Real Estate Prospecting Is All About the Close

Your real estate prospecting efforts have paid off with a listing presentation. Your listing presentation looks great, covering the essentials in a clear, concise manner. And the prospect seems to be engaged in what you have to say.

Now the question is: are you ready to make the CLOSE?

For many agents, this step is a no-brainer. For others, it can be a huge hurdle, for one simple reason: it’s not easy to make “the ask.” Some agents are naturals at closing the deal. Yet, for many agents, “the ask” represents a huge hurdle to success.

With work, you can become a power closer. Here are a few strategies:

• Get your mind in the game: Real estate prospecting requires commitment, perseverance, and the right mindset. If you don’t have the right mindset, especially the closer you get to finalizing a deal, you can get frustrated and worn down. Gain some valuable insights on strengthening your mindset from our blog post: REAL ESTATE LEAD GENERATION IS ABOUT MINDSET.

• Pre-qualify:You can be a powerful presenter, but if the person across from you doesn’t have a need for your services at that moment, you probably won’t get a signature. Therefore, you need to determine how motivated your prospect is before spending the time and energy on a listing presentation. That means you need to do your due-diligence and make sure you’ve thorough vetted your prospect. For a few pointers, check out our earlier post on PRE-QUALIFICATION.
• Lean on your scripts:Your presentation is not just about selling, but about engaging your prospect with good, open-ended questions. Don’t overwhelm your prospect with myriad details and facts about your personal experience as a real estate agent. Cover the basics, but make sure you are focused on their needs. Above all, know exactly what you’re going to say.  Many real estate agents feel that scripts can make them sound robotic, which is probably true if you don’t do the work. But the reality is, scripts can help you feel more comfortable and confident, which, in turn, gives the prospect confidence that you are the right person for the job. Check out 5 TIPS TO MASTER REAL ESTATE PROSPECTING SCRIPTS for valuable pointers.

• Prepare yourself to handle objections:With every presentation, you need to be prepared to close multiple times, meaning, you are likely to go through multiple rounds of objections. Objections are part of our world, and how you deflect objections will go a long way toward determining your success… and income. To that end, follow the same process for addressing those objections:

• • Mirror and play back you’ve heard-by repeating the prospect knows you’ve heard them.
  • Let them know you understand their concerns, which again reinforces that they’ve been heard.
  • Address the objective succinctly and clearly.
  • Get back to your close.
• Know when to make “the ask”: Instead of “Always be closing,” perhaps a more appropriate suggestion is to “always known when to close.” You don’t want to come on too strong, and try to close to soon. Being too aggressive can come across as if you’re only in this for yourself. Once you’ve built rapport, and shown you care about their goals, you might find that the “ask” will come naturally.

If you follow these simple strategies, meetings will hopefully evolve naturally to an easy close. Just go into your presentation enthusiastic and confident. Believe in yourself, which will make it much easier for your prospect to believe in you…and respond positively when you make “the ask.”