TURNING SELLER OBJECTIONS INTO LISTINGS

Listing appointments can be intimidating as you face hard questions from potential clients as well as the possibility of failure. According to Dianna Kokoszka and Tony DiCello of KW MAPS Coaching, the key to overcoming objections and succeeding with listing appointments is all about mindset. Kokoszka, who last year secured listings from all of her 150-plus appointments, says that you must go into the meeting thinking: This listing is mine if I choose to take it.

"You’re already at a yes – they invited you into their home,” she explains. “Only you can make it a no. So think about this: When you’re there, will you leave at a yes or a no, and do you have the skills to make certain it’s a yes?”

Prepare

Before the appointment, you should brainstorm questions for the homeowner, Kokoszka says – though this should not be an interrogation. It should be structured so that each question leads to the next, with all of them eventually leading to a listing contract.

Kokoszka also suggests arriving to a potential client’s home 15 minutes early and turning off your devices to calm your “drunk monkey”; i.e., the one that hoots inside your head about failure. Instead, channel positivity and a confident mindset.

Approve and Handle Objections

DiCello stresses that objections are nothing more than a client who needs more information and that you should not take those personally. “It’s not a challenge to your listing presentation, it’s not a challenge to you,” DiCello says. “It’s just unanswered questions.”

Kokoszka agrees. She says that instead of pushing back, it’s best to approve of their objections with a statement like, “I can appreciate that, it sounds like you want to net the most money.” Then, isolate the objections. If your commission is at issue and they’ve found another agent who will go lower, for example, Kokoszka suggests highlighting that the best companies hire the best negotiators. Then say:

“That other agent gave their own money away without you even asking. And what concerns me is how fast are they going to give your money away? They’re not an Olympian, and I am, so sign the contract and let me work for you.”

If the client hesitates, try asking if they would be okay with their boss cutting their salary despite working just as hard. “If you truly believe you’re the best, why wouldn’t you fight for what it is you want?”

Don’t Rush

Too often, DiCello says, we don’t close because we leave the appointment way too soon. Sometimes we’re bored with the conversation or thinking about what we’re going to do afterward. Other times, we simply don’t know how to close.

Kokoszka says this extra time spent is well worth it. Stay longer with potential clients than other agents might, and always close before walking out the door. This strategy worked for Kokoszka once when she was up against another reputable agent. She gave him a call afterward and he asked her how she did it. “And I said, ‘I stayed and you left. That listing was yours. I had to work like the dickens to take it.’”

Be the Local Expert

Oftentimes, clients will want to meet with other agents after meeting with you, but Kokoszka suggests responding with this line: “Tony, I appreciate that. You want to make certain you have the best agent; that's what it sounds like. I am sitting here and I will answer that.”

Then offer to call those agents yourself. Explain that potential clients you meet with always end up going with you, and that the sooner you can call the other agents, the better, because those agents likely will still be willing to deliver a buyer. You can even make the call in front of the homeowner and offer to split the commission with the other agent if they have a buyer.

Make sure to bring evidence that you are a local expert. You can use the KW Local Expert flier, filledwith your transaction statistics… or you can make your own marketing piece that shows how you are outperforming the market.

Keller Williams Referred Agents sell homes in LESS TIME, at a HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ASKING than any other major brokerage in the city… and isn’t that what clients want?

If you don’t have your own stats, you can always use the office stats to show that you’re part of a team with a history of success. Then pose to the client: “You do want the person who sells houses for more money, in the least amount of time, right?” When they answer ‘yes,’ it’s very easy to say, ‘Sign the contract.’”

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