Tool #3 Presentation : 4 tools of a successful real estate agent:

This is part of the ongoing series “Finding Success in the Basics”

If you are out prospecting and marketing you will be bound to run into someone personally or virtually who has an interest in real estate. This is where your skills and knowledge will come into play.

Being a real estate professional is really all about presentation, presentation of you, your company, the process, buyers choices and sellers choices. The better you are at presenting or, telling the story, the more successful you will be.

When you meet someone for the first time:

How do you look…are you dressed the part? What do you say? Are you ready with a 20 second commercial or sound bite about what you do or offer? Do you have a hand out, take away or brochure? When you hand someone a thing….do you just shove it their way or do you present it?

At open houses:

How do you present the home? What information do you have at the ready? What questions do you ask?

On Floor:

Are you ready to answer a question and immediately follow up the answer with a question of your own? Do you convey confidence in your voice? Be sure to lead them in a direction. If you like what you are hearing you might say, “sounds like the next logical step is for us to get together, is this afternoon good for you or would tomorrow morning be better?” These are not sales techniques rather business tools to help them take the next step to achieving their goals.

Listing presentations:

Do you have a listing presentation? (you should) Ensure its quality reflects who you want to be perceived as. A dog eared binder may lead them to believe you are not neat and organized. Be sure to ask questions through out your presentation, you don’t want to lecture them into submission. Don’t forget “feature/benefit” I would like to put a lock box on the house….here is how it benefits you; easily track all showings, ability to follow up on all showings, allows showing the house when you are away etc…….Do you have an extra key available or would you like me to have one made for you? Your listing presentation should only last 12 to 18 mins and be designed to tell your story and answer questions like; Can I trust you? What experience do you have? What will you do for me? How do you get paid? What happens next? How do I know if it is working. Many of these questions are not even asked, but are unshared concerns that you need to address.

Buyer presentation:

Some of you will say “What?” Yes, do a presentation for all of your buyers. Don’t be a pop tart. Don’t pop into the car to show houses just because they call and tell you they want to see one. First things first. Make sure they are safe and you indeed want to work with them. Meet strangers for the first time in your office. When you set the appointment tell them you are not going to look at houses right away but would like to spend some time learning what they want first. Tell your story, just like a listing presentation. Perhaps tell them about the county or surrounding area if they are new. Talk about the process and how you fit into it. Don’t forget to use visuals.

In closing:

Your presentation should always tell a story, whether it is an 18 min listing presentation or a 30 second introduction.

Remember 8^th grade English class, your story should have an opening, a body and a close.

You and your materials should always look sharp.

Involve as many of the senses as you can, visuals, questions/discussion, things they can touch

Know your area stats, this will lead to confidant speech which gives you credibility

And always, always ask the right questions to lead to the next step;

After what we have just covered do you feel comfortable with me listing your home?

Sounds like you have a great house, next step would be for me to take a look at it, is tomorrow good for you or would Friday be better?

It does not sound like this open house would work for you however here is a list of some possibilities. Why don’t you drive by these and let’s get together later this afternoon or would tomorrow after work be more convenient?

The presentation is not the destination; it is only one stepping stone along a path in this new relationship, called a customer for life.