Tired of No-Shows, Unmotivated or Unqualified Buyers? Of the appointments you schedule, do you know how many you actually keep? And of those that you keep, how many do you convert to actual business? (If you don’t know these stats, you should- and that’s for another week…)
Here are 3 EASY Steps to Set Up Each Buyer Appointment For Success!
1.PREQUALIFY! We relentlessly pre-qualify every single buyer and listing appointment…. ALWAYS. It goes like this—
Through the course of the conversation (typically a phone call or email/ text exchange) we are asking very pointed questions to learn more about the lead/ prospect. We follow a script for this with a series of questions so we don’t forget anything! We call this our “Blue Sheet.” We literally fill out this sheet while we are talking to the prospect- sounds old school, yet it WORKS. We explain to the prospect what we are doing and that this helps us best prepare for their appointment ensuring we don’t waste their time! Key Question: “What are 3 things you’re looking for in an agent?” This gives huge insight into the values/ concerns/ fears/ expectations of this prospect and enables you to really tailor your buyer consult to them.
2. THANK & CONFIRM! Immediately after hanging up the phone, we send a confirmation text and email- thanking the person for the conversation, referencing some piece of what we spoke about and confirming the date, time and location of the appointment.
(Ex: Thanks so much for speaking with me today Dave. I know there are some great deals to be found in the Forest Heights neighborhood and I’m excited to learn more about exactly what your goals are and how we can help. I look forward to our meeting next Tuesday, October 3rd at 3 pm here in my office located at 1234 SW Main St. Should anything come up where you need to reschedule, please shoot me a text, email or phone call.)
It is critical this is sent right after your conversation—capitalize on the energy and excitement you just created with the prospect. Don’t let them start to talk themselves out of meeting with you before hearing from you again to seal the deal! Not to mention you’ll seem really on top of things and like a great communicator (people’s number one complaint about real estate agents is poor communication!)
3.SEND REMINDER & COMPLETE BLUE SHEET IF NEEDED! A couple of days prior to the appointment, review the Blue Sheet– you may notice some holes or areas where you have questions. Call/ email or text the prospect to remind them of the appointment and ask any follow-up questions you may need answered in order to best prepare for your meeting. Even if you don’t have additional questions, send a reminder anyway. Have you noticed how many times your eye doctor, dentist, hairstylist reminds you of your appointment? They know it increases the odds of you showing up! Our buyer prospects are no different!
If you follow these 3 critical steps, you will see your kept appointments rise significantly. You’ll also find you have established better rapport with the lead ensuring a higher conversion rate as well.
FAQs:
Q: What if through the course of the pre-qualification conversation I discover that the prospect really isn’t qualified to purchase a home- they have financing issues or unrealistic expectations about what they can buy for their price range?
A: Great news- you just saved yourself a lot of time! You may find the buyer prospect is really not ready to meet with you- perhaps they haven’t yet met with a lender, maybe they don’t have a job or any money saved for a down-payment, or perhaps they are locked into a lease and they’re not willing to look at breaking those terms. Whatever the case may be, the purpose of pre-qualifying a prospect is to ensure that whoever makes it on to your calendar is likely to: A. show up and B. turn into business. Even if you cancel the appointment, you will want to continue to provide value to this person and nurture them over time so that when they are ready to go, you’ve already established great rapport and you’re sure to land their business.
Q: Some buyer prospects really don’t want to meet. Can I just go meet them at the property they want to see? If I don’t show it to them, they’ll just find someone who will and then I lose out.
A: You’ve heard of the 80/20 principle, right? We aim to meet with 80% of our buyer prospects for an actual consult in our office before ever showing them properties. And yes, there are times where it may make sense to essentially do the buyer consult at an actual showing or property or maybe just on the phone as a way to get our foot in the door with the lead. Consumers want everything on-demand now, and most still value expertise and professionalism. Do you articulate your value proposition clearly and confidently enough? If they don’t see any value in meeting with you, they’re not going to- period.- you’re right they’ll just call someone else. Your expertise should be your differentiator… practice how well you communicate your expertise and market knowledge. Use your best judgment- and be honest with yourself—make sure you aren’t simply being out-scripted by the prospect.