Shocking Truth: How to Get More Listings Signed

SUMMARY

The #1 reason agents don’t get listings is because they have the WRONG GOAL.

What is the goal of a listing presentation?  The typical answer is “to get a listing.”  The problem is that motivation is totally self-serving, which causes the seller to automatically resist you.

What if you shifted the motivation and made your primary goal: to lead a seller to a decision that is in their best interest.  Suddenly your focus is not on what you want, but on what they want.

As Simon Sinek taught us, “people don’t buy what you do.  They buy WHY you do it.”  Your motivation of their needs over your needs completely changes the vibe they get from you and will eliminate any resistance they have.

It works when you follow these 3 steps:

1. Prequalify them,
2. Be the best agent to help them get the best result.  Seriously.  Master how to sell every listing for top dollar.  Are you the best agent?  If not…why should they list an inferior agent?
3. Be more interested in them and what they want, than getting the listing. People can tell the difference.

Win the client.  Win the listing.  Get the relationship and you will get the business, because you made it about them and not about you.
 

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hi there. It’s Kevin Ward, the founder of Yes Masters Real Estate Success training. Helping you get more yes’s and more successes in your business and in your life. Today I want to talk about this shocking truth about how do you get more listings signed at the actual listing appointment? It’s one of the questions that I hear over and over from agents is they’re like, “I go and I do the listing presentation and they say, “We’ve got it. We like you. You’re our agent, but we’re not ready to sign today.” Or they just say, “We need to think about it and they’re not ready to sign today.” No matter how many objection handlers you pull out of your hat, no matter what you do, you just can’t break through. I am going to share with you today the reason that happens. Some of you are not going to like the answer. You got to decide, “Am I willing to change how I approach my business in order to change the results that I get?”

Here’s the number one reason that most agents don’t get the listing signed at the appointment. By the way, it’s the number one reason most agents don’t get the listing at all. It’s simply this, because you have the wrong goal. That’s really the reason. Your goal is wrong. You have the wrong goal. Now, what is the goal of a listing presentation? What is your ultimate listing presentation goal? I ask agents that all the time. Here is … If I were to ask you, “What is the goal of a listing presentation? Why do you do it? What is the goal to do it?” I bet your answer would be the answer of 99% of all the agents out there, which is the goal of listing presentation is to get a listing. Duh. I believe that’s the wrong goal. Now, is that a bad goal? No it’s not a bad goal. Do you want the listing? Yes, you want the listing, but it’s the wrong goal.

What’s the shift? What if we changed the way we approached the listing presentation? What if you changed the goal? What if you changed your motivation about how you approach it. You see, here’s what I believe. When I discovered this, it was a minor shift. In a sense, it doesn’t change what you do. It changes how you do it because it changes why you do it. I just want you to think about this. People don’t buy you because of what you do. They buy you because of why you do it. That’s something that Simon Sinek taught us in his book, The Power of Why. That is, that people don’t care about what you do, as much as they care about why you do it. I think this is the shift with your listing presentation and changing the goal of the listing presentation.

What if you change the goal of your listing presentation from getting the listing to this … And this is it. I want you to write this down. I hope you’ve got a piece of paper out because this is so critical. Why do I go on a listing presentation? What is the goal? What is the motivation? This is it. Are you ready? The goal of a listing presentation is to lead the seller to a decision. That’s the goal. Right there is the goal, to lead the seller to a decision. What if that was your goal? What if your goal was no longer to go get the listing? Again, does that mean that’s not a good goal? Does that mean I don’t want it? No, it doesn’t mean you don’t want the eliciting. It doesn’t mean that your intention is not to get a listing. It simply means that my motivation for going on a listing presentation is not to get the listing, it is to lead the seller to a decision, and this is important, that is in their best interest.

Now, what does that mean? What it means is, I am no longer showing up for me. See, here’s the shift. This is so critical. When you think about people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Well, I list and sell homes. That’s what you do, right? I list and sell homes. That is the action you do. What if I help people move who want to move? That’s what I do. What shifts is, I take listings and I sell them makes it about you. If your goal is to get a listing, that is a 100% self serving goal. If your goal is to get a listing there’s not a seller out there that enjoys listing their house. They want to move, not list, right? If I change my focus from what I want, which is to get a listing, to what they want, which is to move, now my goal is to lead them to a decision that will help them move. That will help them get what they want. Let’s say they want to get down to San Diego to be closer to their kids and grandkids. That’s their goal. That’s what they want. My goal is to lead them to a decision that will help them get to San Diego to be closer to their kids and grandkids as soon as possible. That’s the goal.

When you shift that motivation, I’m going to tell you, it totally shifts. Here’s why. You’d be like, “How does this work? How do you do that? If I go to lead them to a decision how do you do that?” Here’s the reason this works so powerfully. I’ve been training this now for intentionally this way for probably a couple of years with my coaching members and people that come to my training. What I’ve discovered is one, they’re taking a lot more listings. Two, they get them all sold. They get way less resistance from their sellers. I’m not talking about at the listing appointment or listing agreement, I’m talking about throughout the entire process because the sellers can tell when you’re more interested in what they want, then you are in what you want. My goal is to lead them to a decision that is in their best interest.

How does that work? There’s three steps that make this fool proof. There’s three steps that cause this to lead them to a decision to hire you when you go out, which will get you the listing signature at the appointment. There’s three steps. I want you to stay with me on this. This is really important. Number one is, you pre qualify them. You pre qualify them. If you have my Book of Yes, in it is the seller sheet, which is the pre qualifying script. You can also go to my website at YesMasters.com and you can get a free download of my top scripts from the Book of Yes that includes, not only the pre qualifying script, it also includes my listing presentation, which I’m going to mention in a second about part of it and why it works. How it leverages the strategy of being more interested in the seller than you are in yourself. More interested in what they want than what I want.

#1 PREQUALIFY THEM

Number one, I pre qualify them, which means I’m going to ask them the questions that I need to give me the information I need to know what is in their best interest. Here’s what I’m looking for. Are they really motivated or not? The goal is for it to be a motivated seller. If they’re not motivated, if they don’t want to move, then don’t do a listing presentation. The purpose of a listing presentation is not to show them how great you are. It’s not to convince them. It’s not to impress them. It is to lead them to a decision that will help them get where they want to be, which in this case is San Diego to be closer to their kids and grandkids, right? Don’t forget motivation.

Now, I know that because I pre qualify them. The seller sheet gives you all the questions to ask them to do several things. One, to find out what’s important to them. To find out their motivation. Two, it helps you identify what are the objections that they’re going to have? What are the considerations, the things that stand between them and a decision to make this move, and to hire you to help them. All right? Number one, pre qualify them.

#2 BE THE BEST AGENT

The second step is, be the best agent to help them get the job done. That is your second responsibility is to be the best. To be the best agent. You think if they want to sell their home and take their equity and go to San Diego, do you think they want the tenth best agent out there? Do they want a mediocre agent or they want the best one? If you ask any seller, “Do you want the best agent that can get you the best results, or are you okay with just any agent?” They want the best one they just don’t know to identify it. You be the best one. Now when you’re the best, when you’re the best agent that they’re talking to and that they’re going to talk to, it’s a lot easier to lead them to a decision, right? You go like, “I’m new or I know I’m not the best if I’m going to be honest.” This is not because you say you’re the best, I’m talking about genuinely being the best. If you’re not the best, what do you do? Commit. Commit to become the best. Commit. “I’m going to do whatever it takes. I’m going to get the training. I’m going to get the coach. I’m going to get whatever I need to become the best. I’m going to create, I’m going to develop the track record of the best in the industry.”

I’m not kidding. I think that should be every single agent’s commitment because that’s what every single seller that you meet with, that’s what they deserve, and that’s what they want. If you would raise the bar for yourself, listen guys, this … What I’m telling you right now, this is not for most agents. Most agents if they get this far in this video they’re going to go like, “Oh, whatever.” They know they’re not willing to commit. They’re not willing to pay the price. They’re not wiling to do the work required to actually become one of the best in the world. That’s what I challenge you to do. Look, if you’re going to do this, why would you do it mediocre? Why would you be okay being so-so. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Commit to be the best.

That way when you show up and their question is more like, “We want to move, is this the best agent to help us get there? Is this the best agent that can get us the best results?” Which if you’ve seen one of my other videos is the number one unasked question that every seller has. It is their number one question. “Are you the best agent to get me the best result?” Well, if I commit to become the best and I start showing up that way every day and I start working that way, it’s going to start showing up in your conversations. It’s going to start showing up in your presentation, in your lead followup, in your pre qualifying conversation.

When you show up at the door, you may inside know, “You know, I don’t think I’m the best yet, but I am on that journey.” That knowledge, that self awareness, that self knowledge that you are that committed to serving them in getting them a great result, it will show up in the way you show up. When you walk in the door they can feel it. They can tell that, “This agent is serious. They’re not just messing around. They’re here for me and they are prepared.” I’m telling you, that is a game changer. It makes you a game changer.

#3 BE MORE INTERESTED IN THEM AND WHAT THEY WANT

Then the third thing is, be more interested in them than you are in what you want. Be more interested in them and what they want than what you want. Which simply means, “I’m not here to get a listing.” In fact, I want to just share with you if you’ve got a copy of my Book of Yes, or if you’ve downloaded at YesMasters.com the top scripts from the Book of Yes, one of the scripts that you’re going to get is the listing presentation. It is the best listing presentation ever created for a simple reason. It is because it is the best at leading sellers to a decision in a way that serves their best interest, not just you. It’s about them, it’s not about me. That’s my whole approach. If you’ve read the Book of Yes, you know that’s my whole approach to business. Is that when I train as a real estate speaker, as a real estate coach, when I train, I do courses, coaching programs it’s not about me. It’s not about, “How can I convince you to hire me.” It’s about, “How can I help you become the best?”

When you show up that way, if you approach your business and you go into a conversation with a seller and your number one goal is to serve their best interest, and to lead them to a decision that’s good for them, that’s right for what they want to do instead of what you want, they can tell it. Can’t you tell? Whenever you talk to somebody after awhile and if all they’re interested in is what they want, if they’re just interested in themselves, you can tell, right? There’s a different vibe. There’s a different look in their eyes when somebody is just all about them. “It’s just all about me.” When it’s all about them, they are slick and their salesy.

Let’s say you’re looking for romance and if you’re a … Gals I know you’ll relate to this. If you’re a lady watching this and guys you need to know this if not. If you’re a gal and you meet a guy and he’s super good looking, he’s super nice, but all he cares about is he just wants to get lucky. He just wants a one night stand, that’s all he cares about. You can tell. You may not be able to tell in the first moment, but you can tell as the conversation goes forward that this guy he’s just looking out for himself. All he wants is something for him. He can be smooth and he can be debonair, and all of that kind of stuff. There is a different vibe when somebody is in it for themselves. As Simon Sinek says, people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. They don’t buy you because you’re a great agent, they buy you because you’re an agent that’s there to serve them.

One of the things in the listing presentation, in the very first part of the listing presentation, as you’re talking to the seller, you’re connecting with them. You’ve already talked to them on the phone, you’ve already pre qualified them. That was the first step. Now you’re sitting there with them. One of the things that you say, and this is on page 69 of the Book of Yes if you have a copy of the book, it’s number seven on the listing presentation. I’m not going to read the whole thing, but it just says this, “My goal is to help you get what you want. If I can’t help you, I’ll tell you today because I’m not interested in just getting a listing. I’m very interested in helping you guys get down to San Diego to be closer to your kids and grandkids before summer. That’s what you want, right? Then we’re on the same page.” That’s the conversation.

“I’m not interested in just getting a listing. I’m very interested in helping you get to blank,” whatever their motivation is. “That’s what you want, right?” They say, “Right.” “Then we’re on the same page. Here’s what you have to embrace about this conversation, this listing presentation. This is not a technique. What I’m teaching you today, what I’m talking about today is not a technique. If it’s a technique, it’s fake. What I’m talking about is a value. The value is, I am more interested in their needs and helping them get what they want than I am in getting what I want. What’s the difference? The difference is caring.

If you read this script and use it as a technique and it’s really all about you, but you’re going to try to technique your way into listings, it will work. It’s just not as powerful. It’s not going to work as well, or as effectively, or as often. When you’re committed to them, when it’s about them not about you, when your goal is not to get a listing for you, but it’s to help them and lead them to a decision that’s in their best interest, everything changes. Now look, does that mean … Like I said, does that mean you’re not interested in getting a listing? No, because you pre qualified them you know they want to move. You know they want to go to San Diego, right? You know they want that. What is the best decision? Well, they want to go to San Diego, they need to sell, who’s the best agent? You are. Why? Because you committed to become the best agent. That’s your place and because you care more about them then you do about getting the listing, it’s impossible for them to say, “No,” to you.

They’re pre qualified, what’s the right decision for them? They’re motivated to move. They have all the information to make a decision, that’s what pre qualifying does. At the listing presentation I’m giving them all the information they need to make that decision so that when I leave they’ve already made the decision and they’ve signed the listing agreement. Here’s what it’s about. Instead of trying to win the listing, how about winning the client? When you get the relationship, you also get the business. When you pre qualify them you know why you’re there. When you are the best, they know that you can deliver the best result. When you care more about them than yourself it just shows all over.

When you operate that way, just a shift, not what you do, but why you do it, it changes everything. You can always expect, “Yes.” Now if this video, if you like this video, if it’s helpful for you, if this has kind of turned on a light for you, I hope you’ll give it a thumbs up and really, really encourage you and ask you, share this with other agents that you know. I really want to get the message out. I think this is so powerful to shift everything that we do as an industry. Thanks. Talk soon. Always expect, “Yes.”