Many agents struggle with how to approach a listing conversation. Asking too soon seems pushy, but wait too long, and you chicken out. 

A POWER AGENT® asked recently what she could send to a potential client before the listing appointment to “prime” them up for the visit, or if leaving something with them when she left was a better idea. Her confusion was due to a difference in methodology: here in the POWER Program®, we suggest putting all your things on the kitchen table when you do the walk-through of the home so that afterward, sitting down at the table is a natural progression in the conversation. However, this agent was trained to sit down and do the presentation first, and then take everything with her when she left so that any agents interviewed after wouldn’t get a peak at her “game plan.” She was determined to grow her business and looked to us for some answers. 

Pre-Appointment Goodies 

There are a couple of great options to begin establishing your value even before you walk through the door. A Look Book (sometimes called a Brag Book) is information about you that validates your expertise and skill. This can be emailed beforehand and can even include a short video clip of you introducing yourself. This gives them a sense of who you are and what you’re like in person. You can also send them a link to your website version of a Look Book and say, “I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at 2 o’clock. If you wouldn’t mind doing me a favor by going to my website, you’re going to see information about me and my company, along with some great stuff that we put together for you.” 

Let’s Go on A Date 

Now, here’s something to note: I wouldn’t suggest sending this pre-appointment Look Book to a FSBO, however, as the approach we teach in the POWER Program® is more about getting an invitation to see their home in case you have a buyer. Many FSBOs won’t let you in the door if you send a Look Book talking about a listing conversation, so getting a conversation with them needs to be tailored around the idea of having buyers, which you very well might have. While you’re there, however, you then offer to help them sell their home because, as we know, homeowners net considerably more money when listing with an agent, and you are the expert in marketing homes to find the perfect buyer. 

Imagine, if you will, that you are going on a date with this person for the first time. You (probably) wouldn’t fly to Paris for a week (or maybe you would!), but you start out small, like going for coffee, or lunch, and over time, you work up to bigger dates, like a weekend away. 

It’s the same with the For-Sale-By-Owner. You don’t start by coming on too strong by sending them listing information or a Look Book to show your expertise in selling homes. For people who already aren’t interested in working with an agent, this date will be over before it even starts! They need to be wooed, and as you build rapport and trust and show your value, they will become interested in building on that relationship.  

Leaving Something with the Homeowner  

The other concern our POWER AGENT® brought up was about leaving something behind for the seller after the appointment, believing somehow that her competition would “steal her ideas.” Here’s the thing: no agent is going to have such a photographic memory that they would be able to memorize any of the information on what you leave behind, and no homeowner is going to say, “Oh, would you like a copy of this other agent’s flyer?” The odds are that any other agent that comes over probably isn’t even going to see anything you leave with the seller, so that shouldn’t be the reason you don’t leave anything.  

That being said, let’s address the question at hand: “Should I leave something after the appointment?” I’m going to answer this carefully, as there are a few other things to consider. If you do everything humanly possible and you don’t get the listing, then yes, you should leave something behind for the homeowner. However, I only say this to those who are strong agents. What does “strong agent” mean? Well, this is where we get into more psychological territory. 

Being a Strong Agent  

A strong agent is a real estate agent who is really great at the listing conversation. They are experts in handling objections, and they are the agents who do everything in their power to get that listing, and only upon failing that, they will leave something with the seller.   

Now, I’m going to hit you with some hard truth. There are a lot of agents that haven’t yet reached that point of strength in their listing conversations, and if  I were to say, “Sure, go ahead and leave something,” your listing appointment would stop being about getting that listing, and it will become focused on leaving something behind. Knowing that you have this Plan B sucks the urgency out of the conversation, and it becomes your way out of asking for the listing because you know you can just leave something behind instead and not face that rejection.  

Said simply: You are no longer committed to helping the homeowner by listing their home; you are committed to leaving something for them to read.  

A strong agent asks for that listing, not just once, but until they are on the verge of being thrown out of the house or losing that relationship. A strong agent goes to that appointment not with the commitment to leave something behind, but with the commitment to getting hired because they know that being a FSBO is a bad idea for the seller. They’re going to lose money. They are hurting themselves. They’re exposing themselves to risky buyers. A strong agent goes into that conversation committed to conveying that knowledge with a passion for helping these homeowners.  

The reason why I suggest not leaving anything for homeowners without first fighting hard to get the listing is because there are a lot of timid real estate agents out there who know that asking for the listing isn’t their strength…at least, not YET. By using the flyer as their way out of asking for the listing, they soon stop trying entirely and then wonder why nobody ever calls them back.  

If you did every single thing possible to get that listing and handled every objection, but you still didn’t get hired, then you can say, “Alight, listen…sleep on it, think about it, here’s some further information you can look over. I’m going to call you tomorrow and annoy you a little bit. Is that OK?” Be committed to getting that listing because it’s the best thing for that homeowner. 

Are you one of those timid agents? The time has come to face your fears and find the boldness in your soul. Becoming a strong agent who is masterful at getting hired doesn’t come overnight, but it comes from turning your breakdowns into breakthroughs and learning from every experience. 

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