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As an agent, you can never predict where you’ll come across your next listing or client.
You come into contact with potential clients every day, whether you're dropping your kids off at soccer practice, networking at an industry conference, buying bread at the bakery or sweating it out at your personal training class, anyone and everyone you meet is a potential lead or knows of a new lead.
That’s why it’s so important to be able to sell yourself and showcase your abilities within a 30 second ‘elevator pitch’ in a conversational, friendly and uncontrived way when making new acquaintances.
The best agents have their sales pitch down to a succinct, well-timed, memorable work of art. The aim is to entice anyone you meet with factual but easily digestible chunks of information about your industry knowledge and the work you do. You want the person to walk away thinking, ‘Wow, so-and-so really knows their stuff’.
However, you have to pick and choose your audience and make sure the timing is right. The last thing you want is to come across as a pushy sales person who’ll launch into how great you are at your job to anyone who will listen.
Here are five things to keep in mind when crafting the perfect pitch to win over new clients:
- Unique sales proposition (USP)
When developing your pitch, one of the most important things you need to decide is what your USP is. That is, what is it that makes your service different, memorable and superior to your competitors? This may be different depending on the type of potential client. Ask yourself, “What makes me unique as an agent?” for an investor, a first home buyer, a seller or a renter.
Perhaps your USP is your:
- fast response time to inquiries
- track record of fair rent appraisals
- killer negotiating skills
- extensive local knowledge about the area showcased on your Premier Agent Q&As and Suburb Reviews.
- impressive collection of satisfied client’s testimonials or
- large network of potential tenants.
- Provide evidence of your success
To make your pitch resonate with the person you’re speaking to, it’s a good idea to offer a specific story that is relevant to their situation. For example, if you’re talking to a potential client, you could mention a big win you had for a client with an aggressive marketing campaign. If you’re talking with someone in need of a buyer’s agent, showcase your great interpersonal and negotiating capabilities.
- Get the timing right
Make sure you only pull out your pitch when the time is right. Your pitch shouldn’t be the starting point of a conversation with a new acquaintance. Get to know them first, see if you have any mutual interests and go from there. After a while chatting, you’ll determine whether there may be a need for your services or not. If you get the feeling there is, launch into your pitch.
- Practice makes perfect
As with any form of public speaking, practice is key to creating a winning pitch. Writing out scripts for different scenarios and practicing in front of a mirror, a co-worker or family member will put you more at ease when it comes to delivering the pitch for real. Better yet, take a video of yourself and watch it back, paying close attention to your body language, delivery and timing.
- Don’t forget the important details
Lastly, don’t forget to introduce yourself by name, mention which office you work for and where and what area of property management you specialise in to make it easy for the new client to track you down. Better yet, if they’re genuinely interested, pass on your business card so they can get in touch when they are ready.
What to avoid:
- Using a flat generic pitch with industry jargon and buzzwords. Tailor your message so that it is not intimidating but easy to understand.
- Talking all about yourself. Make your pitch all about your potential client and what you can do for them in terms of making the process less stressful, efficient and profitable.
- A long pitch. You don’t want the delivery of your key message to take any longer than 30 seconds.
Put your best foot forward in your elevator pitch by explaining your USP, providing evidence of your success and highlighting what you can do for a potential client. A quick, thoughtful and well-rehearsed pitch can be a powerful lead generation tool and help to set you apart from the competition.
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