WAV Group has been working with many companies on listing presentations. They are the Barnum & Bailey Circus of selling real estate. You know the drill, in this ring we have the home tour, in this ring we have comps, and in this ring we have why you should pick me. iPads deliver listing presentations with much higher impact than paper. It’s a great listing tool.
There are a few tools that make the iPad sing that I really like. I think that Paperless Agent has put together a great series of education and applications that make the iPad a terrific selling tool. They call it the Digital Listing Presentation Power Pack – http://thepaperlessagent.com/products/digital-listing-presentation-power-pack/
For $67, you should just purchase it to see how they combine the training with the tools and bring them to life on the iPad.
Another tool you cannot purchase, but should see if you are a Realty Alliance broker, is Pacific Union’s Digital Listing Presentation. Like so many things that are in the DNA of Pacific Union’s success, they built it themselves. The first version was better than any listing presentation around, but V2 is a combination of luxury refinement and simplicity. The Realty Alliance members share their techniques with other Realty Alliance firms – so that is the ticket to seeing this work of art.
Cloud CMA and Touch CMA are also winners. Cloud CMA is in every MLS, but only smart agents have found it. Touch CMA has less adoption but bangs out some serious horsepower.
Getting to ‘The Ask’
The reality is, the worst thing that a sales associate can do is show up to a listing presentation with the same presentation as another agent. Choosing the right real estate agent is akin to dating. The seller is looking for that right fit, and the confidence that the agent they choose is going to be the best. Putting aside the iPad and the presentation, the agent stands as a human being, and hopefully an expert. The real key is the bridge to establish a trusting relationship.
The best way to build relationships is time. Let the seller know that when it comes down to evaluating offers, you will be their coach and consultant. But in order for you to coach them effectively, you need to raise their real estate IQ. Do this with a Seller’s buyer tour. Here is the language that Merle Whitehead of Realty USA calls “The Ask.”
“I would love the honor of representing you in the sale of your home. I showed you a lot of information today about current marketing conditions and listings that impact your homes’ value. I would like you to list your home right away so we can take advantage of the favorable market conditions. We also need to schedule time for you to look at three homes on the market that the buyers for your home are likely to be looking at. When is the earliest time you can spend a few hours with me?”
There are two key ingredients in this language. The first is the trial close – list with me. The second is scheduling a buyer’s tour. The listing agent provided two options, both of which lead to a listing. The key here is the follow through on the buyer’s tour.
Take the sellers to see the competing inventory. They need to know the comps by walking through them. They need to see the view, the neighborhood, and the condition of the listing. All of the things that inform the expert market knowledge of a professional Realtor®. If the house is on the market more than 30 days and there has been a lot of market activity, consider taking the sellers on another buyer tour. Tell them if any of the homes they toured have sold and for what price. Show them the new listings that are new comps. Be prepared for the buyer tour. Build a buyer’s presentation for each house that shows their house as a comp. Trust me, your sellers will be your partners in pricing the property to market if they have this level of information.
The double side
Every seller is a buyer. They are moving somewhere. Most sellers do not have a buyer’s agent. They probably started looking for their next home a year before they talked to a listing agent. It is unusual for buyers to sign a buyer’s representation agreement, the handiest agreement ever created for real estate – and the least used. The process of taking your sellers on a buyer tour begins the natural behavior of establishing the rapport that is needed to help your seller find their next house. Remember, most agents are unprepared when showing property to buyers. They do not build a buyer tour. It is so easy to do this using today’s technology solutions. I think it takes less than a minute to pull a buyer tour with Cloud CMA or any of the other applications. Get both deals every time! And by the way – please use DocuSign or Authentisign to get the digital signature on the buyer’s agreement. “Just initial here to approve.”
How can we help?
WAV Group provides services to brokers who need a unique selling advantage. We study the DNA of the company, its agents, and its market to understand the core values of the firm. We look carefully at competitors and the technology solutions that they have deployed. Moreover, we study your sales training and management to make sure that you are reinforcing best practices. If you have over 500 agents in your firm and you need help, give us a call.
