“We’ll get back to you in a couple of days.”
Hang up and wait for that callback, and you’ve handed the listing to whoever they talk to next.
You know the situation. The appointment went well, and the seller nodded along through your whole plan.
Then they tell you they want to interview another agent and think it over.
Agents handle this one of two ways. They give up and wait, or they start pushing for another appointment with no idea what’s holding the seller back. Both are a great way to lose the listing.
Here’s how I coach my team through it, starting with what a stall tells you and ending with how to get the next meeting on the books.
Why Sellers Stall After a Good Appointment
A seller who wants to think about it has a question you haven’t answered yet. Every time.
Before anyone signs a listing contract, they need clarity on three things:
- Where you’re going to position the price
- How your marketing will drive buyer demand and get eyes on the property
- How the money works, meaning your compensation
If you’ve checked off all three and you’ve been professional and on time, they sign. If they’re stalling, one of those boxes is still open.
Or it could be something more personal. Here’s an example of what I mean.
I went on a listing appointment once where the seller hated my car. It was a Tesla, and he couldn’t stand Elon Musk. He told me he hoped my car would catch fire, and I told him I hoped I wasn’t in it when it happened.
He signed with us.
He and his wife had been signed with another agent at a lower rate before they met us. They fired that agent to sign with us, and they lowered their price by about $75,000 on top of it.
We’d checked all three boxes and made the benefits clear to both of them. He could hate my car all he wanted. People will pay for expensive things when they can see what’s in it for them.
Get Into Alignment Before You Ask Anything
In a recent sales training role play with my team, I played a seller who told the agent we wanted to interview a few more agents and would decide in the next few days.
The agent kept working toward rebooking the appointment, and I liked that. You don’t get the appointment if you don’t ask for it more than once.
Where he could have been stronger was the clarifying question up front.
Before you ask anything, you need to get into alignment with the seller. Validate where they’re at and compliment the way they’re thinking, so the temperature comes down before you ask a single question.
I do it by putting them in the same group as my smartest sellers, the ones getting ready to launch who want every piece of information before they decide.
Here’s how I open it:
“Hey, all of my really smart clients who are getting ready to position their home on the market, they’re being very thoughtful about the decision, making sure that they have all the information.”
Now the seller is in the same camp as my clients who are about to hit the market. They’re a smart seller doing their homework, and I agree with them.
Ask Which Part of the Plan Needs More Clarity
Next comes the clarifying question. You already know the seller is unsure about one of the three things, so ask which one.
We’re not going to talk about compensation at this stage. Ask about price positioning and marketing.
Here’s the first way I’d put it to a seller:
“My sellers who are getting ready to launch on the market and position their property in quarter four have a limited set of competition on the list side, giving them the advantage on the buyer pool that’s out there. They’re making sure that they have all of the information right now. So, where’s the gap for you? Is it on the price positioning of the home to attract the most buyers, or is it how to get the most buyer demand on the front end of the listing launch? Where’s the gap landing for you?”
The fourth quarter works in the seller’s favor here. There are fewer homes on the market right now than there will be in the spring, so their listing faces less competition.
Deliver the script. Then stop and listen. Whatever they say next tells you what to work on.
When They Say Everything Looks Good
Sometimes the seller tells you the price is great and your marketing plan is the best they’ve seen. They want a little time to think about it.
If price and marketing are both covered, there’s one thing left to ask about. You.
“What else could it be? Is it me?”
It brings some levity to the conversation, and in most cases, the seller tells you you’re great. Once they do, ask for the business.
“Great. Okay. So, do you move forward today?”
Address the Real Objection and Go Back Into Presentation Mode
Once you know what’s holding them back, you can deal with it. Until you know, you’re guessing.
Say the seller tells you they’re worried about the price you came up with. Now you know where they’re leaning:
- They think your price is too aggressive
- The other agent is being softer on price, and going with them feels more comfortable
- The softer number makes them feel like they’re not losing money
The other agent is letting them go to market at an aspirational price and hang out there. If you never find out price is the issue, you lose the listing to the agent who’s going to let it sit.
Now that you know, you can address it head on. I ask to walk them through the strategy again, even if I’ve already covered it, and I say it a different way this time.
Sometimes it starts as quick as this:
“Can I walk you through the options that we have and some of the strategies we’re using right now?”
From there, I go back into presentation mode so they get it this time. We get into agreement on price, and I ask for the business again.
Don’t give them two or three days to take the easy way out. People don’t want conflict, and they don’t want a heavy negotiation. It’s the reason we get so many leads from Zillow and Realtor.com. People want to click a button and get a home tour without talking to 17 people.
Never Leave Without the Next Meeting on the Calendar
If you get off the phone and tell yourself they’ll call you back in a couple of days, they won’t. Try to re-close them. At the very least, rebook them.
Not every listing appointment signs at the first meeting. If you can’t get the signature, get the next meeting set, and your odds of converting go way up.
This whole business is an odds game. The more conversations and appointments you have going, the better your chances of getting the signature on the next one.
