Stop Doing Listing Presentations, Do This Instead

On today’s episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. My goal is to convince you to Stop Doing Listing Presentations to get listings. I know it sounds crazy. It’s the exact opposite of what you’re hearing everywhere else. I know, but there is a three step process that I have used for years to get listings and none of it involves a listing presentation. I’ve gotten over 200 listings. Doing this process that I’m going to share with you today. So I’m going to explain why you should Stop Doing Listing Presentations I’m going to give you my three step process for getting listings instead. Welcome to this episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent I’m your host. Jennifer Myers listen in. As I share exactly what I did to go from not being able to sell a house for years to becoming one of the top 1% of agents in the U S even opening my own brokerage full of agents helped me serve all the clients that were coming my way. I taught those agents to the same strategies I use and date to became top producing agents. Now, through this podcast and agent Grad School dot com, I’m sharing those same modern marketing and business strategies with you. Most of which I learned from looking outside the real estate industry, no fluff, no theory, no outdated sales techniques or paying for leads, just the exact steps to get you to real estate business you’ve always wanted. And the life outside your business, you’ve always wanted to let’s make it happen and dive into today’s episode Oh, Listing presentations. Something that every real estate agent is told that they need to do and is convinced that they need to do. And the thing that every seller does not want to sit through on today’s episode, I’m going to give you the three-step listing appointment process that I use to get over 200 listings personally over the years. And it did not include a listing presentation. And here’s why it didn’t. It’s because nobody likes to be presented to think about your own experiences in life and when it comes to being sold on something, right. Have you ever had to sit through one of those one-on-one sales presentations before where somebody either has like a computer, or they’re clicking through and showing you things, or maybe they have some kind of binder. And oftentimes, it involves like plastic sheets where they were like a flip chart, like small flip chart style. It’s really not an enjoyable experience at all. And when I first became a real estate agent, I did exactly what I was told to do. I did Listing presentations my first few times that I met with potential seller clients. But every time I did them, something just did not feel right. I walked away, and I was like, Ugh, it just does not feel like how I would want to be spoken to if I was a seller. And maybe that’s why I didn’t get hardly any of the listing appointments or listings that I went on a listing appointment for. But then I decided I was going to create a process for getting listings in a way that I would want somebody to be selling themselves to me if I was a seller. And I’m going to explain what that process looks like on today’s episode. There’s three steps involved. So it’s a three-step listing appointment. Before I dive into the steps, I want to you too. I want to kind of tell you the reasons why I think this process works so well. It wasn’t just the three steps. Cause when I tell them to you, you’re going to be like, that’s it? No, but here’s the thing. I think there are really two big reasons that this three-step process works so well. The first reason is that this process, the experience that the seller had going through this process was, was very different from the experience the seller was having with the other agents they were interviewing. Usually a seller would meet with one, two, usually three, you know, Listing agents, sometimes four. And what was happening was all of the other agents were kind of doing the same general process. The thing that we’re all taught, right? Like, show up. I have a listing presentation and expect to bring a listing agreement and kind of get them to sign it. And the fact that no, and I was not interacting with my sellers that way. And every other agent that they were talking to, kind of was all doing the same thing. It made me stand out, and it made me look like I wasn’t just doing something canned. And that every other real estate agent was doing. So I think that’s one reason why this three-step process works so well. It’s because it’s actually doing something different than other agents. The second reason that this process, this Listing system that I’m going to explain work so well is because the selling of using MI in this case, and you, if you use it as their agent happens before or even meeting with them, so you don’t have to do the convincing during the meeting. And instead, you focus on them and what they need and how bad just to help them get what they want to do, accomplish their goals. You focus on their needs, what they’re looking to do, and talk about how you can help do that. But yeah, you aren’t at all talking about your stats and the convincing part of why you’re the right agent for them. They’ve already seen all that before they meet with you. And so here’s what this three-step system looks like for getting listings that don’t involve a listing presentation. Step one is that you drop off, drop off what I call a pre-listing package. You either drop it off at their house. And this is something that like, you kind of put almost like a book, like a bound book, you print off, you know, 10, 20 of them and a time that you have them for the next couple months or the year. Depending on how many listing appointments you go on and you drop one off with a little note at their house, two days before the listing appointment for your more savvy or email savvy or digital savvy clients, then you could email them this as an attachment, a PDF attachment with a little note that says, you know, please review, before we meet, I look forward to meeting you and you’re kind of sending it as the confirmation of when the listing appointment is going to happen. Now, this pre-listing package I created is 40 pages and it talks about everything from my experience, my four-step process for selling a home, my pricing strategy, it includes things like testimonials, marketing examples. And I even include a couple of homework assignments for the seller to complete wait before our meeting and what this does, is it, it essentially does the convincing. It’s selling them on me, and the way that I sell houses and my experience and why I’m the best choice for them before I even walk in the door. And I don’t have to sit there during the meeting when there’s so much more to talk about, especially how they will meet their goals. There’s so much more to talk about at the actual Listing meeting than you. So the other thing that this does, it also helps them feel like they know me a little bit more before I walk in the door. So I’m not such a stranger to them when we actually sit down and meet. It’s kind of like, an icebreaker. The other thing it does, because I give them that homework assignment, is it starts engaging them in the process of working with me because I’ve asked them to fill out kind of these questionnaires that I clued in there. And it’s a way for them, they kind of feel proud, they were like, oh, I did my homework. And then, you know, that kind of thing, they always kind of boast and feel proud of doing their homework assignment. And also it kind of leads. They already know what we’re going to talk about. And the fact that they’ve done their homework assignment, that’s kind of like a good leeway into the conversation of what they’re looking for to make sure that if that’s a couple there on the same page, and they’ve already thought about all the answers to the questions that I’m going to be talking about at our appointment. So they’ve already gotten a sense of what we’re going to be talking about. There’s like, it just creates fewer nerves and less feeling like I’m going to try to sell them or have them sign anything. I’m laying the groundwork for them to know that I want to know what they’re looking to do, why they are looking to do it, and how I can help them. And that homework assignment asks them questions that are totally out of the box and has nothing to do with selling. It just has to do with what they’re looking to do and how I can help. So for all those reasons, the fact that it’s the icebreaker, it helps them get to know me. It does all my convincing. It makes me look put together like I’m three steps to have ahead of every other agent. I feel like they know me before I walk in the door, and they already feel like I’m successful. They understand how you know everything about my stats and my pricing and how I sell houses, all that they already understand. So they are sold on me before I even show up for the appointment, and that is exactly what you want. You want people to already want to hire you before you meet with them, and having these steps before you meet with them in the process creates that environment. Okay? Step one, you drop off this pre-listing package. And by the way, if you’re a student, if you’re an agent Grad School School student, I give you my entire 40-page pre-listing package. And I even give it in a canvas template so that you can quickly and easily change the picture from mine to yours. If there’s a change, any language, that kind of thing. And yeah, you can have your pre-listing package up and running in a couple of hours without having to hire a big graphic designer, anything. So if you’re a student listening to this, you have this on the canvas template section of your student portal. If you want my pre-listing package, this 40-page document that I put together, then you can always join the waitlist for agent Grad School. And I can be in touch with you when our next enrollment period opens. You can join that waitlist by going to AgentGradSchool.com/waitlist. The other thing I’ll say is on the show notes for this episode, it’s at AgentGradSchool.com/listings. You can see a couple of pages of my pre-listing package. I put a couple of pages in there so that you can see how it’s designed. And when I talk about those, there’s a couple of pages in there, just so you can kind of get a visual. So go to AgentGradSchool.com/listings. And you can see that it’s right on the page. Okay. So step one, you drop off your pre-listing package. Step two, in this three-step Listing appointment, is you’ll have, at this point, you’ll show up for the appointment. You’ll have what most people call the Listing appointment, but you won’t be doing a presentation. So what will you be doing? Instead, you’ll have a conversation. You’re going to truly have a consultation. Instead of having a listing presentation where you’re trying to sell them, you’re having a Listing conversation, and you’re going to, there’s a process for this. So it starts with you getting a tour of the house. When you show up, don’t sit down and write to do anything, have them give you a tour of the house, even if you sold them that house. Even if they’re a past client, you ask, say like, Hey, I can’t say no. It’s great to see you. I’d love to see what you do with the place. Why don’t you show me around, around a little bit? And so have them give you a tour so you can kind of get a sense of how things look. So you start with a tour and let them show the house off to you. And this is not the time to start giving them a list of things to do, but you’re just looking around out at what you’re dealing with. And then, after you go on the tour, you direct them to the table or the living room or wherever you’re going to have your conversation. And this is an important question you start with to get a good conversation going, you say, and obviously it has to be true. I mean, I’m assuming most of the listings, you go on, you feel this about, but the listing appointments you go on and you feel the spot, but yeah, you say something along the lines of your house is so great. Or, you know, whatever it is, it has to be true. So you don’t just say this. If the house is in shambles, you’re not going to say this. You’ll find some other way of starting the conversation. Maybe you just say, you know, why do you want to move? Or why do you want to sell? So what I usually say, I usually try to find something great. And nine times out of 10, I’ve already sold them the house. So I already think the house is great. And I’ll say something like, you know, this is such a great house. Why do you want to move? And that is the crucial question that begins the conversation. Yeah. They explained to it, explain their why their motivation for wanting to sell. And that’s crucially important that you start with that question. And then, during the conversation, you’ll find out when they want to move, where they want to move when they want to move. And depending on their answers to those questions, you might need to figure out how they are going to buy and sell it at the same time, what their finances look like to make that happen. Can they buy first, or they have to sell first, like all that. It’s truly a conversation. And again, we give you scripts for all of this, but bottom line, the takeaway for those of you who aren’t yet students, is that you have to understand what the logistics look like, where are they going? Why are they going? When do they want to go? And so that is what you’re talking about. There you are a hundred percent focused on what they want to do and how you can help them get there, there. And you’re not sure I’m going to sell them on your way of doing anything or how many houses you’ve sold to the neighborhood. You’re not talking about you at all. You’re talking about them. And then once you hear them, then you can go into how you can help them accomplish this. But it’s not in the form of a presentation. It’s truly in the form of a conversation. And you say something along the lines of, you know, as you saw in the package I left for you or that I sent you, there are four phases to selling your home. And then you walk through them. And the four phases of selling a house are the prep phase, the marketing phase, the go live phase, and the under contract phase. And you explain the process of what happens during each face. And then usually I even whip out a calendar, and we start scheduling what needs to happen when so that they can get the house sold and into their new home or whatever their circumstances by the time that they say that they want to do it. And then that’s the point when you want to see, to do an ask for another walk around the house so that you can go through it with them and discuss what they need to do to prep the house for sale. And you’ll also be answering questions for them about whether they need to do this or you need to do that. You know, oftentimes one thing that sellers get really nervous about is they think they have to do all these things to get their house sold. And nine times out of 10, they don’t need to do half the things. So it’s your job to kind of find that perfect balance of whatnot, you know, what needs to get done to get the most out of the house but isn’t over-improving or doing things that really won’t map matter to buyers. Now, obviously, if there’s anything truly broken or that needs to be disclosed, you explain that to them as well. And you counsel them accordingly. By the end of that tour, you agree on the list of items that, that need to be done to prep the house. And at the end of that conversation, based on your, whatever kind of happened during the conversation, you end the listing appointment with an overview of what both of your next steps are. And typically, that looks like scheduling a walkthrough with your contractors to get quotes on the work that needs to be done. And if they’re buying and selling at the same time, which a lot of times that’s what happens is someone’s selling. They have to find a new house. You recommend a lender for them to talk to, and you offer to them in touch and introduce them to a lender that can help them figure out the financial side of buying and selling at the same time. Okay. So you are explaining this part of the process to them about how they buy and sell it at the same time. And then, you are handing it over to the lender to figure out what the financial options are. So you leave there, not with a listing agreement assigned. No, you leave there with an agreement, a verbal agreement about what the next steps are for both of you. And I, you know, so, so often I see agents being told to either end the listing presentation or listing appointment with like, okay, well, here’s the listing agreement and you know, this is our next step. We sign it, or they’ll say, I’ll say something like, what do you think would you like to work together? And then you talk about the listing agreement. I don’t talk about the listing agreement at all during this appointment. I talk about what happens in the next step. And I just keep things moving forward. So nine times out of 10, they’re just going to keep moving to the next step. And sometimes they might say something like, Oh, well, you know we can’t keep my don’t call your contractors yet, we’re interviewing to other agents, and we’ll let you know. And that’s when I say something like, great, well, at least, you know what the next steps are. If you decide you want to work together. Okay. But you are not bringing up the listing agreement. That is step three. Step three, you schedule an entire another appointment to get the listing agreement signed. Yeah. It’s a completely separate appointment. These are the three steps in your listing appointment process. Okay. And usually what I do is I go there with my contractors cause they’re already going to move forward. This isn’t if they’re still interviewing people know, this is like, they’ve decided they’re going to move forward. They agree, and we’re moving the ball forward. So I’ll meet with them and the contractors. And I’ll spend a few minutes with the contractors showing them what needs to be done at the house. And then I sit down with the seller and I let them know that this is going to happen before. Obviously, I show up, and I say, Hey, you know when I meet the contractors there, let’s spend about 45 minutes after they leave, and let’s go through the listing agreement. So we can talk about getting all the disclosures, get all that paperwork taken care of. Okay. So do not try to get that listing agreement sign at the first appointment, do it during the second appointment. It will go on way too long. If you try to do it at the first appointment and getting the paperwork signed and getting them locked in is not what the focus should be at that first meeting, the focus should be 100% on how you can better provide them value during the conversation and how you can help them and what their looking to do. It’s really a fact-finding mission for you and them getting clarity about the process and how they’re going to accomplish this. So just to recap, the three-step Listing appointment starts with first dropping off, ideally, or if you’re short on time, you can email it, but it’s really a better process and kind of just works a little bit better if you actually print off in a nice bound book, your pre-listing package with a little personal note that says something along the lines of looking forward to meeting you on blank and blank day, take a few minutes and look through this. I look forward to talking through everything with you. When we meet that step one, step two is you have the listing appointment. You do not do a listing presentation. You have a conversation. You walk through the house twice, and you leave with both of you knowing exactly what happens next, and you move the ball forward. You’re not waiting for them to make a decision. You’re saying at the end, here is the next step. I will meet with the contractors. And only if they slow things down, then you say, no problem. I’m going to push pause. And as soon as you’re ready to move forward with me, I can get my contractors in here, and we can get the process moving along. And at least, you know what the next steps are. And then, step three is you have a second appointment where you are only focused on going through the listing agreement, getting those disclosures signed and talking price again, and getting that listing agreement signed. So there you go. The three-step Listing appointment and the crucial piece of that is truly that pre-listing package. So take a quick look at that. Go to AgentGradSchool.com/listings. You’ll see a couple pages of my 40-page pre-listing package. And for those students listening, you have all 40 pages in your student portal. For those of you who want a copy of my 40-page pre-listing package, and you’re not yet a student, join the waitlist. And we’ll let you know when enrollment opens back up, that’s at AgentGradeSchool.com/waitlist. And when you become a student, you get immediate access to absolutely everything that we give you, including this pre-listing package in canvas template so that you can quickly and easily change it from my picture to your picture, my name to your name, and get started using it right away. So thanks so much for being here. See you next week right here on Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent, the Agent Grad School Podcast. For show notes and audio recording click here.