Residential real estate career, sales, and marketing ideas from the ...

I love doing Open Houses. I know there are some of you out there cringing right now.

But I love doing anything where I am fairly certain I?ll get a new client. (Yes, they benefit the seller too. It?s a win-win.)

Here are the ways I ensure I?ve got a good chance of getting a new client:

1. Pick the right open houses.

This may sound obvious, but there?s almost an art to picking the right open house.

First, it?s got to be among the kinds of homes I want to sell.

Second, when looking for buyers, I prefer to hold the 2nd through 4th open house on a listing, not the first.

Alternatively, I like to hold an open house on a well-seasoned listing that hasn?t had an open house in a long while. The reason is that the first blush of buyers at opening day are the regular shoppers who?ve been out there looking for a while and they really, really want to see this house in case it?s one they want to buy.

After that opening day, the buyers tend to be the ?we?re thinking about buying? crowd?and they?re less likely to be committed to an agent yet.

2.? Signage.

I sign the heck out of it.

I will put out between 15 and 30 signs.

I?ll start the day before, putting up key directionals, along with the rider ?open Saturday 1-3? or whatever.

I use flags and sometimes balloons. I want to look festive and fun.

Most importantly, I want to look like I?m everywhere. Someone always says to me, ?Wow, I had no trouble finding this.? Almost no one who?s thinking about buying is going to miss my open house, and any sellers in the community will be able to see that I work for my money.

Also, if the house has some turn-off feature, like a service station next door, I?ll put up a separate banner or sign that tries to spin the problem in a positive light, like: ?Not far to go for gas?and priced for convenience.?

It gets a laugh, but more importantly, it makes people curious?just what do I mean by priced for convenience?

3. Knowledge.

I make sure I know the financing terms on this house. I find out what the payment would be if they put 3, 5, 10, or 20% down at such-and-such interest rates.

I know the house inventory in the community and have listings for several comparables. I also have a list of homes for sale in the area, along with a map. It?s a great ?talking piece.?

I try to know all about the history of the house I?m holding open, and especially I like to know any ?secrets? about the community.

All this is used to get and keep the interest of select buyers.

4. Showmanship.

When someone comes in the door, I want them to feel like they?re not only welcome, but invited.

I try to greet everyone personally by shaking their hand and telling them my name, then stepping aside, I point out two or three key features, then invite them to take all the time they need to look around.

I also make sure to tell them that I?ll talk to them again in a while. Then when they?re about two-thirds the way through, I catch up with them and get into a sales conversation.

The reason this is important is that when I don?t do it?when someone slips past me or I?m having a bad day where I don?t feel very enthusiastic (it happens, right?)?I notice it?s harder to engage them later. I guess first impressions matter when it comes to having a sale conversation.

5. Sales skill.

I like to sell conversationally, but before I can do that, I have to get into a conversation.

I have several opening gambits to use, such as ?How does this house compare to what else you?ve been seeing?? or even, ?Would you like to make an offer??? Often I can just comment on something they?re looking at right then.(You cannot be wimpy here, folks! You have to exude confidence. If you don?t feel it, then fake it ?til you make it.)

After getting into the conversation, I use my Openhanded Selling process to bring them around to becoming a client.

The process usually starts with the question, ?What?s your situation with regards to buying a house?? and ends with them saying, ?Can you show us houses??

My goal is always to ask for an appointment, and NOT to end with ?I?ll send you information and be in touch.?

6. Craigslist.

I don?t know what the popular free classified?s tool is in your area, but if you have Craigslist, use it!

It?s free and most every buyer I meet who researched open houses looked on Craigslist.

Do you like doing open houses? Leave a comment and tell why or why not.

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