Category: 14. The Ultimate Listing Presentation

Have you ever lost a listing to another agent and had the seller tell you it came down to a coin toss?

“We really liked what you both had to say, and it was a very difficult decision. Thank you so much for your time!”

That’s a kick in the guts. I’d rather be told that the other agent was ten times as good as me. At least that’s a clear explanation.

There are two potential reasons for the coin toss explanation:

1. The clients are being kind and trying to let you down easy, or;
2. It really was a coin toss.

A coin toss doesn’t necessarily mean you both had equally strong presentations. Actually, it’s far more likely that they were equally unconvincing, and the seller picked the agent “they felt more comfortable with.” Have you ever heard that kick-in-the-guts?

But a powerful, convincing presentation will overcome “who they like better” every time.

The Amateur Presentation

A CMA on its own is not a presentation. You’re supposed to be trying to convince people to hire you, not merely determining the price. The CMA is just one piece of a large puzzle.

I’ve seen probably 50 REALTOR® listing presentations, and most of them simply did not have a convincing explanation of why the seller should hire that agent over any other agent. 

When it comes to a one-on-one pitch to sell your services and potentially earn a five-figure commission from a single transaction, the lack of professionalism in our industry is astounding to me. Sorry. Not sorry.

I mean, think about it, first name. You worked very hard to get to the kitchen table, ready to make your pitch to get the listing. And now you’re leaving this last and most vital step up to a coin toss?

That’s like hitting an in-field homer and then deciding to walk from third to home base. 

Watch the Demonstration

It’s not nearly as difficult as you might think to produce a highly impactful, educational presentation that builds trust and rapport, and blows every other agent out of the water. And, here’s the most important part:

It’s about much more than merely winning more listings.

My clients were often so impressed with my presentation they started recommending me to their family and friends before I had even listed their property. Then, they were way more cooperative with me throughout the process, looking to me with respect and following my advice, having already established myself as an expert during the listing presentation.

That means the listing itself was more successful, my clients were thrilled, and I got more referrals.

That’s the opposite of a vicious cycle!

Would you like to see my presentation? Simply reply to this email, and I’ll send you a Zoom link to watch it from start to finish, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (MST) tomorrow, March 26.

You’ll notice a few things that are unique about my presentation. For example, I never once mention myself or my accomplishments. Why? Because nobody cares. 

My presentation is all about educating and creating trust and rapport.

See you tomorrow!

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This article was inspired by module #14 – The Ultimate Listing presentation – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program. 

In ‘The Ultimate Listing Presentation,’ I explain step-by-step how to create a powerfully persuasive and personalized slide presentation, including six major segments: The Market, The Price, Preparation, Marketing, Communication, and Negotiation. Never lose a listing you want, ever again. Here’s another article inspired by the same module: How to Educate Your Clients

As REALTORS®, we are deluged with a mind-boggling pile of statistics.

It’s actually a thing now for some marketing companies to turn this data into beautiful, professional-looking charts and diagrams so we can then show them off to our clients.

Those charts sure look impressive! 

But consider the possibility that swamping your clients with statistics might be doing more harm than good.

Fancy charts and diagrams might impress your most hard-core Analytical clients. But even they can get overwhelmed.

You’ve heard of Analysis-Paralysis, right? The more information that you feed an Analytical person, the more confused they get. This leads to bad decisions.

And what if your seller is NOT an Analytical? 

Most statistical data is clutter to them. You show them, and their eyes gloss over.

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I find that half of Real Estate stats serve no useful purpose. The other half? I feel like I need to explain why they are inherently unreliable.

“Days on the market?”

Unfortunately, this stat doesn’t tell you how many times some of those properties have been on and off the market.

“Sale price to list price ratio?”

Unfortunately, this stat doesn’t tell you how many price reductions there were before some of those properties finally sold.

I suggest you skip all that explaining and instead show your clients the only statistics that truly matter when it comes to understanding the market:

Supply and Demand, and Absorption Rate.

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The absorption rate is simply the ratio between supply and demand. When the absorption rate changes, it affects all the other statistics.

For example, if the absorption rate declines, the ‘Days on Market’ goes up, and the ‘Sale Price to List Price’ goes down. 

Every Real Estate statistic is essentially a derivative of supply and demand. So why make your analysis of the market more confusing than it needs to be?

Just use the root information. You’ll look like a genius, and your clients will understand how these statistics directly affect the saleability of their listing.

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To demonstrate supply and demand effectively, you’ll need to make monthly graphs. 

It will take some effort, but when you’re done, you’ll have a powerful and insightful set of charts to show your clients that your competitors don’t have.

The month-to-month inventory and sales numbers are all available from your local board. Just gather the information for 3-5 years, input it into a spreadsheet, and export the data to create yearly graphs. 

You can also indicate the absorption rate (sales divided by inventory expressed as a percentage) on the same graph.

If you don’t know how to build graphs from a spreadsheet, either consult The Google or hire someone much younger than yourself to teach you!

That’s what I did.

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You’ve got your graphs. Now what?

You’ll see…

You’re going to start noticing how supply and demand directly affects pricing and saleability.

After a while, you’ll become skilled at predicting the future quite accurately, and before you know it…

You’re a market expert!

There are pros and cons to every different business model in Real Estate.

I was an individual agent (with a full-time assistant) for my entire career. But a partnership or small, client-centered team can work wonderfully for both you and your clients, as well, so long as you have dependable systems and procedures.

The only Real Estate business model I really dislike is ‘The Big-Box Team,’ mainly due to their commonly-used, deceptive marketing tactics.

What they tell you: “Your home Sold GUARANTEED, or we’ll buy it!”

The truth: The “guarantee” is just a ploy to get their foot in the door, and then explain that either, a) your property doesn’t “qualify” for their program, or b) the “guaranteed” price is so low (after all the deductions) that nobody in their right mind would ever agree to it. 

But hey! No worries! We’ll get ‘er sold, anyway! Sign here, please. ️

What they tell you: “You’ll have a whole team of agents all working together to get your home sold!”

The truth: It’s highly unlikely that any other team member will ever even SEE the listing, let alone pay it any attention. They’re focused on other things (chasing down leads).

What they tell you: “We’re working with bazillions of buyers right now, and at least a few of them are going to want to see your home!”

The truth: IF by some fluke, one of the Buyer’s Agents does have a buyer; there is ZERO advantage to the seller because that buyer would want to see the listing ANYWAY, no matter which agent they were working with. 

What they tell you: “We spend bazillions every month on marketing!”

The truth: Yes, but all that money has ZERO to do with getting your home sold, and EVERYTHING to do with promoting The Team to generate leads.

Not that there’s anything wrong with marketing to generate leads! Let’s just be honest about it.  

I could continue, but you already know all this stuff.

The question is, how do YOU, as an individual agent (or a small team), compete against these Big Box Team?

That’s easy!

Tell. The. Truth. 

Simply explain what you already know about all of the above, candidly, and without malice. That’s what I did. And you know what my clients would say?

“I thought so.” 

They already instinctively knew that something wasn’t right with the Big Box Teams. Why?

Because smart people can smell deception a mile away.

Obviously, I do not believe that the Big-Box Team is the best option for the public when buying or selling. Furthermore, I think our regulatory bodies could do much better at monitoring deceptive marketing practices.

Luckily, I think the public is getting better informed, and more and more, they’re seeking out honest, skilled professionals who genuinely have their best interests at heart. 

Let’s just continue telling the truth. It’s all we can do.

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For newer agents considering joining a Big Team, or if you already have, and you’re now regretting it, here’s some further reading for you: The Team Option for New Agents.