Monday morning follow-through
Call sellers weekly and everyone wins.

by Chip Staniswalis   One of the most common complaints about real estate agents goes like this: “She listed my house and I never heard from her again.” This is an objection that needlessly diminishes the prestige of our profession. Sellers’ frustrations in this regard could be eliminated if agents spent as much time and effort marketing listings as obtaining listings.

Too many listing presentations end with the agent signing paperwork and promising to get the property in the MLS the next day. What if instead the agent concluded with the following? “We will customize the marketing of your home based on your individual needs. Also, every Monday morning I will call you to update our sales progress. I feel strongly that frequent contact is essential to our success.”

Both scenarios promise action, but only the second one includes your commitment to remain involved with the seller on a weekly basis. Fear of abandonment is a natural seller anxiety, and agents must eliminate it from the beginning. Have the courage to promise that every Monday morning, your sellers will know that you showed up for work and are energetically taking care of their business. It will go a long way toward dispelling their concerns.

These weekly calls also benefit you. They verify your ability to keep your word, which speaks volumes about your integrity. Start the first few phone calls with something like, “As I promised in my listing presentation … ”

You also preempt inquiries from your clients about progress on the sale of their home. When sellers initiate phone calls like these, you are on the defensive. You don’t have time to prepare your response. So try this: At the listing presentation, say something like, “Since I will be contacting you every week, you will always be in the loop. If you have a question about the progress on the sale of your house, write it down and we will discuss it during my weekly call.” Let them know they are free to call with specific questions about the transaction process at any time, but for showing information and marketing progress, you’ll handle that every Monday morning.

So, when the second or third Monday rolls around and no one has called to see the house a second time and you have no agent feedback to offer, what will you tell your client? It’s easy to see why so few agents have the courage to consistently follow up with weekly phone calls.

There are many approaches you can take. How many homes in the neighborhood have sold in the last 30 days? How do these properties compare? Information on new listings is also valuable. You can find great information about your market from your MLS, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M, or from many government entities.

It never hurts to review your marketing efforts. If you have a virtual tour, tell them how many “hits” it has received. How about recommending the house be professionally staged? Determining what’s relevant may take some thought, but as long as the information is pertinent to their property and circumstances, you can’t go wrong.

Your commitment to follow up weekly not only serves your clients, but helps build your professional reputation as well. After all, when the sellers talk with friends and neighbors who recount their experiences with agents who listed their homes and disappeared, your clients will say, “Oh, really? My agent calls me every week.”

Chip Staniswalis is Rainmaker with Chicago Title Insurance Company in Amarillo. His inspiration for this article came from comments made during a training seminar by Rick Thomason, President of the Amarillo Association of REALTORS® and Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker First Equity, REALTORS®.

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