You wanna know the top search term that brings new surfers to my website? Okay, there are two. The first is: "New agent announcement letter." The second is: "Sample listing presentation."

I offer a free sample listing presentation on my website. Seems to be a popular item. I'm rather proud of my listing presentation; there's nothing boiler-plate or corporate about it, it's direct and to-the-point, conversational and informative. I've used it or a similar version for years.

But over the last year or so I've been rethinking the idea of a formal listing presentation. I've experimented with not doing it and have walked away from my listing appointments much more pleased with myself. But I wasn't sure ... for sure.

Well, I recently met with a real estate agent to discuss listing a property of mine out-of-state. She came to the house and asked me to show her around. She asked questions and actually listened to my (sometimes long-winded) answers. She took notes. As we toured, she casually mentioned other homes she'd seen or sold recently that were comparable to mine. Because she knew I was also in the biz, she respectfully asked for my thoughts on a marketing strategy. And listened.

After I was done showing her the house and grounds, she said she wanted to go back to the office and do her homework, now that she'd seen the property. She'd be ready to present her findings the next day if that was okay with me. It was and she did and I hired her.

No presentation. No fancy graphs or charts. No bio, resume or testimonials. Just a subtly demonstrated knowledge of the marketplace, a sincere interest in my situation and a respectful acknowledgment of my intelligence and experience. Had she shown up with a 90-minute formal presentation of how wonderful she was, how awesome her company is and how dangerous it is to OVERPRICE, I'd have tuned her out within 5 minutes.

Do I know her marketing plan? Oops, no, not really. I suppose I could ask and maybe I should. But her non-salespitchy "presentation" made me trust her.

Now, truth be told, this sort of quiet confidence takes awhile to develop. I certainly didn't have it my first year or even my second; maybe even my third. Well, heck, here I am in my 12th year just realizing that I don't need a fancy presentation! I do believe that the process of creating a formal presentation is good for the soul - it helps you to figure out what you offer and why you're special, and for the times when a seller seems to want something in writing, you have it ready to go. I have much of my presentation available on my website, so sellers can check me out ahead of time or after they've met me.

But during that hour you're meeting with a seller for the first time, it's far more effective to just BE there with them: asking questions, listening to the answers and demonstrating your competence.

Published: March 10, 2009

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Jennifer Allan is a former top producing real estate broker, a published author, a speaker and a trainer. She has written five books a bout the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect. Her new book entitled "If You’re Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!" will be released in early 2010. Jennifer believes that the secret of success for real estate agents is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft. Competence begets Confidence. And in today's world of increasingly suspicious and ad-weary consumers, having an air of self-assurance and enthusiasm will be far more effective than a slick sales campaign. Jennifer writes and speaks with this philosophy in mind. She preaches that salespeople should follow the Golden Rule in their day-to-day practice of business - treating clients and prospects respectfully, as the salesperson him or herself would like to be treated. Being competent, reliable and fair, and motivated by a true desire to earn a paycheck, not just show up at closing with hand outstretched. She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at www.SellWithSoul.com. Subscribe to Jennifer Allan's Newsletter for SOI'ers Tips & Strategies for Generating Business from Your Sphere of Influence Your Email Address: Your Name: