Tips and scripts in the real estate business can best be described as pre-planned text or telephone jargon tailored to consumer behavior. These scripts help realtors strike conversations with potential sellers and/or prospective buyers, and establish a connection with them. The conversation that ensues could be regarding any topic that the realtor believes would interest the person on the other end, for instance, mortgage rates or your dream home in Springfield, VA.
Properly planning and executing a good script helps real estate agents generate leads, build clientele, expand their portfolios, and offer many other benefits. Verily, scripts are one of the most essential tools in the real estate industry, one which Springfield, VA, real estate agents heavily rely upon. However, it is highly unlikely that a layperson with no real estate experience will be able to distinguish when their conversation with a real estate agent in 22153 is scripted or genuine.
Therefore, to help you differentiate between a genuine and authentic conversation, we have compiled for you, a list of five tips and scripts you should know when working with a real estate agent.
The Empathy-Driven Script for FSBO (For Sale by Owner) Listings
Nine times out of ten, the sole reason a homeowner sells their property is that they need the money. Consequently, the owner will be highly reluctant to cover an agent’s commission fee out of the home’s retail value.
While it is extremely difficult to persuade a reluctant seller into hiring an agent, the good news is that once an agent succeeds, they’ll have no problem doing it again. In this context, approaching a seller unwilling to hire an estate agent is a skill that, once mastered, can help an agent turn all FSBO listing hurdles into opportunities.
This is precisely what empathy-driven scripts attempt to do. The goal of these scripts is to decipher the reason why the seller does not want a realtor and build off of that. Naturally, most homeowners don’t want to entertain cold calls from agents any longer than they have to; that is why these scripts are usually short and direct.
Once the agent manages to discern why the seller doesn’t want an agent, for instance, they had a bad prior experience; the agent will try to empathize with the seller and offer them valuable information free of cost. Eventually, this helps the agent earn the seller’s trust, which in turn leads to them being hired by the seller.
Good FSBO scripts are centered around creating trust between you and the seller. They usually consist of a sequence of questions designed to discover the owner’s true motivation while also persuading them that you will help them get a better deal, thereby helping them make more money.
The Catch-All Script for Circle Prospecting
The objective behind circle prospecting is for an agent to spread their influence from an area they have already worked in. How it works is that an agent starts by calling every homeowner located in the area where they made their most recent deal. The idea is that the agent now has information specific to your particular area, which they’ll be willing to share with you (a homeowner), and a formal reason to call you and other homeowners out of the blue.
Circle prospecting scripts can often prove very fruitful for realtors by helping them gain lead generation, referrals, and essential information that can help them make other deals in the locality. However, one challenge that agents tend to face is determining what the person at the other end plans to do: do they plan to buy a new home, sell their current home, or none of the above.
That is why these scripts call for a lot of improvisation and tend to vary a lot. The only elements of your script that you can master beforehand are your opening and closing lines. The main goal of this script is not to make a sale within the first contact with a prospect. In fact, only 2% of sales are made on the first contact. Instead, the goal of this script is to set the foundation for future conversations with the client. That is when the agent will actually make their sale’s pitch.
Knowing this, a circle prospecting script centers around a real estate agent in 22153 calling you out of the blue one fine day, offering you valuable information about your neighborhood. They’ll also offer to help you out regarding your property-related matters. This will serve as a gateway to future conversations.
This is one of the most commonly used scripts by Springfield, VA, real estate agents mainly because the script can be applied to any scenario such as an open house, a sold property, or a listing that has expired.
The Heavy Sales Script
The real estate business is very competitive, and that is, perhaps, why a majority of real estate agents quit within their first year. Using standard prospecting scripts and strategies can bear fruit sometimes, but successful Realtors realize that it is going the extra mile that leads to success.
This may warrant a bit more aggressive and persuasive approach. However, clients will push back twice as hard if an agent pursues a sale too aggressively. This will lead to a loss of business and reputation, the latter being a bigger hit.
Professional Springfield, VA real estate agents know this, and that is why their script is not just more aggressive, but also strategic. The main objective of the heavy sales script is to instill a sense of exclusivity, urgency, or an opportunity for the seller or buyer to seize.
The script draws on the Fear Of Missing Out instinct of consumers by making the prospects believe that there is a fleeting opportunity that they could really benefit from. For instance, a spike in the market value for the properties in your neighborhood.
Insist enough, and the seller or buyer will jump to seize this seemingly golden opportunity. However, a professional realtor won’t make any false promises or make you feel pressured. Generally, the agent’s goal is to solve their prospect’s problem(s) rather than pressuring them into selling or buying a property. The script consists of questions that attempt to assess any future plans and current property-related plans and problems the client may have. After that, the agent proceeds to offer you a solution.
Script for Recently Expired Listings
Expired listings imply that an issue occurred during the selling process. This situation can leave you a bit agitated due to the sale’s failure and the swarm of real estate agents calling you after the listing expires.
However, a real estate agent in 22153 has likely figured out how to talk homeowners out of their agitated states and win them over as clients. The goal is to get behind what went wrong with the listing and try to understand the client’s perspective of the situation. Once the agent has succeeded in doing this, they can easily convince the seller to put their property back on the market again.
The script comprises open-ended questions like “Where do you think your last agent went wrong?” and “What attributes do you think a qualified agent should possess to represent you effectively?” to gather information about the seller’s personality. The agent may even offer you free information and marketing advice in order to gain your trust.
The entire gist of this script is to ask excellent questions and let the prospect do the talking. The more the prospect converses with the agent, the more likely they are to grow fond of them and hence do business with them.
Script for Internet Leads
Following up on online leads differs from other strategies such as emailing or cold calling in that the agent now has more information about the person they’re speaking with. The agent might know, for instance, which listings drew your attention and how much time you spent on their website.
Additionally, since the leads have already shown their interest in buying or selling a property by visiting the real estate agent’s site, the agent no longer has to partake in that initial phase of convincing the seller why now’s the best time to sell their property or buy a new one.
The script usually involves asking the lead open-ended questions regarding a property they may have shown an interest in. The questions are usually along the lines of: “when would you like to go see the property?”, “what piqued your interest in this property?” and “would you like to see any other properties?”. These questions allow the agent to learn more about the client’s needs and preferences.
This information helps the agent show the client only the properties they’ll be interested in and filter out the irrelevant ones. Furthermore, scripts for internet leads are more focused on answering the client’s questions and doubts about the property they are interested in.
It is very likely that the real estate agent won’t have all the answers, and so the primary goal of the script is to address as many concerns of the client as possible without showing the slightest hint of uncertainty.
Let Michael Gailliot Homes Be Your Guide to Finding Your Dream Home in Springfield, VA
The American real estate market is an ever-changing market, even more so in the wake of the pandemic. As such, having a guide who has served the real estate industry for years can help you make an educated and informed purchase.
With over 20 years of experience as a real estate agent in 22153, Michael Gailliot Homes offers you one of the best and most reliable realtor services in town. To get the home of your dreams, contact us now!
