10 Ways to Take a Listing This Week!
by Jim Remley, Speaker, Author, Consultant
Imagine walking into a large supermarket. A well dressed clerk notices you as you come through the door and introduces himself. He is a nice enough guy, but what he tells you next is so shocking and so down right unbelievable that you almost fall over in your tracks laughing. What he just said can’t be true. It just can’t be or can it?
The store has sold out of inventory!
The friendly clerk proudly assures you that what he said is absolutely true. The eggs, the milk, the steak, and, yes, even the broccoli, has all been sold to eager buyers. But the clerk is still smiling because he has a solution. In fact he points outside to a shiny new car.
“How about I take you down to the next store and sell you some of their product?” he asks politely.
Sound crazy? It is, but this exactly the way that many agents and even some brokers operate their business. Ask yourself: If you were the consumer what would you do next? For most of us, the answer would be to get in your own car and drive to the store that has inventory to sell.
In the real estate business our inventory is listings, signed contracts with buyers or sellers. If we have a small inventory of high quality listings, our business may be living on borrowed time. So how we can take more listings? Use this quick list of 10 ways you can find a seller listing this week!
10 Ways to Take a Seller Listing This Week:
- Contact 15 For Sale By Owners and Ask for an Appointment. Try using the stop-drop-knock method. Every time you drive by a FSBO, stop your car, drop what you are doing and knock on the door! If you’re using the phone, try using this script, after cross-checking with the Do-Not-Call list,
www.fcc.gov.
“Good Morning. I noticed that you have your home listed for sale by owner. My name is [Name], I work at [Office]. I’m not calling to ask for your listing, and I respect your decision to sell on your own. The reason for my call is that I am a relocation specialist with my company and I wondered if you folks were staying local or if you plan to move out of state?… May I offer you some free assistance?” - Contact 15 Expired Listings and Ask for an Appointment. Before making the call you may want to spend some time building an email pre-listing kit which explains your services and your qualifications. Once you have it built, try using this powerful script, after cross checking with the Do-Not- Call list, www.fcc.gov.
“Good Morning, I noticed your listing is no longer being marketed on the MLS this morning. Are you still interested in selling? [If answer is yes…] Great! May I email you a quick booklet on my services; I specialize in helping people sell their home in [area].”
- Contact 20 Sphere of Influence Members and Ask for a Referral. We all should be contacting members of our sphere of influence. Let’s all stop feeling guilty about it and just pick up the phone and do it! Here’s a quick easy script: (Do-Not-Call laws can apply here, www.fcc.gov.)
“Good Morning. Hey, I was thinking about you today. [Talk about something of mutual interest.] Hey, before we hang up, I’m looking for some new listings this month. If you hear of anyone considering a real estate change would you send them my way?” - Contact All of Your Current Listings and Ask for a New Listing. Your current list of active sellers is like a field of small oil wells. Each listing should be producing a small but steady stream of leads to you every month. Why? Sellers are always talking about selling, and when the engage in conversations about real estate with their friends, neighbors, and relatives, inevitably they run into other folks who also ready to make a change. Try this script with your current list of sellers:
“Hey, listen, my number one goal is to get your home sold, and one way that I can have more time to market your home is if you do me a huge favor. Just keep your ear to the ground, and if you hear of anyone who needs a real estate agent would you send them my way?” - Contact All of Your Current Buyers and Ask for a New Listing. Buyers are like real estate radio stations; all they do is talk about real estate. This a huge opportunity for the savvy marketer who understands that inevitably these buyers will run into friends, colleagues, and family who are also considering a real estate change. Try this script with all of your buyers:
“Hey, I know you’re probably going to be talking about your real estate plans with all your friends. Could you do me a huge favor? If you hear of anyone considering a real estate change, would you mind having them give me a call?” - Contact Homeowners in an Area Your Buyers Like and Ask for an Appointment. Use this powerful technique when your buyers have identified a particular neighborhood that they have fallen in love with. With your buyers’ permission, use their interest in the area as a catalyst to begin your conversation. You may find sellers are much more receptive to this approach then a typical cold call. (Do-Not-Call laws can apply here, www.fcc.gov.) Try this script:
“Good Morning. [Introduction.] I’m working with some buyers who would like to live in your neighborhood. They’re pre-qualified and ready to purchase a home but we haven’t been able to find them the right home. I was hoping you might know of someone considering a real estate change. [Discussion.] How about you folks? Have you ever considered a real estate change?” - Contact Homeowners Around Your Listings and Ask for an Appointment. The just-listed campaign has always been one of the easiest, most powerful prospecting techniques in real estate and yet most agents still don’t harness the power of this simple system. (Do-Not-Call laws can apply here, www.fcc.gov.) Try using this script around all of your listings:
“Good Morning. [Introduction.] I’m just letting everyone in the area know that one your neighbors, [Name], has decided to make a move. I’ve put an information flyer in the mail to you about the listing, and I wondered if you could do me a favor. If you hear of anyone that is considering a move, could you send them my way? By the way, have you folks ever considered making a real estate change?” - Contact Homeowners Around a Home You Sold and Ask for an Appointment. One of the best ideas in the real estate business is to always build on success. Try using each of your sales as a tool to create even more sales, success creating even more success. It may sound simple, but simple works! (Do-Not-Call laws can apply here, www.fcc.gov) Try this
technique:
“Good Afternoon. [Introduction.] You have some new neighbors, [Buyer’s name]. They just purchased the home at [Address]. I’ll be sending out a flyer to the neighborhood with the sales data. Now that we have that property sold, I’m looking for potential new listings. Have you folks ever considered a move to a new area or a larger home?” - Contact Business People, Give Them a Lead and Ask for a Lead. One thing you can always count on when visiting with business owners is that they all want more business. Remember, to receive referrals you must send referrals. Ask yourself who can you send a lead to today? Once you have sent over that qualified prospect, follow up the conversation with this script:
“Hey, listen, I know you’re going to do a great job with [Client]. Do me a favor and let me know how it all turns out. By the way, I’m always looking for new real estate clients. If you hear of anyone considering a real estate change would you send them my way?” - Contact Rental Owners and Ask for an Appointment. If you open up any newspaper and turn to the classifieds, you will seen a boat load of For Sale by Owners, but one area that is often overlooked is the rental market. Turn this huge opportunity into your own personal golden goose. (Do-Not-Call laws can apply here, www.fcc.gov.) Try using this dialog:
“Hello. [Introduction.] I was calling about your rental ad in the newspaper. Is the property still for rent? I have a quick question : Would you folks consider selling this property if the price was right? Are you in the market for any more units?”
There you have it—10 Ways to Take a Listing this Week. Did you notice anything about all 10 of the ideas? They require you to ask a question. If you want the business you have to ask for it!
Copyright Jim Remley. All rights reserved. Jim Remley is a speaker, author, and consultant. A frequent contributor to RealyTimes.com, he is also an active real estate broker in Southern Oregon where he owns a network of nine offices. Jim won the Rookie Instructor of the Year award in 2001 from Realty-U, the largest network of real estate educators in the nation. Recently he won the 2002 and 2003 Pacesetter Award. Along with his book, Make Millions Selling Real Estate, he has developed an extensive catalog of products and a personal coaching system. For more about Jim, visit ProPerformer.com.