A Floyd Wickman blog by Mike Pallin Floyd and his programs have been popular for over 30 years because selling skills are timeless. Vocabulary changes the words we use, but we still use words, ideas, tracks and techniques. Fashion changes the way we dress, but we still dress to show respect. Appearance and first impressions still make a difference. Technology changes how we communicate, but we still have to explain, negotiate and persuade.

One thing technology has changed for sure, and that’s how we present offers.

Long gone are the days when the listing agent and the buyer’s agent met together with the Sellers at the kitchen table to present offers. It’s just not practical, and not a custom we embrace much these days. Or even remember.

In most markets that tradition never caught on, and the listing agent presented any and all offers without the buyer’s agent present, even though they have always had the “right to be present.” Still today.

And then technology made it possible to put the contract in front of Sellers without having to be physically present.

Offers aren’t presented today so much as they are made available, almost as an afterthought. Text message - “Folks, we have an offer. I will send you a link and call you after you’ve had a chance to look at it.”

And now the offer presentation consists of, “Well, what do you think?”

Question: Does anything of value get lost in the move from away face-to-face offer presentations and toward long distance presentations?

Well, of course. Real estate, like all selling, is a contact sport. Eye contact is lost over the phone. So is body language. And the ability to observe the interaction between spouses. Those are nuances, for sure. But there is a bigger issue.

What’s not new is having to present offers long distance. We have always had students with out of town clients, especially in second-home markets. So, the good news is that Floyd’s presentation tracks and techniques have always worked long distance.

The bigger issue is a basic selling principle that begins with understanding the job description of a salesperson. According to Floyd, a salesperson’s job is to help people make decisions which, if left to themselves, they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to make, but for which they will thank us later. To do that job effectively, a salesperson needs to control what the client not only hears, but also sees, and in what order.

In other words, there are three ways to present offers: good, better and best, depending on the results you want.

For good results, send the offer to the Sellers in advance, ask them to look it over and follow up with a phone call. This method is good only because nobody has to leave home, or get dressed. It’s better than nothing, but it rarely results in a timely or easy decision. Sellers feel left on their own, and the benefit of a listing agent’s advice, counsel and perspective is missing.

Put technology to work to get better results, using skype or face-time, or a go-to-meeting type presentation platform. Floyd’s presentation track works perfectly with them. Step 1 Small talk smart Step 2 Explain the three components of a sale Step 3 Explain your job Step 4 Explain their job Step 5 Go over the highlights Step 6 Read through the contract assumptively Step 7 Handle hesitations and get a decision

You cannot do any of that if they have already read through the offer.

For best results, nothing beats Come Into The Office, where you set the tone by controlling the atmosphere, the environment, the visual and the verbal. This isn’t always practical or possible.

So…

If the result you want is accepted offers, consider using technology as a better way to present offers.