Listing Scorecard
- Books Given Away: 300
- Listings earned with the help of the books: 20-25
- Biggest benefit of using the books: “The books position me as an expert so I get 4 times as many appointments from my prospecting, compared to before I started using the books.” (Went from 3-4 hours of calls to get 1 listing appointment, to 1 hour of calls to get 1 listing appointment.)
April is getting listings, even though she’s in one of the hottest markets in America!
How is she doing it? I’ll give you a little hint: She’s using the books.
I recently talked to her, and here’s what she told me:
“I think I started with you guys about 8 months ago. Since then, I did in between five and six listings a month. I have gotten about 20 to 25 listings from the book.”
Here’s how she’s getting 5-6 listings a month from the books.
#1. April pulls the Expireds that are 3-6 months old.
“I use it to list Expireds, and I'll take it back maybe three to six months, and that has been what worked best for me.”
#2. She calls the expireds, tells them that she has a book, and asks for an appointment.
“Ben, I’m going to do the script for you right now: ‘Hi, this is April. I’m calling you because your house is showing up as an expired listing, and I specialize in houses that didn't sell the first time around, and I'm a Realtor and author specializing in those houses. And the book I have written is called How to Get Your Home Sold for Top Dollar. What's the best time we can meet? I just need 15 minutes to meet with you to show you how I can get your home sold.”
#3. If possible, she drops off a pre-listing packet with her book before she meets with the sellers.
“Before I even get there, depending on when the appointment is, I'm going to get someone to drop that package off with the book in there. And then we're going to call and make sure they got the package. And then they're very excited. So once I get there and they see what I have, and they see that I sent them the book, then pretty much the listing is already done.”
#4: She meets the sellers and asks them to review her book while she tours the house.
“When I get there, I have a really good listing package. I put a ribbon around it and everything to make it look as if it is a gift. As soon as I come in, I give it to them, and I start taking a look around the house by myself. I let them sit down at the table, and I tell them, ‘Go ahead and fill out your seller’s homework sheet and you can take a look at my book.’”
#5: Once she’s done going through the house, she sits down, asks if they have any questions, and snags the listing.
Listen to the Highlights Interview Audio below for more details on exactly how she does it.
Listen to the Full-Length Audio to get all the details.
Here is a transcript of the interview with Ben Curry and April.
Ben: OK, so I think you said that you got about eight listing, or it helped you get eight listings. How many books did you order from us whenever you first ordered them?
April: When I first ordered the books, it got me the eight listings. I believe I ordered... I used the initial ones I got, the 16 free ones.
Ben: OK.
April: And I think, if I can fully remember, I turned around, I maybe did 50 and that was it and I just used the books. The books put the icing on the cake for me with my listing, and before I would even go. A lot of times, I would send out the books, before I would go on the presentation, I would let the seller know that, you know, explain who I am. I would say I am April. I am a Realtor and author specializing in houses that didn't sell the first time, and I wrote a book on how to get your home sold, fast, for top dollar, and they would immediately, they come on out to the house, “April, it would really take me to the next level.” The books do work, and they help you feel confident if you don't have it, but you cannot be afraid to say, “I'm an author.” You cannot be afraid to say it.
Ben: So you just have to tell them: “I'm an author.”
April: You have to. You just have to say it. Period.
Ben: Yeah, I think it’s a good way to go. And you've used them what, to list expireds or what else have you done with them?
April: Expireds, and a few buyers, too, believe it or not — a few buyers.
Ben: Are you mostly going off brand new expireds, or do you go after old expireds, too? How do you do that?
April: I do both.
Ben: OK.
April: But really, it’s pretty much, I'll take it back, maybe three to six months, and that has been what worked best for me. Three to six months back.
Ben: What's your approach, you send out the book first, you call them first? How does it work?
April: Well, it just depends on the area. But typically, what I do is, I will still call them first and as I call them, that's when I leverage the book, and that's what gets my foot in the door and pretty much before I even get there, depending on when the appointment is, an example, if the appointment is on a Wednesday, I make the call on Monday. I'm going to get the one and drop that package off. And then, we're going to call and make sure they got the package. And then, we're going to let them, people get the book in there, and they're very excited. So once I get there and they see what I have, once I get there and they see that I sent them the book, they then, pretty much the listing is already done.
Ben: Wow, so OK. So sending the book when you show up, they're pre-sold on ordering, listing with you?
April: Pretty much, yeah.
Ben: Wow, good for you. OK, and how many do you estimate, let’s say expireds, have you been able to list using the books?
April: Oh my goodness. Let me see. Right now, I'll tell you this right now. I have seven under contract, seven contracts right now. All them are closing this month. I've already closed three, this month. Then, I think with these books, I'm serious, I think I started with you guys, what was it, a little before December. Since then, I did maybe in between five and six listings a month, sometimes 10. Then, I'm going to say, I'm going to have to say about, honestly, about 20, 25 — 20, 25 listings from the book.
Ben: Wow, and what have most of them been, the old expireds? Or have you done other, other stuff as well?
April: Nope, just old expireds is all that I do.
Ben: And that is, that is a good idea. Which ones have you given out, which specific books?
April: I had used the books that had gold in front with the yellow background, and the main book that I have is the one with the city background. And the title was How To Get Your Home Sold Fast For Top Dollar. That's the business card book. That's what they want, and now, I'm going to get me some expireds books, and I'm telling you, when I first started off, I was like, I didn't know which way to go. So I got the business card books, and that right there has been the money maker, for me.
Ben: OK. So your approach: So you find old expireds, three to six months old, you call them up. What do you say when you call them?
April: Pretty much, I just say hi, I'm going to do the script for you right now. I just say “Hi, this is April. I’m calling because your house is showing up as an expired listing, and I specialize in houses that didn't sell the first time around, and I'm a Realtor and author specializing in those houses, and the book I have written is called ‘How to Get Your Home Sold for Top Dollar.” What's the best time we can meet? I just need 15 minutes to meet with you to show you how I can get your home sold.”
Ben: And people are like “Wow, what are you talking about?” So they schedule the appointment and then before you meet with them, if time, you drop off the book or mail it out?
April: Correct. And if I don't have the time, I bring it with me. What I do is, I present my listing package, if... even if I mail it out, get it delivered or hand, have it in my hand when I get there, I have a really good listing package, and I make it look as if it’s a gift. I put a ribbon around it and everything, and as soon as I come in, I give it to them and I start taking a look around the house by myself. I don't make them. I let them sit down at the table, and I tell them go ahead and fill out, go ahead fill out your seller’s homework sheet, and you can take a look at my book.
Ben: OK, and you do you feel like the books position you as an expert, maybe a real estate expert?
April: Absolutely.
Ben: OK, awesome, alright. Are you looking, are you thinking about using them for any other stuff, or you’re mostly going to focus on the, just keep doing the old expireds like you're doing right now?
April: For sure, but I do often, now I think I want to take it to the next level with the for sale by owners. Now that I've had, now that this is going so good, Ben, I want to go to the next level, and I'm going to start using FSBO.
Ben: In the future, I mean how many listings do you project you'll be able to bring in, with the help of the books in the future?
April: Well, I'm, honestly, I really feel as though, I'm going to finish with probably about 50 listings, this year. But I will say in between 70 to 80 next year. You can, if you work hard, you have the work. You have to put in the work, but when you do it, I think about, you can get, 70 to 80 probably, and that's not even saying a max. You can get roughly 70 to 80 listings from it, annually.
Ben: Yeah, 70, 80 listings over the course of the year.
April: Correct. You can bring in ten a month, you, if you work like I do, you can bring in ten a month.
Ben: How has using the books made it easier to get listings? What was it like before the books? What was your approach back then?
April: Oh boy, back then, I would do a lot of cold calling to expireds... now, let’s just say I don't have to be on the phone as long. I don't. I don't. Like today, an example, I was on the phone from 8:30 to like 10:15. I have two appointments. That's it, and I just got off the phone for the rest of the day.
Ben: Wow, OK.
April: Yeah, back then, I would have to dial for hours. These people don't want to hear the same thing over and over again, and that's what I tell them, how many people do you have calling you that's an author, that has written a book on how to get your home sold, fast, for top dollar? Name one.
Ben: So if, if, you are, I mean you are doing obviously prospecting stuff, but it's making it, where it’s way easier. I mean, it sounds like you’re getting appointments in a quarter the time, or half the time.
April: Absolutely.
Ben: So, so before, I mean how long, how many hours did you have to prospect before to get one listing appointment? Four hours, two hours, six hours?
April: About, honestly, about three to four hours at first.
Ben: OK and what is it now? Maybe about an hour to get one listing appointment?
April: One hour to get one listing appointment now.
Ben: Wow, that's, that's a huge change. That's made that way more effective. OK.
April: Absolutely.
Ben: Have you gotten any listings where you're not, maybe calling expireds or anything else besides just working the expireds and the old expireds? Have you gotten any listings from the books besides that?
April: I've had one, yeah, but these people, it depends, honestly, it depends on who you are to me. But I've gotten one off of that. But not a whole lot... and maybe because I haven't, you know, maybe because I make the calls so well. I kinda, pretty much, I just stop doing, I think I sent out so many books. I mean, I only did it one time, and I was consistent with it, and you have to stay consistent, and I do believe that I wasn't consistent with it. I would have saw a different return, but I say, you know what, let me just merge my two things together, and this is what works for me. So I'm not going to ever stop.
Ben: Yeah. That's a good deal. OK. What was the other listing you got? Was it maybe a past client, or what happened there?
April: Well, actually it was who I got the book to. I tried to dish out the book. I sent out maybe 75 books by themselves around the holiday time, and someone did call me back, and it just so happened he was an investor and he had a lot of houses, and he let me list those houses, so we had six houses on the list.
Ben: Wow, OK. So but from what you've seen, if you don't follow, if you just send the book and don't do anything else, it's not going to work that well. You have to follow up afterwards.
April: You have to follow up. That’s how I got him. I followed up, and just, he told me, he said, you know, I was going to give you a call I just never made. I just never got around to doing so, and I said well OK. Well, it's your lucky day. Let's get together for an appointment, and we did, and he gave me all of those listings. That same day.
Ben: Good for you. You were just crushing it. This is, this is exciting to hear. So, OK. I think I got all my questions answered. Well, hold on, can you tell me a little bit about what's happened with the buyers, like what you've done, with the buyer books and how that's helped you out?
April: Well, I don't have any buyer books. Right now, what I've done is, I guess I will say I got buyers because they were sellers and they turned into buyers, and you know, the book helped me to get two deals out of them instead of one. You know? That's how I got my buyers.
Ben: So the book impressed them enough that they said, you know what, we're also going to buy a house with you, not just sell one.
April: Exactly.
Ben: And a lot of people struggle at converting those sellers into buyer, buyer clients that they work with, so good for you. OK awesome. I got all my questions. Do you have anything else you wanted to add or other questions you might've had for me?
April: No, I'm good. Thank you.
