6 Steps to Winning Listings You Can Count On

Have you ever lost a listing that you thought was in the bag? Pat Hiban, author of 6 Steps to 7 Figures, shared six steps to ensure it doesn't happen again in a recent webinar, "Lost A Listing? Never Again with These Best Secrets."

Step 1: The Call

When your assistant or partner schedules a listing appointment for you, call the lead back immediately. This will start building rapport and will pre-sell them on your services. Hiban points out that you should "presell them as much as possible on the phone for the sole reason of making sure they don't cancel." Asking leading questions such as "How did you hear about me?" or "What do you know about me?" is a great way to create an opening to build social proof and to prove you're a neighborhood expert before the meeting.

Step 2: The Walk

Make sure to arrive on time for your property walk-through. Keep in mind that "the purpose of the walk is building rapport." The seller could be planning to meet with other agents before deciding who to list with. Try to be either the first agent or the last. If you're the first, you can sign them before they meet anyone else. If you're the last, you can meet or beat other agents' offers.

Step 3: The Sell

After the walk-through, sit down at the dining room table and go over your marketing. Explain to the seller what you are doing for them in exchange for your commission. Find and address the three things that are most important to that specific seller. Hiban also suggests covering your unique selling proposition, "something different that you could bring to the table over and above what might normally be talked about."

Step 4: The Price

The asking price for a home can be a touchy subject because many homeowners feel their home is worth more than their real estate agent estimates. Prove that your price isn't opinion by referencing several different data points. One way to do this is to compare the tax rate of comparable homes sold in the last six months to their selling price. After you've done this, find the area's average tax-record to sales-price ratio and apply it to your client's home. If it's comparable to your projected price, use the data as corroboration.

Step 5: The Commission

The topic of commission is bound to come up at some point. Hiban recommends you "don't worry about what anyone else's commission is. Worry about what your market commission is or what your broker's commission is and what you need to do to continue to get that or keep your commission high because, obviously, the higher your commission, the more money you're going to make."

Step 6: The Close

Once you've covered those, close the seller with an "are you ready to..." statement such as, "are you ready to get the ball rolling," "put me to work," etc. Once you've done that, get their signature right away. Then you're ready to start finding buyers!

Looking for tips on locating quality buyers? Visit SecretsofTopSellingAgents.com for more tips and advice from real estate's top agents. Don't forget to register for this month's Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, scheduled for November 16th, 2016. Colton Miller will be live with the "Top 5 Ways To Drive Real Estate Leads with Local SEO."

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.