How to Give a Listing Presentation Like a Pro

dotloop

August 23, 2018 | comments

Stand out from the competition by delivering a polished real estate presentation that wins more business.

Whether you’re new to real estate or an industry veteran, you should be constantly assessing and refining your listing presentation. This critical marketing tool truly reflects who you are as an agent and will help you to connect with your prospects.
 

Your Expertise Paints Only Half the Picture

When a home seller asks you — and most likely other agents — to make a presentation, that usually means they don’t have a strong previous relationship with an agent or they’re not satisfied with a referral from friends or family.

They want an agent who is going to lead them through the preparation, showing, negotiation and transaction process with professionalism, accuracy and efficiency.

But mostly, home sellers want someone with whom they can establish a rapport. They want an agent who fully understands their unique situation and they can trust implicitly to help them make decisions and solve the problems that arise with any complex transaction.

Everything from your appearance to the technology you use will serve to help them determine if you’re the right fit to represent their property.

Most articles on listing presentations focus on the details around your PowerPoint. While this is important — and we have a great resource below — the main takeaway from your presentation is what your potential clients will remember most about you.

So, What’s Your Story?

Right after you shake hands with your prospective clients and they invite you to sit down, you need to exchange stories. They’ll share why they bought the house, what they’ve done to it, what it’s meant to them and why they need to sell. And they’ll want to hear your story about why you want to work with them. Hint: Don’t make it about your commission check!

Take cues from their experience to better inform and tailor your story around their needs. Address their emotions and preconceived ideas about the worth of their house, and make sure you’re discussing the more complex issues at a level they can understand. This doesn’t mean you should change your suggested valuation, but knowing their state of mind will help you to level their expectations.

Your story might start off with why you got into real estate or how you helped a neighbor sell their house over asking price, for instance.

As an effective networker, you should always come prepared with a “30-second “elevator pitch” that you can use to quickly and meaningfully explain what you do. Even a brief story can communicate a great deal.

In 20 seconds, broker and team leader Levi Rogers often tells the unforgettable story about the situation that launched his real estate career. As a young homebuyer, he was ready to make an offer on a house, but the listing agent wouldn’t sell it to him. The Realtor recognized that it wasn’t a smart buy for someone in Rogers’ position, and he actually tore up the offer contract in front of him. Rogers says that this moment of honesty inspired him to become an agent. This story tells prospective clients that a) Rogers remembers what it’s like to be in their shoes and b) they can trust him.
 

1. Do Your Homework

 
Your formal presentation, which typically consists of a PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow, should demonstrate your expertise in selling the client’s particular type of house as well as your comprehensive knowledge of successful strategies and market trends. This doesn’t mean that you should put them through a 45-minute real estate course, but you should be prepared for anything they might ask.

Before the presentation, make sure you do extensive research on the property and local market conditions (including multiple comps that are below, similar to and above theirs), and include the relevant elements in your slide deck. Your slideshow should project a clean, professional design with lots of high resolution images. Dotloop offers the Ultimate Listing Presentation Template, which has everything you need and can be imported into dotloop to place the property details at your fingertips.
 

2. Wow Them with Technology

 
The kind of technology you use speaks volumes about how current you are with tech trends while providing transaction-sharing benefits that will help to surprise and delight your prospects. For example, dotloop’s new text Messenger feature allows you to share and edit documents, gather eSignatures and more using a seamless texting feature from the dotloop app. The client can transact from their smartphone without having to download any software. The entire transaction process is paperless, painless and a major convenient time-saver for both agents and customers.
 

3. Ask Questions. Involve the Client.

 
Your presentation should be less of a pitch and more of a discussion. Remember, other agents are likely to present similar information, so make yours stand out by sharing what you’ve learned about their house and neighborhood and asking open-ended questions to get their perspective. Involve them as much as possible.

Many agents focus on rehearsing and perfecting their listing presentation until they can deliver it in their sleep. However, if the prospect is sitting there with a huge, unresolved issue in the forefront of their mind, the slickest pitch will fall on deaf ears.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the listing presentation is all about dazzling the prospective clients with your real estate prowess. They’re sure to get plenty of that from other agents. Instead, focus on their perceptions and expectations of the process, and give them the information that will put their minds at ease.

If they ask a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t be afraid to say, “Let me find out and get back to you.” People know that even the best agents don’t always know everything. However, if you pretend you know, you’ll come across as less than genuine.

Most importantly, listen to your prospective clients.
 

4. Avoid a Hard Close

 
Nobody likes to “be sold to.” In a typical hard close, an agent pulls out an agreement for them to sign, but that can set up an uncomfortable situation for your prospective clients. The focus of the meeting suddenly shifts from being about their situation and their needs to yours.

If, on the other hand, your presentation feels more like a collaboration, then the natural progression to discuss next steps in working with you will fall into place. Simply explain what both of you need to do next to continue the process. The lower the barrier, the easier it is to get a “yes.”

If the prospect is not willing to make any future commitment, let them know what you’ll do next, such as finding answers to any unsolved questions. This will leave the lines of communication open.

Lastly, hand them a printed version of your presentation. While a digital file is easier, a printed handout sitting on the client’s kitchen table will serve as a visual representation to keep you top of mind throughout the process.

When you do your homework, really listen and involve your prospective clients in the discovery process, you’ll find that more of these potential clients will naturally convert into closings.