How effective is your pre-appointment routine?
I like to call this phase of the listing process “showtime.”
Do you have a specific process you follow each time you get ready to head out to a listing presentation? If you don’t, this means you are either winging it each time or haven’t yet been introduced to this strategy as an effective way to prepare for your listing appointments...of course, you could also be choosing not to follow any sort of process or routine which I wouldn’t recommend. Remember the very important and meaningful 5Ps? Prior, planning, prevents, poor, performance.
Speaking of performance, a great example is Olympic athletes. How much goes into their preparation? How many years of preparation? How many hours each and everyday? In most cases this goes on for 4-8 years! All that to make the team and when it comes to actual performing time, that can vary from a few minutes to a few hours...and 4-8 years to get to this moment. Also, what about the difference between winning the gold or silver? That can come down to literally hundredths of a second. Still, even if you win the gold with this microscopic amount of time, you’re still the gold medal winner and the best in the world! Now, I am not suggesting you need to take 4-8 years to get ready for your appointment; I am saying that as this relates to your business, getting the listing is equivalent to the gold medal. In real estate, the agent that gets the listing is the gold medal winner, there is no silver medal in real estate...second place is just the person who didn’t get the listing. This is why we are going to go over some ideas to help you get ready, because like I said, it’s showtime! This is just one example; we can look at so many other industries where how you prepare is critical to getting the outcome you desire. It’s been my experience since we’re in an industry where we have a broad training base, and we’re independent contractors, there may or may not be resources you’ve been introduced to aid in your success compared to a corporate environment where there are strict guidelines and standards that must be followed. We all know the saying, people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.
Creating a pre-appointment routine: Here are six ideas when approaching how you may go about your pre-appointment routine.
1. Prepare your mind to win - Focused, Protect your mindset; don’t handle problems while driving over to the appointment. Again, what is that commission when you list this home you’re going out to? Avg commission $_____Let’s use $7500 as an example, this is a $250K sale at 3% commission. Most of us can relate to this number.
Approach it like an athlete preparing for the big game, A doctor heading into surgery, a pilot getting ready the flight? You get the idea; all these people have a process they’re preparing for.
Do some affirmations - bringing you mind to a peak state of performance. I’ve heard many comments that doing affirmations doesn’t work, really? We have to realize that we’re doing them anyway, so they may as well be positive. Research says we all have between 40,000 and 70,000 thoughts each day; most we’re not even conscious of. If we’re not purposely sending a positive message to ourselves, the odds are you’re planting negative seeds...worse you don’t even know it’s taking place.
I would even suggest doing a minute of visualization - see the appt play out in your favor. Just before you get out of your car, pull around the corner in a safe place and close your eyes. See yourself walking up the driveway, meeting the seller, sitting down at the table; everyone is getting along as you make your presentation, see them agreeing to the right price and signing your listing agreement. I was watching the golf a few weeks ago; I noticed one of the PGA Tour golfers Jason Day visualizes his next shot before he approaches the ball. Your mind doesn’t know the difference between which is real or not. It can’t hurt to do things on purpose to help you have that competitive edge.
2. Practice - Yes, in this case specifically your presentation, reviewing objection strategies, specifically those that came out in the pre-qualify process. We talked about this in episode #20. Running through possible scenarios that may occur - price or commission? Thinking through how you will handle this or that should it come up. When you do this, you are making it more familiar to your mind so when/if it happens it’s not foreign and causes you any additional stress. Again, this is why it is so important you consistently have a standard that you pre-qualify 100% of your listing appointments, 100% of the time. If you skip this step, you take away the opportunity and benefit of being able to practice and do these runs through in your mind. Practicing ahead of your appointment will allow you to handle various scenarios in a more calm, controlled and effective manner.
3. Looking and dressing professionally. Are you in rapport here? As obvious as this concept is, it’s one often overlooked or handled incorrectly. The first question is ask yourself, who are you meeting? Think about what is “typical and normal” for them when it comes to work attire? What is their normal environment at work - this is how you need to show up. If you have a meeting with someone that is used to business/professional, dress accordingly. If you are meeting someone you know would wear more casual clothes to work, you can too. That said, I would still be sure to demonstrate some professionalism - no jeans, unless of course maybe you are meeting someone that owns a ranch or a working farm as an example. I think you get the idea. If you are wondering how you would know this, that’s a fair question. It happens when you are going through your pre-qualifying process. It’s so easy to weave in a question that would allow you to discover what type of work the sellers do for a living. It’s not uncommon as you are learning more about where or why a seller is relocating that it would be more than acceptable to ask “so what do you do for a living” or “what line of work are you in”? You can justify asking as this may/may not play into the sale of their home, timing and where they are going. Ask! When in doubt, it’s best to be overdressed than under-dressed. We only get one chance to make a first impression right? Remember, people that are like each other, tend to like each other.
4. All materials ready to go: (911 kit in trunk)
Even with all the technology at our fingertips - systems can go down, the internet can be down I suggest always having a paper copy of whatever you may need to be fully functional. Not being prepared could be a $5000, $10000+ fine or more! I have a copy of every possible contract, addendum or disclosure in a file in my trunk. You just never know, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!
5. Listen to something that inspires you on your way to the appointment.
What’s your favorite music? Do you have a favorite motivational speaker?
Go ahead and crank your favorite song or musician as you’re en route to your appt. Don’t deal with issues with other deals - inspections - appraisals - anything that can interfere with keeping you in a peak state of mind.
Unless it’s literally a life/death or safety issue, don’t deal with any personal issues (disclaimer - unless it’s a true emergency life/death) and in that case, you would likely not be going on the appointment anyway, you would be calling to reschedule. Question, how many listing appointments do you go on in a month? Or over a year? For most agents, this is not a common occurrence. This is why it’s important to have a solid pre-appointment routine. Go ahead and find what works for you, I like to find a great song and blast that on my way to the appointment, music is my go to mechanism. Here’s the key, be yourself, don’t hold back and do whatever you need to do (of course as long as it’s legal, moral and ethical) to feel your best and be in that peak place mentally.
6. Be early to the neighborhood – Nothing is worse than showing up to your listing appointment stressed out. Traffic, a wrong turn, an accident on your route, all can happen without your permission! I want you to have these words in mind “calm, cool & collected.” I am calm, cool and collected when I arrive to my listing presentations. A great affirmation. I like to go either around the corner and pull over somewhere safe, or, you can usually find a convenience store/gas station at the closest nearby major intersection. Of course, always being aware of your surroundings. There’s something that just is assuring to know that you are a few minutes from the house, early and have a chance to do any last minute preparations.
(Preview when necessary) take notes, make up the page with notes. Certainty vs. doubt. Newer agents - this is a huge tip to overcome your lack of experience. How many times are you at a listing appointment where the seller makes a comment about another home being nicer or some feature or condition, and you really aren’t sure if they’re right or not? When you have personally been inside and driven your comps, you put yourself in a position to have certainty and eliminate doubt. You now can respond accordingly in a professional manner. Able to take a stance when the seller may make a statement about something i.e.,- they have a nicer home, or they have a better kitchen or another home doesn’t have granite is accurate or be wondering and a loss for words.
Demonstrates to be the expert. (remember the edge between gold and silver medals.)
Show up with more confidence.
Show up with more detailed information than your competition.
When you have seen the homes with your own eyes - you can respond with certainty
Give these ideas some thought, come up with your own - rate yourself on this step 1-10. 6? What steps can I take to get to an 8?
Tip #1 - Conduct a Consultation - For some reason, I have observed over my career - going back to 1991...most real estate agents have always approached working with buyers differently than with a seller. With a seller, we make an appointment, go out to meet the seller at their home and have a meeting - or - we refer to this as a listing presentation. However, (and I say for whatever reason) our industry as a whole doesn’t approach the buyer lead the same way. Why is that? Is it just a matter of watching what others have done and doing the same as what everyone else has seen people do? It reminds me of the story…
A young girl was watching her mother bake a ham for a family gathering and noticed her mom cutting off the ends before placing it in the oven.
“Mom, why do you cut the ends off before baking the ham?” she asked. “Hmmm…I think it helps soak up the juices while it’s baking. I’m actually not sure, though. That’s just the way your grandma always did it, so I’ve just always cut them off. Why don’t you call grandma and ask her?”
So, the little girl phoned her grandma and asked “Grandma, mom is making a ham and cut off the ends before placing it in the oven. She said that it’s probably to help soak up the juices but wasn’t sure. She said you’d know because she learned how to cook from you.”
“That’s true. I do cut off the ends of the ham before baking. But I’m actually not sure why either. I learned how to cook from my mom. You should ask her.”
So, the inquisitive little girl called her great-grandmother and asked “Great grandma, mom, and grandma said they learned how to cook a ham from watching you. Do you cut off the ends of the ham to help it soak up the juices?”
The great grandmother chuckled. “Oh, no sweetie. I just never had a pan big enough to hold a whole ham, so I always had to cut off the ends to make it fit.”
The story of the ham is not new, and has been told numerous different ways, but it is a great example of the critical thinking errors we make every day. When we do things “because that’s what we’ve always done” we fail to seek opportunities for improvement. We fail to see the assumptions we make every day out of habit and routine. When we just keep cutting off the ends of the ham, we fail to innovate.
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” - Albert Einstein
All that to say, just because that is what may be “common” is it the most effective? I understood and did this myself in the earlier days of my career. Since then, I have learned that (for me and I found to help me be successful) was to treat the first step with the buyer, no different from the seller. Have a consultation, get face to face and see what’s really going on. When you do this, it sets up the rest of the process to go forward with fewer issues and a more fluid manner.
At the consultation be sure to do the following:
Tip #2 - Use The Formula - This is something I came up with awhile back. It’s something I figured out as a result of being in that difficult and very precarious situation when you have a buyer that wants to buy a home, it’s just not for say several months down the road. You don’t want to lose the lead, and you also don’t want to waste time showing homes and know the buyer isn’t in a position to perform. What do you do? I can tell you what most agents are doing, they getting caught in this trap of showing homes reluctantly and against your better judgment. This is always frustrating! I was in this situation so much I finally came up with the “formula” here is how it works. By the way, it won’t work 100% of the time; nothing works 100% of the time, however, done consistently; it will work in your favor over time.
Let’s look at the opposite scenario, the buyer says they want to look at homes and aren’t able to buy for five months. What do you do then?
It’s up to you...what would you prefer? (either way, it works to your favor)
With some practice, you can learn how to deliver this in a sincere manner. It is what it is - having a conversation like this has helped me numerous times work through these two situations that are bound to come up often when working with buyers. The key is really making it about them and showing your support for their circumstances, not that you aren’t interested in showing them homes.
Tip #3 - Showing Property Best Practices
Show them how the food is cooked in the kitchen:
Get your buyer used to hearing “would you like to make an offer on this home” - The idea here is that we don’t want this to sound foreign to the buyers we work with. We also don’t want to come across obnoxious; there is a balance here. When you ask this question, you get to learn what is going on in your client’s mind. Open dialogue allows you to be on the same page and encourage the process forward based on that feedback. When we don’t talk, we don’t know what is taking place and end up dragging out the process.
Play the Beat It game with your buyers - This is a fun way to help you and your buyer rule in or out homes and keep focused. Here’s how it works. You show a home, on your way out the door, ask them to rate the home on a 1-10 scale, 10 the highest. Let’s say they rate it a 6. (as a side note, two great follow up questions are 1. Ask them “what was it about the home that makes it a 6 in your mind? 2nd - What would have to happen to make it a 10? This tells you how they are evaluating their decision-making process.) You go to the next home on your route and again, on the way out the door, ask how does this one rate on a 1-10 scale? They say an 8, then this means this one “beat” the last one. This home is in 1st place, forget about that last home, let’s see if we can “beat it”. You go on to house #3, ask the same question … they rate it a 7...so you say...that means house #2 is still the one to beat, let’s forget this one and so on. As an example, if you were to show 5 or 6 homes that day, you all know which one is the home in 1st place. This sets up a simple way to ask at the end of the tour the following “well, of the six homes we saw today, home #2 was your favorite home...would you like to make an offer and see what we can do on that one?” My experience is agents just show and show and show some more homes and never make an attempt to get the buyer to make a buying decision. Lastly, if we don’t do this then all the homes begin to blur together, and the buyers can easily get overwhelmed and shut down.