“I use a professional photographer on every listing!”
Big deal! So does every other competent and half-competent REALTOR® in your market. Also, most of the incompetent ones.
So, what can you do to separate yourself from the crowd? First, let’s take a step back and ask a fundamental question:
How important is photography, anyway?
Last week, we discussed Marketing on the MLS and how—from your sellers’ perspective—the MLS Presentation is BY FAR the most important part of all your marketing efforts. After all, it’s the source of information for 99% of your potential buyers!
So, what’s the most essential component in your MLS Presentation?
It’s the images!
Think about it from the perspective of potential buyers looking at your listing. They’re scanning through hundreds of available properties. What’s the first thing they focus on? The images!
If they don’t like the images, they won’t even bother reading the words.
They say you shouldn’t make assumptions about people. I disagree!
Here’s a powerful and smart assumption you should make about the person who will ultimately buy your listing.
The buyer of your listing has a very short attention span.
You don’t know this for sure, of course, but in our distraction-filled, information-saturated world, it’s a safe bet. You’ve probably got about two seconds to capture their attention, or guess what? They’re gone. They’re looking at the next listing now (your competitor).
By the way, when you explain this stuff to your potential sellers, they ALWAYS agree wholeheartedly. You know why? Because they just finished looking at the crappy presentation of most other listings.
Here’s how to differentiate yourself:
1. Every half-competent REALTOR® uses a professional photographer. You? You use (insert name here) — the best Real Estate photographer in the business. Mentioning your photographer by name adds a considerable amount of credibility. Talk about your photographer as if he or she is a famous artist.
2. Speak in detail about the time and effort you invest in choosing exactly which images you will use and in which order, and also which images you will NOT use. Remember the buyer with the short attention span? If an image is NOT contributing towards generating a showing, it’s useless clutter! Sometimes less is more.
3. Describe the psychology behind why you do what you do! Talk about the buyer with the short attention span. When you speak to potential sellers in this way, you build trust and rapport. This goes for your entire presentation, by the way, not just the photography part.
Now, here’s the most important part:
It’s NOT about only TALKING about this stuff. You’ve got to DO it.
Do you have the very best photographer? No? Why not? Seriously, we’re talking about someone who is probably the most essential service provider in your business. Don’t be cheap. And don’t be lazy. You should always be on the look-out for a photographer who is better than the one you’re currently using.
Loyalty is nice. Landing and selling more listings is better.
Besides, talk is cheap. You’ve got to be able to demonstrate precisely WHY you use that famous photographer.
If you can’t demonstrate your photography with immense pride and confidence, you’re doing something wrong. I suggest you fix this vital part of your business as soon as possible.
One more thing about that buyer with the short attention span: Once you’ve captured their attention with the fantastic quality of your images, then (and only then) will they read the words. This is your sales pitch. But it’s NOT a sales pitch to sell the house. It’s a sales pitch to generate a showing — more on that next week.
