the seller? Does it help you get to the sale, or is it a hinderance? Is it there to make you feel good? To pound your chest? To Feed your ego? How does it look to the customer? Can they understand it? Does it make sense? Will it help them to make a call to action?

Here’s another important question: Is it something that every other agent in your office or market uses? If you answer YES, then GET RID OF IT- come up with something unique and that fits YOUR BRAND, not everyone else’s!

Once you have broken them, now go through the whole presentation and ask yourself if it flows with your collaterals. Do they work well together, does it flow? Does it lead to a call to action? Are there MANY closes to get the customer to say “Yes”?

Now it is time to put it back together- use these eight simple steps:

1. Brainstorm new ideas and new ways to present the material you already have.

2. Write down your goals and desires-know what you want to accomplish.

Now Sleep on it for a few days.

3. Edit your presentation into a working draft that you can practice

4. Prepare a final edition

5. Get a critique- I suggest several. And get them from people both in and outside real estate.

6. Mark up any corrections from the critiques and redo a final edition.

7. Sit down one more time and ask yourself if you have all the ingredients that you want.

8. Finally, Practice. Practice. Practice Again. Keep Practicing!

You will absolutely see a marked increase in your closing ratios if you will just take the time to break your presentation apart and retool it- Guaranteed!

Good Luck, and Happy Selling!

 

 

The Perfect Presentation- Part 2: ” Are You Getting The Customer Involved In The Sale?”

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!

The Perfect Presentation- Part 1: “Are You Maintaining Control During The Appointment?”

The CONTROL FACTOR by Michael Dumas

Congratulations! You just got an appointment with a
potential seller- You may well indeed have a sign in someone’s front yard
tonight!

But are you truly ready? Do you have some uncertainty in your mind? Are you confident that  you are going to walk away from your appointment with a signed listing
agreement? Are you 100% positive that you WILL win them over? There are some actions you can take that will guarantee you can answer YES to each of these questions. There are twelve factors, plus a bonus, that can make your listing presentation THE perfect presentation- one that will instill the utmost confidence in you  to get the listing EVERY TIME. So let’s dig in to factor #1- The Control Factor

But first let’s start with a dose of truth: YOU CONTROL THE STAGES AND
FLOW OF THE APPOINTMENT. Period.

You are the expert in your field. You have written,
scripted, and practiced your presentation. You have all of your marketing
collaterals, your listing book, and your testimonials polished. You are ready to go. You can share your story, your plan, and your ideas with anyone!

But lo, there is one fact that most agents don’t consider in their preperation. The seller’s intent. They have invited you inside their home with one of two intents; either to “see what you do for me” or to “see if you can meet my price for selling”. As soon as the seller opens the door these intents immediately start to come out. At first, the
seller may oblige you by looking through your book of sold properties, or sitting
through you presentation, or answering (half-hearted!) your questions. But what they really want is the answer to the question that is on their mind. “So, what do you think we can get” And this  is where almost every agent takes a wrong turn- they fall right into the “intent”  trap and get sidetracked in their presentation. They lose control.

Most agents at this point will hand all of the control to the seller. An expert agent however will have a different plan. An expert agent knows they need to get the sellers mind away from price, and get them focused on what they are about to present. The expert agent doesn’t  avoid the price conversation; instead they let the customer know there is a great deal that goes into the price- and that they are there to educate the
seller on those items so together the agent AND seller can decide a marketing
price.

You goal is 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. A direction that is focused on their needs and wants, not  yours.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had service that was really phenomenal?
It just blew you away and was so good, and so unexpected, that you probably
still rave about it to all of your family and friends? This is the way you want
your sellers to feel- to have such an incredible experience that they will tell
all of their friends to use your services. So how do you get there?

Preparation. And one of the key elements you need to prepare for is maintaining
the flow and control of your presentation.

You have to keep your message relative and in terms of “Today’s  Market”. Keep the seller focused on today, not what happened last time the sold, or what the market was like 5 years ago. The dynamics of buying and  selling a home have changed radically in the past 5 years and not just because it’s turned into a buyer’s market in most areas of the country with heavy Foreclosure and Short Sale listings, but also because of the
growth of technology, social media, smart phones, Email Marketing, and blogging. These have changed not only the way people find and buy homes, but also the methods of advertising available to sellers to maximize exposure to their homes.

An Effective presentation puts the buyer in the spotlight.

And when you make the presentation about the seller, you can maintain your
course and get the information across to your seller in the manner that you
choose. Most agents also fall into another trap- the entertainer trap- because they like being a star and don’t like hurting the sellers feelings. It makes the realtor feel
powerful, important, and in control. This is dangerous, because when YOU become
the star of the presentation, the seller will quickly lose interest, and will abruptly
cut you off. You will find that sellers will get you off track with questions about
price and terms. They are bored. When the presentation is about you, and not
about them and their problems, you will lose them. Quickly. They will keep you
distracted. They will steer you off course. They will tell you they only have a
few short minutes and ask you to get to the bottom line. They will tell you
they are “interviewing” potential realtors. Put another way:

The Prospective Seller Does Not Care HOW You Want The Sales
Presentation To Go- They Have Their Own Agenda.

Instead, approach your sales presentation as a facilitator.  It’s no longer about your selling ideas and products (your listing tools). Instead, it’s all about helping the customer arrive at a decision and solving their pain. With you providing direction. As a Facilitator, you are the one controlling the flow of the appointment, but you are “guiding” your prospects and helping them arrive at their own conclusion. One that they own.

And just like a play, a really good sales presentation is
scripted, practiced, rehearsed, refined, and timed…

And one more- controlled.

Now is the time to understand how to control YOUR  appointments- if done effectively and correctly, you surely will walk out of  the appointment with a signed agreement in your hand- and putting your closer  to your goal- money in the bank!

Why customers want the best service, but settle for an average experience

I am going to start this blog with a bold statement— I think all of us who call ourselves real estate agents do, as a group, a pretty lousy job of giving our customers the best experience we can. Now, don’t take this is an all-encompassing statement, but rather as a self directed look in the mirror- all of us looking… Why do I make this statement? Because I talk to buyers. And sellers. And banks. And mortgage companies. And title companies. And more importantly, other agents. A lot of other agents. Why am I making this statement then? Because I experience daily how other agents ate treating each other and their clients.
Out of my last 50 transactions involving another agent who represents a buyer, I would hazard a guess that only 3, maybe 4, were giving their customers the best experience they could. They are prepared. They ask questions and follow directions. They communicate. They are involved. And their buyers think the world of them. But that is the exception. Not the rule. Most of the time I get an email the day a property is supposed to close from the other agent asking me if the deal has closed… Instead of being AT the closing with their buyer. Or they don’t follow my directions in the MLS, they submit an offer, then I have to have them go back to their buyer with more forms to fill out and more information to gather… And they get mad at me! Or they tell me “do you know how bad this is going to make me look to my buyer?” bet I can guess…
I have two boys, ages 5 and 6- my wife and I spend a lot of time teaching them manners and to be respectful… So why is it a 6 year old can answer a phone correctly and politely, and not a grown, professionally licensed adult? At least 3-4 times a day agents call me with this simple statement “I need the lockbox code to 123 main street” no “Hi”. No “Please”. No “May I…”. Just I need… Where are your manners.?
This may sound like a gripe session, but it is not. It is to illustrate the point of my first sentence. If you treat other agents this way, there is no way you can convince me you treat the buyers and sellers better. “Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself” really should be changed for real estate agents to state “Do unto your customers as you do unto your fellow realtors” then maybe those who are looking to buy and sell may have an unbelievable experience. And we as agents may get more respect as professionals. And a few more buyers and sellers may use our services. And a few more transactions may occur. And our days may get a bit sunnier… And we could have a good experience too.