Powerful Presentations are not reserved for just listing and buyer appointments. Presentation skills should be utilized in any conversation you are having with consumers.

Today’s consumer has a new sophistication level and expects their real estate professional to be as forward thinking and savvy as they think they are. Presentations to the consumer must be powerful and straightforward without misrepresentations and your message clearly communicated. The consumer of today wants convenience combined with a new level of service for less, in addition to a number of other components that drive the bid to win customer care.

If you feel you are losing potential listings or buyers, then it’s time to make some alterations to your approach. Since we only get one chance to make a first impression, it’s important to avoid blowing it. Many agents deliver a communication style they feel is effective when it actually isn’t. Some agents feel they are showcasing an enhanced level of professionalism that should give the potential client confidence to work with them only to discover someone else has just listed their house. If this sounds familiar, then it’s probably time to work on your ability to actively listen and effectively communicate.

Meeting the needs of the consumer by providing the information they think they desire to understand the home buying and selling process can be tricky. Many consumers are not really sure what they want. So, when making your presentation, it becomes a platform for highlighting your value in a way the consumer is interested in building a relationship with you. Many potential clients want to know you care and showcasing your concern by sharing the information they really need to know is the best way to get there.

The consumer can typically see a phony baloney from a mile away. One of the best ways to build confidence is by being yourself and providing them with the facts of what lies ahead. Don’t hold back… tell them the truth and help them sort through it. If they want to list their house at an unreasonable price, discuss strategies to minimize the risk of hurting their marketability and ultimately themselves. Suggest they secure an appraisal so they get an expert opinion. Telling them the truth while leaving room open for alternate opinions is a great way for you to lead them while they maintain the control they need.

Let’s go through 8 key business boosting elements in preparing for a memorable presentation:

1. Have a Story and a Mission Statement. Letting others know why you do what you do as well as the Stories to illustrate your experiences in business and life brings your prospective client closer to you more quickly. It’s all about building that strong lifelong relationship. If you need help with ideas for your Story line, visit ted.com or Craig Worthmann’s video on “What’s Your Story”. Get them wired to listen to stories. Be contagious!

2. The Simile. Clear communication comes from a variety of skills. One of those skills in better understanding between you and your prospective client by using Simile’s. This helps others see what you are saying more clearly. For example… Q: How did you like the painting contractor selected to get your house ready for sale? A: He was like the Leonardo Da Vinci of Painters for his gifted quality and style. Similes help people understand what you do when using the words “like” or “as”.

3. Layout. People respond to color. When you make your decision on a PowerPoint or Google Slides or whatever means you select, be sure to use researched color. My favorite is always blue because research has shown it tends to be a good trust color. Some agents opt for an outline or checklist. Whatever keeps you on track and keeps the consumer engaged is great. You just want to make sure it’s your style and not someone else’s.

4. Questions. Asking questions and listening to the responses is a fabulous way to build that rapport. Too many agents are preparing their comeback instead of actively listening. Start asking questions from the time the interview is booked. You will learn a lot about how to craft your presentation so it is a home run.

5. Motivation. Find out what is motivating them to buy or sell. Do they really want to move, are they being forced because of their job, and specifically where their emotional state is on the topic. This knowledge will help you achieve better results through better understanding and handling of their emotions while securing their trust and confidence. You don’t want to walk in for a listing appointment with a happy face thinking about that big commission assuming they are happy when they are miserable about moving the kids again.

6. Active Listening. Understanding how the consumer thinks is a key ingredient to a successful presentation. You can find out how to communicate with your client just by listening to them. People want to be heard and most salespeople are on send rather than receive.

7. Less is more. One of the biggest issues with presentations is the overkill. Trying to cover too much ground or include things like graphs and technology that the consumer has no understanding or real interest in can be a deal killer. Plan your presentation by framing it properly and focus on your delivery.

8. In their shoes. In order to connect with different types of clients, real estate agents need to understand the different generations of people today to remain relevant. From Gen X to Millennials to Baby Boomers, you have to know who they are so adjustments can be made in your approach. The younger client uses tech devices to communicate. Many only want to receive texts or emails. In order to remain current and compliant, we need to learn new methods to understand how to work with everyone.

Get out there and practice your Powerful Presentations!

One of the things that makes selling gratifying is that it’s fairly easy to keep score of our wins and losses.

At the same time, what makes it unusually difficult is the fact that when we fail, we don’t get high-quality, corrective feedback that tells us what to do, differently in our sales negotiations.

This means we’re likely to repeat our errors, and that’s not only frustrating, it’s costly.

If you are a band of one, working by or for yourself, you can’t possibly give yourself honest and truthful feedback, for the simple reason that we can’t DO and CRITICIZE at the same time.

If you’re in an organization, getting quality feedback is not much easier.

You’d think a sales manager or a peer could provide it, but how often do they actually monitor your negotiations? Moreover, they have their own goals and perceptions that distort your strengths and weaknesses.

To get honest feedback on your sales negotiations, to discern where, exactly, you came up, short, is essential if you want to improve. Where is that information to be found?

The good news is that it exists. The bad news is that the person that rejected you is the only one that has it. If you want to know why you didn’t earn a sale, to discover exactly what the prospect did after relations with you ended, you have to ASK.

Why would I urge you onto a mission of fact-finding from non-buyers?

If you believe the misanthropic adage, “Buyers Are Liars,” you can never expect to hear the truth from them, especially from those that didn’t purchase from you at all; that either recoiled and did nothing, or that went to one of your competitors for what you offer.

Surely, they have to feel defensive, figuring you’re going to pester them about something that is a done deal. Plus, if they dropped off the radar, which is typically how our failures register, they don’t explicitly say NO very much anymore; can we really expect them to suddenly emerge from the shadows and shed light on our shortcomings?

And you might not want to solicit feedback, especially from them, now that they seem to have ZERO POTENTIAL. I grant you, getting mired in the past, even if it is recent, can keep you from facing today’s challenges and today’s prospects, those with continuing capacity to buy.

But if you start from the premise that: (1) You’re likely to repeat your errors without quality feedback; (2) Non-buyers are the ideal sources for corrective information; and (3) Those that didn’t buy are not crazy; that they are typical of prospects at large, then you must agree learning from them can very valuable.

Plus, there’s satisfaction in ending the mystery of your misses.

I’ve done this with great success. In one case, sending a note, asking for feedback, because in addition to being a fill-in-the-blank, “I’m also a marketer who needs to keep learning and improving.”

In one case, what I thought was a dead horse sprang to life, awarding me with a blue-ribbon, nationwide consulting contract.

Recently, a more modest inquiry revealed exactly WHO he bought from and WHEN; HOW MUCH he paid for the service, and the RESULTS obtained.

I learned what pricing will be competitive, and how a specific competitor operates, someone I’ll encounter again and again.

This leaves me with a choice, as an entrepreneur. Do I want to earn this type of business in the future, or would I prefer to pass?

I have to admit I didn’t value the prospect very highly. I perceived him as an amateur at buying the service in question, without a clear idea of his budget.

And without pertinent background, I believed he would buy based on price, not appreciating the quality I represented; and he did exactly that.

At the same time, his feedback told me I need to offer various “grades” of service in this area, if I am going to compete.

Based on the fact that this fellow answered quickly, and responded specifically to all of my emailed questions, suggests he was telling the truth.

There is no question I know, now, exactly what to do to “win” deals of this type.

Now, isn’t that worth the 15 minutes it took me to compose that note?

Negotiating isn’t always about haggling over prices and terms. Sometimes it involves getting quality feedback that may not revive a missed deal, but will position you to springboard to greater success in your sales negotiations in the future.