4 Tips to Attract Sellers and Win More Listings

Housing inventory is low in many parts of the country, and competition is high among agents looking to win their area's best listings. What can agents do to ensure they're the one that sellers contact first? Here are a few ideas.

1. Claim Your Profile on Property Search Portals

We know--agents sometimes have a fraught relationship with property search portals. Regardless of your personal feelings, however, consumers love portals because they offer information in a way that's more user friendly and accessible than many agent and broker sites. Portals rank well in search engines, too, and are often the first result consumers see when searching for real estate information online.

Because of portals' dominance with consumers, it's crucial that you have a presence on each of the top sites. Don't worry, though; this is as simple as setting up a free agent profile so sellers can learn more about you. Here are some crucial elements that you should be sure to complete on your portal profiles:

• Profile photo - A recent, professional looking headshot is the first step to winning sellers' trust. Consumers want to know who they're considering hiring--and profiles without a photo are typically passed up in favor of those with a photo.
• Contact information - When brokers send their listings to portals, your contact information is usually bundled in with data. However, it's not uncommon for the contact information that the brokers send to be incomplete or incorrect. That's why claiming your profile is so important--it gives you a chance to correct any errors and add other vital details, like your agent website or alternate phone numbers.
• Agent reviews and ratings - What's your sales track record like? That's what sellers want to know when researching listing agents online. By building a robust collection of reviews from past clients, you're letting prospective clients know that you're an agent they can trust. Don't have reviews yet? Reach out to satisfied past clients and ask for a review. Then, going forward, make asking for reviews as routine as giving a closing gift.
• Claim your listings - The major search portals will let you claim your listings, both active and solds. It's another big way you can show consumers your track record of success. If you are unable to claim your past listings (a crucial part in wowing sellers), ask your broker if they're including sold information in the data feed they send to portals.

While setting up your agent profiles on portals is free, there are additional paid options, like the realtor.com® Digital Ad Package, to enhance your branding efforts.

2. Appeal to Homeowners' Curiosity

Because a home is the biggest purchase most people make in their life, there's a natural tendency for homeowners to wonder how the value of their house has appreciated over time. Many agents are tapping into this curiosity to attract more seller leads by asking a simple question: What is your home worth?

To get started attracting and capturing seller leads this way, all you need is a simple landing page with a contact form, and a CMA with which to generate reports. There are several solutions that let you set up a landing page in minutes, including Cloud CMA and HomeValueLeads.com. Once set up, it's up to you to promote the page, whether by social media, pay per click ads, or other methods.

3. Stay in Touch by Offering Valuable Information

Staying top of mind is the best way to ensure that past clients contact you when they're ready to move again. Rather than boring refrigerator magnets, consider offering information that's relevant and valuable to your clients.

Again, one of the most effective methods is to tap into a homeowner's curious side--and maybe even their competitive streak. Send periodic reports, like those provided by Market Snapshot®, to keep homeowners informed on the latest real estate activity in their neighborhood. Clients will appreciate being "in the know" and seeing how their home stacks up to others in their area.

4. Create a Winning Listing Presentation

And, finally--you've got an interested seller lead, and now it's up to you to convert them into a signed listing. The key? A strong listing presentation! To be truly effective, your presentation has to support what you do with tangible proof--information about how you market, where you do it and why it's important. In addition, referencing research, facts and figures helps you state your case by positioning you as a true expert that can point to success based on evidence instead of theory.

If you don't have a listing presentation ready to go, you can create your own using an app like Keynote (for iOS), Canva, or HaikuDeck. Alternatively, ask your broker if they have a template you can follow, or use a free resource like the Realtor.com® Listing Presentation.

What techniques do you use to attract and engage sellers? Let us know in the comments below!