Linda....

Personally I do not leave my marketing plan with them. Many times it could be a power point presentation or hard copy for the non techies. But I never leave it for them.

Hi Linda,

I typically do a two step process. I take the call, hand deliver a Personalized Seller's Packet with a questionaire they may want to ask myself or any agent they are interviewing. When I arrive, if they are interviewing other agents I always try to be the first appointment. Once I sit with them and answer all of their questions and address all of their concerns first, and then step by step through my marketing book,. I wish them a good day, ask for the listing. Most times, they call within an hour and say, they've decided to list with us.

Having your colorful listing book, displaying all of your current and past marketing efforts really helps the seller visualize what you will do for them. I take them through the process on what they can expect. Sellers love it.

Linda

I highly recommend that you use a two step process. I have used those books and they are effective BUT
the books take a beating at the hands of some 3 yr olds!

I use a DVD (Prelisting presentation) when I go to the house they know what I am going to do...in less than 5 minutes i show them what I have DONE

I get hired and THEN and only THEN we talk price (My fee, their NET). Also I have my laptop and printer right there so I can produce the contract exactly as we had discussed (I have pre-entered all the nitty gritty stuff available from the tax records so all I have to do is enter the price, my fee, your split. It's fast, efficient and If I need a special form I have a very high speed wireless service that brings the form to me from our local board or the state board.

High Tech with High Touch!

A leading national brokerage supplied beautiful soft blue leather $25 three ring binders to its agents to put the marketing plan into. because it was such an expensive piece, the agent would make an appointment to retrieve the book a day or two after the initial presentation, if the seller had to think about whether or not to list.
This set up a purpose for a return visit, just in case the seller was ambiguous.

If they go to the trouble of reading your materials and interview the next agent by holding you up as the standard to beat - then wow. your materials are good.

I leave my material with the client - in fact, if there is enough lead time I may even send it to them prior to our face to face, asking them to look it over, jotting down their questions.

Hey Linda- you're full of great questions today!

The most successful Realtor I know puts his entire listing presentation online (and we're in the process of doing the same): http://www.russellshawrealtor.com/

If you haven't set the bar so high another Realtor would likely fail, or if your presentation doesn't knock their socks off, maybe you shouldn't allow them to keep the marketing plan. But I think you can pull it off without threatening the deal!

Here's a line I like, "I'm going to leave this with you in case you decide to go with another Realtor. I want to make sure that you get the best service possible and by having this plan with you, you can ensure that your Realtor no matter who it is is held to a higher standard and does all of these things that I've proven over and over again in this market work." See if that doesn't create trust and more importantly AUTHORITY. You're the best at your job, but if they choose someone else, they should at LEAST do these things. :)

Hi Linda. I would not leave my whole marketing plan with the sellers. I would ask them what things they need to think about and try to get them to sign and offer them to cancel the listing within 48 hours if they concluded that they made the wrong choice. Some people have a hard time making decisions and they just say that they are not ready to get some space or they can't articulate what they want to think about. If they just want to meet with another agent (which is ok) then I would definitely not leave my marketing plan behind. If they are not willing to sign after your initial listing appointment, offer to come back and review the options again.