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Many of our clients are obsessed with crafting and honing their listing presentation, and rightly so. What appeals to a prospective vendor? How can all the relevant information be covered in an engaging way? How do we clearly demonstrate we’re a better choice than the competition?

A issue we see crop up again and again is the immense difficulty of designing a listing presentation that can be used effectively by every member of the sales team, from top listers to inexperienced property consultants.  We would argue that it’s an impossible task – attempting to create a one-size-fits-all system for all selling styles, preferences and experiences is a recipe for disaster. 

That’s because different salespeople have radically different approaches to selling, and what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. Indeed, some of the best in the business use almost nothing at all – John McGrath’s listing presentation was famously a sheet of paper with only a circle and triangle on it that he would scribble on while speaking with a potential vendor. Clearly, that’s a system only a select few can use with any success.

A modular approach is frequently a far more effective option – a flexible listing presentation allows each agent to pick and choose what they feel comfortable with. Having said that, it’s still a good idea to have a defined agenda and system in place for new agents who don’t yet have the confidence or experience to go off-script. Some of the options we’ve seen agents explore recently are slides instead of a book (which can be mixed up and reshuffled depending on what a prospect is most interested in, rather than having to stick to a rigid page structure) and presentation folders with information categorised in different pockets. Options like these allow an agent to jump around and structure each individual presentation according to the prospect’s needs and what they themselves are comfortable with. It’s also easy to skip back to any information that has been missed but still demands attention. 

When it comes to designing a listing presentation for your sales team, our first piece of advice is to get a wide range of stakeholders involved right from the start. All too often it’s the top agents and directors who design listing presentations – and while these can be seriously impressive, they’re often far too advanced for the younger agents who need them the most. It’s worth getting the more inexperienced members of the team on board early in the process so that you can ensure they are being given the tools they need to build their confidence in the living room.  

What’s your approach to creating a listing presentation that works for all members of the sales team?