Sales Doctor: Winning more instructions part two

As discussed in our previous article, it’s all about the first impression. Once your team have handled that initial phone call or walk-in, they then need to confirm everything with a hand delivered envelope.

For those of you that didn’t find out the contents of the envelope, allow me to share all and add one thing as a bonus:

1. The letter confirming the appointment.

2. A biography of the valuer – Have their image with a three line biog about them. Below it has three testimonials about them and the company. Finally, have images of any awards your agency has won.

3. Meet the team – Have images of each member of the team that will be involved in selling the vendor’s home.

4. The seven best ways to achieve the highest price for your property. Create a best tip sheet for the vendor.

5. The 10 questions to ask your estate agent. You tailor these questions around things that shows your agency in the best light compared to your competitors. For example, if you are the ONLY agent that still advertises in the newspapers, your question would be ‘In addition to the normal portals, where else do you spend money advertising?’

Here are some questions our clients have created:

What sale price do you achieve on average against the asking price as a percentage?

What is your sale fall through rate?

How much have house prices increased in this area over the last 12 months?

What is your social media strategy and can you show me examples of your success?

Can you tell me what your national marketing strategy is? 

How do your target potential buyers who are not registered on your database or actively looking on Rightmove? 

Please show me an example of the brochure you will produce…

Please show me an example of the video you will produce…

Can you show me reviews from previous clients?

What would the stamp duty be on my property? 

Moving on to the second P is ‘Present the valuation’ 

Having attended nearly 1,000 valuations in the past 11 years, I have seen some of the best. Here are a couple of ones that stick out in my mind:

On the way to the valuation, the lister calls the vendor and says, ‘I’m just in Costa grabbing myself a coffee, what can I get you, a tea or a coffee?’ Then you make a note of what their favourite drink is and when you see them again ensure you bring the same one along without asking!

As you enter the door and shake the vendor’s hand, start taking your shoes off. When the vendor says no need, reply ‘I insist, I wouldn’t let our buyers walk around your home with their shoes on’. This shows you’re respectful and you’re being assumptive from the outset that you’re going to win the instruction.

Ask to sit down for a couple of minutes before seeing the property. On that sit down, start by building rapport by asking ‘what first attracted you to this property?’ and let them talk.

Then say ‘I’d like to set an informal agenda, if I may’; what would you like to get out of our time together?

Then hand them your branded notepad and pen so they can take notes. What a kick in the teeth it will be when your competitors come around to value and the vendor uses YOUR notepad and pen.

You then discuss what you would like to cover such as……… 

To find out what you should set in your informal agenda, please email us on info@salesdoctors.co.uk.

If you have any questions on how we can help your estate agency, then place call us on 020 8906 6725 and we’d be delighted to help.

*Tony Morris is managing director of Sales Doctors, an international sales speaker and best-selling author

**If you have a question for the Sales Doctor, please get in touch on press@estateagenttoday.co.uk