Upload
hariz-danial
View
219
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
1/184
What to Say,
What to Send
Scripts, dialogues, letters & questions
Lee Woodward
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
2/184
What to Say, What to Send
© Lee F. Woodward
First published April 2009
The moral rights of the author of this work have been asserted.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval systemor transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permissionfrom the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover
other than that in which it is published and without a similar conditionincluding this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Woodward, Lee, 1971-
Title: What to say, what to send : scripts, dialogues,letters & questions / Lee Woodward.
Edition: 1st ed.
ISBN: 9780980625202 (pbk.)
Subjects: Real estate business--Australia.
Business communication--Australia.
Customer relations--Australia.
Real estate agents--Australia.
Dewey Number: 333.33094
Edited by Phaedra Pym
Cover artwork by Sense Advertising & Design
This book has been produced for the Author by
Bookbound Publishing
FreeCall 1800 628 058bookbound.com.au
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
3/184
iii
Acknowledgments
This book has been created following countless hours of workshop sessions with
dedicated real estate professionals. I would like to express my gratitude to the
many people who have contributed to the ideas presented in the book you are
about to read and to the people who have given me the support that has allowed
me to complete it.
To the workshop attendees who have given their time, desire and questions,
enabling me to study, comprehend, capture and deliver the very best information.
To all the talented people who have shared their stories on Real Estate Hot Topics.
To the incredible Mat Steinwede, for our many years of collaboration and for
producing the Mat Steinwede Real Estate System.
To the highly structured and intensely focused Danny Grant, who has contributed
much of his time to help me help others improve their systems and sales skills.
To the entire team at Real Estate Academy who add, subtract, challenge and
perfect the real estate process each and every day. You are a special group ofpeople who have stood the test of time and served the real estate community with
dedication, professionalism and passion.
To the talented Andrew Duncan who created the software solution, Complete
Data, and listened to all my bent ideas over an 8-year period (it’s just another
button, mate).
I would like to mention a special thank you to our 2007/2008 Super Coach
members in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth; the Hocking Stuart Group
in Victoria for our many hours of debate, discussion and solution solving; andthe Professionals Group in New Zealand, in particular, the Group’s top 10%, for
their crazy humour and unhinged view of business that still fascinates me today.
An incredible special thank you to my dedicated offsider, Robyn McCaughan,
who captures all notes, learning checks and requests from fast-paced real estate
agents on the f ly. Robyn, your emails reach many.
Finally to my mum and dad who back me no matter what I do and my two special
daughters, Maddison and Chloe, who have watched me conduct many recordings
and understand the need to stay quiet until the track ends.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
4/184
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
5/184
v
Contents
What to Say, What to Send –
scripts, dialogues, letters & questions
How to use this book 1
The Sales Process 2Icons 3
What is the difference between a script and a dialogue? 3
Prospecting
Prospecting and marketing 5
Making the connection 6Marketing stickies 7
Marketing you 8
Your best leads 8
Return on investment 8
Know your turf 9
Working with fewer people for better reasons 10
Your prospecting menu 11
Marketing initiative 12
Probing questions 14
‘JUST LISTED’ note 15
‘JUST SOLD’ note 15
Just listed 15
Just sold 17
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
6/184
vi
Weekly Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) calls 19
Open house call backs (standard) 20
The open for inspection call back 20
Passive database calls 26
Hot prospects 26
Fee objection 26
You all offer the same thing! 27
Calls to former prospective purchasers 27
Anniversary calls 28
The 21 steps to selling privately 28
Complimentary appraisal offer 32
Record sale price letter 33
The price drive letter 34
Price drive follow-up 35
Expired listings 36
Service area calls 36
The all-in-one door knocking role-play with brochure 37
Activity plans 39Summary 39
Listing
Winning the business – listing 41
Listings – how to secure them 42
Preparation 43 Listing questionnaire strategy to qualify all seller leads 44
The inbound potential seller qualification role-play 45
SMS confirmation after phone call 49
Covering letter of confirmation and questionnaire 49
Questionnaire 50
Pre-listing packages 51
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
7/184
vii
Sample testimonials 52
Property Assessment Report 53
SMS on the day of the appointment 56
Prep tip 56
Agent’s proposition 56
The power of ten 57
Your complete listing procedure 57
Building your face-to-face presentation 58
24 questions to ask – strategies that will be activated 59
Brilliant throw in one-liners 61
Take it easy 62
The presentation role-play 62
Stage 1 – before the property is advertised 63
Stage 2 – on the market 69
Stage 3 – the negotiation and getting to yes 72
Beginnings – great final closes 80
The quote pad close 80
Common fee objections 81Unsigned business 87
The commitment letter (from the Mat Steinwede System) 87
Go forward plan 88
Presenting your greatest hits 89
Vendor Management
Vendor management – communication 91
SMS confirmation after meeting 1 (listing) 93
‘Thank you for listing’ letter 93
Letter to tenant (if required) 101
Follow-up email to tenant (if required) 102
Reverse-engineered call 1 102
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
8/184
viii
Reverse-engineered email 1 (progress report) 103
Touching base phone call regarding editorial 104
Submit editorial to media (email) – cc vendor 105
Property uploaded on website (email) 105
Sales team inspection phone call (pricing feedback) 105
Email brochure to relevant purchasers – cc vendors 105
Sales team inspection pricing feedback email 106
Friday afternoon SMS 106
First open SMS 106
Reverse-engineered call back on Monday (week 1 reporting) 107
Reverse-engineered email 2 (progress report) 107
Mid-week 8:15am SMS 108
‘JUST SOLD’ email 108
Home loan email – cc home loan consultant 108
Second open SMS 109
Reverse-engineered call back on Monday (week 2 reporting) 109
Progress letter 1/survey and meeting 2 confirmation 109
Reverse-engineered email 3 including marketing tax invoice 112Meeting 2 – progress so far 112
Meeting 2 – executive summary email 113
Management letter – here if you need me 114
Third pre-open SMS 114
Third open SMS 114
Reverse-engineered call back on Monday (week 3 reporting) 115
Reverse-engineered email 4 (progress report) 115
‘JUST SOLD’ email 116
Meeting 3 – are we on track? 116
‘JUST SOLD’ email 117
Management email – results of telephone survey 117
Follow-up management call 118
New interest this week – email 118
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
9/184
ix
Difficult negotiation letter 118
Manager’s ‘why properties don’t sell’ letter 119
Meeting 4 – price equals time 119
Fourth open SMS 120
Reverse-engineered call back on Monday (week 4 reporting) 120
Reverse-engineered email 5 (progress report) 120
Where to from here? 121
Vendor withdrawn thank you letter 122
Price acceptance document 122
Sales letters – vendor / buyer solicitor 124
Quick congratulations call 125
Congratulations, it’s sold! Where to from here? 125
Pre-settlement letter vendor/buyer 126
Settlement letter and referral point 126
Post-settlement rating form 127
Post-settlement letter 2 months later 128
Vendor objections 128
Keeping things on track 134
Buyer Management
Managing your buyers 142
Assisting people to reach their property goals 143
You never know who is taking your measure 144
You will never remember them all 146Buyer qualification call 147
Follow-up script 148
Buyer letter 1 148
Buyer SMS templates 149
Buyer email – 2 weeks in 150
‘Coming soon’ email 150
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
10/184
x
Buyer letter 2 after 35 days 150
I haven’t forgotten you 151
Conducting a great open for inspection 151
Purchasing a property document 152
Follow-up after an inspection 157
How to ‘master qualify’ through scripts and questions 158
Common objections and buyer psychology 159
Understanding buyer psychology for auctions 164
Negotiation – a crucial skill 164
My signature negotiation process 165
What goes around, comes around 167
It’s a wrap
Achieve more with less effort 168
The top 10 requirements of a software system 169
A final word 170
Real Estate Academy’s other products and services 170
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
11/184
1
What to Say, What to Send –
scripts, dialogues, letters & questions
Delivering a solid system for communicating with your buyers and sellers, both
verbally and in writing, this book gives you every script, dialogue, letter, email
and SMS you will ever need for each and every step of the sales journey.
The book will:
Allow you to achieve more in less time by cutting to the chase withwinning words and questions
Arm you with brilliant responses to common objections
Give you all the professional letters and emails you will need to
complement your communication process
Give you confidence in knowing that you have mastered the vendor and
buyer management process.
Above all, this book will show your clients that you are a professional who is
committed to keeping them informed every step of the way and achieving the
very best possible outcome for them.
How to use this book
The book is structured around the process of a sale, a cyclical process in that
there is no true beginning or end. While it is logical to assume that the salesprocess ends when the property purchase settles, you have to remember that most
people do not live in the one property for life. In fact most Australians move
several times in their lifetime. It is for this reason that top-performing agents
maintain contact with their clients long after the property settles. This may be
simply a Christmas card each year and acknowledgment of the anniversary of the
date they moved into their new home. No matter how simple, it is contact that
people appreciate and this will be remembered when it comes time to sell and/or
purchase real estate again.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
12/184
2
The Sales Process
Following the model, each chapter of the book will give you what to say and what
to send for every stage of the sales journey, from generating the business through
to property settlement.
You will find suggested letters, emails, text for SMS messaging, scripts and
dialogues in the form of role-plays. In fact everything you need, in the order that
you need it, for complete, consistent and professional communication.
A major key to success in the area of communication is knowledge management.
By knowledge management I am referring to a system for capturing and storing
the winning communications in this book. For those of you who use Complete
Data – the database specifically designed for the real estate industry – you
will find that templates for all the letters, emails and SMS’s are stored on yoursystem. This allows you to simply select, merge and send what you need, when
you need it. You can use Complete Data’s templates as they are or modify them
to suit your target market and your own personality. This powerful method
delivers consistency to your business and, more importantly, can be managed
and replicated by others, such as your Professional Assistant if you have one. It
couldn’t be easier.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
13/184
3
Icons
You will see the following icons used throughout this book, making it a breeze to
find what you need, when you need it:
Letter
SMS
Phone call
Question
Letterbox drop
Script
Dialogue
What is the difference between a script
and a dialogue?
A script suggests wording for you to say, for instance to open up a conversation.
A dialogue, on the other hand, offers you suggested responses in a conversation
with a buyer or a seller. Dialogues are shown in the form of role-plays. I would
strongly recommend that you role-play the scripts and dialogues with a colleague,
friend or relative until you are very comfortable with them. Rehearse them until
they sound impromptu, making them your own by putting your personality into
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
14/184
4
them. This will ensure you don’t sound scripted and ‘wooden’ when face-to-face
with a buyer or a seller. After all, practice makes professionals.
Being easy to carry with you wherever you go, this book is certain to become your
‘bible’ in terms of communicating with your marketplace. Just remember though,
while this book gives you the tools, you are the winning ingredient.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
15/184
5
Prospecting
Prospecting and marketing
Prospecting is the practice of creatively searching for new business. Even within
the industry, everybody talks about it, yet so few understand the fundamentals of
finding new business on a daily basis. People come into the real estate industry
and enjoy the selling and matching people to property side of the business,
however they have a resistance to the time and effort required to hunt for
business. The fact of the matter is this – if you get into real estate and you don’t
want to prospect, then you may be in the wrong industry.
As human beings, most of us resist cold calling. Why? Because we’ve all been
on the other end of that phone and felt how uncomfortable it is when someone
gives you an obviously scripted line with the intention of either taking something
from you or selling you something. But prospecting isn’t just about cold calling.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
16/184
6
During a Real Estate Hot Topics audio interview, titled ‘Hardcore Prospecting’,
I asked one of our leading principals, Chris Hanley from Byron Bay, to define
the term prospecting and he said simply, “all of the things you do where people
see, hear and watch you being a human being ”. Indeed, prospecting is about all
the contact you make with people in and around the community in which you
work. It’s all the discussions, it’s all the letters, emails and SMS’s, and it’s all thequestions you ask. It is this frequency of contact that builds trust, provides value
and helps you to be viewed as a professional rather than someone who just wants
to sell something. Chris and his team have mastered the art of prospecting. They
understand the number of contact points required and the need to make these
contact points in as many different ways as possible in order to find the ones that
work for the individual and suit the demographics of the area in which they work.
This can range from providing market place reports, property brochures and just
sold emails to running the Byron Bay Writer’s Festival (one of Chris’ passions).In fact, it is so powerful for people to see you doing things that are not related
to real estate as this shows that you care and have a desire to give back to your
community.
This chapter of the book will cut straight to the chase and give you the foundation
required for a solid prospecting program. I will share with you how to work a
business development area and examine the prospecting methods that will make
a massive difference to your sales career.
Making the connection
Prospecting only truly engages once you have connected and earned the trust
of people who know you by name and would recognise you if they saw you
walking through your local shopping centre. In the area where I worked, it would
sometimes take me 40 minutes to pick up some milk from the local supermarket
as every isle was full of great prospects who would say a cheerful hello oftenfollowed by, “Lee just a quick question …” You have what I call a ‘real relationship’
with people when they remember things about you, refer to you as ‘their agent’
and ring you regularly for advice.
As is the case with any great career or stand-alone business, your success is
founded upon two things – building relationships and providing value. Making
the time to build relationships and add value will earn you the professional trust
of prospective clients because you are seen to be offering value without looking
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
17/184
7
for something in return. To use an analogy, it’s like doing a good deed, without
expecting a reward or even telling anyone about it. Professional trust is the
ultimate success and key driver in any prospecting program. It’s the reason people
will contact you when it comes time to sell their property. It’s also the reason
people will refer you to others. It’s even the reason you are reading this book.
Over the years, people have seen me in action in my capacity as a sales trainer andcoach and during this time they have come to know me, respect me and trust me.
Let’s take a look at how to make a connection with a classic target market – people
going through a divorce. If there’s ever a group that needs to see your depth as a
human being, then this is it. People going through a divorce are not interested in
real estate. They’re going through the process out of necessity and are therefore
looking for someone with whom they can communicate, feel comfortable and
who can take care of what they can only regard as a necessary transaction. They
want to know you’ve got the emotional intelligence to work with them through
a very testing time. I had a lady once who was going through a difficult divorce
and was forced to put her home on the market. It was the last thing she wanted
to do. I appraised the property but was unsuccessful at listing the property on
the day, so I needed to keep her on my radar. Now, the last thing she would want
from an agent at this time is to be bombarded with emails, SMS’s and phone calls.
So what I did instead was send her a book called ‘The Power of Now’ and on the
inside cover, I wrote simply, “Hi, Sally, I know life can be testing at times. I’ve read
this book and thought you’d like it. Regards, Lee” . That book showed Sally that I
was not just another real estate agent after her money but someone who shows
empathy and consideration. Needless to say, I got the listing and she has since
referred me to many other people. This is just one example. You can add value to
people in so many different ways. It just requires some lateral thinking on your
part in terms of what would connect with that particular person, be it a cookbook
or information about the schools or transport in the area they wish to move to.
Whatever it is, just make it something that connects.
Marketing stickies
At the heart of your prospecting program is a winning, professionally presented
document containing information that is of genuine interest to the local
community. Such a document can be referred to as your ‘marketing sticky’ (a
reason people stick with you). This document is about connecting to the adjacent
space of real estate; for example, it may contain details about new services
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
18/184
8
or developments that are expected to boost property values in the area. Your
document may also contain special features on things like local sporting teams,
the highest sale price achieved in recent times, the types of people wanting to buy
in the area, even a historical account of the first home built in each street. This
well-presented document is welcomed by residents and out of area investors as it
is viewed as factual, honest, objective information that adds value without tryingto sell something. One of the best examples I have seen is by Brisbane agency,
Johnson Dixon Quality Property, who produce everything I have just mentioned
in a brilliant publication called ‘Move Magazine’ together with their much
talked about River Report. These great documents have become the ‘marketing
stickies’ for this progressive company and form a major part of their premeditated
prospecting program.
Marketing you
Marketing yourself, what you stand for and the homes you sell is, in my opinion,
a not negotiable part of your business, so much so, that it basically needs a part-
time person to drive it, book it and make sure it happens. Many agents do not
operate to a plan or understand the amount of phone calls required and letters to
send each day. As an agent you need to commit a large amount of time in your
week to build up a database of sound prospects that can be nurtured to perfection.
Your best leads
A lead source refers to the method used to make a connection with a client, which
led them to become a listed vendor, for example, letterbox drop, direct marketing
letter, phone call, buyer conversion, open for inspection or walk-in. As an exercise,
why don’t you conduct a small survey of the last 100 sales achieved in your office
to find out the lead source of each one. Knowing these results will increase the
effectiveness of your own prospecting methods.
Return on investment
Naturally, there are costs associated with any marketing campaign. You have to
pay for things like production, printing and distribution. As a result, it is vital that
you get into the habit of assessing the return on your investment. To show you
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
19/184
9
what I mean by this let’s take a look at an example.
Let’s say I choose to do a street targeted mail-out of 800 letters at a total
production and delivery cost of $1895.00. That means each letter has a unit cost
of $2.37 (1895/800). Of the 800 letters, I end up with 5 leads, which means it has
cost me $379.00 per lead (1895/5). If I then list 2 out of those 5 leads, each listing
has incurred a cost of $947.50 (1895/2). Now based on my performance fee of 2.9%
and an average sale price of $650,000, I calculate that I will generate $37,500 from
the sale of those 2 properties. That’s a good return on my initial investment of
$1,895.00. Taking the time and effort to assess your potential return on investment
allows you to make an informed decision regarding how to spend your money.
To assist you, Real Estate Academy (REA) has a complete downloadable business
plan template that automatically calculates all your numbers for you. The example
below shows a comparison between conducting a just sold program and the mail-
out program as described in my example. As you can see, the business shows a
significant difference between the return on investment for each campaign. Based
on the results, I know which campaign I would run with!
M onth No. Act ivi ty Ty pe D ate Q ty To tal Cos t Uni t Cos t L eads Cos t/ Lead L is ti ngs Cost /Lis tings Average Fe e ROI
Example 1 Just Sold Program 12 July 08 2,400 $ 2,350 $ 0.98 4 $ 587.50 1 $ 2,350 $ 18,850 802%
July 08 1 Mail Out 800 $ 1,895 $ 2.37 5 $ 379.00 2 $ 948 $ 37,700 1989%
Know your turf
If you want to achieve the status of being known as a dedicated and educated
property professional, you will need to take some history lessons. Now you may
wonder how history relates to real estate. Well it’s all about knowing your area,
or your ‘turf’ as we call it in the industry. Knowing the history of your turf shows
that you have sound product knowledge and this will appeal to the people you
are trying to connect with. So what’s the best way to learn about your turf? The
best way to learn is to ask. If you show a genuine interest about an area, peoplewill open up to you. I remember meeting a lady once as a buyer in my early days
as a salesman who owned a beautiful and immediately saleable home in one of
the suburb’s best streets. We had a look at some properties that I had available
but none of them exactly matched what she was looking for. At the end of our
viewing session she asked me if I would like to have a look through her home and
let her know what I thought it would sell for. Would I? The appointment was set
for 2 day’s time. I was so excited by this opportunity that I drove past her property
about 20 times! I hadn’t just managed to get in the door; I was invited in the door
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
20/184
10
– BIG DIFFERENCE. Anyway, I wanted this one so badly I could almost taste it,
but I had this little voice inside my head playing devil’s advocate telling me that I
was too young to sell such a nice place. I chatted with my principal who gave me
a brilliant tip. He asked me, “do you really want it?” and I replied, “ Absolutely!” He
then told me to block out 4 hours out of my diary and cold call the entire street
where she lives in order to research everything I could about the street. Well I didit, and I found out the lot – first home built, who created the subdivision, second
home built, the lot. When I walked in to appraise the lady’s house she could not
have asked me a better question, “so Lee, do you know much about this street? ”
and off I went. She was truly amazed and commented, “wow, you really do know
the area!” Listed, sold, referred and the rest is history. The point of this story is
this – prospecting is not always about listing, it’s about positioning yourself for
the future.
Working with fewer people for better reasons
It can sometimes seem overwhelming when you look at the sheer volume of
contacts you have in your database, raising the question – “where do I start ?” One
of the keys to great prospecting is database filtering because it allows you to work
with fewer people for better reasons. Once this is achieved, you will see a dramatic
increase in your conversion rate.The first step is to operate in a business development area (BDA) of approximately
1100 properties. Now I understand you may service a larger area than this,
however your prospecting focus should be on a concentrated area that is
manageable and will yield high returns.
I like to categorise my entire database into 4 sections:
Gold Past vendors and past landlords
Silver Past buyers and past tenants
Bronze Anyone we have communicated with (whether it be at an open forinspection, by mail, email or phone
Prospect All other property owners in my BDA who have yet to have contactwith us (they love us, they just don’t know it yet)
By categorising the contacts in my database in this way, I am able to customise
my marketing to suit. For instance, the out of area investors usually have a keen
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
21/184
11
interest in the latest statistics within the area as they are no longer around to see
for themselves what is going on. Offering this group a regular detailed investor
report could be the marketing sticky that connects them with you.
Your prospecting menu
I make it a point to ask agents on a regular basis what prospecting they are
currently doing or are planning to do in the future and it astounds me how often
I am faced with a vacant look in response. I believe there are two key reasons
for this – there is the fear of rejection and there is the fact that many have never
monitored what works and what doesn’t. If they knew what worked for them, it
would be on their prospecting menu. Imagine going to a restaurant and there was
no menu. When the waitress asks you for your order it would be difficult to makea selection wouldn’t it? Prospecting is no different. You need a menu of proven
methods that work, from which you can make a selection.
Let’s take a look at a sample prospecting menu.
Past Clients
Anniversary calls
Movie nights
Just sold SMSLetterbox Drops
Can we help? campaign
Price drive letter
Just sold and just listed
Buyers looking to buy letter and photo
Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) letters and reports
Telemarketing Street campaign
Just sold and just listed
Auction and open for inspection invitations
Past buyer calls
Audio CD
The moving process – ‘How to buy and sell real estate’
Buying property with your super fund
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
22/184
12
Direct
Door knock, for sale by owner
Buyer conversion
Open for inspection call backs
People marketing Colouring books and pencils for the kids, advertising your logo and
phone number (sent via mail)
Years 10, 11 and 12 school talks about a career in real estate
Press releases and editorials
Printed school canteen menus or lunch bags advertising your logo and
phone number
Whatever you decide, be sure to have a number of choices as one month some-
thing returns and other months it doesn’t. Be flexible at all times and ready to
modify your plan if need be.
Marketing initiative
As we have just learnt, prospecting is an activity undertaken to generate listings
into the company. However, prospecting is just a single activity that is completed
in the hope of finding possible leads that will eventually turn into business. Thefact of the matter is this – prospecting in isolation is not enough to fulfill your
objectives. You need a marketing initiative to go with it.
A marketing initiative can be defined as a strategic group of actions and activities
that, when performed in the correct sequence, become a marketing strategy
designed to bring in quality leads. Basically, it’s all about prospecting with a
purpose, which is the fuel in any campaign that could potentially stimulate the
idea of moving. Following is an example of a marketing initiative.
Street campaign
1. Select the street of a new listing about to hit the market and drop the
brochure of this property with a ‘just listed’ sticker or note/flyer into
every mailbox within the street. Then telemarket the street and deploy
the following script, “Good afternoon, is that Mrs Williams? My name is
Lee. The purpose of my call is to see if you received the brochure regarding
number 10 High Street that I delivered to you yesterday ?”
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
23/184
13
2. Receive response and then say, “Would you be interested in attending our
open for inspection this Saturday between 10 and 10.45am?” If the answer
is “ yes” simply ask, “Is that because you are possibly considering moving
or are you simply interested in keeping up-to-date with the values in the
area?” Receive answer and categorise as a possible attendee.
3. Send SMS on Friday to all possible attendees to confirm the open for
inspection time and let them know they now have your number should
they require any further information.
4. On Saturday evening contact all identified possible sellers and let them
know the open for inspection feedback, such as, “we had good numbers
of people through the property yet some of them wanted a different style
of home in this location, which is great as it indicates our marketing is
working.”
5. For possible future auction vendors you may send them a Saturday
evening SMS saying, “We had a great day in the marketplace today with
a 97% auction clearance rate. Enjoy your weekend .”
6. Continue with feedback and interest and mention the types of buyers
who have been interested in the area and what they are prepared to
spend. This allows you to save grace if the property is not sold quickly
and potential sellers will understand you have the buyer; that particularproperty just didn’t match their needs.
7. Once the property has been sold, conduct another mailbox drop within
the street with a sold sticker on the brochure or note/flyer including a
comment stating people are still looking to buy in this fantastic street.
8. Send a specific letter one week following the mailbox drop inviting all
owners to have the value of their property reassessed in light of this
most recent result.
9. Telemarket the street to inform property owners personally that the
home has been sold and use the opportunity to advise them of the actual
price achieved, if asked.
10. A week later, telemarket the street again explaining that many of
the street’s residents have requested a report that you have designed
(Comparative Market Analysis – CMA) explaining that this report has
nothing to do with selling their property. Rather, its purpose is to keep
them up-to-date with sales in their area over the past 6 months. Ask if
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
24/184
14
they would mind you dropping this over to them as a complimentary
report that will be updated every 6 months as part of your commitment
to keeping residents fully informed regarding property values in their
area.
As you can see, a marketing initiative is a strategic group of actions and activities
that are performed in a predetermined sequence. In my opinion, you only need 5
initiatives to make up your entire prospecting program, however this one change
in your business will make you more connected to your market. Whatever
prospecting method or script you choose, it’s important to have a menu of probing
questions to assist you to get down deep into the real issues.
Probing questions
When was the last time you went out and looked at some real
estate?
If you saw the perfect property today, what would you do?
We have just sold no. 6 in your street. Did you get a chance to go
through that one?
How does that compare with the one you are in now?
What did you think about the sales report I recently sent out to
you? Were you surprised at the sale prices?
If you got a price you were ecstatic with, where would you move?
What’s the best house you have seen so far?
Are you going for a bigger home or a more compact one?
Would you like to sell prior to buying?
Is the property for yourself to live in or for an investment?
What has attracted you to that area?
Are you familiar with the actual process of purchasing a property?
The place you are in now, are you going to hang on to that or
(pause) what’s your current situation?
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
25/184
15
‘JUST LISTED’ note
Rare opportunity to move into a well sought after street. This home, on
offer for the very first time, boasts 3 large bedrooms, main with ensuite
and a large yard for the kids to run around in. With a double remote-
controlled garage, you can be assured that there is plenty of storage.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Be the first to inspect. Call
Complete Real Estate Now! 1300 367 412.
‘JUST SOLD’ note
We have been successful in marketing another property in your street!
This sale generated many enquiries and a number of people are still
interested in finding a home nearby. So if you’re considering selling,
now is a great time to do it.
For a complimentary market appraisal on your property, please contact
Lee Woodward on 1300 367 412.
Just listed
Lee: Good morning, is that Mrs Pym?
Mrs Pym: It is.
Lee: My name is Lee Woodward from Complete Real Estate.
The purpose of my call is just to inform you, before you see
any signboard go up, that number 15 in your street is going
to be for sale.
Mrs Pym: Is it really?
Lee: It certainly is and it’s going to hit the market in about a
week’s time. We’re just finishing all the preparation at this
point and I was just wondering – do you know of anyone
who could be interested in moving into the area or do you
have any plans on moving yourself?
Mrs Pym: Not at the moment, but I’m keen to know what it’s going
on the market for.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
26/184
16
Lee: Well, the pricing will be released next week but I can tell
you a little bit about it. Do you know the home at all?
Mrs Pym: I know that it’s got four bedrooms and they have a pool but
that’s about all I know.
Lee: Four bedrooms, in-ground pool, double garage,tremendous rumpus room area and they’ve upgraded the
bathrooms and the kitchen.
Mrs Pym: Uh huh.
Lee: So it’s a very good offering and will come onto the market
next week.
Mrs Pym: Okay. Well, I would be very interested to see what it’s on
for.
Lee: How long have you lived in the area?
Mrs Pym: Oh, I’ve lived here for ten years.
Lee: Ten years, and where were you before here?
Mrs Pym: In Sydney.
Lee: It’s a good spot up here, isn’t it?
Mrs Pym: It is, love the Central Coast.
Lee: And a question I love to ask everyone I speak with is, if
you weren’t living where you are now and you could live
anywhere, where would you go?
Mrs Pym: I wouldn’t leave the coast actually but maybe something
closer to the water.
Lee: And if you went for something closer to the water what sort
of home would you look for?
Mrs Pym: Something that I could walk to the beach from definitely.
Lee: Well, if you were considering it, there are quite a few of
those available at the moment.
Mrs Pym: No, I would never be able to afford a place you can walk to
the beach from!
Lee: How much do you think they are?
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
27/184
17
Mrs Pym: Well, I haven’t really paid too much attention to be honest
but I guess the market has come down a fair bit. So maybe
… but I would have thought, you know, 8 to 900,000.
Lee: There are some at that level, Mrs Pym, but there are also
some starting at 695. Would it be okay if I forward you our
property magazine, just to keep you in the loop of what’s
out there?
Mrs Pym: Yeah sure, I’d be interested to have a look but I’m not
looking at selling at the moment.
Lee: No troubles at all. And we’d love to get our magazine to
you. You may know of someone who wants to look at
some of our properties. And when you see number 15
come up, it would be great to see you at the open forinspection.
Mrs Pym: Okay, thank you.
Lee: Mrs Pym, thank you for your time today.
Mrs Pym: Thank you, bye.
The main thing I want you to observe from the previous conversation is that I
wasn’t pushy in any way. Mrs Pym would have come away from that conversationthinking what a nice change it was to be given some useful information from a
real estate professional, without him trying to get his foot in the front door. This
is what I call adding value and establishing rapport. The next time I speak with
this woman, she will remember this fact and will therefore be more likely to be
receptive towards me. Let’s take a look.
Just sold
Lee: Good afternoon, is that Mrs Pym?
Mrs Pym: It is.
Lee: Mrs Pym, it’s Lee Woodward from Complete Real Estate.
We spoke on the 2nd of February when I rung through
to let you know that 15 High Street was coming onto the
market for sale.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
28/184
18
Mrs Pym: Yes, I remember that.
Lee: Excellent. Did you receive the property magazine I sent
you?
Mrs Pym: I did thank you. And you were right, the prices have come
down quite a bit near the beach.Lee: They sure have. Now, the main reason for calling today is
to let you know that number 15 has actually been sold.
Mrs Pym: Okay, what did it sell for?
Lee: The property sale price was $485,000.
Mrs Pym: That was pretty close to the mark then.
Lee: The response we had was tremendous and people lovedthe street, the suburbs, the schools. There were a couple
of people that really could have taken it and for the owners
the timing was perfect because they had their eye on
something else. How would your home compare to that
one?
Mrs Pym: Oh, I think, my home is a little bit superior to that one
actually.
Lee: Have you had any plans on moving yourself?
Mrs Pym: I think about it from time to time. Maybe if the right thing
came up.
Lee: You mentioned in our last conversation that you would like
to live within walking distance to the beach?
Mrs Pym: Yes that’s always been a dream of mine.
Lee: It’s certainly a good property goal.
Mrs Pym: I think so.
Lee: And have you had the opportunity to go and see some of
those properties?
Mrs Pym: Oh no, I haven’t … I just look on the Internet from time to
time, and it was interesting to flick through that magazine
you sent me.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
29/184
19
Lee: We have a few properties near the beach and not all of
them reach the magazines or the Internet. Would you be
open to having a look at a few of those?
Mrs Pym: Yeah, I guess I would be. I hadn’t really thought about it like
that before. I always assumed that you’ve got to sell your
home first and then look for something.
Lee: Financially that can be the case. However for most people
that I help move, they do like to feel comfortable that
there’s something out there worthwhile moving to and I’m
more than happy to spend some time with you looking at
your possible destination property. Now, I haven’t seen
your own home from the inside, but it looks great from the
outside, and I’m sure it would sell well in the marketplacewe’re in.
Mrs Pym: Okay. That does sound good.
Lee: How would Thursday afternoon be to have a look at just
one or two properties?
Mrs Pym: Yeah, I could fit that in.
Once again, I was not pushy in any way. I could have leapt at the opportunity toappraise her property there and then but opted for the softly, softly approach with
Mrs Pym. In taking this approach you are far more likely to be invited to conduct
an appraisal rather than having to ask for this privilege. It’s about establishing a
positive relationship that will extend beyond this first opportunity. This is what
powerful prospecting is all about.
Weekly Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) calls
Good morning, it’s Lee Woodward calling from Complete Real Estate,
how are you? (response)
I just wanted to let you know I am dropping some information off
to most of your neighbours tomorrow. Is it OK if I leave the same
information at your doorstep too? It has nothing to do with selling your
home: it’s just some information about your neighbourhood that you
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
30/184
20
might find interesting. Is it OK if I leave it at your door like everyone
else? (response)
Thank you, bye.
Following your series of targeted phone calls, you would hand-deliver the reports
as promised and set yourself an action plan to follow up the prospect in 6 months.
Open house call backs (standard)
Hi Mrs Smith, it’s Lee from Complete Real Estate, we met at number
5 High Street in Sydney on the weekend – the 3 bedroom home on a
large block. I just wanted to give you a quick call to see if you had any
further interest in the home. (response)Is there a price you would pay?
Would you like me to keep you informed of other homes we have
coming up in the area?
In case I need to send you a brochure on a suitable home, where
should I send it?
That’s a good spot, are you going to hang on to that one, or … .?
I can’t do it today, but at some stage I’d like to offer you my opinion on
the current market value to ensure you are budgeting on the right sale
amount, would that be ok?
As you can see, a prospective buyer can also be your greatest prospective vendor
as the majority of buyers have a property they need to sell in order to move.
Buyers today are savvy operators in that they do their research. Many buyers start
looking before they have listed their own home for sale so that they can gauge how
much they need to make on the sale of their home. These are solid prospects andyou should take advantage of every single opportunity to connect with them. The
open for inspection call back is a classic example of this.
The open for inspection call back
The role-play you are about to read is conducted between myself and industry
legend, Mr James Tostevin.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
31/184
21
With over 22 years of experience in the industry, James Tostevin epitomises the
term ‘elite performer’.
James is without a doubt best known for his prospecting skills, a fact which has
seen him earn the title of ‘prospecting machine’. Anyone can prospect for a day,
a week or even 6 months, but to do it with longevity takes incredible dedication,
focus and tenacity and James has those traits in abundance. James himself admits,
“I would say that I prospect more than any other agent in Australia”. In fact, James
blocks out 2-5 hours at a time at least three times every week, to sit at a desk
with nothing more than a prioritised call sheet, a pen and a headset, in order to
generate business like there’s no tomorrow. So focused is he on the task at hand,
that his desk is computer-free, ensuring he is not disturbed by incoming emails
and his door contains the sign ‘Propecting in Progress’, ensuring all staff are
aware he is not to be interrupted. In this way, James makes contact with 200-300
clients each and every week, resulting in numerous listing opportunities. In fact,
it is no coincidence that James consistently works with up to 40 vendors at any
given time.
James’ efforts have been rewarded by the phenomenal results he has achieved over
the years, including the writing of $350,000 in fees in just one day! He is equally
rewarded by achieving great job satisfaction and freely admits, “I love coming to
work … I don’t find it (prospecting) a chore as it has made such a phenomenal
difference to my business.”
Featured on the Real Estate Hot Topics audio program (Series 7), this is prospect-
ing at its very best.
The following role-play sees me playing the part of the buyer.
James: Lee, it’s James Tostevin speaking from Complete Real
Estate. Have you got a brief moment to talk?
Lee: I do.James: Now, I met you on Saturday at a property in Surrey Hills.
It was in Kingston Road. You may recall it was probably
one of a number that you went through on the weekend
but it was 30 Kingston Road and this is just a courtesy call
regarding that inspection. You indicated some interest on
Saturday and I just wanted to see if it was still of interest to
you.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
32/184
22
Lee: Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. What do you think it’s going to go
for?
James: Well, as you know it was the second open for inspection
for the property and you will recall that at the time we
were talking around the one million dollar mark, possibly
$1,050,000. It now seems that the interest is firming up a
little bit in that sort of $1,050,000, possibly closer to 1.1
and that’s something I’m more than happy to keep you
informed about as we work through the campaign. I guess,
the first thing I was keen to establish is if the property is still
of interest to you.
Lee: Yeah, it’s up there. It’s not too bad.
James: OK Lee, and I’d also like to confirm with you that if wewere to get an offer prior to auction – there’s one buyer in
particular that’s been talking about doing that – would you
like us to make contact with you?
Lee: Definitely.
James: And, Lee, if the interest from this particular buyer I’m
referring to, or from other buyers for that matter, was
around that 1.1 mark or, even a little over 1.1, would you stilllike us to make contact with you?
Lee: It’s on the higher side of what I think it’s worth, but keep
me informed all the same.
James: Okay. We’re certainly happy to keep you informed. I’m just
trying to develop some sense of your depth of interest,
Lee. Come auction day, I don’t want you to come with an
expectation that you may buy the home for around a millionor a little more because, as I said, the interest is firming up
at higher than that. Having said that though, it’s something
I’m more than happy to keep you informed about as we
work through the second half of the campaign. It should
become a little bit more apparent as we get closer to
auction day.
Lee: Okay.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
33/184
23
James: Lee, as a matter of interest, how long have you actually
been searching for a home?
Lee: About nine months.
James: About nine months. And within that timeframe, have you
been interested or bid on many properties?Lee: Yeah, there’s one that I saw there in Hawthorne. We put in
an offer but were way below the mark.
James: Okay. And was that a similar sort of price bracket or … ?
Lee: It was.
James: Well, Lee, I’m certainly happy to keep you posted. We’ve
had some fantastic interest in the property, which is
something you’d expect for a property of this calibre.
There’s not many like it that come up in that type of
location and it’s something, as I said, I’m more than happy
to keep you informed about. Lee, in your endeavours to
find something, I take it that you’re keen to buy first before
you do anything with your own property? Have you sold
where you are or … ?
Lee: No, I plan to sell my place at some stage. I just didn’t reallywant to do anything until I felt confident that there was
something out there for me to go to.
James: Okay. And have you had any recent or ongoing contact
with someone from Complete Real Estate, Lee? Has there
been someone that’s sort of kept in touch with you over a
period of time?
Lee: No, I don’t believe so.
James: Okay. And in saying that, have you had a recent assessment
of value, a recent appraisal on your own home? Would that
be beneficial? I’d be more than happy to pop in at some
stage of this week or next if that would be helpful.
Lee: No, I appreciate that but some guys have been out from a
couple of the other companies and I’m pretty sure I know
where I stand.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
34/184
24
James: Okay. And with the two opinions that you’ve had, Lee, was
there some consistency between them? A lot of people
refer to one being higher than the other. I just wondered
if there’d been some consistency there between the two
figures.
Lee: I thought they were a bit on the low side, and there was
around 150 grand between them.
James: That’s a fair gap. The market, as I’m sure you’ve observed,
has changed quite dramatically in the last three to six
months, let alone the last twelve months. So when you say
recent, do you mean in the last three to six months, Lee,
that you’ve had those opinions?
Lee: It was actually only two weeks ago.
James: Was it? Okay. Well, $150,000 is certainly a fair gap. I’d be
more than happy to pop in at some stage in the next week
or two, to help confirm which is the more accurate of the
two opinions you’ve had. I may well have, of course, my
own view, which could be above or in the middle of those
ranges. It’s something I’d love to do if that’s possible at
some stage in the very near future.
Lee: Yeah, I’ll need to pick someone. What do you guys charge?
James: Well, that’s something I’d normally talk to you about face-
to-face, Lee. Would there be a time this week or even early
next week that would suit you to catch up?
Lee: Well, if you charge more than the others though I don’t
think I’d need to get you in.
James: I think what we’d encourage you to look at closely is that
there are a number of things that are important when it
comes to appointing a real estate agent. You’ve probably
noticed that Complete Real Estate’s profile has grown
very substantially in the last six to twelve months. Our
emergence in the city of Boroondara has been significant
in comparison to a number of our competitors and a lot
of prospective clients have commented on that. So we’d
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
35/184
25
encourage you to look at a number of things. Cost is part
of it but there are so many other things an agent – the right
agent – will offer you and that’s, again, something that we
can discuss when we’re able to catch up face-to-face.
Lee: Okay. Well, how long does it take?
James: It depends how many questions you have, Lee. It can
take as little as 20 minutes, half an hour or it could take
45 minutes to an hour. I’d certainly like to talk you through
the process of how Complete Real Estate would represent
you, given the opportunity. I’d also like to talk to you about
timing and marketing and some of the costs involved with
selling but, most importantly, why we’ve been appointed
to sell so many homes in the last six to 12 months overour competitors and why our market share has grown so
substantially in a relatively short period of time.
Lee: Well, I finish work early on a Thursday.
James: That’d be great. Somewhere around the 5.30 or 6 o’clock
mark would suit ideally. Would somewhere around that sort
of time suit you, Lee?
Lee: James, that sounds good.
James: Terrific. Well, let’s say if we set it for around 6. I’m coming
from another appointment, so I’ll probably be there around
6 to 6:15 if that’s okay. I look forward to seeing you then. If I
could just confirm your address …
As you can see from the role-play between James and myself, James smoothly and
skilfully manoeuvers the conversation with the prospective buyer to the topic ofselling his home. In this way, he has successfully transformed this prospective
buyer into a potential seller as well.
Real Estate Hot Topics has also featured the very talented Mr Danny Grant.
Despite being the youngest selling agent in his area and competing with agents
who have been selling there for more than twice the time he has, Danny holds the
suburb’s highest market share, has the lowest clearance rate at just 29 days and has
achieved a yearly auction clearance rate above 90% for 3 years running.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
36/184
26
All this despite commanding a commission rate of nearly double the amount
his competitors charge. Over the years Danny has had the opportunity to work
closely with me to improve his systems, sales skills and scripts and dialogues. As
a result, he has become a master at delivering great natural scripts for prospecting.
Let’s take a look at a few.
Passive database calls
Hi Mrs Smith, it’s Danny Grant from Complete Real Estate, how are
you? We have spoken about the market in the past and I’ve been
sending you market updates every few months. The purpose for my
call today is to make sure you are still happy to keep getting them …
Have you given any thoughts on making a move in the near future? Ifthere is anything you need, feel free to give me a call.
Hot prospects
Hi Mrs Smith, it’s Danny from Complete Real Estate, how is your
property search going? I noticed that there is a house in Stanley St for
sale, have you seen that one yet? There was also a house that’s just
sold in Bent St that is comparable to yours. I thought you might beinterested to hear we just sold it for $700,000.
Fee objection
Mr and Mrs Roberts – In this area, agents charge according to the
outcomes they achieve in the marketplace. The worse they are doing,
the cheaper the fee. Is it important to you to select the cheapest agentor the most capable? Agents in this marketplace know what I charge;
yet they choose not to match my fee. To match my fee they would
have to match my service and marketing. Given they can’t do that, they
have to position their fee lower than ours to get your business. On the
other hand, I could reduce my level of service and maybe not call every
buyer back, but I don’t want to do that. I want to maximise my service
and therefore maximise your sale price. Is that ok?
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
37/184
27
You all offer the same thing!
That is a good point but let me just explain the difference. If you were
to get building quotes on your home, you would receive varied prices.
There could even be a difference of $50,000 in the quotes. You may
think that given all the builders are using the same quality of materialsthat you should go with the cheapest. However, it’s the way those
materials are put together. It would be no use hiring a builder that
puts your gutters on crooked or doesn’t render properly and it all falls
apart 10 year’s later. It’s how the sale is put together that makes the
difference in real estate.
Calls to former prospective purchasers
It is not uncommon for people to enter the marketplace just to get an idea what
they could potentially buy before they even consider putting their own home on
the market. Sometimes during the process of looking, they either lose interest or
can’t find a way to raise sufficient funds for what they are after. It is at this time
that many will put their idea of moving into the ‘too hard basket’, at least for
the time being. As time ticks away however, the reason for their desire to move
usually remains. Therefore it is a good idea to keep in touch with these people,even if they were looking months ago.
Here is an example of this type of prospecting scenario.
Hello, is that Mrs Wills? My name is Lee from Complete Real Estate.
You called our office some time ago about purchasing a property. I am
looking after your file now and was wondering if you are still interested
in moving.
By calling and offering them service, you have the potential to reignite the spark
that first put the idea of moving into a person’s mind. With contact and rapport
re-established, you can offer to give that person a neutral opinion on price, bring
them to the marketplace and facilitate their move. This role is perceived as being
that of a consultant, rather than an agent.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
38/184
28
Anniversary calls
The anniversary call is a classic that should be on everyone’s prospecting menu
because the vast majority of people move a number of times in their lifetime.
To contact your past buyers on an annual basis at the time of the anniversary
of their home purchase is a great way to add that personal touch and maintain
a connection with them. On one of those occasions, you may just strike a time
when they are thinking of moving on.
Lee: Hi Mrs Wills, it’s Lee Woodward from Complete Real
Estate. How are you?
Mrs Wills: Fine thanks.
Lee: The purpose of my call is to let you know that it is 7 yearsago today that you purchased your home there in Penning
Street.
Mrs Wills: It’s not!
Lee: It is, and how time flies. And I am so glad you bought when
you did because the area has risen in price considerably so
you made a great decision to buy when you did.
Mrs Wills: What would it be worth now?
Lee: A lot more than you paid for it. Would you like me to pop in
on my travels?
Mrs Wills: That would be great.
The issue of well-constructed letters is also a great idea as part of your prospecting
plan. The four letters that follow are good ones to use.
The 21 steps to selling privately
Some people assume that there is nothing to selling a home privately
and decide to take it on themselves in order to save the money they
would need to pay a real estate agency for their services. However
most people underestimate the cost, time and energy involved and do
not realise that the majority of private sellers fail to achieve the result
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
39/184
29
they were hoping for due to a lack of marketing, exposure, skills and
knowledge.
This letter is designed to inform you about just what is involved in
selling a home privately. Please review the following steps carefully
before deciding between selling your home privately or seeking the
assistance of our experienced team of real estate professionals at
Complete Real Estate.
The 21 steps to selling privately
Step 1
Carefully research information regarding the price and terms of sales in
today’s real estate market. Investigate recent sale prices of propertiessimilar to yours in your immediate area. Know lot size, current tax
information and relevant property disclosure laws. Then establish a
realistic price for your property based on that information.
Step 2
Know current lending institution guidelines and borrowing criteria to
determine financing alternatives for your prospective buyers.
Step 3
Conduct your own mini walk-through inspection, taking note of all the
items that need repair or improvement.
Your check may include:
Paint finishes
Windows and window-dressings
Gardens
Plumbing and all appliances
All sealants
Roofing and guttering.
Be careful not to over-capitalise. Only do jobs that will enhance the
price and saleability of your property.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
40/184
30
Step 4
Make all necessary repairs and improvements before you begin to
advertise your property.
Step 5
Determine if your property is susceptible to termite attack and organisea pest report and/or treatment. Be prepared.
Step 6
Be aware of any relevant council zoning or building infringements and
either rectify the fault or obtain the appropriate certificates from council.
Step 7
Be available at all times so that you can walk through the property withprospective buyers to answer their questions and offer information
about local schools, parks, transportation, shopping centres and
churches etc.
Step 8
Establish a marketing budget.
Step 9
Determine which newspapers will best advertise your property. Call
them for rates and deadlines and negotiate the best deal.
Step 10
As you don’t have access to an existing database of buyers, you
will be more dependent on advertising. Prepare a professional,
attention-grabbing advertisement that will attract the right buyers to
your property. Place your advertisement in the newspaper and any
homebuyer magazines that are effective in your area.
Step 11
Prepare a plan to reach local buyers plus those out of town buyers who
account for a large portion of today’s home purchasers.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
41/184
31
Step 12
Purchase an eye-catching and weatherproof sign and install it at the
front of your property.
Step 13
Prepare a ‘features and benefits’ fact sheet, outlining specific features
of your home and corresponding benefits to prospective purchasers.
Also, prepare a list of inclusions that will stay with the property and any
other items that may stay by negotiation.
Step 14
Learn how to separate the ‘lookers’ from qualified buyers. Ask for
names and phone numbers and be sure to follow-up with telephonecalls.
Step 15
Schedule and conduct inspections with qualified buyers only. Ensure
they are really looking to buy a home and do not have a ‘hidden agenda’.
Step 16
Be prepared to negotiate with the buyer(s) as though you are an
impartial third party. Remain calm and refrain from any emotional
outbursts that might jeopardise your sale price.
Step 17
Obtain all forms necessary for the legal sale of real property such
as a Contract for the Sale of Land and ensure it includes relevant
documents and a current:
Zoning certificate
Drainage diagram
Certificate of title
Section 66W certificate (if required)
Survey report (if required)
Building certificate (if required).
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
42/184
32
Step 18
Determine the type(s) of financing or contractual terms that you are
willing to consider such as:
Vendor finance
Option sale Extended settlement
Sale subject to council approval, building certificate or lease back
Access under licence agreement.
Step 19
Negotiate with the buyer(s) all final terms of the sale including price,
financing, inspections, date of closing, date of possession andother pertinent considerations. Have a solicitor review contracts if
appropriate.
Step 20
Plan a final walk-through with the buyer(s) just before the settlement
process is complete in order to resolve any potential dispute. Have a
witness present.
Step 21
While you are marketing your current property, locate and negotiate to
purchase your next home. Attempt to schedule both transactions so
that they close simultaneously. In this way, you and the buyer are able
to move at the same time.
Yours faithfully
Lee Woodward
Complete Real Estate
Complimentary appraisal offer
Knowing the value of your most valuable asset – your home – is vital.
For planning and financial management, your knowledge of value is
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
43/184
33
your basis for creating further financial wealth and freedom. Decisions
made with anything less than the facts can lead you to make choices
that may not be in your best interest.
At Complete Real Estate, we can provide you with the facts, and
demonstrate to you the equity that is available in your property so that
you can make all the right choices.
We are happy to offer you this complimentary service, which will
provide you with:
1. The facts on property sales in your area
2. A report on properties currently for sale in your area
3. The facts on the current state of the property market.
The reason we offer you this free service is simply because the better
we know the people and properties in our area, the better service
we can provide to you. It makes good business sense. You win by
gaining a better understanding of the facts, and we win by knowing
more people and properties in our area.
This service is offered to you totally obligation free!
If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please give me a call on 0411
111 111.
I look forward to speaking with you.
Yours faithfully
Lee Woodward
Complete Real Estate
Record sale price letter
Dear Householder,
The residential property values in the Davistown area have changed
forever due to a record-breaking sale by Complete Real Estate. The
home at 2 Davis Avenue, Davistown has just been sold for well over a
million dollars. This new benchmark price has altered property values
and personal wealth for all Davistown home owners.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
44/184
34
The reason for this is that bank valuations or real estate assessments
are governed by surrounding sale prices. Until now, the highest
property values have been achieved by local agents, ranging between
the 800 to 900 thousand, leaving Davistown with a limited selling point
or maximum price capacity.
Complete Real Estate has lifted the benchmark for Davistown. This
great result is the outcome of a national-based marketing campaign
that utilised quality media releases and the unique Complete Real
Estate marketing advantage. DVD and video presentations were
distributed free of charge to all interested parties all over Australia. This
unique movie presentation format is placing Davistown on the map, as
many people have been unaware of this fantastic coastal location.
Over the next two weeks we would like to offer you the opportunityto re-assess your property value. Simply call Complete Real Estate to
make an obligation free appointment.
We thank you for taking the time to read this information and look
forward to the possibility of meeting you and discussing all your real
estate needs.
Kind regards
Lee Woodward
Complete Real Estate
The price drive letter
Dear Householder,
Property values on the North Coast and particularly around Manly haverisen dramatically.
Residents we have spoken to are most interested to know the current
value of their property as this allows them to pursue other financial
initiatives or to ensure that their home is adequately insured.
To assist our local residents we are conducting an exciting new initiative.
Over the next 3 months we will be offering our opinion on the value of
every home in the area.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
45/184
35
Each appraisal will only take approximately 10 minutes, as we hope to
complete one street per day.
What you will receive:
Letter of appraisal value for your home
Detailed area market analysis for properties sold over the past 6
months.
How do you participate?
Call Lee or Robyn at Complete Real Estate on 9436 8180.
When is your street being appraised?
Emora Ave and Mirreen Ave have been scheduled for Tuesday, 7th and Thursday, 9th July, 2009.
Strict confidentiality will be adhered to for each property.
We look forward to your participation and to meeting you.
Kind regards
Lee Woodward
Complete Real Estate
This letter is beautifully followed up with the following phone call.
Price drive follow-up
Hi, is that Mrs Smith? Mrs Smith this is Lee from Complete Real Estate,
how are you? Mrs Smith I’m just giving you a quick call about a letter
we sent you this week labeled the Manly price drive. Did you receive it?
We have now completed a report and I thought you might be open to
receiving a complimentary copy.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
46/184
36
Expired listings
It pays to keep up-to-date with properties that are on the market with your
competitors as once the term with the rival agency expires and the property has
not sold, the client is left disappointed, perhaps disgruntled with the agency they
were with, and at a loss as to what to do next. This is an opportune time for you
to make contact.
Lee: Is that Mr Smith? It’s Lee Woodward from Complete Real
Estate. How are you?
Mr Smith: Good thanks.
Lee: I have been watching your home in the marketplace now
for some time and was wanting to know if it actually sold.
Mr Smith: No it didn’t and so we’re not moving now.
Lee: I see, but let’s say you were able to get the price you were
after, would you still want to move?
Mr Smith: Possibly.
Lee: Mr Smith, I’ve only seen it your home from the outside and
it certainly looks like the quality of home that our buyers
are looking for. Would it be possible for me to have a quick
look through to see if I can be of help?
Service area calls
This is another example of how you can start up a connection with someone
who is selling through one of your competitors. As I have said before in this
prospecting chapter, it is frequency of contact that builds trust. After all, you
never know what the future may hold for this person and making contact withoutinf licting any pressure is a surefire way to ensure you will be remembered as a
professional, rather than just another salesperson.
Hi, is that Mrs Smith? It’s Lee from Complete Real Estate. How are you?
Mrs Smith, I noticed that you are selling your home and I was
wondering if you are looking to buy in the area as I might just have
something that could suit you. (response) Would you mind if I stayed in
touch and kept you updated on others I have that come up?
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
47/184
37
The all-in-one door knocking role-play with brochure
Just the idea of door knocking sends a shiver down the spine of many salespeople.
To many it conjures up images of the old-fashioned door-to-door encyclopedia or
vacuum cleaner salesmen, who were instructed to literally put a foot in the door
to prevent it from being shut in their faces.
The following technique offers you a method that is seen to add value because
there is no direct attempt at a sales pitch.
Knock on the door
Sam: Hello?
Lee: Hi, how are you going?
Sam: Good thanks. Can I help you?
Lee: My name is Lee Woodward from Complete Real Estate. I
am just letting everyone know that number 16 in the street
has just been listed for sale and as one of the residents I’d
like to provide you with some information on the property.
Here’s the feature brochure for you.
Sam: OK, thanks.Lee: Are you familiar with the property?
Sam: Only from the outside.
Lee: Well it’s a four bedroom, two-storey home with an in-
ground swimming pool and plenty of car accommodation
and it’s being offered on the marketplace this weekend at
12:15 to 1 o’clock. Would you like to come along and have
a look?Sam: Yeah I might come and have a look.
Lee: Fantastic – and would that be because you’ve had some
thoughts on moving?
Sam: Yeah sometimes, we talk about it.
Lee: And if you had the opportunity to move, where would you
go?
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
48/184
38
Sam: Well we’d keep our eye out in the area.
Lee: OK, so you’d like to stay local?
Sam: I think so.
Lee: And what would you like to achieve in your new property
that you may not already have here?
Sam: Well, I love this place; it’s just getting a little small.
Lee: Do you mind me asking, do you have any children?
Sam: Yeah, I’ve got two.
Lee: And their ages?
Sam: Eighteen and twelve.
Lee: OK. So maybe an extra living area or rumpus room/
teenager’s retreat would work for you?
Sam: Yeah, or a place for me to get away.
Lee: I understand – and can I ask you your name?
Sam: It’s Sam.
Lee: Well Sam, I have a few properties that would meet those
requirements. Would you be open to having a look around?
Sam: Yeah, I’d look around.
Lee: OK, well I’ll put a selection of properties together that I
think would suit and I’ll give you a call back with the first
address of where we can meet. Would that be OK?
Sam: Yeah, that would be fine.
Lee: Sam what’s the best number I can call you on?
Sam: I’ll give you my mobile – 0414 111 111.
Lee: Would you like me to SMS the address through to you?
Sam: That would be great.
Lee: I’ll do that for you – and how would 2:15 tomorrow work for
you?
Sam: That’s fine.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
49/184
39
Lee: I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow and at some stage
in the future I’d love to give you a neutral opinion on price
for this property.
Sam: Sounds good.
Lee: Thanks for your time Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Notice how I casually opened up the possibility of a listing appointment but I
specifically didn’t push the issue any further.
Activity plans
All the initial prospecting in the world will evaporate to nothing if you do not
have a solid follow-up system of automated, predetermined activities. This is thebiggest mistake I have seen people make when it comes to prospecting. The agent
does all the hard work, making hundreds of calls to find potential sellers, yet
has no active database that will allow them to attach an action plan. The client-
based action plan builds a relationship that leads to a listing and/or sale. Face-to-
face contact needs to be achieved on at least two occasions. A realistic time-line
for nurturing client relationships needs to be set and then implemented to its
predetermined finality.
Summary
Real estate is about people and property. Each day we need to communicate with
a solid volume of our target audience if we are to find the dormant opportunities
that are out there. Prospecting is about quality, multiple, staged contact points that
build relationships and provide value by educating people about the marketplace.
Great software (like Complete Data) is needed to manage this process as it allowsus to capture all detailed information about the people and property we come
into contact with; information that can then be recalled on demand and sorted
into precincts, becoming the centre of our contact targeted marketing. Of course,
it is not possible for a human being to remember every detail about thousands
of prospects, so that’s why having a database of detail and depth is your business
super fund.
We now understand that prospecting is the practice of creatively searching for
new business. Do it with consistency and professionalism, and it will keep you in
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
50/184
40
the industry. Many agents do not operate to a plan or understand the amount of
phone calls required and letters to send each day. For your knowledge, all agents
should be completing a minimum of 35 scheduled tasks a day, where a scheduled
task is determined as one to which you assign an action, for instance to call back
on a particular date.
Let’s say you meet a prospect today and they say, “I am not moving for a few
months, however, keep in contact with me.” You would attach an action plan (a
trail) to their contact record in your chosen database, which on specific dates in
the future, will prompt you to send a letter, email, SMS or make a phone call. This
frequency of contact builds trust and can provide value when you send property
brochures, open for inspection emails and just sold information.
An important feature of your chosen software is its ability to produce your own
custom comparable market analysis, which is a detailed document of all yourwork in the area. Your database system needs to have the capability to collect and
store all property photos, pricing and timings of the market and then have the
ability to be collated into a smart looking report within just a few mouse clicks.
This interesting, continuous marketplace study is of great value and will become
your ‘marketing sticky’, which you will recall is a reason why people stick with
you. By giving your prospects great reports as a gift every six months, they learn
new information from each contact and will remember you if and when it comes
time for them to sell.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
51/184
41
Listing
Winning the business – listing
The listing presentation is where the doorway to making a sale is opened for you.
The meeting where the vendor decides to engage your services is the foundation
for your relationship, therefore it is vital you ensure that everything you have
promised is in place, ready to be activated just as you described.
This chapter of the book focuses on the listing presentation itself and provides
you with the confirmation letter to hand-deliver to the client prior to the meeting
as well as the suggested things to say and how to say them during this most
important meeting. This includes how to ask for the order, scripts for overcoming
objections and great final closes.
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
52/184
42
Listings – how to secure them
Winning listings takes confidence in and enthusiasm for your listing system. To
establish yourself today with a real point of difference requires a presentation
that focuses on the process rather than the promise. This means we need a
presentation framework that uses opening comments, closing questions andquality visual aids to create a road map that owners can follow. Pre-selected
dialogue is then utilised to strategically focus on asking for the listing. As a real
estate training company to many agencies nationwide, we have the opportunity
to view all types of listing presentations. In this chapter we will break down the
entire listing communication process into three main areas:
1. Preparation
2. Agent proposition
3. Beginnings
This will bring clarity to the crescendo of information you need to know in order
to win an owner’s business.
Successful listing presentations are founded upon solid communication –
communication that cuts to the chase of the key information that the owner really
needs to know in order to make the decision to move forward with your strategy
and with you as their agent.
Your objective is to connect with your audience by achieving simplicity with
fewer, clearer messages. You need to stop presenting to them and start professional
chatting with them instead, staying relaxed and being yourself while delivering
clear and concise dialogues interspersed with brilliant questions designed to cut
to the chase.
Behind the visuals and words of any great presenter are many repetitive hours of
effort that bring the whole presentation into a space that I refer to as ‘moments’.
A moment is when you deliver one of your best points; a point that you believein so much that your audience goes silent as they realise just how good you are.
You need to develop your short, effective chats – what I refer to as ‘power hooks’ –
until you are so comfortable with them that they sound completely natural. With
this achieved, your potential vendors will see your value and will begin to believe
that they are better off with you than without you. Your aim is to have the owners
believe that there is no comparison between you and your competition. With this
achieved, your fee will be looked upon as an investment as opposed to a cost, a
fact highlighted in the delivery of one of my favourite dialogues:
8/18/2019 What to Say What to Send
53/184
43
“You don’t actually pay us, Mrs. Jones. Our performance fee comes off the sale price
at the end, so we are actually part of your profit, not one of your expenses. And if
we don’t sell the property for a price that is acceptable to you, we get paid nothing
f