I have four scripts that will increase your conversion with potential home sellers, documented and proven.
Scripting gets talked about constantly in our industry. There are appointment setting scripts, listing appointment scripts, and talk tracks you should be running in your day-to-day, no matter what you’re doing.
The four scripts I’m giving you today are talk tracks we’ve been training on with our List to Last coaching group. They’ve helped my team take over 150 listings so far this year as an organization.
Don’t ad lib them, and don’t adjust them. Just implement them.
Script 1: The Question That Unlocks Hesitant Sellers
There are a lot of sellers on the fence right now. Sellers are always on the fence because selling your home sucks. It’s not a fun thing to do.
Moving people through the funnel comes down to asking better questions. A lot of times, you call potential sellers, and you get something like this:
- “Hey, I’m stuck.”
- “I’m not interested.”
- “I’m not sure what I’m doing.”
- “Thanks for calling.”
Even with a solid opening, fact, question framework (OFQ), you’re going to hit walls. The question I’ve found that really unlocks the conversation, and this has been tested, is this one:
“Sounds like you’re happy where you’re at. Out of curiosity, if you ever did decide to move, are you planning on staying local or are you considering moving out of the area?”
Write that down. You’re giving them an A or B choice that gets them talking. Instead of asking an open-ended “Where would you move to next?” this one gives them two responses to choose from.
Start using it in your appointment setting scripts, even if the person isn’t moving anytime soon. Get an idea of their mindset around a potential move, even if it’s a year, two years, five years from now.
Sellers are all about the long game. The person who stays in touch the longest is usually going to win.
Script 2: How to Talk to Other Agents When You Have a Pricing Problem
This one is really important. Realtor.com released data showing home sellers nationally are taking less than asking price. In the suburban Philadelphia market, the average list-to-sales price ratio is sitting around 99.6%.
Getting lower offers is a skill. If you can generate that offer, you’re in a great spot.
There was a mindset among listing agents in 2020, 2021, and 2022 where some of them were just mean. Aggressive. Not really communicating with other agents. Some still operate that way.
If you’re having trouble getting listings sold and you know it’s a pricing problem, here’s what happens. A buyer’s agent calls and says:
- “Hey, would they take X?”
- “Would they be open to this price?”
Instead of shutting that conversation down, use this language:
“Hey, sounds like your client’s interested. That’s awesome. I would imagine the seller is going to want to see what the offer looks like. So I’d really encourage you to put it in writing so we can see the whole thing, the price and the terms, and figure out a way we can make this work. Sounds like you know what you’re doing. Make sure to include all that information in the offer. I’d really encourage you to put something in writing.”
You genuinely don’t know what the seller is going to say. Some people play it close to the vest. Others tell you exactly what they want, then change their mind when something is in front of them. Get the other agent on your side and encourage them to put their offer together.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the worst thing that happens if they write a low offer? The seller rejects it.
- What’s the best thing that happens? You come to terms.
Right now, a lot of home sellers want to negotiate. They want offers.
Some sellers won’t adjust the price but will entertain a lower offer. But you can’t do anything without a contract in writing.
Script 3: The Plan B Question That Flushes Out Motivation
This one works well when you’re already in negotiation with a seller who’s stalling.
Try asking this:
“Hey, out of curiosity, if you decide not to sell, what’s your plan B?”
Then stop talking.
It flushes out motivation, and motivation is everything in a market like this. It tells you how serious and how motivated these people actually are, and it gives you traction to work them through the funnel.
Script 4: The One More Thing Script After Every Buyer Appointment
After you set any buyer appointment, especially for the first time, you need a better question than “Do you have a home to sell?” People ask that like it’s an interrogation. There’s no emotional intelligence in it.
Instead, make this part of your routine every single time:
“Hey, just one more thing. Most of our clients really appreciate a home equity review of their current property so they know exactly how much money they’re working with for the purchase. Would you like one?”
Then stop talking. You’re going to get one of two answers:
- “I don’t own a home right now, but thanks for the offer.”
- “Hey, that would be really great, thank you.”
If you get a yes, print out some comps, mark them up, and look at the public records. It’s the same process as doing an analysis.
A yes reveals them as a seller. It also gets you their address and lets you bring real value as a real estate agent.
Start Using These 4 Scripts Today
Here’s a quick reference for what you’re adding to your talk tracks:
- “Are you planning on staying local or are you considering moving out of the area?” Use this with any fence-sitting seller to open up the conversation.
- The offer prodding script. Use this when talking to other agents about your listings to keep deals alive.
- “What’s your plan B?” Use this anytime someone is on the fence about doing anything.
- The “just one more thing” home equity review. Run this after every buyer appointment, every time.
These four scripts are going to help you figure out how likely people are to transact and where to focus your time. Stack your pipeline now so that when folks are ready, you’re the agent of choice. These four questions are going to show you who deserves your time and attention.
