In this article I’m going to share with you information of two tools that are highly effective forms to insert in your pre-listing package. The first is the RealtorŽ Pledge and Survey Form. This form is used to back up the qualifying to make sure the prospect is giving you consistent answers. You will also know, in advance, their real areas of concern. Our job is to make sure they fill it out before we arrive. If you arrive, and they have not taken the time to fill it out, then ask them to fill it out now while you take a look at their home.

The point of this form is it will tell you their concerns, so you can address them in your presentation. If their concerns are high enough for a five, you are going to probably see that concern voiced in the form of an objection before you can close. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what you are up against in trying to make the sale? The RealtorŽ Pledge and Survey addresses that as well.

RealtorŽ Pledge and Survey: I am here to provide you the service that you desire. I will always put your interest first before anyone else. To provide you the best and most professional job I would like to know your concerns, so we can jointly achieve the desired result. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey below on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being Not Concerned and 5 being Very Concerned.

Concerns about selling your home:

• Communication with Realtor
• Buyer Qualifications
• Multiple Listing Service
• Marketing of your Property
• Advertising
• Open House
• Selling Commission
• Possible Unforeseen Problems
• Systematic Process to the Sale
• Time of Possession
• Pride of Your Property
• Closing Costs
• Security of Your Home
• Salability
• Negotiating the Contract
• Repairs After the Inspection

The other form is a series of questions you want the seller to ask any agent they are considering. These are questions that agents should know the answers to but usually don’t. By giving these questions to the seller, you are setting up a large percentage of the agents they might be considering to fail. They will look pretty foolish when they can’t answer the questions or worse, get caught trying to wing it. Strongly encourage the seller to ask the questions to each agent who interviews for the job of selling their home.

A word of caution, you had better have the answers to these questions! It won’t do you any good to provide them and not have the answers. Great defense attorneys have determined their arguments, the possible responses, and their follow-up questions in advance – before the witness takes the stand. If you calculate your results, and there is a number for one of the questions that is really poor, chop the question from the list. As an example, if you had a poor year last year, drop the question about the number of homes sold. Insert another aspect of your service that is in your favor. If you are newer to real estate, I would drop the first question because you don’t want them to know. Some people might cross you off the list due to lack of experience.

1. How long have you been a licensed RealtorŽ?
2. Do you work as a full-time RealtorŽ?
3. Do you have assistants that work for you?
4. How many homes did you list last year that sold?
5. How many homes did you list last year that failed to sell?
6. How many of the listings you took did you actually sell yourself?
7. How many transactions did you do last year?
8. What was your average list price to sales price for you listings?
9. What is the real estate board average list price to sales price?
10. What are the average days your listing has been on the market?
11. What are the real estate board average days on the market?
12. Where do you advertise and how often?
13. How do you communicate with sellers and how often?
14. Why should I hire you?

Published: February 10, 2012

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Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.