The Killer Listing Presentation

The Killer Listing Presentation

Here we are again talking about that key ingredient to long term success in real estate... LISTINGS! Remember... listings equal leverage and leverage equals BIG return on investment (ROI). Even though today's market seems like a bad time to work on listings, listings take a much shorter amount of work, and although you might need 4 listings to one sale, the time involved often equals out. Then, when the market turns, and it will at least in our Greater Indianapolis area, you'll be in the catbird seat with listings that other agents were too lazy to work for.

Let's assume that at this point you've got the listing appointment and you have found out that you are competing against the top agent in your market!!! What now? This is where you need your Killer Listing system to virtually GUARANTEE that you WIN this listing! Now, in reality there is no such thing as a guaranteed listing system - but we think that we've come up with as close to that guaranteed listing system as possible. We have heard some agents claim that they "have gotten 100% of the listings that I've wanted" ... what is that? Are there really any listings that you don't want - maybe, but they will be few and far between. The truth to this is that the people who claim to be at the 100% mark have either: 1) not been on many listing appointments, or more likely 2) gotten beaten a few times and need an excuse!

So what are the keys to success in getting a listing?

The first step is market knowledge. THIS IS IMPORTANT! I don't believe that you should EVER go on a listing appointment without physically walking through EVERY competitive listing in the neighborhood. Why? 1) Without doing that - you DO NOT have the knowledge to accurately price the listing. 2) By previewing every home in the target neighborhood - you increase your overall market knowledge and will look like an expert!

Imagine this - you are in a listing presentation and another agent has given the sellers a price, but your price is lower. Now, the sellers want to make more money, so already you are at a disadvantage. How do you counter this and actually make your competition look like they are incompetent? If you have seen every other competitive listing, you can justify your price by direct comparison with the other listings: "Mr. & Mrs. Seller, I understand that you want to make as much money as possible by selling your home for the highest price possible - so do I. You have 3 competitive properties in your neighborhood and my job is to know everything about the competition so that you can win. The home on 123 Jones St has granite countertops and a brand new finished basement with 2 bedrooms, a wet bar and a home theatre - the home on 234 Franklin St needs to have the carpet replaced and doesn't have granite countertops - the home at 345 Markel St has granite countertops, stainless appliances but an unfinished basement. Based on this your home should be above the Markel and Franklin St. properties, but below the Jones St. property - wouldn't you agree? I would guess that "agent" who gave you price above the Jones St property hasn't actually seen the homes in the neighborhood and is only going by what he/she saw in the MLS. That, in my opinion, is a disservice in correctly pricing your home to sell."

Do you see the advantage to this knowledge? Amazing enough, I have NEVER had a competitor that had this same market knowledge and took the time to visit all competitive listings.

The second step is to have a powerful pre-listing package. The pre-list package should have sections about you, your marketing plan, examples of your marketing materials, seller helpful information and testimonials. The pre-list package should be "delivered" to your prospective sellers at least 24-hours prior to your listing appointment. The book should be bound and produced in full color. Always place an "item of value" on the cover of the book (free car wash, etc.).

The third step is to have a killer marketing program to give you a complete edge against your competition no matter who they are. At RE/MAX United we have an exciting and unique package of marketing materials that REALLY WORK.  We don't invest in products that don't work.  We've mostly created our own systems and they are the best in the industry, unique and hard to compete against.