Get That Listing

The call comes. Someone is thinking about selling their home, and the race is on. With the right preparation, a thoughtful presentation, and the knowledge to overcome objections, you could be the one who walks away with the listing contract...(More)

Pump Up Your Productivity

Productivity doesn’t end with an organized desk or a fully programmed Blackberry. To maximize your productivity, you should make an honest evaluation of work habits, goals and priorities...(More)

Mine Your Database for Golden Prospects

Creating and using a solid database of prospects can make a big different in your listing success. The first step is making sure you cover all the bases when it comes to leads...(More)

Set Yourself Apart - and Ahead

Making a name for yourself starts with customer service, integrity, and professionalism in everything you do. However, there are other things that can set you apart while building your reputation...(More)

Get That Listing

A lead is not a listing; it’s up to you to make that transformation. However, your chances for success improve if you do the proper preparation.

Have the basics ready in advance.

Grab your laptop and put together a PowerPoint presentation you can customize for different situations. Once you have prepared a basic template, it will be much easier to customize it for each particular situation. A computer-based presentation eliminates any temptation to leave the information behind, where it might help another agent. After securing the listing, you can always print a copy for your new client.

Standard presentation elements should include information about you and your sales success, testimonials from clients and examples of the marketing materials you use. You should also include material such as a seller’s checklist for preparing a home, a moving checklist, and any other helpful information.

Pages you could format in advance and later customize include CMA data, information on all properties currently on the market and how they compare, your experience in that particular neighborhood, information on the home you are hoping to list, and a detailed marketing plan for that particular home.

Use that first phone call for more than setting a time to meet.

This is your chance to get basic information that can make your presentation outshine the others. Gathering contact information is just the beginning. Find out as much as you can about the property you hope to list; from why the owners are selling to a description of the size and configuration of the home. People love to talk about their homes, so this shouldn’t feel like an inquisition. Create a checklist of the information you want to gather and just fill it in as the homeowner talks. With just a verbal nudge or two, you’ll probably get all the information you need.

Personalize your presentation.

With your digital camera in hand, drive around your prospect’s neighborhood taking pictures of that house as well others. Use your CMA information to guide your picture choices. Your prospect might not recognize an address, but will probably know exactly which property you’re referencing if you have a photo.

Incorporate all the information you’ve gathered into your presentation, starting with a title page that addresses your prospect by name; this indicates that your presentation was prepared specifically for him/her.

Wow them with your professionalism.

Simply seeing a personalized PowerPoint that includes information and images directly related to their home will impress most prospects, but it’s your ability to professionally address their possible objections, that could close the deal.

Sometimes people want to work with a friend. Remind them that their friend will wind up knowing a great deal about their finances and an emotional involvement could complicate a business transaction. If they’re considering selling the home themselves, then focus on the work involved and note that most home shoppers might offer lower prices for FSBO homes because an agent isn’t involved.

If they want to delay signing so they can fix up their home for the sale, agree with them wholeheartedly about doing everything they can to get their home in tip-top condition. Offer to help with a checklist and suggestions on staging. You can recommend creating a timeline right then, sign the paperwork, and select a target date for beginning the selling process.

With your preparation, personalization and presentation, you’re probably well on your way to not only gaining a listing, but establishing the reputation for thoroughness and professionalism that will set you apart.

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•Create a time sheet. For at least a week, keep track of how you spend every working minute. Note the task, the time of day it occurred and the length of time it took to complete. To make the task simpler, you might purchase a day planner insert that breaks each day down into quarter hours. Be honest when you record your time, and don’t forget to include time spent just chatting to clients, peers or others.

• Study your activities. For greater efficiency, look for opportunities to combine tasks. Instead of making random calls to closing lawyers, mortgage brokers, property inspectors, and other people you talk to regularly, try to make one call work for several clients and projects. Driving patterns, paperwork, and other regular tasks may also be consolidated in ways to save valuable time.

• Put a cash value on your time. Time is money, and there’s no way to manufacture more of it. Take your net income for a period of time and divide it by the number of hours you worked during that same time. Then, think about which tasks actually produce the most income. Try to outsource as many of the other activities as possible. By hiring someone for bookkeeping, technical problems, and other jobs that are easily outsourced, you have more time for the things that produce the most income.

• Find some quiet time. If your office is like most, it is full of interruptions, and coming in early or staying late does not help you with the things that must be accomplished during the regular workday. Take your laptop and your cell phone and find a place with wireless internet where you can work without interruption. Libraries, cyber cafes and many coffeehouses offer free wireless service. You’ll find you get through a lot of work in a fraction of the time. Just make sure to keep your phone voice low so you don’t disturb others.

• Rethink your client list. Maybe some categories of clients aren’t as profitable to work with. Unreasonable or over needy clients may be taking up too much time. The same goes for clients outside your niche. Direct them to other agents and prospect for better ones. Not only will you become more productive, you will enjoy your work more.

• Set priorities and stick to them. This could be creating a “to do” list and ranking items in importance, sticking to a single planner, or setting a realistic schedule for the entire week. It’s not only important to find a way to prioritize activities; you also need to keep your ultimate goal in mind while you do so. All too often the minutia of our day-to-day lives gets in the way of accomplishing larger goals.

Greater productivity means you focus more on the activities that make money, and delegate or minimize the tasks that restrain your money earning potential. However, what makes one agent more productive may cause another one to lose momentum. Find your own path to productivity and you will reap the twin rewards of more time and more profit.

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When it comes to creating a good database of potential leads, it’s important to consider quantity and quality. You might be overlooking some of your best prospects. Have you thoroughly explored these sources for new leads?

• Former clients. This sounds obvious, but “follow up” calls to former clients can be highly productive. If you can advise them on contractors, landscapers, or other services, you’ve built in an “owe you one” that could mean a listing from one of their friends.

• Retiring agents. Anytime an agent leaves the business – whether its retirement, moving, or changing careers – a lot of former clients are left behind. Talk to the agent and find out if you can stay in touch with these clients. Offer a referral fee for any home transactions that result from their list for the first few years.

• Open houses. Some agents hold open houses as much to look potential prospects in the eye and shake their hands, as they do to show the house. Get their contact information and then follow through. After all, if someone attends an open house, even as a casual observer, there is opportunity there.

• Family and friends, and their family and friends. These are the people who know you and trust you most.

Finally, never consider your database a finished product; there’s always another potential prospect to add.

Now that you have your database, use it and be creative. One highly successful agent has an annual party that includes basically everyone he knows – old fraternity buddies, church choir members, former clients, assorted friends and family. It’s a simple backyard cookout. With this one effort, he gives everyone in his database a party invitation. This one outreach earns goodwill that lasts the entire year.

Another agent sends a poinsettia to everyone whose house she sold in the previous year. It’s an unexpected gift that comes sometimes months after the sale. Her clients are sure to remember her.

Mailings that report on house sale statistics, legislation, or other information that could impact someone’s decision to sell a home, are other good ways to remind potential clients that you are active and on top of the current market situation.

Email is another great way to keep in touch. It’s not as intrusive as a phone call – people can read your message and answer when they area ready, not in the middle of their favorite TV show. Include links to helpful websites for homeowners such as www.hgtv.com or www.ehow.com.

By keeping your database current and active, you can assure yourself of a more steady supply of new listings and an ever-increasing circle of potential clients.

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Set Yourself Apart - and Ahead

Real estate agents often put their faces on ads, flyers, and business cards. Put your face out there enough times and sooner or later someone might recognize you. However, there are quicker ways to build recognition – if you’re willing to be different.

Make a name for yourself.

Many people have a hard time remembering names. You probably encounter that problem every day. Look at your name and see if there is some twist you can use to make it more memorable. It may be as simple as just using your first or last name in your main marketing materials. Or, you could take it one step further and call yourself something that adds a modifier to your name, like “Selling Helen” or “Real McNeal.”

Because these names stand out, they’ll be easier to remember and help keep you from sinking into the sea of real estate agents. You might start creating your unique name by thinking about the nicknames close friends have given you over the years; the main thing is to keep it short, unique and easy to recall.

Become an icon.

Is there anything about yourself that you can turn into a trademark? If you have a preference for bow ties, never appear without one and make them a part of your personality. You can even tie your marketing efforts into your bowties: “Let me wrap up your home sale with a great big bow.” Hats, vests, a signature jacket, jewelry, a distinctive type of car – the options are virtually endless, just pick one that is unique to your personality and use it. You’ll probably find people will recognize you more often; who knows, may even become a local “celebrity.”

Let your personality shine.

Grab a bunch of realtor ads and lay them side-by-side; odds are most of them will look similar. Advertising experts will tell you that to stand out you need to be different, so do it.

Think of yourself as a brand. How would you describe yourself? Does your advertising reflect that description or is it dull and generic? Get creative. An ad with a little Western flair and a headline that reads “I know how to round up qualified home buyers,” is much more likely to grab attention, than one stating membership in the Million Dollar Club.

If you’re active in public civic, charitable, or cultural organizations you might want to include that information as well. Including “a proud supporter of Boy Scouts of America,” can help you create instant common ground with segments of the community.

Keep it balanced.

Don’t cancel out your professional image; make sure your efforts stand apart from the rest. Every lighthearted effort needs to be balanced by a serious, professional message.

Whether it’s a nickname, a marketing slogan, or an ad campaign, whatever you do should tie in with real estate and your commitment to serving your clients and helping them close desirable home transactions easily and happily.

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