Be Hotter-Than-Your-Favorite-Latte With These Listing Appointment Tips

Your first real estate listing appointment (and the next one) can be a bit scary. This may be the first time you've ever met with a client face-to-face and you want to make a good first impression. To ease some of the anxiety that comes with listing appointments, let's look at some tips aimed to help you win the listing.

As you prepare for your listing presentation, take a look at the following tips, designed to impress your future clients and grow your sales funnel:

Get to Know The Client

During your initial, pre-listing phone call, gather as much information about the client and their home as you can. Learn about the house, recent upgrades, and changes to the neighborhood. The homeowner will know more about the home than anyone and may provide information that doesn't match old listing records (ex. new in-ground pool). Knowing this information will give you an edge over other agents who didn't take the time to ask an extensive amount of questions before heading into the listing appointment.

Learn about the client, including what they do for a living, if they're retired, number of children, if they're caring for an aging parent, etc. This will shed some light on their personality too. Knowing how to deal with different personality types can make or break your chances of getting the listing contract.

Dress to Impress

It may be obvious that you need to dress well if you want to win over a client, but sometimes it's shocking to see what people wear to their first meeting. A polo shirt and jeans or a tank top and shorts aren't the best choices. If you want to be taken seriously, dress to impress and you'll radiate credibility. A well-pressed suit, or a tailored dress, and polished shoes are sure to make a good first impression.

Preparation

Your first listing appointment can be nerve wracking but if you're prepared, a lot of stress will dissipate. Before preparing the listing presentation packet, get to know the neighborhood. Drive by the home as well as other homes in the neighborhood that have recently sold or are on the market. You'll earn the client's trust as you share comps about homes in their area including, for example, observations about neighborhood gardens and beautiful landscaping.

Make note of nearby restaurants, entertainment, and parks. Sharing what you know about the neighborhood, like a kid-friendly park that will appeal to families. Your extensive level of neighborhood knowledge will give the client good reason to hire you to sell their home.

Marketing Strategy

Go into the appointment with as much information as possible to show that you're prepared.  Leave no doubt in their mind that you're the agent for them. Bring the standard CMA and include examples of the marketing material you will use to sell their home (ex. postcards with multiple photos). Explain your social media marketing plan and provide an outline of when and how you will advertise their home. Show them a list of everything you plan to do to get their home listed and under contract.

If you've recently sold a home, bring documentation of the sale to build more trust and faith in your abilities as a salesperson. Highlight the positives... the home was only on the market __ days, closed in __ days, the client wants you to list their daughter's house, etc. If the client left a positive review, share it.

Digital and Paper Presentation

Depending on the age of your client, be prepared to provide digital as well as print material. An older demographic will appreciate holding the material in their hands while a younger generation may simply want a digital copy of the listing presentation.

Conclusion

When it comes to your first listing appointment, you can ease some of the stress by dressing to impress, establishing yourself as the expert, taking control and leaving a good impression. Remember, the better prepared you are, the more in control you'll feel. This translates well to the client and may solidify a listing contract. Even if the client uses a different agent, send them a thank you and stay in touch -- you never know when they might want to use a different agent.  Overall, go above and beyond and you'll find yourself winning more listing appointments and building an amazing career.