[With text from Inman.com]
For the time being, REALTORS® may have to connect with clients online and conduct the majority of their deals this way. While for the most part we’re well-equipped for remote work, there are certain situations that pose challenges — including now, as people around the world are being requested to practice social distancing.
Given this situation and knowing that clients are not able to meet in-person — but may still want to sell their homes — how can you create and deliver an effective listing presentation?
In our local market, as with any market in the world currently, the challenges of virtual listing presentations are inherent:
Despite these variables, you can create a virtual listing presentation that will win over your would-be clients. Here are some top strategies you can implement today:
Since it may not be possible to visit a property before making your presentation, look at similar homes you’ve listed in the past. Previous presentations that you’ve used to help prospective clients visualize how their homes can be marketed can be used as a starting point. Do your due diligence and learn everything you can about the home — its architecture, its history, its neighbourhood, and whatever else you deem essential. But at the end of the day, as a knowledgable REALTOR®, it’s your past experience with similar properties that will help win you the listing. Work with your marketing department to craft a customized piece that speaks to your target sellers as specifically as possible.
More often than not, the only way to answer all of your questions about a given property is to ask the homeowners themselves — and this is a great opportunity to gain pointed insights for your presentation. When connecting with potential sellers for the first time, here are some topics to focus on:
Regardless of technological capabilities, cover your bases by getting printed copies made that can be mailed out to clients, if necessary. As you talk them through your presentation, it’s helpful to be able to reference page numbers — and if you’re having a phone conversation, you have the peace of mind of knowing your clients have a physical asset in hand.
Rather than a formal pitch, It’s imperative that your listing presentation is an interactive, two-way conversation in which you listen more than you talk. Ask your clients what their top priority is in selling this property: 90 percent of the time they’ll say the price, but this isn’t always the case and it’s critical to not make assumptions. Timing may be the most important factor for them when it comes to the sale, or they may be motivated for personal, professional, or financial reasons. As a REALTOR®, it’s your job to really hear and acknowledge where your clients are coming from.
For virtual listings presentations, it’s also helpful to be conscious of how long you plan to talk. A phone call or video conference that lasts for two hours will likely be tiring or awkward for the homeowner. When working in this format, focus solely on the essential points.
To get the listing, be prepared to share an informed launch strategy. Be aware of what’s happening locally and globally: will you go to market within weeks, or gauge the situation over the next month? It’s a very case-by-case consideration, but one that should be addressed in your conversation.
This is also a good time to go through the digital marketing tools your real estate company has at its disposal, such as high-quality videography and virtual 3D tours. It’s technologies like these that will differentiate a listing at a time when buyers may be less willing or unable to travel to view a home.
Times have temporarily changed — and so must our marketing and media strategies. We have everything we need to take our listing presentations online, enabling us to provide high-value service to our clients and prospects no matter where we are.
