In this hot market, most agents do want more real estate listings.
Many agents prefer working with buyers, but that IS a tougher road when there are more buyers than sellers. You may have to write numerous offers before getting an acceptance. A listing, if priced right, present well, and marketed properly, is almost a guaranteed commission.
What can you do in 2021 to get more real estate listings?
Start with the people you already know.
Hopefully you’ve been staying in contact with your sphere and with all of your past clients. If not, now is the time to change that – permanently. These people have the potential to become clients AND to refer 
clients to you. They can be your path to financial success.
Make sure they know that you’re still in business, still glad to answer any of their real estate questions, and (important) still interested in them as human beings. If you’ve been out of touch and don’t know what to say, use my Staying in Touch Letters to reconnect with past clients.These will get you started. We’ll consider how to stay in touch from now on in a future post.
As for your sphere – I think the best thing to do is call to wish them a Happy New Year. Then just chat. Ask what they’ve been doing and tell them you’re still happily helping buyers and/or sellers.
Get more real estate listings through prospecting.
It’s a tried and true method, so don’t ignore it. Combine postal prospecting with prospecting to web visitors who opt in to receive information from you.
If you need prospecting letters, you can choose from 45 different sets on my Prospecting Letters Page. You’ll also find more letters for keeping in touch, just listed notes, thank you notes, and letters to buyers.
Use your social media pages to show potential sellers how you market listings.
Include links to your listings on line, so they can see your beautiful photos, virtual tours, and property descriptions. Make each post an ad for that house – AND an ad for your marketing abilities.
Go into listing presentations well-prepared.
Once you’ve made contact and secured an appointment, follow rule #1: Be on time. Get there 5 minutes ahead of time, then park down the street and organize your thoughts before proceeding.
Do your homework ahead of time. Be able to show sales of listings in the neighborhood, the competition, etc. Bring along a market report.
Look to see if the subject house has been listed recently, and come to your own conclusions about why it didn’t sell. Be able to discuss that calmly and intelligently.
Be ready to explain your marketing methods and show examples of your listings on line.
Watch for reactions…
While you do want to explain things, don’t drone on and on. Watch to see how your prospects react, and shorten the presentation if they seem to be getting restless.
When my son wanted to sell his rental, I was the one here to interview agents. In one instance I finally just cut them off, saying I needed to be somewhere else. An hour of “We’re so wonderful” combined with explanations about the value and importance of each of their marketing materials, was all I could take. It was especially annoying because they knew I’d been an agent for many years – so when I said “I know” to things, they should have moved on.
If you leave with a new listing – wonderful! If not…
Statistics say that most people go with the first agent they speak with, which is why prospecting for new real estate listings is so important. But some don’t. Some want to interview 2 or 3 agents before they choose.
If your prospects are interviewing multiple agents…
Do leave something behind to remind them of you. What can you leave? How about:
- Your market report
- Your bio
- A print-out of sold listings in their neighborhood
- A small, useful, branded gift
- All of the above
What would be a useful gift?
- One item most people use is a notepad. Consider one with a magnet for the refrigerator, since many of us keep running grocery lists.
- At this time of year, a calendar or pocket calendar would also be a good choice.
- Pens are good, but tend to get lost.
- If your prospects commute, an insulated travel mug would also be welcome.
The most important thing is that it’s something they’ll look at often.
What should you NOT leave behind?
When you’re in competition for more real estate listings, there are a couple of things you should not leave behind.
- The first is your market analysis, if you’ve done one, or your tentatively recommended selling price.
- Second is your marketing plan.
Either of these things might be shared with another agent and used by that agent to show why he or she is a better choice. (Not that it would be true.)
Step 2: Send a Thank You Note
As soon as you get back to the office (or home) after an appointment, sit down and write a hand-written 
Thank You note to the homeowners. Thank them for their time in showing you the house. If you’ve yet to do a market analysis, let them know you’ll get at it right away. Invite them to call if they have questions.
If you can get it in the mail the same day, do it.
Hand written thank you notes startle and impress almost everyone. They’re unexpected and they show a consideration that most people don’t exhibit. Even years ago, when I was an agent, they were rare. They were so rare, in fact, that I occasionally received a thank you note – thanking me for my thank you note.
If you don’t get the listing, leave that door open…
Be gracious. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt to send another note. Thank them for their consideration and assure them that if they need you in the future, all they need to do is call. In a couple of months, it could come bouncing right back to you.
Bag of money Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Work on computer courtesy of images.pexels.com
