Following a successful weekend at ARPM 2017 with the Real+ Team, I was suffering the consequences of a big 2 days – and I am not talking about any sort of hangover. I was suffering the effects of a phenomenon more common among the female of our species – poor choice of footwear. A true devotee of a great pair of shoes, my back needed the attention of a massage therapist to right my wrongs.
As I had not seen this therapist before, I noted that she took a great deal of time explaining what she was doing and why she was doing it, relating to my specific needs. Without even thinking about it these days, I draw comparison to how this fits into our industry and the people I coach daily. This got me thinking about the Listing Presentation (The Pitch).
A Successful Pitch
As I lay there, the therapist first identified all my concerns, and the outcome I was after.
- Identify the client’s needs
We can often launch into our listing presentation, spending time on what we see as important, failing to identify what important to the client. Not sure what your client needs – ask them!
Next, the therapist explained her skill set and why this was going to be of benefit to my condition and concerns.
- Don’t simply discuss features, identify & explain the key benefits to the client
There is a difference between a feature i.e. Our company has a large renter database, and a benefit – Our large rental database means that while X suburb has a 4% vacancy rate our agency has maintained below 2%, meaning you can take comfort in the fact that your rental return is better protected.
During the massage, she took the time to point out areas of tightness I had not been aware were affected. She then addressed each individual pain point and told me how she was going to remedy the concern.
- A successful pitch addresses concerns the client may not truly understand they have
We know that we need to cover the key elements of a good property manager. What we must demonstrate is – Why does the client care? What benefit are we providing to their investment?
Throughout the course of the next 60 minutes, the therapist continued to check in with me – was the massage was meeting my needs, was I comfortable, did each area feel relieved after she worked on it? And my continued answer was “yes”.
- Always Be Closing – Getting to Yes
The best BDM’s understand the importance of the trial close throughout the course of the pitch.
BDM: Will the property be ready by the end of the month?
Client: Yes
BDM: I would suggest we seek a tenancy application with no more than 4 occupants, would you agree?
Client: Yes
BDM: Is afternoon the best time of the day for photography?
Client: Yes
BDM: Would you be confident that we are the best team to look after your investment?
Client: YES!
The final technique I observed, was that the therapist not only told me what she was doing, she told me why she was doing in
- Make the Invisible Visible
At Real+ we often talk about the concept “Making the Invisible Visible”. We can best demonstrate our business, when a client appreciates not just the volume of what we do but also the value of why we do it. Only then will they confidently sign up with our agency and pay us the agreed fee.
In the case of my massage, I was 100% a guaranteed repeat customer – at the end of the day, a solid Pitch will always deliver the desired result.
