Have you noticed how some “celebrity” agents are always bragging about how much money they spend on “marketing?”
Oh, they spend a pile!
But those agents could spend literally millions on radio and TV ads, billboards, bus benches, and social media ads, and here’s the total net benefit to you as a seller:
Zilch.
I’m not knocking anyone for promoting themselves. I do it too. Just be aware of the difference between “Marketing Yourself” and “Marketing a Specific Listing.”
The agents who spend the most on “marketing themselves” will tell you that’s it actually for your benefit. This is complete nonsense, but it’s a topic for another day.
When it comes to marketing your listing, there’s only one thing that really matters:
A compelling presentation on the MLS System
After all, how else do people find out about your listing?
Virtually 100% of your potential buyers—one way or another—find out about your listing through the MLS System. Even if it’s by some other obscure method, like driving by the For Sale sign, where do they go for more information? The MLS System.
And what exactly is the purpose of marketing your listing on the MLS?
It’s to generate as many quality showings as possible.
I always tell my Real Estate students at AgentSkills.com to think about the MLS Presentation from the buyer’s perspective on the other end of the Interwebs. They’re scrolling through listings, deciding which ones to view and which not to view.
Many factors need to come together for a potential buyer to make the critical decision to take time out of their day to physically view your property.
For example:
1. What does the property actually look like?
As a seller, how much guidance did your agent give you on this critical factor? For example, did they provide a professional home-staging consultant to help prepare the home to maximize its impact (on the MLS and in-person)?
2. How excellent are the images?
The images are the first thing potential buyers see. Therefore, they need to be of the highest possible quality, follow a logical order, and clearly and efficiently demonstrate the property’s best features. (Sometimes, fewer images can have a more powerful impact.)
3. What about the write-up?
Is it dull, predictable, repetitive, boring, and repetitive? Or does the agent know how to get straight to the point and describe the property’s best features in a way that genuinely piques the reader’s excitement and curiosity?
Side note: Did you know that many agents don’t even write their own descriptions? They hand this critical task to someone who has never even seen your home! That’s why so many MLS descriptions sound like the same boring robot wrote them.
The more care and attention your agent puts into the tasks listed above (and numerous other fine details), the more success you are likely to have. Even if only one additional person comes to view your home, that could be the one who wants to buy it!
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If the MLS Presentation is so important (it is), why do so few agents even talk about it or put any real effort into producing the most compelling presentation they can?
Why do so many “celebrity” agents brag about all the money they spend on “marketing” and then put little to no effort into what really matters to the seller?
It’s because their focus is on different things, mostly around getting more business, rather than attending to the business they already have.
Other agents ask me all the time, “How do I become successful?”
My answer? Focus on delivering excellence to each and every client, and before you know it, the business will come to you.
It’s the most rewarding way to be, both personally and professionally.
-Ted