By Kim Knapp, CRS
We all have goals for our business. If you want to improve your ability to capture and convert leads, I am going to share some key skills with you during a brand-new course being rolled out at the Council throughout the year called “Be a Power Lister.” This course will give you a purposeful plan to obtain sellable listings through an effective, repeatable process.
This three-hour class dives into the nuts and bolts of how to convert a potential client. It’s important to remember that you’re not just having another conversation with your potential seller. You have to extract the right information from them while you plant the seeds for your services. Your call is about building confidence and helping them see you as competent and professional because you have a plan that will work for them.
How to approach your lead
The beginning of the course quickly covers sources for lead generation; then it goes right into building rapport from first contact. From initial contact, one of your main objectives is to overcome any objections they might have in advance—even before the potential client can bring them up. The more objections you can overcome in advance, the easier it is to get to yes. Incorporate as many soft closes as possible as part of your process, because the more they say, “OK, sure, that sounds good,” then by the time it gets to the actual decision, they have already made it.
The course will show you how to build rapport using actual scenarios. We’re going to talk about things that happen during that first call that could preclude you from even getting to a discussion of their house. For example, when they ask you things like, “Hey, I’m interested in listing my house and I was just curious—what’s your commission?” You shouldn’t let them shop based on price when they have no idea of the value of what they would be getting. I will give you actual scripts and dialogue that will show you how to overcome that and other objections (see sidebar below).
If you do a two-step appointment, we’ll discuss what things you definitely want to cover and what questions you need answered on that first listing appointment. We’ll also cover the things you can provide to get buy-in from the seller and get them committed to your process before they’ve even said they’re going to hire you.
Setting expectations with the seller
Most sellers have only sold a couple of houses in their life, so their expectations are either going to be made up or based on the last experience they had. You will want to set expectations on how you and the seller will work together as early as possible. You’ll need to convey that the seller is a critical part of the team, and that you need their cooperation with preparation work and staging if they want to get the best price.
You want them to be on board as you guide them in strategically positioning their home on the market. When you have a seller who’s on board with showings, the home’s condition and the positioning in the market, now you have a sellable listing. The alternative is taking the listing, and the client or you becomes aggravated, it takes two or three months until you get it right, and at that point, everybody loses because the seller is going to realize far less than if everyone had done it correctly right out of the gate.
Tools to take away
Another benefit of this class is that whether you take it in-person or virtually, I will share a packet of documents with support materials, including sample confirmation emails and how to conduct a survey with the seller in advance to garner information even before the first appointment. There are forms that guide you through creating a pre-listing presentation, a home seller preparation checklist and how to prepare a vacant house.
You will be able to take everything you’ve learned and personalize it so you can make it your own and say it in your own voice. These editable materials will allow you to use your own branding and instantly implement them in your business, instead of creating everything on your own.
All of these tools are designed to make you stand out among your competition. Claim your power!
Be sure to check the education catalog regularly at CRS.com to see when new classes like “Become A Power Lister” are scheduled throughout the year.
Photo: iStock.com/Feodora Chiosea
