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The people who get this right know that good questions are the answer and they are doing great things in flat or tough markets.

Improving your listing to sale ratio (reducing withdrawns) using the following three suggestions:

1. Relationships sell
   In this age of technology, ask yourself – how many buyers are you calling each day that may have been looking for between 3 and 6 months? If you handle the call correctly, people love the personal contact.If you have listings that have been on the market for 21 days at the current price you must reduce the price. Go through your stock and make a list of properties that need to be reduced, and then go and see the owners. This is the first step in improving your listing to sale ratio.
2. Script for encouraging buyers to commit
   Once you have the price reduction, start calling buyers in an enthusiastic way. “The property you looked at 3 weeks ago has just been reduced to $650000 and I thought you had to be the first to know. It’s now great value at this price, don’t you agree?”

   Do not rely on the internet to let people know about the price change. You cannot convey enthusiasm over the internet. Doing this allows you to build relationships with people now, and into the future. Once you have started to build good, personal relationships with people, your sales will begin to rise.

   You can’t sell to strangers, so you must have good relationships to set the foundation for your career. Buyers will like you even more when you are able to lead them to make a decision without ever asking them for an offer. Never ask a buyer if they want to make an offer.

3. Closing at the inspection
   So at this point you may have a buyer excited about the property you have just reduced, so the next step is to qualify. Then get them through the property. When you have them there, you lead them to buy the property by using the following sequence of questions

   – Select a nice casual family room like the kitchen and then ask: “How do you feel about this property?” Listen intently for what is really being said. Then if they have answered positively, say: “Well, why don’t you buy it?” This is a nice little negative close and works a treat. Remain silent. Do not say a word and let them speak first.

   In 80% of these situations they will still want to think it over and if that’s the case book another appointment.

   If they want to come back soon they are genuine about the property.

   If they want to leave it a week they are more than likely a waste of time.

   If they still want to think it over after another inspection, then use this to lead them to make a decision.

   Say: “You wouldn’t be telling me you want to think it over unless you are seriously considering moving into this property, would you?”

   “You are not just saying that to get rid of me are you?”

   “So I can clarify my thinking, what is it that you would like to think over?”

   “Could it possibly be the location?”

   “The size of the house?”

   “The allotment size?”

   “The price?”

   If they answer yes to this, then ask the following –

   “How much too much do you think it is?”

   If they give you a figure, ask: “If the owner could afford to sell for that price (and I think it’s highly unlikely), will you buy this property?”

   If they say yes then you use the hope price sequence to get the price up.

Selling is all about building relationships, especially when there are more properties for sale and less buyers.

As agents we must build great relationships with buyers because they have a massive selection compared to when the market was booming.

Follow these suggestions; they work and you soon will turn what you thought were hard to sell listings into sales.