Quick real estate sales tip: Know when to stop talking

The other day I was in a sales meeting of sorts with a colleague. We were meeting with a funding partner hoping to seal the deal on a six-figure corporate sponsorship agreement (not related to Agent Monday).

As we described the purpose of our work I could see the funding partner was picking up what we were putting down. They were 'sold' on the idea.

My colleague didn't see this though, they wanted to get across all the nuance of the idea and explain to our future partner everything we were planning to do. Our goals and visions for the future.

The problem was, our 'client' was already sold. They didn't need to hear more.

As my colleague kept talking, I could see the other person get more and more impatient. Even though our chat was over Zoom, you could see their body language change: quick 'yeps' in response to each sentence, moving about in their chair, playing with their hair and headphones. It was obvious they wanted the conversation to move on, and fast...

This got me thinking about real estate listing presentations, and one of the most important skills I learned in sales:

You have to know when to stop talking

Do you look out for non-verbal warning signs?

As real estate agents, we are great talkers. We are dying to get across all our points of difference and seal the deal. And often, we walk into a listing presentation already feeling like we are on the back foot, determined to show (and explain) all the reasons why we are worth hiring.

But sometimes, owners are already keen on us. Sometimes they just want to sign the deal and get on with it. Or worse, sometimes we can talk ourselves out of a listing if we don't get on the same page as owners as quickly as possible.

We risk alienating potential clients if we aren't aware of what they need from us at that particular moment.

Next time you notice yourself working through a Greys Anatomy style monologue, stop and pause for a second. Ask your clients simple check-in questions like:

"How are you feeling about everything?

Are you ready to move forward? Or do you have more questions?"

Here's another tip: Consider starting every vendor meeting with the question...

"What would you most like to get out of our meeting today?"

Once they respond to these questions, don't start another 10-minute monologue, give them the information they want. Because if you don't answer the question that's top of their mind, they won't pay attention to anything else you have to say.

We have 2 ears and 1 mouth. We should use them in that ratio and know that a good listing presentation is when your potential client talks more than you do.