How To Get A Listing In 14 Days

I’ve thought long and hard about how I could best advise any real estate agent, regardless of experience, on exactly what they needed to do to get a listing within 14 days. It needed to be universal and easy to follow.

We are going to achieve this by door knocking because it’s been proven to work even in today’s marketplace. Don’t let the detractors tell you that it’s ineffective, because most people who are slinging opinions have never actually door knocked for any significant length of time.

For this guide, it doesn’t matter if you’ve done it before or not, or if you hate the thought of it. I’m going to dissect it all into manageable chunks so that it’s easier to digest and tackle.

After all, receiving an offer puts you almost at the finish line. But everything else that leads up to that moment is the hard part.

So I’ve reverse engineered the process to create a step-by-step guide so that you can follow it and get one listing (with the potential to get a lot more). This is by no means an entire business strategy on its own, nor is it very innovative or sexy.

But it does work, if you follow the steps and finish everything. Your success depends entirely on you executing the process.

So without further delay, let’s get started.

Part 1: The Playbook

Signing One Listing Agreement: A Step-by-Step Guide

Scaredy cat

1. Preparing Your Scaredy-Cat Brain

You probably think of yourself as a nice human. You hate salespeople who hassle you on the phone and at the door, so you don’t want to be that person. This is what you wrestle with in your head when you think about prospecting.

So I’m going to be as blunt about this as possible so we can get it out of the way. You’re definitely going to encounter people who won’t like what you’re doing.

Not YOU personally, just what you’re doing.

And this will happen even if you’re approaching people in the kindest and patient way. There are people in this world who will get agitated at you for far less things, like not picking up your coffee fast enough at Starbucks or over posting pictures of your cottage sunsets on Facebook.

You can’t control this, and if you decided to only operate in this world when you were certain that nobody would be annoyed, then you should find another planet to call home.

As long as you act with integrity, treat people with respect, and genuinely try to do good in everything that you do, you are doing things right.

And you can prospect for clients and build your business with this approach and never have to feel like you should apologize.

So get ready for the occasional door slamming in your face, or a word salad of creative profanity. It’s all part of meeting lots of strangers and it’s unavoidable. The encouraging thing is that to counter balance these encounters, the majority of the people you meet will be polite and friendly, and one of them is going to become your next client.

Remember this as you’re out there in the big bad neighborhood.

Understanding Your Why

Our goal is embarrassingly simple: GET ONE LISTING.

How Are We Going To Do It?

Your goal is to door knock until you talk to 50 people for the day or until you get 3 leads in total. Note that this means talking to 50 people, not knocking on 50 homes. If you encounter a property where there is nobody home, you move on to the next one.

If you’ve talked to 50 people and you haven’t gotten any leads, you call it a day and repeat the same process tomorrow. This will continue until you accumulate 3 leads.

A lead is defined as follows: Someone who is thinking about listing, or is actively looking to list their property within the next 90 days.

Anyone else interested who is beyond 90 days is going to go into your email or call follow-up list.

You can either use your phone or a notebook to track your progress, and it’s crucial that you track your progress. Don’t be lazy about this.

Building A Positive Mindset

The first challenge is that you’re going to feel like quitting when you hit a long streak of no’s. Remind yourself that in a typical neighborhood, even in the most active markets, there will usually be only several properties listed for sale at the same time.

Not everyone is at that juncture in their life where they need to sell their property, so you must expect that almost everyone will not need your services at this time. It’s not accurate to say that we’re looking for a needle in a haystack, but you get the picture.

So when you’re feeling discouraged, you’ll need a simple sentence to say out loud that will get you to knock the next door. It needs to be believable and easy to say. Whatever works for you, write it down in your phone or notebook and repeat it when needed. It could be as basic as “The next door I knock could be that person who is looking for an agent like me right now, keep going.“

One thing that helps is celebrating small wins, but let’s define what we can celebrate:

Getting 25 no’s (after all, you’re halfway through your day!)
Getting a lead (now we’re talking)
Getting chased off the lawn (now there’s an entertaining story to tell over some wine)

Know that the fear of something bad happening is always far more burdensome than when something actually does happen. Your door knocking success hinges on your ability to master your mind before every door.

If it’s easier, just tell your brain to shut up and bang that door. The only thing on the other side is another person.

Build those skills

2. Building Basic Skills and Knowledge

Understanding the Real Estate Market

I remember several years ago when I was training a new agent on door knocking, they confessed to me after a week of no success that they were secretly hoping no one would actually answer the door. The agent was terrified of answering questions, and they were purposely running away after ringing the door bell.

Let’s avoid the same type of fear and apprehension by preparing our understanding of the local real estate market. What are you going to need to know?

all the current listings for sale in the neighborhood
recent sold listings in the neighborhood over the last 90 days
average time it takes to sell in the neighborhood
average sale price for different property types in the neighborhood (detached, semi-detached, townhouses, etc)
average sale price vs list price percentage
characteristics of the area (are there layouts or property features that sell significantly more or less in the area, are there highly sought after schools in the neighborhood, are there upcoming developments, etc)
general trends in the area (are listings all selling with multiple offers, etc)
find any recent sold listings in the area from your brokerage that you may need to reference later

Bonus tip: If you can book appointments to preview active listings in the neighborhood and see them in person, you can get a first hand look at your potential competing listings. This will also give you a chance to demonstrate your thorough knowledge of the inventory when speaking to homeowners.

All of this information will be the foundation of your conversation when you meet someone who wants to talk more. It is crucial that you know the neighborhood activity better than the homeowner. Winning their confidence here with knowledge of their neighborhood will reassure them that they’re potentially in good hands if they decide to list with you.

Some common pain points that might come up include pricing the home correctly, understanding market conditions, and preparing the home for sale. Be ready to address these concerns with clear, practical advice.

Developing Communication Skills

Making conversation comes naturally to some people and for others it’s extremely awkward.

This next bit is going to be for the individuals who struggle when talking to people.

I’m going to accelerate your conversation mastery by recommending that you get good at just one thing: asking good questions.

When you ask good questions, you do several things:

You shift the focus off of you, so you do less talking.
You prioritize the other person’s needs by giving them a chance to talk.
You gather information and are better positioned to serve their needs.
You come across as a great listener.

You can be an experienced industry veteran, but if all you’re doing is blabbing incessantly without asking questions, nobody will want to work with you. So, the skill of knowing what questions to ask, and when, is critical.

When should you ask questions?

Pretty much the entire conversation, or when you get stuck and don’t know how to answer their question.

Here are examples of questions you can ask:

How long have you lived in this neighborhood?
What made you decide to move here?
What has your experience been like living here?
Have you been keeping track of what’s been selling here recently?
Are you interested in knowing what your neighbors sell for?

Here are examples of more direct questions you can ask if they’re potentially interested in listing:

What is your timeline like for listing?
Do you think you’ll do any renovations or need staging before you list?
What price do you expect to sell your home for?
How fast do you think your home will sell once it’s listed?
When are you interviewing agents?

Remember that it’s important to practice active listening. This involves simple things like making eye contact, nodding, and repeating back what you hear to let them know you understand what they’re saying.

This is a great scenario to role-play with someone in your office. Take turns being the homeowner and the agent, and work on asking questions and keeping the conversation free flowing.

The playbook

3. The Play Book

Before we delve into any tactics, let’s be very clear about the strategy.

Start knocking early, knock often, and don’t quit until you hit your target. Don’t obsess over which area to choose or the perfect time of day to knock. You need to focus on being action-oriented and go through the ringer a few times before you think about how to refine the process.

I would suggest knocking around your neighborhood for a variety of reasons:

You don’t have to drive anywhere so you eliminate the excuse of getting there.
You know the neighborhood homes better than an agent that doesn’t live there.
You have instant credibility because your neighbors can trust that you know the area as a resident.

If you live in a condo building, I would not suggest door knocking the building. This is a quick way of getting security called on you. Instead, find the nearest set of homes and start there.

If you live in an area that isn’t appropriate to knock for whatever reason, choose a neighborhood where the average price of homes are lower. You want to find budget friendly homes where homeowners live for a short time as they save up for their dream home. These neighborhoods tend to have more turnover and give you a higher chance of finding someone who is thinking about selling soon.

Don’t go door knocking on multi-million dollar homes. You’ll get very little traction as many homes are gated and most homeowners aren’t planning on ever moving.

Pick a time in the morning and stick to it every day so you build a routine. This is important, because you will need to time block your door knocking in your calendar so it’s consistent and predictable. Otherwise, if you don’t plan ahead and wait until the morning to see how you feel, you will inevitably put it off.

Take this one at a time, and focus on building momentum.

One day is good.

Two days is even better.

Three days and you have a streak.

And keep going!

What Do You Say At The Door?

In a previous article, I wrote about how I believe memorizing scripts isn’t the best approach. I find scripts awkward, easy to forget, and often distract you from building rapport because you’re too busy trying to remember what you’re supposed to say.

Having said all of this, if you’re new to door knocking, I am going to offer some things that you can say to get started. It’s important to know the scripts are only guidelines to your conversation. Where you gain people’s trusts is how you navigate the dialogue when you’re outside of the lines and infusing your authentic personality in what you’re saying.

In the hands of a nervous wreck, the best scripts in the world are useless. So these scripts are meant to give you a sense of how to approach the initial component of speaking to a homeowner who answers the door. From that point on, it’s yours to work your magic. The best scenario for you is to understand your objective so well that you can come up with endless talking points on your own without have to rely on any script at all.

*Knock knock* and the homeowner opens the door and stares at you blankly.

Hi, I’m Lang and I’m with the local real estate office down the street, XYZ Realty. We’ve listed and sold a few of your neighbor’s homes and have come to realize that this particular area is a little under served by active realtors. I’m just going around introducing myself and getting to know the neighborhood. How do you enjoy living here so far?

—–

Hi, I’m Lang and I’m with XYZ Realty and we just listed and sold your neighbor’s home over there on 123 Cherry Lane. We like to touch base with the neighbors after a sale, and typically we find one or two who are waiting to see how much it sold for before they make a decision to sell as well. We did open houses for just one weekend and sold it and still have some interested buyers, do you know which home I’m talking about?

—–

Hi, I’m Lang and I live down the street at 456 Banana Bread Ave. I’m also a realtor with XYZ Realty and for the 5 years I’ve lived here, I haven’t really found any agent who has been actively engaged in our area to update everyone on what’s happening, so I thought I’d jump on the opportunity to meet my neighbors and see if I can do my part in getting our area selling for more! How long have you lived here?

What If Someone Says They’re Not Interested At The Moment?

This is a great time to build up your database by getting their contact information. At this point, it’s going to feel like a big ask and you have to get over your fear of asking.

Most people aren’t comfortable giving out their phone number unless they’re genuinely interested in talking to you. If they’re more hesitant, they might be willing to give you their email address. You have to gauge their interest and get their information.

Homeowner: “No thanks, we’re not looking to sell at the moment – maybe in a year or two.“

Sure, sounds good! Listen, I’m sending out updates on new listings and what’s sold in the area. People are really enjoying these short, quick updates so they know how it affects the value of their home. Can I get your email and put you on the list too?

If they seem interested in doing something a little sooner:

It sounds like you’re at that time in your decision making process to start getting updates on what’s happening in your neighborhood so you can decide on your next steps. Do you mind swapping phone numbers with me, and I’ll start keeping you posted on market conditions in this area.

Remember, your mission objective is to get 3 leads in total. Just because someone says ‘not yet’ at the door doesn’t mean that they’re not a potential listing.

Most families start getting the idea of selling their home 12-18 months before the actual listing, and typically start talking about it more seriously 6 months before it happens. This means if you catch a homeowner who has plans in the near future, you capture their contact information and open up a relationship as soon as possible.

It’s not uncommon for potential sellers to randomly meet a great real estate agent at a party and get talked into listing a lot sooner than they planned – time frames get compressed easily if the homeowner believes they can get more money now, or they stumble upon a listing of their dream home for sale.

So in summary, here is your basic conversation strategy:

Start with an interesting/casual introduction
If the homeowner immediately says no, thank them politely and move on
If the homeowner lets you speak further, ask questions and gauge if they are potentially interested in listing sooner or in the future
If they are interested in sooner, continue to ask questions to demonstrate your knowledge of the area, and get contact information to either book a time to see their home or follow up and nurture until they’re ready
If they are interested in the future, request contact information to keep them updated on the area

The gold is found in your ability to build rapport and have a meaningful conversation about real estate that elevates their level of interest and trust in your abilities. All of this will happen in a matter of minutes.

The best way to prepare is to practice role playing with a mentor or another agent until you start to feel more comfortable hitting straight pitches and curveballs. It needs to start feeling effortless.

Practice, practice, practice talking to people. It’s the most useful skill you could ever develop for all areas of life!

You’ve now laid the groundwork to get a listing within 14 days. Armed with a strong mindset and essential skills, you’re ready to take the next step.

Part 2: The Appointment

If you’ve come this far in the door-knocking process and you’ve managed to find someone who is interested in speaking with you about potentially listing within the next 90 days, congratulations! This counts as a lead!

Remember, you must keep door-knocking and speaking to 50 people every day until you acquire 3 leads in total.

Let’s get back to our guide, and note that any scripts I use are simply to illustrate a conversation. They certainly aren’t meant to be the best scripts.

So you’re still at the door, and the homeowner says:

“Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, ___________________________.“

That blank represents anything else the homeowner may say. At this point in the conversation, it’s a green light for you to move to the next stage, and that is booking a time to meet with sellers.

They might fill in that blank with a number of things, such as:

Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, how’s the market?
Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, how much do you charge?
Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, do you have any other listings?

Whatever they ask, you do not want to begin your listing conversation on the doorstep. Aim to book a time to see the home later in the evening, or the next evening. You will need time to prepare data and come back organized with relevant information for them.

Let’s put this all together now and show you how to pivot to get an appointment:

Them: Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, how’s the market doing?

You: Good! Buyers are out looking at properties every day. I’d like to show you some stats showing what’s happening with homes just like yours. When’s a good time for me to come back to look at the house and share some numbers with you?

Them: Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, how much do you charge?

You: That depends on how the what it’s going to take to sell your home. My commission is negotiable, but I need to see your home and determine our strategy together first. When’s a good time for me to come back to look at the house and share some numbers with you?

Them: Yeah, we’re actually thinking about selling soon, do you have any other listings?

You: Fresh out of listings at the moment, but not out of buyers. I have some strategies on how we can capitalize on short inventory right now. When’s a good time for me to come back to look at the house and share some numbers with you?

Make sure that you will have enough time to prepare for the listing meeting, so if you need an extra day to get ready, book for the next evening. And of course, you go back to knocking the next door!

Do your homework

4. Preparing For Your Appointment

The time has come for you to begin gathering all the relevant information you’re going to convey to the homeowner. Your purpose is to help them understand likely outcomes if they decide to list now, given all the current variables in the market that could affect their selling price.

You will need to have a firm understanding of:

all properties that are currently listed in the area
more specifically, which ones most resemble their property as they will be competing for buyer attention
recent sold listings in the area, especially ones that are comparable
statistics that indicate the average time it takes for a home to sell in the area and the average sale/list percentage (ie., homes in the area may sell for 99% of the list price on average)
current trends in the market (multiple offers, lowball offers, buyer sentiment)

Understanding What Their House Is Worth

The homeowner will expect you to determine what their property is worth and provide a CMA. Without seeing the home ahead of time, it’s best to determine a range where the lower end reflects a home that is outdated and the higher end reflects a stunning renovated property.

This range can be gauged based on comparable homes of the same size and type that have sold recently, giving you a price spectrum that reflects the condition of the home (and often times the circumstances of the sale).

There are a number of tools out there (some may be provided directly by your real estate board) that will allow you to plug in MLS listings and help you create a visual CMA to present.

Some agents prefer to only bring print outs of listings and free style the list price conversation. If you have little or no experience in doing listing presentations, stick with standard CMAs. This will force you to research the market a little more thoroughly and present yourself professionally.

What Do You Bring With You?

Your ‘listing presentation’
Your CMA
The listing documentation
A solid understanding of the recent activity in the area

** A quick note about ‘listing presentations’ and I’m specifically talking about the presentation you flip through that outlines information about you, what your marketing plan is, and what your commission fee is **

Please don’t download a listing presentation you find online, and don’t use your colleague’s listing presentation, or one that your brokerage marketing department makes for the office.

Every agent runs their business differently. In other words, the way you will market a seller’s property, handle their transaction, and the amount of commission you charge is completely up to you. Sure, there are common things that agents must do in order to get a property listed and sold, but the way you achieve that is what separates you from the next agent.

As a result, your listing presentation needs to uniquely reflect your approach to selling homes and how much you will charge for that service.

Listing presentation

5. Conducting the Listing Presentation

This is it.

Every step, every decision in your life has brought you to this defining moment.

The spotlights suddenly come on, the crowd falls into a dead silence, and all eyes are on you.

Turning The Listing Presentation Into A Conversation

We need to understand a few baseline things before we get started.

In its simplest form, ‘sales’ involves solving a problem for a customer in exchange for money. This can come in the form of a product or service, but the better you are at solving a problem, the more you stand to get paid.

What are we solving for a seller? They have a home they’d like to sell in a time frame appropriate for them so they can walk away with a satisfactory amount of money. One thing to note is that although this is the main problem to solve, there could be a whole host of smaller problems that get in the way of this happening.

Your job is to understand the homeowner’s intended outcome and then to show them that you are sufficiently equipped to bring them this outcome in light of any surprises that could come up.

All sellers will have some common questions that will need to be answered, but for the most part, it is you who will need to ask most of the questions if you want to understand their needs.

The biggest mistake most real estate agents make is to go into ‘selling mode’ when they’re on the listing appointment. A homeowner will have trouble feeling that you understand their needs when you spend 80% of the time talking about yourself and your company.

What you must do is shift away from thinking of it as a listing presentation and more of a listing conversation. This means that you’re going to have to get really good at asking the right questions, and we’ll cover that in a bit.

Understanding What Every Seller Wants

Let’s take a snapshot of you sitting at the kitchen table with the sellers.

You’re wearing a snazzy outfit, sweating a little bit under your neatly pressed collar. The sellers are across from you, cautiously listening to you as they try to size you up.

In this scenario, each party sitting at the table has a psychological barrier. The real estate agent fears rejection, and the sellers fear failure. The sellers’ failures could come as a result of picking the wrong agent, pricing the home too low, paying too much commission, and the list goes on.

How do we mitigate this fear? We must have outstanding answers to the following questions. Here they are:

How’s the market doing right now?
What is my house worth?
What will you do to sell my property?
How long will it take to sell?
How much do you charge?

If you can address these 5 questions to the sellers’ satisfaction, you’re already 50% of the way towards signing a listing agreement.

The other 50% depends on whether or not they like you and trust you, much of which is based on the quality of the questions you ask to demonstrate you know what you’re doing.

How To Have A Winning Conversation At Your Listing Appointment

Building a good rapport is surprisingly easy – you just ask questions to get to know someone better.

I’m talking about genuine, heartfelt interest to show that you care and you’re tuned into their needs.

You don’t need to pretend to love golf because the seller has his golf bag in the corner, or kiss ass by complimenting their lawn gnomes.

Getting the sellers to like you and trust you is as important as answering the previous five questions. This is why agents of all levels of experience have listings on the market. If listings only went to the most qualified real estate agents out there, none of us would be here because we’d never get listings.

Many new agents in the business get their first listings from friends and family despite having little experience. The trust factor goes a long way in real estate.

What sort of questions should you be asking at a minimum?

Why are you selling?
What major improvements have you made to the home since you moved in?
Are there any major repairs that need to be done to the house before listing?
Have you bought a home already, and if so, when’s the closing?
When is your ideal closing date?
What do you like most about your property that you think the buyer should know?
Do you have a price in mind for your home?
How did you come up with this price?
What are your expectations of me as your real estate agent?
How do you feel about open houses?
What are the best days and times for showings that would be convenient for you?
Are you speaking with any other agents about the sale of your home, and if so, what criteria are you using to make your decision?
If you like my marketing plan and we can agree on a price, are you ready to list the property today with me?

The answers to these questions will provide you with enough information to determine:

Their motivation level
The condition of the home
How realistic they are on pricing and selling
Their expectations of you
How much marketing may be required to sell this home (which subsequently relates to the commission you charge)

The Commission Question

I want to preface this section by saying that I will not be suggesting specific commission fees here. As an industry, we need to be mindful when discussing commission percentages due to the optics of price fixing.

More importantly, however, is that your fee should be proportionate to the marketing services you provide and your costs to run a business. In other words, don’t charge what other agents are charging simply because you think it’s the standard. You must determine your own fees based on how you run your business.

With that out of the way, let’s examine how to tackle the commission component of the listing appointment.

Let’s look at where most real estate agents go wrong on the listing appointment.

There are 3 main duties that you will provide to your seller when they hire you as their listing agent. They are marketing, negotiating, and guarding.

3 agent duties

Marketing – Listing the property for sale and exposing it to the most buyers possible in order to attract offers
Negotiating – Using your negotiation skills and situational awareness to get the highest price and/or most favorable conditions for your seller
Guarding – Anticipating, mitigating, and solving any potential problems that could arise during the listing process, the offer negotiation, and the period leading up to the closing date.

Most real estate agents spend far too much time making #1 (marketing) the focus of the listing appointment. Agents ramble on about the strength of their brand or their company’s brand, their social media accounts, the open house feature sheets, the drone video, the virtual tour, and so on.

From the consumers’ perspective, all agents brag about the same type of marketing, so nothing differentiates their services. Whether they interview one agent or a dozen, everyone appears to offer the same marketing services. When every service looks identical, the seller starts looking at the cheapest option.

Where we earn our money (and referrals) is by getting good at #2 and #3.

If you were to ask a seller how important it was for them to have the best negotiator working on their behalf at offer time, the answer would undoubtedly be “VERY IMPORTANT!”

But how do you convince a seller that you’re a great negotiator when they haven’t even seen you in action yet? You fight for your commission at the kitchen table. Let’s compare the difference between a weak negotiator and a strong negotiator.

Scenario 1 – The Pushover Realtor

Sellers: Okay, and what’s your commission?

Agent: My commission if I sell your home is 5 apples.

Sellers: That’s too much, can you reduce it to 3 apples?

Agent: Well, I don’t think I can reduce it anymore, I’m doing a lot of work.

Sellers: I understand, but the other agent is doing everything you’re doing and only charging 3 apples.

Agent: *Sigh* Okay, if you agree to sign with me tonight, I’ll do it for 3 apples, but don’t tell anybody!

Scenario 2 – The Strong Negotiator

Sellers: Okay, and what’s your commission?

Agent: My commission if I sell your home is 5 apples.

Sellers: That’s too much, can you reduce it to 3 apples?

Agent: Can I ask you Mr. and Mrs. Seller, what part of the 5 apples commission are you finding challenging?

Sellers: We just feel like 5 apples is a bit high compared to what some others are offering.

Agent: I hear you. It’s important to make sure you’re getting the best value for your investment. Could you tell me what services those other agents are offering for their lower commission?

Sellers: They’re offering the same marketing package you have, but for less.

Agent: I see. It’s great that you’re considering all your options. From my experience, while many agents may offer similar services, the quality and outcome of the experience can be significantly different. Let me ask you Mr. and Mrs. Sellers, do you believe all dentists provide the same quality of work?

Sellers: Well, no, obviously there are some that are better than others.

Agent: Right, and what about doctors, do you think they all provide equal experience and care?

Sellers: Of course not, we all know that.

Agent: Agreed, and real estate agents are no different. Most agents will provide similar marketing services to attract buyers to the property, there’s no doubt about that. When an offer comes in, it’ll be because of the house. In other words, the price, location, condition of the home… would you agree?

Sellers: Sure, okay.

Agent: Great, and when that offer is in front of us and we’re in a chess match with the buyers, how important will it be for you to have someone who’s relentless, experienced, and proud to be negotiating the hell out of the deal so that you can walk away with a lot more money?

Sellers: That would be really important to us.

Agent: If paying less to an agent who is only focused on marketing your property is good enough for you, then you should definitely consider the other guy. But if you want someone who earns his pay by fighting on your behalf to drive up your sales price so that you net more money at the end of the day, who do you think would do a better job?

Sellers: You make a strong argument, but the other guy also said he’ll negotiate on my behalf.

Agent: And how well did he fight for his own commission?

Sellers: Well I guess he didn’t.

Agent: Right, meanwhile what have I been doing for the last 15 minutes? Have I shown you enough to trust me with your home?

Commission will always be a big issue for sellers in the absence of value. In the previous scenario, we prioritized the element of negotiation to increase our value.

We can also emphasize the importance of guarding (or protecting) your client from the initial signing of the listing agreement right up until the closing date. There are many reasons why a deal could encounter problems after an accepted offer:

Home inspection reveals unanticipated deficiencies
The appraisal comes in significantly lower
Title reveals liens, unpaid property taxes, or other hindrances
Changes in the buyer’s financial situation before closing (ie. loss of employment)
Lender complications that cause the lender to refuse financing
Property damage before closing
Zoning or permit issues
Survey discrepancies
Final walkthrough issues before closing
Insurance problems due to the property being uninsurable
Tenant refusing to leave on closing date

One way to bring value to your clients is by proactively explaining the potential challenges that could come up and conveying your ability to help solve these problems. It’s important for the sellers to feel safe in your care, because the financial risk of a deal that goes sideways could be extremely costly. Failed deals often lead to litigation, which could further cripple the financial damage to a family. This level of preparedness and support enhances the homeowner’s confidence and peace of mind during the sale of their property.

As a result, it’s important for you to emphasize the value you bring to the homeowners beyond simply marketing the property for sale. Being a skilled negotiator and experienced guardian of the deal is the hallmark of a great listing agent, and will allow you to ask for a higher commission fee.

Addressing Other Concerns & Objections

In sales, we are taught that there are objections and conditions. Let’s quickly recap what the differences are:

An objection is a concern that is preventing the prospect from moving forward with the deal. In real estate, it could mean uncertainty about the listing price, the commission fee, or the marketing plan.
A condition is a factual circumstance that is preventing the prospect from moving forward that is typically out of their control. In real estate, that could mean requiring a divorcing spouse to sign the paperwork, or the property requiring extensive repairs before being listed.

In my experience, there is a 3rd type of dialog you can encounter, and it’s what I call exit questions. What is this?

Exit questions are deliberate questions that the prospect will ask you in order for you to answer no. The purpose of this is to give them a valid excuse to reject your offering and end the conversation.

For example, they might ask you how many houses you’ve sold this year. If you provide them a sufficient answer, they might ask how many houses you’ve sold specifically on the street. When you answer “none”, they will use this as an out and say “I’m sorry, it was really important for us to find an agent who has already sold listing on our street, thanks anyways for your time.“

Think of this strategy as punching at your offering until they can make a hole. How do we prepare for this type of strategy?

We need to go back to what’s most important to the seller. These are the following questions:

How’s the market doing right now?
What is my house worth?
What will you do to sell my property?
How long will it take to sell?
How much do you charge?

If you are unable to answer these questions to the satisfaction of the sellers, you are already on your way to losing the listing. If you were unable to build rapport and get them to like and trust you, it’s game over. This is when the exit questions will come.

Let’s use an example to illustrate my point.

You’ve taken your 3-series BMW in for an oil change at the dealership. While you’re killing an hour of time, you walk over to the showroom and find yourself standing in front of the latest 5-series BMW.

It looks spectacular.

You look at the lease price and begin trying to convince yourself that it would be worth the extra expense to be driving around in this baby.

A salesperson notices you and slides up to start a conversation.

Now let’s examine the same conversation with a capable salesperson.

Salesperson: She’s a real beauty, am I right?

You: It’s a beautiful car.

Salesperson: Are you looking for a new car?

You: Oh no, I’m just waiting for my oil change.

Salesperson: What are you driving right now?

You: A 3-series.

Salesperson: Have you thought about upgrading to a 5-series?

You: Not really. Besides, I’m still not finished my current lease.

Salesperson: Well, I can definitely help you with that. You don’t have to break your old lease. We can roll over your current lease into the new one. In fact, we’re running a promotion right now where the lease rate is only 0.5% and there’s a cash incentive of $3,000. It’s actually the best time to upgrade, and lots of customers are jumping on this deal this month.

You: Really? I’m not really good with numbers and would need time to think about it.

Salesperson: If I could upgrade you into a 5-series and get you around the same monthly payment right now, would you consider talking more?

You: Well, maybe. I’m not sure if it’s worth the upgrade though. What’s the mileage difference?

Salesperson: For this particular model right here, there really isn’t much of a change. Of course, that depends on your driving habits but there isn’t a big difference because the technology for both vehicles is essentially the same. Let’s not forget that your car is smaller and lighter. However, you’re looking at close to 100 horsepower difference between the 2 engines.

You: Hm, okay what are the other benefits?

Salesperson: The cabin is bigger, you’ll have driver assistance on this model, with refined suspension and better sound insulation. Handling at high speeds will be noticeably better, and you’ll have an enhanced collision mitigation system, and additional air bags.

You: Interesting, since I have time to kill, can you arrange a test drive for me while I wait for my oil change?

Salesperson: Of course, we can go right now.

You’ll notice that the salesperson appeared competent, knowledgeable, and was able to provide you ample information and solve your needs. As a result, it’s not important to you knowing how long they’ve worked at the dealership or how many cars they’ve sold.

You want to always make sure you’re handling objections and conditions gracefully so that you don’t end up being hammered with exit questions.

Part 3: Closing The Deal

Welcome to the final write-up on how to get a listing in 14 days. We’re going to cover how to best prepare yourself to handle objections and finish off the listing conversation with success!

Ask Questions & Interpret Desired Outcomes

By now you know that asking questions is the best skill a salesperson can develop. The obvious benefit of asking lots of questions is you get to understand your prospect’s needs to better serve them. But there is a secondary benefit for you that is more discreet, and that is gathering information to help you handle objections in the conversation.

We often see more extreme examples of this in real life. In legal and law enforcement contexts, the practice of asking questions is done so that testimony can be used against the individual to expose inconsistencies, weaknesses, or admissions of guilt.

In more insidious circumstances, the act of trap questioning is used to maliciously coerce individuals to act in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. This is highly unethical and far from what we are talking about here. As a salesperson, you should never be selling by using manipulative tactics.

So let’s look at how we ask questions and responsibly use that information to help a prospect make a more informed decision. It’s time to be a fly on the wall and listen in on a skilled agent at a listing appointment.

Fly on the wall Agent: Thanks for having me over! Can you give me a quick tour of the property, and while we’re looking around, highlight the parts of the house you’re most proud of.

Seller: **shows the agent around the house** We just recently renovated the kitchen and we think it’s the showpiece of the property. Also, we think the view of the park from the backyard is a premium feature and the swimming pool is going to be a big selling point.

(Agent makes mental note of seller’s enthusiasm about the kitchen, backyard, and swimming pool. This may reflect in the seller’s price expectations)

Agent: Great, and how much did you spend on renovations since you moved in?

Seller: The kitchen cost us $40,000 and we’re hoping to get that money back. Also, we added other things like a water filter system under the sink and a cast-iron railing on the staircase.

(Agent makes mental note of $40,000 investment)

Agent: Okay, noted. The house is lovely, you’ve done a great job in maintaining it. Why are you selling by the way?

Seller: Well, I just got a job offer in another city that starts in 2 months and we’ve already signed a rental agreement for a condo there, so we have to sell now.

(Agent makes mental note that seller is under a tight deadline)

Agent: Congratulations, that must be very exciting. That means that our latest closing date will have to be August 15th, is that right?

Seller: Yup, that date would work.

Agent: Sounds good. Tell me, have you ever been through the process of selling a home before?

Seller: Yes, we sold our last house prior to buying this one.

Agent: Okay great, how did that experience go?

Seller: It was fine, the agent did their job and that was really it.

Agent: Was there anything that the agent did that you liked or didn’t like?

Seller: She listed our home and we had several showings, but she didn’t give us any updates on buyer feedback. We had no idea if things were going well or not. About a month afterwards she called us to say she had an offer. It felt like she just disappeared for the whole month.

(Agent makes mental note that feedback is important)

Agent: I see, was there anything else?

Seller: Yeah, she didn’t even bother doing any open houses for us.

Agent: Gotcha, sounds like that was something you wanted but didn’t end up getting?

Seller: **nods** All she did was list the property on MLS and then she vanished.

(Agent makes mental note that open houses are important)

Agent: Wow, okay… was there anything she did that you did like?

Seller: Well, she did do a drone video of the property and we thought that was really cool.

(Agent makes mental note that drone video is important)

Agent: Thanks for sharing your last selling experience with me. Tell me, have you been following what’s been happening in the market?

Seller: We’re reading that the real estate market is still going up. That house down the street sold for $850,000 and we think our house is much better than theirs. Also, we went to the open house around the corner and saw that listed for $975,000.

(Agent makes mental note that sellers likely expect more than $850,000 and is aware of neighborhood sales)

Agent: And what did you think about it?

Seller: Those people are crazy, they’re not going to get that price.

Agent: How do you feel the house compares to yours?

Seller: It’s a little bigger than ours but it’s still not worth that list price! They don’t have any upgrades and they back onto another home.

Agent: Did you have a price you had in mind that you wanted to list at?

Seller: Well, that’s why you’re here, you’re the expert. What do you suggest?

Agent: We can certainly go over the CMA I’ve prepared that shows all the recent sold listings that are most comparable to your home. I’ve also included ones with swimming pools and without, and you’re going to find that pools don’t often mean a significantly higher sale price because some buyers see it as a potential expense or even a liability. But let’s go over all of these in more detail…

Let’s examine what we’ve learned so far based on the seller’s expectations of selling this home:

The seller must sell with only 2 months to finalize everything
The seller expects to recoup the $40,000 cost of the kitchen renovation
The seller believes the home has a premium backyard view and a swimming pool that will add value to the listing price
The seller expects their realtor to provide regular feedback, conduct open houses, and sees value in marketing tools such as drone videos
The seller would likely not list for less than $850,000

As the agent continues to ask more questions during the conversation, he gets a better understanding of the seller’s beliefs and compiles specific data points to address later objections.

Here are some sample objections that may come up and how the agent would address them:

Seller: I think we should list the house at $950,000.

Agent: I understand why you feel that way, especially since you mentioned the home around the corner listed for $975,000. Based on the recent sales of comparable homes, including swimming pools, some homes listed higher but the ones that sold quickly and for the best prices were listed more competitively. Our goal is to attract as many buyers as possible and create a sense of urgency, especially given your timeline. Given the competition out there, listing at around $900,000 will generate more interest and offers, potentially driving up the final sale price through competition.

Seller: Why can’t we list higher and reduce the price if needed?

Agent: While that strategy works in some cases, we don’t have time to take that risk with your time frame. Currently, it takes on average 28 days for a home to sell in this neighborhood, and we need to list now to give us enough time to find a buyer who wants a quick closing.

By effectively using information gathered during the initial conversation, the agent can address the seller’s objections in a way that is both informative and reassuring. This approach not only helps in overcoming potential hurdles but also builds trust and demonstrates the agent’s expertise and understanding of the market and the seller’s needs.

You will find that the quality of your listing appointment relies entirely on your ability to ask the right questions and gather information.

Agents who have a higher closing ratio on listing appointments have mastered the art of guiding a conversation towards a purposeful end. Agents who frequently lose listing opportunities are undoubtedly stuck in presentation mode.

Once you are done gathering insights from asking questions, you can move on to providing information that is relevant to the seller to gain their confidence and win their trust. Let’s jump back into the previous conversation a little later down the line.

Seller: So what kind of marketing do you do and how much do you charge for it?

Agent: Great question. I don’t believe in creating different marketing packages with different commission fees. For example, you might see other agents advertise diamond, gold, and silver packages where the commission drops as services are taken out.

Seller: Yes, we spoke to an agent who gave us those exact same choices.

Agent: Right, it’s quite common. But I’ve been doing this long enough to know that if you’re going to list a property, you need to use everything at your disposal. Why would I remove important tools and make it more difficult for us to attract buyers and sell your home? That’s like going into battle with a plastic sword and cardboard shield because it’s cheaper than steel.

Seller: Okay, so what is it that you do?

Agent: I believe that when we list your property, we’re going to have a short window to attract attention over the other comparable competing listings in the area. I’ll arrange to have a professional stager walk through your home to advise us on how we can showcase your home in the best light. Following that, I’ll arrange a 3D tour company to come in and take photos and prepare the virtual walkthrough model.

Seller: Ooh, we’ve seen that on other listings! You can click through the house and it feels like you’re inside.

Agent: That’s right. My experience has shown that listings with a 3D dollhouse tour get at least 30% more views. I’m also going to schedule my drone operator to pop by and shoot aerial footage of the home and the surrounding neighborhood.

Seller: That’s great, we love those videos. We think the buyers will get a good sense of how our home backs onto a park and they’ll see the size of our swimming pool.

Agent: Exactly. And just so you know, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, even though we’re using every tech tool to get you the most views on your listing, I still believe that buyers fall in love with a home when they’re inside of it, not when they’re online. That’s why I want to have an open house every weekend to give people a chance to see your property in person.

You may have noticed that the agent is intentionally highlighting some of the key services that are important for the seller. Asking great questions will reveal essentially everything that the homeowner expects from you as their listing agent.

Remember, in Part Two of this guide we talked about the significance of conveying your value across three areas of your skillset: marketing, negotiating, and guarding.

You bring immense value from your ability to negotiate a higher price and protect the sellers from any issues that may appear. If you make your listing appointment about only the marketing aspect, you will struggle with many objections. Your ability to articulate all three components of your service and assure the sellers of your expertise significantly reduces commission objections.

Objections disappear when you provide so much value that your commission will seem perfectly fair.

Guess what? If you’re having a hard time convincing someone of your value, it’s likely because you aren’t giving enough value to talk about.

Leaving With A Signed Listing Agreement

So you’ve been having a delightful conversation with the sellers and you’ve asked all the right questions, understood their exact needs, and provided insightful answers to their inquiries. Now is the time you have to ask for the business, otherwise everything will be for nothing.

Closing the deal requires confidence, clarity, and the right timing. You’ve already built rapport and trust, so this step should feel like a natural progression.

Let’s tune back into the agent and see how he’s going to end the listing appointment.

Agent: Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I am very clear on what your expectations are of me and the urgency of needing to sell within two months. I’ve outlined my strategy to market your home, which includes professional staging, a 3D virtual tour, and drone footage. We’ve agreed on a list price that will be competitive with other listings in the neighborhood.

My time to shine is when an offer comes in and I’ll be relentless at getting you every extra thousand I can, and my goal is to ensure you’re always informed of the process and protected. If you’re ready, I’d like to move forward and start the listing process today. Shall we review the listing agreement?

Seller: Okay, let’s do it!

Looks like this agent came prepared, asked all the right questions, and earned the seller’s trust. Now it’s your turn!

One final note about the listing conversation.

You will need ample practice to come across as natural and confident. Find another agent in your office and spend plenty of time role-playing and covering various scenarios and objections. You must feel comfortable taking charge of the conversation and asking intentional questions.

If you have a coach or a mentor, they can help you refine the process so that it becomes second nature. Deliberate practice is the key to your success.

With the right preparation and diligence, you will get that listing!

Celebration

Reinforcing the Importance of Door Knocking

As we wrap up, let’s circle back to where we started: door knocking for leads.

Remember, the foundation of getting a listing within 14 days hinges on consistent, proactive outreach. Door knocking is still one of the most effective methods for generating leads and meeting potential clients face-to-face.

Here’s a quick recap of the key steps:

Understand that rejection is part of the process. Equip yourself with knowledge about the neighborhood and practice good communication skills.
Aim to talk to 50 people each day or until you get 3 leads. Track your progress diligently.
Use the conversations to build trust and gather information. Ask good questions and listen actively.
Keep track of your leads and follow up consistently. Build relationships over time.
Practice the listing conversation every day and get better.

Door knocking is not just about the immediate results but about building a pipeline of future opportunities. Every conversation is a chance to refine your skills and expand your network.

By combining the strategies of door knocking with a strong, well-prepared listing conversation, you are on your way to building a thriving listing-focused real estate business that will lay the foundations for farming the area with flyers and becoming the neighborhood expert. Make sure to check back for my future guide on farming!