Posted By Justin Razmus on Jul 31, 2012 | 2 comments

So you have been doing some kick-ass marketing and its finally paying off big time. The leads are coming in and you are ready to start cashing in. You have a listing appointment coming up, and you want to nail it. Are you prepared?

The most successful real estate agents get the listing at most of their appointments. This is not done by accident. It takes planning, thought, and practice. Let’s figure out the best way for you to land those listings when you are at your appointments.

(Click here for a free Ebook I wrote on selling more real estate fast)

How to successfully prepare for a listing appointment.

Listing packet. I believe that every single agent should take the time to put together a really spectacular listing packet. It is much easier to get your point across to potential clients when you have the visuals that go along with your spoken explanation. When you are designing your listing packet (or having it designed for you), you need to think about how it is going to appeal to a seller. I personally like designing listing packets that have a lot of visuals. I use images and color to make things really pop. I also feel that really professionally designed listing packets go along way to make you look competent to the seller when you are presenting to them.

Other than they way your listing packet looks, it is also important that it contains the right information and the right message. Its really important that your presentation convinces the seller that you can sell their house for them, and do it better than anyone else. One of the big things you should map out is your marketing plan. The more impressive it looks in your listing packet, the more valuable it will feel to the seller. And they will also feel more comfortable because they know you have thought this out and have an actual plan to follow. If they have met with other agents that have not done this, you will really stand out.

Smooth delivery. You are going to be sitting in front of the owner of the home that you want to list. Eventually you have to open your mouth and explain to them your mystical and magical abilities to sell their house for them. The key to doing this smoothly is practicing. IF you were going to give a live speech in front of 5,000 people you would practice that speech multiple times before the big day, right? Each listing appointment is your chance to make thousands of extra dollars. Take the time to prepare. You should know every detail of your listing packet and be really comfortable explaining everything. Each seller will be different. Some people will focus more on numbers. Some people will just want to connect with you until they feel comfortable and trust you. No matter what type of person the seller is you should be prepared to answer any question they have.

Be on time. This seems really obvious, but it is really important. This is their first impression of you. So make sure you are prepared. Map it out the day before to make sure you know exactly where the property is. Leave early giving yourself a little extra window of time in case traffic is slow. And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t be early. Just be right on time, or maybe one or two minutes early. People are busy, and often times they will be doing some last minute cleaning before you get there. If you are 10 to 15 minutes early they may not feel as prepared as they wanted to. I knew a couple of sellers that had set up an appointment with an agent to come view their house. The agent showed up 20 minutes early. The owners of the house had just got home and were doing some last minute cleaning. They didn’t want anyone inside until the cleaning was done. Guess what? They made the agent wait in his car until they were ready. And they didn’t end up listing with him. Coincidence? Well, I’ll never really know if that’s the reason, but I can’t rule it out!  Just show up right on time and that will make the best impression on them.

Do your research. I was recently talking to a seller that interviewed two different agents to list their house. The house was in a rural community, and there were not that many comps on the MLS. One agent showed up with two comps in their market analysis. The other agent showed up with those same two comps, plus comps from multiple other similar rural areas, plus reports showing the average selling price per square foot of houses in those areas, along with average price of land per acre. Guess which agent got the listing? Don’t be afraid to be more prepared and do a better job than most people would. Its actually a good thing.

Make a new friend. I know this is a business transaction you are putting together, but selling a house in an emotional thing for most people. They have memories there. They are now making a huge change in there life. Ask them questions to get to know them a little better. Why are they selling? What did they really love about the house and the neighborhood? Are their children excited to move? Let them talk and tell you their motivations, their dreams and their fears. It is your job to help them feel comfortablt throughout the entire process, so knowing what is on their mind is really important. Treat them like you would treat a friend.

You will never regret doing your best.

Being a great real estate agent takes a lot of practice, but if your goal is to offer the best service possible you will quickly rise to the top. Go the extra mile and be amazing. Even if for some reason you don’t get the listing, you are never going to look back and say “Man, I wish I didn’t do such a good job on that listing appointment”. On the other hand, if you do a half-ass job, you might actually look back and realized that you missed out and it was your fault. Always do your best, and then make it even a little better. It works.

(Click here for a free Ebook I wrote on selling more real estate fast)