“Anyone can post your listing on the MLS system.”
This is one of the most deceptive and misleading statements in real estate marketing.
Misleading by “telling the truth” is so pervasive in daily life that psychologists have recently employed a new term to describe it:
Paltering—the active use of selective truthful statements to mislead.
Politicians have a fine art out of paltering. And frankly, so have many REALTORS®.
Of course, every REALTOR® indeed can post a listing on the MLS system. However, the question is not whether you can do it or not.
The question should be,
“HOW WELL can you do it?”
How well do you understand the target buyer?
How effective are you at focusing on the best features of the property?
How compelling is your overall ad copy?
And, of course, how good are the images you use?
Stating, “Anyone can post your listing on the MLS,” implies that the quality and effectiveness of one listing is the same as the next. But as you are well aware. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Let’s take a step back and ask, “How important is the MLS System, anyway?” To find the answer, simply ask yourself:
How does every serious, qualified, active buyer find out the details about your listing?
It’s through the MLS system, of course!
There’s actually no other way except possibly by driving by and noticing the For Sale sign or attending an Open House. But even then, serious, qualified, active buyers already know all about it! Right?
So why do so few REALTORS® even discuss this most crucial aspect of marketing property?
Again, it’s because “anyone can post your listing on the MLS system,” and most agents don’t know how to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
But I do.
What about you?
Do you feel confident demonstrating how your listings stand out from the crowd with superior photography, compelling ad copy, and other subtle elements that contribute to the most powerful MLS presentation possible?
Can you confidently state that your clients will get more high-quality showings from serious, qualified, active buyers and dramatically improve their odds of selling quickly for the highest possible price?
If not, what are you doing? Isn’t this your job?
Note: I’ve emphasized the words serious, qualified, and active several times because if a buyer is not serious, not qualified, or not actively looking, then your seller simply doesn’t care about them, right? Or at least they shouldn’t.
What’s the point of marketing to people who are not serious, not qualified, or not actively looking?
Here’s a challenge for 2023: Before you plan on finally starting to use video, before you finally figure out how to have a better presence on social media, before you up the budget on mailings and bus benches…
Figure out how to improve the impact of your listings, and then incorporate this into your listing presentation.
The easiest and most effective way to market yourself is to demonstrate to potential clients that you’re a true professional at utilizing our most powerful marketing tool (the MLS system).
Then you’ll find all that other stuff infinitely easier.
Marketing yourself is simple when you actually ARE better. That’s what Agent Skills is all about.
