Winning a Listing Presentation

Listings aren’t easy to get. It takes a lot of time, trust building, consistent marketing, and an ample budget for the real estate listing opportunities to start flowing in.

Don’t put in all that hard work to get a seller appointment and assume the listing presentation is just a formality. Having a buttoned up presentation is critical because most sellers interview multiple listing agents before picking one. So don’t take it for granted and think the “hard part” is over when that seller called/emailed you about potentially representing them.

It’s just the start.

A dialed in listing presentation is your ticket to successfully kickstarting the flywheel of achieving results for sellers…which begets more sellers and opportunities for circle prospecting which then keeps on keepin’ on!

Armed with an effective listing presentation, the right presentation software and a constant reminder that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason, you will be in the pole position during any discerning seller’s listing decision. Here are the key concepts we’ll cover:

• Going over comps and market analysis during listing presentation
• Emphasizing Experience during listing presentation
• Showcase your communication skills
• Present your Marketing Strategy like a Pro
• Self promotion during listing presentation
• Listing Presentation Software
• What is a Prelisting presentation

Start with a Tour of the Property

You gotta know what you’re selling right? (and this doesn’t mean you skip the beforehand research on the property btw.)

Quick tip #1: before stepping in the property ask the seller if they’d like you to take off your shoes before entering. Seems mundane right but this demonstrates respect for them and their home and that can start things off on the right foot (pun intended!).

When you walk the home, take notes especially of any characteristics that’d warrant a price adjustment. You’ll need those adjustments in the next part of the presentation.

Quick tip #2: Confirm the key facts from your research to a) show the seller you came prepared b) let the seller expand on any pertinent property details like any renovations that occurred.

Lastly make sure to compliment the seller on aspects of the home too especially characteristics that set the property apart from other properties in the market. It shows you really know the inventory and builds excitement for the discussion on pricing.

Going over comps and market analysis during listing presentation

The comp session and market analysis are two pillars of strength in your listing presentation. This integral part of your pitch because it’s where you need to confront the seller on their “number”. Every seller has an opinion on their home’s worth and it’s typically distorted by rose colored glasses and anchored by a recent blockbuster sale and a complete inability to see the property with the fresh eyes of a home buyer.

So this is where your market analysis is going to be crucial. Remember a few key points and objection handlers here:

• It’s not what the seller thinks the property’s worth. In most cases, it’s not even what the buyer thinks the homes worth. It’s what the appraiser thinks the home’s worth.
• Listing at the very top of the market range runs a risk of a listing getting stale on the market and potentially needing to do price drops which is more detrimental than starting in the middle of the range, marketing it like crazy to get multiple offers.

Here’s a roleplaying video example that really nails the comp analysis and the pricing discussion.

But before having “the talk”, make sure to tour the house thoroughly to unveil nuanced details about the property, and include on-the-fly adjustments to your comps and market analysis. This flexibility will be appreciated by sellers who have likely lived in the nuance of their property and expect their agent to recognize any unique elements.

By applying listing presentation software tools, you can swiftly make real-time alterations to beautifully consolidated data, which not only leave an impression of your efficiency but also showcase a tailored evaluation that bolsters prospective clients’ trust in you.

If you approach the process with data – especially the type of data that a good appraiser will use – you can have a productive discussion about the value of the property and the listing strategy.

Armed with accurate public data and the various adjustments for the specific property, you can weave a convincing narrative, which hopefully neutralizes unreasonable client expectations and, more importantly, shows off your proficiency.

Listing Presentation Pillars to Establish Credibility

Data will only get you so far. At some point sellers are going to need to trust you have the skills and experience to go beyond pricing to marketing, negotiating, and landing them the best value. Here are the pillars of that strategy.

Emphasizing Experience during listing presentation

A core piece of a listing presentation is to establish trust, and nothing instills confidence in clients quite like expertise. A proxy for expertise is experience so demonstrating familiarity with market trends, negotiation, and handling all the unexpected whammys (technical term :D) that can come up in a deal.

So carve out a segment in your listing presentation to discuss your years of experience. If you don’t have years of experience, mention the experience within your team or broker and make it clear that you will be leveraging this experience for the seller’s benefit. This is where you get to drop names of previous successful partnerships and detail how you navigated any challenges that came your way. Be specific about (without being longwinded) so sellers see that you have a working playbook to handle difficult scenarios and achieve results. Such stories add to your credibility and assure potential clients of your capacity to serve their interests effectively.

Showcase your communication skills

With experience comes confidence and clear communication. So throughout your presentation demonstrate, excellent communication so sellers know you’ll represent their interests in a credible way when dealing with interested buyers, and others throughout the transaction.

Whether or not you’re a natural smooth talker with 100% confidence in pitches and public speaking, it’s a good idea to rehearse your presentation both on camera (so you can review later) and with a role playing partner as YouTube Real Estate Expert Extraordinaire Loida Velasquez shows right here.

The Marketing Strategy is a Critical Part of a Listing Presentation

Discuss the innovative marketing strategies you employ, the listing presentation software that your team leverages, and your extensive online presence that optimizes property exposure. Do you use data analytics to target ideal buyers? Are virtual reality home tours part of your tech arsenal? Has your social media campaign been successful in the past in fuelling interest and facilitating faster sales? Giving concrete examples of how you utilize cutting-edge technology not only underlines your capabilities but also positions you as an adaptable professional attuned to the evolving trends of the industry.

It’s not a bad idea to show off your marketing tech stack too. That could be:

• Show your social media following and engagement
• Present stats on your client database (highlight active buyers), email distribution, website traffic, etc so you can show off your reach
• If you use a super effective tool like Curb Hero to promote the listing and capture demand at the Open House then share that

Also marketing is often about specialization, so show off your set of “special skills” (shout out Liam Neeson!).

• If you have a talent for design, then present examples of staging for previous properties.
• Are you a part time videographer and/or have video editing talent? Then showcase past properties where you’ve applied those resources.
• Even if it’s just your great work ethic, flaunt it. Not everyone can be “always on” but if you can deliver round-the-clock availability then mention it because it could differentiate you in a very positive way.

Self promotion during listing presentation

Does the term “self-promotion” make you cringe a little? Well you may be in the wrong business ;). Seriously, it’s not unusual to not be 100% comfortable telling others how great you are, BUT self-promotion must be part of your listing presentation.

This isn’t the time for false modesty; instead, it’s an opportunity for you to recount your successes and demonstrate your understanding of the real estate market dynamic. The key is to communicate this information in a manner that doesn’t come across as braggadocious but instead establishes you as a confident, knowledgeable professional. Practice is paramount. The more familiar you are with your promotional pitch, the more naturally it will come across. Remember, you’re not just reciting a script about your work history; you’re painting a compelling picture of the value and unique perspective you bring to the table.

Remember, a listing presentation isn’t just about properties; it’s also a story about you, the skilled real estate professional who can turn a prospect’s property ambitions into tangible reality.

Lastly showcasing testimonials and make past satisfied past clients and evidence of active community involvement only amplifies your credibility. With your wealth of market knowledge presented through your listing presentation and the use of advanced listing presentation software, you keep sellers up-to-date with real-time data and neighborhood-specific trends, ensuring a holistic, stress-free home selling experience.

Listing Presentation Software

An effective tech stack for real estate has become non-negotiable but listing presentation software is a bit of a niche in the real estate software category.

For a long time, listing presentation software was just presentation software (Powerpoint, Google Slides, etc) but as real estate software has evolved, real estate specific presentation solutions have become more common though they’ve mostly been bundled into other real estate software platforms.

Highnote is a software solution specifically designed for real estate agents to create impactful and winning listing presentations. It offers a platform where agents can easily build and customize their presentations, including buyer presentations and property marketing materials, without needing advanced design skills. The software provides real-time notifications and analytics, allowing agents to track how their materials are being viewed and engaged with by clients. Highnote is also equipped with a drag-and-drop feature for adding various types of content, such as floor plans, virtual tours, and PDFs, into the presentations. The platform is appreciated for its ease of use and the professional look it imparts to the presentations, helping agents to stand out in the competitive real estate market.

Clozio is a transaction management platform aimed at real estate professionals, focusing on improving efficiency and client experience during the transaction process. It provides agents, brokers, support staff, and transaction coordinators with tools to collaborate effortlessly and offer real-time updates to buyers and sellers. One of the key features of Clozio is its ability to create transparency during the listing and escrow processes, helping to reduce the confusion and overwhelm that often accompanies real estate transactions. It offers a streamlined mobile app for managing tasks on the go, powerful analytics, a detailed transaction calendar, and custom branding options. Clozio also stands out for its smart checklists and ad-hoc task management capabilities, ensuring that professionals engage the right person at the right time with the right information.

Luxury Presence is designed to help real estate agents and teams win more listings through digital presentations. It allows users to demonstrate their expertise and impress sellers, ultimately aiming to increase their close rates. This is achieved through professionally-designed listing presentations and Comparative Market Analyses (CMAs).

Key features and benefits of the software include:

1. Impression-Making Presentations: The software provides tools and templates for creating stunning, memorable listing presentations. These resources are designed to be easy to use, requiring no technical or design skills, thereby enabling agents to make a lasting impression on potential sellers.
2. Brand Differentiation: The software aids in differentiating an agent’s brand, helping them stand out in the competitive real estate market.
3. User-Friendly Platform: Recognized for its award-winning templates, the platform is designed to be user-friendly, allowing agents to save time. Presentations can be created quickly and easily, with the flexibility to add content or make edits at any time.

Realtors Property Resource® (RPR) is a comprehensive data platform created for REALTORS®. It offers the nation’s largest property database, providing access to numerous properties, detailed analytics, reports, and various tools. RPR assists real estate professionals in creating personalized marketing materials, offering insights on market trends, home improvements, and more. It’s designed to enhance client engagement and help close more deals by providing instant responses to questions and requests. This resource is exclusive to REALTORS® and available at no additional cost, facilitating a key role in real estate transactions.

DashCMA is a comparative market analysis (CMA) software designed for residential real estate agents and brokerages. It is known for its ease of use and effectiveness in presenting and persuading sellers about the right price for their homes. The software focuses on providing a comprehensive view of the market, including both sold and active listings, to help sellers understand pricing strategies. However, it does not offer traditional adjustments like those found in other CMA tools. DashCMA’s user interface is appreciated for its modern and professional appearance, offering interactive and digital reports. One drawback is its limited coverage across multiple listing services (MLS), with primary availability in California. DashCMA is primarily targeted at brokerages and teams, particularly those already using kvCORE. For individual agents, access may be limited depending on the brokerage and MLS availability.

Other Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) tools: There is a variety of amazing CMA tools out there for agents. These user-friendly tools provide concise data, in-depth property comparisons, and market trends. Many of these tools will output the content in a presentation friendly format giving you the competitive edge in presenting the most reliable real estate information achievable in the market. Couple this powerful data with a presentation tool that you’re comfortable with, and viola you have your listing presentation tech stack.

Harnessing these platforms can turn a complicated, daunting process into a smooth, streamlined operation, proving ROI for the listing presentation software cost, is the pathway to success in the highly competitive real estate market.”

What is a Prelisting presentation?

Before diving into the main listing presentation, a smart move is to introduce your clients to the concept through a pre-listing presentation. This presentation isn’t a powerpoint deck btw. It’s most often included in an email confirming the actual listing presentation appointment with the seller. It sets the stage for the presentation to follow. Here’s what to include:

• a link to a video greeting from you (and maybe your entire team)
• past listings, highlighting stellar results
• past client testimonials
• high level overview of your marketing plan (include links to visuals wherever possible)
• the agenda for the actual listing presentation – consider including some of the comps and the documentation you’ll be covering in the presentation

Here’s a video that goes over the pre-listing presentation from none other than Tom Ferry:

Crafting effective pre-listing presentations can be a breeze because 90% of it is standard content that you can reuse with every seller. Just the act of sending the pre-listing presentation is proof that you’re organized and proactive (which are key characteristics sellers want to see in their agent).

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In summary, mastering the art of listing presentations is a crucial skill for any real estate professional. This comprehensive guide emphasizes the importance of a well-crafted listing presentation as a pivotal tool in securing listings and building trust with potential sellers. The inclusion of market analysis, showcasing communication skills, and presenting a solid marketing strategy are fundamental elements that set the stage for success. Equally important is the ability to self-promote effectively and authentically, highlighting your experience and expertise without coming across as overbearing. Utilizing advanced listing presentation software, like Highnote, Clozio, Luxury Presence, Realtors Property Resource® (RPR), and DashCMA, further enhances your ability to deliver compelling, data-driven presentations. These tools provide a blend of convenience, professionalism, and in-depth market insights, making it easier for agents to convey their value proposition and stand out in a competitive market.

The blog also underscores the value of a pre-listing presentation as a strategic precursor to the main event. This step, often overlooked, sets a professional tone and demonstrates your preparedness and attention to detail. By including personalized video greetings, showcasing past successes, and providing an overview of your marketing strategies, you effectively warm up your clients for the in-depth discussions to follow. Remember, each aspect of the presentation, from walking through the property to discussing comps and market analysis, contributes to building a compelling narrative that resonates with sellers. Ultimately, the blend of personal touch, market expertise, and sophisticated use of technology forms a robust strategy, positioning you not just as a real estate agent, but as a trusted advisor in the home selling process.