When Christopher Watters, CEO of Watters International Realty, sat down with Luke Acree and Josh Stike of ReminderMedia, one of the biggest takeaways from their conversation was how AI coaching helped Watters’ team boost its face-to-face conversion from 40% to 53%.
The same technology turned up another lesson in AI transcripts of thousands of listing appointments.
Watters spends a lot of time with RealSynch, a tech company building AI tools for real estate teams. Based on those AI transcripts, the agents who win the most listings are the ones asking seven pre-emptive questions over the course of an appointment.
Here’s how the AI found the pattern and what the seven asks sound like on a real appointment.
How AI Scorecards Took Over the Ride-Along
On the whole, Watters said, brokerages and teams do a great job with agent training, but few leaders go on appointments with their agents or listen to their calls.
He compared it to learning how to swing a baseball bat.
“The person swinging the bat is not going to get good at swinging that bat until they get into the batting cage. And then if you want him to get really good and be a pro, you’re having a trainer stand right next to him, say, ‘Hey, move your bat up,’ real time with an instant feedback loop after each swing.”
Watters said his team used to shadow agents on appointments once a day. Agents gained confidence and made quick corrections on the spot. The problem is how much time it takes.
With AI, agents hit record in the RealSynch mobile app when they walk into a buyer or seller appointment, and the AI reviews the whole meeting. (Note: Agents let clients know they’re using an AI tool and will send notes after the meeting.)
The scorecard picks up on the same things a manager would watch for on a ride-along, including:
- Price or commission objections from the seller
- Whether both sellers are engaged in the conversation
- The agent’s talking speed compared with the prospect’s
- Whether the agent led the seller to discover the price or told them what the house is worth
- How much time the agent spends building rapport and how deep they go on the seller’s motivation
Getting agents to use it took some work. Watters said his team made the app part of their onboarding for new agents, and those new agents started outperforming the more experienced ones. Once the veterans saw the results, they followed.
Watters shared what happened to face-to-face conversion for the agents who adopted the tool.
“Our face-to-face conversion went from 40% to 53%. And it took about 3 to 4 months for that to happen for the agents that were actually adopting it… That’s a 13% bump in the number of deals they do over the course of the year. That’s significant.”
What Thousands of Listing Appointments Revealed About Top Agents
For the past year, 20 to 30 teams have tested RealSynch on their listing and buyer appointments, according to Watters. The AI stores what it hears and looks for patterns across all of those meetings.
One pattern stood out among the listing agents with the highest face-to-face conversion rates. Watters described what those agents have in common.
“They could literally totally screw up pricing. They could not show up with comps… But if they get this right, there’s a high probability they’re going to win the listing. and it’s asking in a very organic and finesse way seven preemptive close type questions.”
Watters said the number of asks makes a big difference. Here’s how he broke it down:
- Zero or one ask: where the typical agent stops
- Three asks: a significant bump in conversion
- Seven asks: the biggest jump
Watters didn’t share specific conversion rates for each level. The overall point was that the more the asks, the better the odds of a signed listing agreement.
What Preemptive Asks Sound Like at a Listing Appointment
A preemptive ask is a question that assumes the agent has the listing. Watters shared a few examples from appointment transcripts, starting with one from the first five minutes of an appointment.
“So, the agent walks in the door. The seller says they don’t know what to do about colors or furniture. And the agent says, ‘Hey, well, after you guys sign the listing agreement, I’ve got this amazing stager on deck that’ll come out and meet with you. Is it okay if I go ahead and send her a text right now to come out tomorrow?’”
Other asks can come up during the presentation. Watters described two of them:
- At the kitchen table, before any paperwork, the agent asks whether the seller has an extra key for the lockbox.
- During the marketing portion, with a photo of the for-sale sign on an iPad slide, the agent asks if it’s OK to put the sign in the front yard.
Watters said top agents ask these questions in a natural way that doesn’t feel fake. He shared an example from one transcript where an agent skipped the pricing conversation.
“When you hit seven asks… your face-to-face conversion freaking skyrockets. And I’ve literally seen these transcripts. For example, I’ve seen the transcript and the agent’s like, ‘You know, Mr. Seller, I forgot to bring out my comps. I’m so sorry. What do you think the house is worth?’ They totally skipped talking about property value and she still got the listing agreement signed.”
How to Spot Openings for an Assumptive Ask
Watters said agents can find openings for these asks by paying attention to what sellers say during the appointment. He said agents tend to get caught up thinking about their next step, like the kitchen table conversation or the seller’s personality type.
Here’s his advice for the next appointment.
“Try to be so present in the moment. And when you hear the seller say these various needs, or if you hear any frustrations pop up, that’s your opening to do an assumptive type close.”
On the podcast, the talk about assumptive asks came with one condition. The questions have to come from an authentic place, with the agent looking to help the seller.
For example, if the seller starts talking about the things they need to do before listing their home for sale, think about what would be of real use to them, or what would help them get clarity on what really needs to be done before listing (like an expert stager or a resource that helps them pinpoint the most important and cost-effective preparations).
Bringing value and asking the right questions go hand in hand.
