Understanding your potential client's needs and wants and how to communicate with them will be essential to prepare for your next listing appointment.
A listing appointment is the first real opportunity to impress a potential client, and if you do the footwork ahead of time, you’ll win the listing before the appointment.
And having a pre-appointment, appointment, and post-appointment plan and having a checklist of must-haves can help ensure a successful and productive meeting.
So, before you head out to that important meeting, ensure you have these top items on your real estate appointment checklist.
Before The Appointment
Know the neighborhood market and areas of value to highlight, such as schools, proximity to parks and golf courses, etc., that you can help explain to your client how you’ll create interest in your marketing.
Another area to prepare is with your comps. Know what’s been selling and sitting in the area and some of the more intimate details of a home that you can only get by visiting other listings such as room size, layout, etc.
Another critical area before the listing appointment is to role-play to prepare for all contingencies and concerns.
For example, what would the seller be most interested in, top-dollar, speed of sale, or rent-back needs?
Understand why the seller is in the market, and you can better communicate with them.
During The Appointment
Once you have an appointment, the key is to showcase your ability to help the seller while educating them on the neighborhood and market realities.
Sellers see price estimates on Zillow and Redfin or hear about so-and-so selling their home for x-dollars and get a fixed amount in their minds.
That’s because their emotionally attached to the property and not seeing the value that may or may not be what the market is supporting.
Your job is to be able to educate them, negotiate what you think is a good range of options, how you’ll market their property for top dollar, and the confidence they can have in your skills.
To win the listing, use the data but make it personal, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
After The Listing Appointment
Once you’ve had the listing appointment, if you didn’t leave with a signed contract, the next step is to follow up with more information about how you’ll market the property for the seller to get the best deal.
Once you have a general outline and game plan for the before, during, and after appointments, you can focus on your preparation to guarantee the listing.
The top-6 steps you need in your listing appointment checklist to guarantee the listing include:
- Roleplay
- Explain the market
- Know their neighborhood
- What’s their “why”?
- Customize your marketing
- Follow-up
Role Play To Prepare
Before you go on any listing appointment, you need to role-play.
Approach your role-playing as a way to prepare for some questions about your marketing, how you can help your clients sell faster, and what are some other specifics about the market. Another thing to consider is using your role-playing to get your presentation down so that instead of convincing someone to use you, you’re persuading them of your ability to sell for them.
Preparing a list of questions and concerns is essential for all parties involved in a real estate appointment. Real estate agents should also have a list of questions to understand their client's needs and preferences.
The difference between convincing and persuading is between logic (convincing) and emotion (persuading). Developing trust and a rapport with your client is the art of persuasion; the data is what will convince them.
By role-playing, you’re better equipped to handle questions and concerns as they’re presented so that you appear more competent and experienced, even if you’re a brand-new agent.
If you’re unsure why role-playing is important, or how to get started, here’s a list of things to help you prepare through role-playing to consider:
- Find A Mentor, Friend, Or Experienced Partner: To role-play effectively, get with a more experienced partner or mentor. You can utilize your coach for role-playing as well. The objective here is to rehearse different situations and objectives so that you’re prepared before your listing appointment.
- Create A Scenario: Set up an imaginary listing appointment scenario with a fellow agent, mentor, or friend playing the client. This helps prepare you by simulating real-life situations and objections that may come up.
- Prepare A List of Common Questions: Compile a list of common questions clients may ask. Include concepts about your marketing strategies, the local market trends, and how you handle the selling process.
- Practice Active Listening: Active listening is being present, not ready to say the next thing. Instead, focus on understanding the client's needs and concerns so that you can respond thoughtfully and demonstrate your understanding of them. Remember, you're selling their home, which comes with a lot of emotional attachment for your clients.
- Fine-tune Your Presentation: Role-playing will help you prepare your listing presentation. Explain your marketing strategies, explain how you can help clients sell faster, and address specific market conditions. If you've done the work ahead of time, refer back to your marketing materials to show how you'll present your home on the market.
- Simulate Negotiation Scenarios: Role-play negotiating with the client on terms, pricing, and potential offers. Have your partner throw random “curveballs” at you that are unrelated to your negotiation. The more scenarios you can rehearse, the better you'll appear to think on your feet and be able to maintain a collaborative and professional approach.
- Work on Non-Verbal Communication: Not everything your client says will be verbal. Pay attention to your body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, like crossed arms, higher pitches, or speeding up how they speak.
- Adapt to Different Client Personalities: Be sure to prepare for different types of personalities during your role-playing. This will help you tailor your listing approach and how to handle objections.
- Seek Feedback and Critique: After each role-playing session, ask for feedback from your partner. Discuss areas where you excelled and where you can improve.
- Repeat and Refine: Regularly engage in role-playing sessions to reinforce your preparedness. Continuously refine your responses based on feedback and experience.
- Maintain a Positive and Confident Demeanor: Practice projecting confidence, positivity, and a can-do attitude during the role-playing exercises.
Remember, consistent and deliberate practice through role-playing will help you feel more confident and capable when facing real clients in listing appointments.
Explain The Market – CMAs and Comp Sheets
Once an appointment is scheduled, you’ll want to show your potential client the data about the local market and houses similar to the sellers. Be the pro with all the local pricing and how you are the agent who can position the seller’s property to get the best deal.
Don’t just print out a CMA and say here’s where I think you can sell.
Go deeper and be more precise about what sets your client’s home apart from others in the area.
Know Their Neighborhood
The data about the area is essential, but you need to make it personal.
Discuss things about the neighborhood that makes the seller’s home attractive to potential buyers by highlighting their community.
Showcasing this understanding is also going to be tied into your marketing plan for the home.
For example, if you’re highlighting proximity to restaurants and entertainment venues, you may devise a marketing plan for young couples or new families.
Learn Their “Why” – It’s More Than Just The Numbers
Before and during your listing appointment, discuss why the seller is looking to list.
Is it due to a job transfer, upsizing or downsizing due to significant life events, whatever you can get from casual conversations that will help you in your marketing.
For example, some sellers may need to move quickly due to a job change. Others may be looking to sell a family home and are looking for a buyer with similar interests, such as a large family.
These personal details of understanding the “why” the seller is looking to list will help you stand out from other agents.
And, when it comes to real estate appointments, being prepared is vital. In fact, you can win the listing before the appointment if you address the seller’s needs before you meet with them.
Have A Customized Marketing Plan
When it comes to developing a customized marketing plan, think about how a typical agent would pitch it, like putting it on the MLS, holding open houses, advertising it in local papers, and go beyond that, waaayy beyond.
For example, you could develop a quick website for the address of the home, get a staging crew to come and design the perfect interior, do a YouTube video walk-through, have sleek marketing materials and booklets, and link to social media are just some of the ways you can think outside the box.
Show the data to the client; if you have 300 views on a home, show them those numbers, or if you have a social media account with a lot of engagement, show them that as well.
Don’t say and do what every other agent already does; say and do something different to stand out.
The key is to help the seller see how you can target buyers that would be interested and likely to buy from them. That targeting is part of your market plan, and customizing it will showcase your expertise in ways that separate you from other agents.
Remember, if you do the same that everyone else does, why would the client choose you, especially if they don’t know you?
Real estate is a relationship game, but for the seller, it’s also a numbers game, so being confident, professional, and prepared helps build your reputation and credibility with them to help win the listing.
The Follow-Up
After the listing appointment, if you leave empty-handed, don’t stress about it. And even if you win the contract right away, the final step is the follow-up.
Following up with a potential client is crucial. You should outline the next steps in the listing process, whether they choose your services or another agent.
The goal is to prove your expertise so they have confidence in your ability. Even if they choose another agent (for now), if the sale doesn’t happen, or they become unhappy with the other agent’s services, you’re positioning yourself as a future solution to their needs.
Having a checklist for a listing is what the top-performing agents know that newer agents haven’t figured out yet.
Being organized and prepared is crucial in winning the listing, which is where having a second set of eyes in your preparation will set you apart from the others. A great second set of eyes includes hiring a real estate coach who can give suggestions and solutions to help you prepare for your listing appointment to win them every time.
