In getting a listing, it's what you
don't know that counts
Getting a listing is as much about what agents don't know, as what they do know.
Agents, generally, know how to sell real estate. If they're any good at their craft, they understand their local market, how to attract buyers, and how to make an appropriate appeal to interest those buyers in their listings.
But until they get an appointment to discuss obtaining a listing, here's what agents don't know: Is the seller is motivated? Is the seller willing to list at an appropriate price?, and, Is the seller willing to pay the desired commission? Determining each seller's specific needs, and getting answers to those three questions, lie at the heart of every listing appointment.
Sadly, most agents do a poor job of discovering seller needs. During their listing presentation, many simply talk, talk, talk. They monopolize the limited time they have to make an impression. Too often, they fail to let the seller
interact until the very end. That failure sends exactly the wrong message: that the experience is about the agent, rather than about the client. It raises doubt about the agent's ability to provide services.
Instead, treat the listing appointment like a fact-finding mission. Agents should spend as much time crafting the right questions to ask to identify seller needs as they do in preparing the presentation. Through effective questioning, listening skills, and successfully evaluating responses, agents can be better positioned to deliver winning selling solutions and offer meaningful value to their clients.
What questions might be asked to understand motivation, goals, future plans, and other things that could affect an agent's marketing strategy for a seller's home? Try these:
- How soon do you need to sell your home?
- Why are you selling?
- Where are you moving to and (if to another city) do you need assistance with destination information or an introduction to a qualified associate there?
- Have you done research to get a sense of homes similar to yours that are on the market?
- How do you think your home compares?
- What price did you have in mind for your home? It won’t affect the value, but it assists me to know any pre-conceived ideas on price.
- Are there any repairs or improvements you are planning to make prior to putting your home on the market?
- What do you feel are the best features of your home?
- If you were to select me to market your home, tell me about the expectations you would have of me.
- Which of those are most important to you?
- Do you have any thoughts on how you feel your home should be marketed and to what type of buyer profile?
- (If moving locally) Do you already have an associate who is helping you find your next home?
- Are you prepared to list your home if you are comfortable with me and my marketing plan?
- Are you talking to any other agents about listing your home?
- What is your timetable for putting your home on the market?
In asking these questions, agents should explain, “This information helps me to understand your goals. That allows me to customize exactly the right marketing strategy for your home. In that way, I can use my skills and resources to achieve an outcome that exceeds your expectations.”
How to successfully get listings is part of the
extensive Accredited Seller Agency (ASR) course offered by Polley Associates.
For a schedule
of ASR courses convenient to where you
live in Pennsylvania, click here.
The original article, from which
this piece was adapted, was initially
published by the ASR Seller Agency
Newsletter
on Oct. 15, 2007
|
