YOUR PRESENTATION KIT IS ALL ABOUT YOU

Most certainly it is also about the office that you work for, but essentially you are selling yourself.  What you want to do with a Presentation Kit is assure the client that you are going to work hard for them and they should be shown exactly how you are going to go about that.

Setting up YOUR presentation kit

1.    The start of a presentation kit should be devoted to showing the client about the real industry so it should have information about the office, the who, what, why and where, plus it should have successes of the office and market share etc.  All this can be otained from the principal.

2.   Then it would be a good idea to show details about what is currently happening in the market place and also how successful you have been.  If you are new focus on the results of the company.  Show the office back there is re sales executives, administration and property management.   Include here all the available contacts for yourself and the office.

3.   Give details on how you would expose the vendor’s property to the buying public.  List every single way of marketing (not advertising) the property that you can think of. 

4.   An explanation of how you close a sale and the closing process.

You see, even if you are new, but have all this information in your kit the sellers will understand that you know your stuff, and that you are not just another real estate agent running around trying to make a fast buck.

MANY NEW REAL ESTATE AGENTS DON’T LIKE TO USE A PRESENTATION KIT – WHY?

This is something that I cannot understand.  Have you ever been to a seminar or presentation where the presenter has forgotten what he was going to say (that’s OK, because it does happen) but an organised presenter has slides or notes to help him through those moments.

When a presenter does have written content you feel assured that he has not missed any important facts that he should be telling you.  No-one really expects or even wants a presentation that is given to them by rote, but we do expect that if we are giving our valuable time to someone then they should be organised.

BACK TO A PRESENTATION KIT

You can see that if you turn up to do an appraisal or a presentation and you do not have all your information in some sort of note form you are likely to forget some details and not give them to the client. 

So let’s take that a step further, if you have given your presentation and do have written information that you have forgotten, you can almost be certain that other agents who present to the same people will have told them what you have forgotten.  So how is that going to make you look?  Incompetent, too casual, inexperienced or what exactly?

INTERRUPTIONS CAUSE MISTAKES

When you are doing presentations of any sort in real estate you can be assured that you will get interruptions as you go along.  This is only natural because your proposed clients will want to query different points that you have made. 

This is why you have a presentation kit.  TO HELP YOU KEEP ON TRACK!

THE NUMBER OF EXCITING OPEN FOR INSPECTIONS IS VERY LOW

Do you enjoy running Open for Inspections (OFI)?  A lot of agents find them a real chore and this shows the minute that you, as a buyer, walks in the door.

OFI’s can be a great way of meeting new buyers  or show potential sellers that you do a good job for your buyers.

If you are an real estate agent showing off a house there are many ways to start up conversations and start some rapport with potential buyers.

A way that you could start some rapport is by giving your visitors something as they come in the door.  Here is a list of ideas for making your OFI’s go off with more sizzle:

• offer some sweets (must be sealed)
• at Easter give an easter egg
• give out free gifts – pens, fridge magnets, small soft toy
• Mother’s Day – a flower
• Father’s Day – a chocolate
• Vouchers for something – maybe from a hairdresser

You can see that there are many ideas around if you think about it and your OFI visitors will feel much more relaxed and more likely to talk to you.

NEARLY EVERYONE HATES PUBLIC SPEAKING AND THOSE FIGURES ARE NOT MUCH DIFFERENT FOR THOSE WHO ARE COLD CALLING

The fear of cold calling is one that most people suffer from.  Often you hear people saying, “I don’t know how they can do it?”   There are definite steps to cold calling that can take away that fear.  When you learn how to be a real estate agent, learning how to be a top lister in real estate one of the most important steps is learning how to do cold calling.

1. Don’t think about your own reactions, focus on getting the ‘yes’
2. Remember people often say ‘no’ not because they don’t want to talk to you but because they don’t want to use your service right now
3. Be ready to answer any questions or field any comments that you may receive
4. Be more interested in them than in yourself
5. Use scripts that you know will work for you.  Find scripts and work them to suit your purposes.  Make sure they ask open ended questions.
6. Try and use the contact system.  Have names of people you can use to add creditabiltiy to your call.

Being successful does relate to your skills but it also relates to getting through the numbers.  Successful agents decide on a number that they want to convert to an appointment before they will stop for the day. 

Every ‘no’ that you get takes you one call closer to a ‘yes’!

IT CAN BE A BIT SCARY GOING OUT TO THAT FIRST LISTING CAN’T IT?

The best thing you can do is be prepared.   As a new real estate agent you are so keen to get out there and get listings that you may not prepare yourself well enough and make a real fool of yourself.

There really is no need to do that.  Even if you put some time in to memorizing a dozen questions to ask the owners you can usually have a sneek peek at some other questions that you might want to ask.

WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVE AT THE ADDRESS

You can guarantee that you will not be the only one that is a little nervous and the best way is to get involved in some social chit chat first.  There are two criteria here: 

1.  Make sure your vendors are not pushed for time because if they are they won’t be able to concentrate on what you are saying (for example, if they have to pick kids up from school), and

2. Have questions rehearsed so you do not get tongue tied when you first arrive. 

There are so many things you have to remember when listing that if you can memorise the easier ones you can then give your full concentration to ones that are relevant to actually getting the listing.

YOU MAY WELL ASK “WHY BOTHER MEMORIZING QUESTIONS?”

1.  If you are one of those people that can talk under water with a mouth full of marbles, then by memorizing the questions you will hopefully have more control over your talking.  This is meant in the nicest possible way because usually a talker will talk even more, and often a lot faster, if they are nervous.

2.  On the other hand you have the more introverted person who is not the most social person around and who finds it difficult to start up and keep rolling, general conversations.

You can see that most people can benefit from having your questions memorised in the first place.

Then tucked away in your kit, you can have the other questions about real estate listing that you need to know.  Practice is the key and it takes a few sessions before you will become relaxed.  Try the family out, even if they have to put cotton wool in their ears.  Every realtor needs a sounding board!

Good luck!

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT YOU ARE IN REAL ESTATE SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE MONEY

NO WORK – NO PAY – have you found that to be the case?

How can you increase your income?………………….

So how can you increase the number of your transactions?

• higher quality exclusive listings
• increase your personal and business profile
• improve $ value earning efficiency
• improved management contact systems
• time management

Always be “there”.  If you cannot be the best, be the first. 

• target higher quality listings
• better presentation of the house - educate your sellers
• less conjunctions
• improve selling and negotiation skills

And you can increase fee per sale by:

• service
• product identification
• do not discount your commission

You will see increased profits also if you put time into:

• training
• profiling
• keeping your costs down
• work with people who want to sell or buy

IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER THINGS MORE WHEN THEY CAN READ ABOUT THEM BUT ALSO WHEN THEY CAN SEE A PICTURE

MARKETING YOURSELF

When you are building your profile in real estate if is a very good idea to put your photo on all your advertising material.  There may be office policies where you cannot put your photo on signs or in the paper, but most principals will let you put your photo in flyers and the like.  You want to be known when you are seen in the street, at the league or whenever you are out and about.

Always put your name near your photo so that there is an instant connection.

Even with a photo like this you could say “I will be in contact with all my buyers and tell them about your property!”

With Obama being sworn in,

 the world will be facing a new era.  

There will be times that we have never seen before and it will be interesting to see the on flow of such a change. 

It is anybody’s guess what the year will bring.  As someone said, there is no crystal ball, it is a cloudy one.

What do you think is going to happen in your area of real estate?

Whatever happens it will be a time for working smarter, not harder.  Clients will be looking forward to hearing a chirpy attitude and you will have to give it to them.

Have you ever taken much notice of  how the tone of someone’s voice depicts their attitude over the phone. 

If you have someone ring you and they sound all down and out you cannot wait to get of the phone.  As a real estate salesperson, it is going to be your job to be the voice that they want to listen to.

2008  WAS CERTAINLY A YEAR FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

AND LET’S LEAVE IT THERE

- IN THE RECORD BOOKS!!!

Who should you be focusing on in 2009 – EVERYONE!!

We all know that the credit crisis is not over, and we expect a bouncy ride for quite a while yet.  But hey, when in the last 1000 years did the world economy not come back and life eventally get back to ‘normal’. 

Anyone with a few spare dollars is in a great position to be buying real estate right now. 

Have you ever thought of marketing your services to a group of people who are in the top earning bracket?  For example: doctors, dentists, solicitors, IT whiz kids, business managers etc.

Why not select a group and on a regular basis connect with them and sell your services.  These are busy people and if you do an above average job you will more than likely get referrals within the group.

As a realtor you really need to be pro-active.  It is not a career where you can sit back and put your feet up.

Do you use Twitter, Facebook or Utube to get in front of these people?  Start looking at where you can market your services at very little cost to yourself.

If you have not done it already, you should have sat down and worked out your strategy for 2009.  Is there a certain sector in your local area that you think is being missed?  Do you know of some investors that could be ready to start buying again?

Look at your market very carefully and see if there is a corner of it that you can get in and create havoc.  Work out how you can start your real estate prospecting in that area.

If you find it, plan how you will approach making a name for yourself in that niche area.  

Plans like this are what will ensure your success in real estate. 

LEARN SOME BASIC BUT IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO HELP GROW YOUR REAL ESTATE CAREER

Asking the right questions is an art form!

Gaining clients is initially a matter of building trust.  Few people will buy even a loaf of bread if they do not trust the vendor.

When first meeting clients, ask their permission to ask questions. 

That’s right – ask permission. 

You are going to have to ask some personal questions and if you ask permission as you go, you will get less resistance.

For example:

• “Do you mind if I ask about ………..”,
• “I need to know……..,do you mind if I ask…….”,
• “I hope this does not offend you but do you mind if I ask ……………….”,
• “Yesterday, we talked about …….but I need to know more, do you mind if I ask ……………..”

THE PATHWAY OF YOUR QUESTIONS

BUYERS

1. ask where they are from.  Why are they moving into the area.
2. ask about family
3. talk about interests and hobbies
4. talk about housing in local area, prices etc anything locally important
5. start asking what they are looking for

from here you can lead in with your real estate questions.

SELLERS

Start the same way, break down the barriers first, then do business. 

With either the buyers or sellers, watch for signs of retracting or closing up.  If they do, go back to general talk, or ask permission to ask questions.

OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS GET THE RIGHT ANSWERS

Previously we talked about asking open ended questions to get the answers you need to be successful at selling real estate.

Open ended questions are more confronting for a buyer or seller to answer and if you are finding that they are hedging, and not answering your questions, don’t push them.  All in good time, if you have a serious buyer or seller, you will break down the barrier that is stopping them from answering you properly.

If you do have a client like this, you will need to build up a rapport first before they will open up to you and tell you what you need to know so that you can service them better.

If you do have a client who is very limited with the information they will give you, say to them, “So that I can help you better and not waste your valuable time, what time frame do you have before you need to purchase?”

If the client can see that you are taking their needs into consideration, then they will be much more likely to give you good helpful answers.

The fact is, that in selling, especially real estate selling, a salesperson is performing a service > to provide a service you need to fish for information.  To achieve this you often have to almost crawl on your hands and knees to get the answers you need.

The reason could be because you are dealing with someone who is naturally introverted, cautious or someone who has had a bad experience with a previous real estate salesperson.  With careful persistence and well worded questions, you hope to break down these barriers.

THAT’S RIGHT —  AS A REAL ESTATE SALES PERSON YOU ARE THERE TO SERVE

If you have never been in customer service then you have a learning curve ahead of you. 

Sellers are selling their pride and joy.  They will want to know every detail about what is happening in regards to the sale of their property.  Buyers will also want to be kept informed of what is happening in the price range that they are looking to buy into.

You will need to be innovative in your approach to servicing your clients, both for their benefit so that you don’t appear to be hassling them, and for your benefit so that you don’t get bored with the same old routine.

As mentioned before, being a top lister ensures your real estate career.  To be a top lister you need to understand that you have to OVER SERVICE YOUR SELLERS.

UNDER PROMISE AND OVER DELIVER

That is the cry of the successful real estate salesperson. 

never, never PROMISE and DON’T DELIVER

If you do that too often you may as well start packing your bags.

REAL ESTATE IS THE EASIEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD TO CONFUSE:

ACTIVITY with PRODUCTIVITY

Many hours can be spent being active in real estate, like sitting and having a cup of coffee with a prospective client, but is it going to bring you in any business?

Real estate can seem to be a social gathering at times, but if you want to make some ’serious money’ then you need to take your real estate career seriously.

Sure, there does need to be some social mixing, but don’t confuse work with sitting around doing nothing.

When you first join real estate you will have more time for social mixing than you will have time for later on, and you will use this is to let people get to know you.  People will want to assess you as a person, and see if they can trust you to represent them, or if they can refer you to someone they know. 

As you do grow your contacts, make sure that are keeping control of your time, and not wasting it .  It wont be long before you do not have enough of it.

Prospecting, prospecting, prospecting….a topic I left last “Confessions” post and really a topic I am trying to embrace again. We have had a good past few days, especially after the storm passed. I attribute it to some good prospecting Paul has been focusing on and a change in attitude.

Paul has been working on touching base with all our past clients and prospects. People who, for some reason or another, didn’t buy at the time. I would love to tell you we had all sorts of people say “Sure! We want to buy something right now!” but that would be a lie and we don’t do that here. Truth of the matter is, we got some polite responses and many ignored us but prospecting is often like placing that tomato on the window sill….it needs time to ripen.

One of the tools we have used in the past was a 4 part mailing system we would use on Expired Listings or FISBOS (For sale by owner’s). Expireds and Fisbos are often a great source of leads but I feel too many sales people give up too easily, especially with Fisbos….they REALLY need to ripen in my opinion.

See with the Fisbo, they feel they don’t need an agent, and hey, maybe they don’t! Plenty of people sell property without a Realtor and do it successfully so it isn’t like it CAN’T be done because it can! And often when you find the Fisbo, by seeing that beautiful new For Sale By Owner sign in their yard or seeing their ad in the newspaper, they are definitely feeling like they don’t need YOU! They can do this themselves, they are going to save tons of money and they don’t need a Realtor! No Way! No How! These folks are like a hard peach….not even CLOSE to being ready. Paul once told me the more elaborate the “for sale” sign the longer it would take for them to list with a Realtor and how true that statement is! THAT is why we have always taken the approach of being in this for the long haul. We will send helpful information to them every few days. Call them (if they are NOT on the Do Not Call list) just to see how it’s going and if they need anything like disclosures or fliers. I usually like to call if I am at an Open House so I can tell them “I am just at my open house this weekend and wanted to see how your weekend went….” We become their friendly neighborhood Realtor!

And we don’t pressure either. Some of the folks we developed relationships with DID sell on their own! And we were happy to help them and congratulated them and sent them to our favorite title company for closing and we all went on our merry way. I have had other Realtors ask, “Why in the world do you do that? You are wasting your time!” and I tell them I am NOT because even though THAT person may not want to use a Realtor, he may know someone that does (like his neighbor or cousin Matilda) and guess who he will recommend? US! Because we weren’t just out for the listing. We were happy to help. We never pressured them or gave them a hard time for being a Fisbo. All that goes a long way my friend!

So be sure to give your prospecting a chance.

Bryan Jones (with the Talon Group) emails a list of the previous weeks’ expired and cancelled listings to his database to assist with their prospecting.  Last weeks’ list had 455 names and phone numbers!  

In today’s market there is no shortage of expired listings, but there is a real shortage of agents who know how to turn them into closed transactions.  Your listing has to win a beauty contest and then “The Price is Right”.  There are only three reasons that a house doesn’t sell: Price, condition and marketing.  (ProStart teaches agents how to deal with all three.) 

If you would like to be added to the list of agents that recieve the list, let Bryan know.