Key Presentations Gaps That Undermine Great Sales Pitches
- Stuart Chng
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Growing up in Singapore, we have all went through primary and secondary education and more have definitely sat through oral examinations for English and mother tongue.
Perhaps it is only my isolated experience, but during my school days, there weren't much opportunities for presentation-focussed development such as "show and tell". Sure, we had group activities that typically resulted in sharing our findings/outcomes with the class, but the emphasis was never the delivery - this is a crying shame because the ability to interest, interact and influence is such an important skillset to have.
From my years in the real estate industry, I have seen agents with a natural gift of the gap excel in interactions with clients. They speak with good eye-contact, melodious cadence and know how to get their point across. The best kind of agents know how to read the room and are sensitive to body language. They are able to adjust on the fly to ensure that their client interactions are never awkward. They seem to be naturally good with people and have the so-called "blood of the salesperson" flowing through their veins.
On the flip side, I have also seen agents (typically newer agents) struggle to get points across (speaking with no conviction and confidence) eventually developing and getting better and plugging gaps with experience and exposure. Unlike the aforementioned Natural Salesperson, these agents take time to hone in on this critical aspect of our craft. Once they do, they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them when it comes to delivering results.
In the current age of marketing and self branding, eloquence cannot be understated. Whether is is a listing video for a property, interactions with potential buyers at a new launch or viewings for tenants, your window of interaction with the client needs to be one that is prepared and optimised in order to not let opportunities slip.
Whether you are a natural or wanting to tighten up your client interactions, here are a few things I have observed that you can address to set yourself apart;
Overused Phrases / Descriptors That Dilute Impact
We've all encountered and cross-referenced other agent's listings and walkthroughs of property for sale, whether on Instagram, Facebook, etc.
One of the issues I've noticed is that it gets tiring and uninteresting to watch these videos when almost every other agent keeps using the same buzzwords like; "floor-to-ceiling, full height..." "the owners already have done up..." "plenty of storage...." "able to put a x-seater dining/sofa..." "enough room for a king size bed frame..."
"the best part is that there is no built-in so you save on hacking..." "This is how much it costs to buy a X-room HDB in ABC Town..."
While your property is unique, it won't sound like it is if would-be buyers keep hearing the same spiel. Worse, it may feel rehearsed and generic, causing your audience to subconsciously tune-out.
Try to differentiate your viewings/videos by rewording or using alternate ways to emphasise/describe size or abundance of storage.
Presenting Without Personality
Again, using video walkthroughs and tours as a point of common reference, I've notice different personalities of agents that make them stand out from others.
They lean towards their personalities but still remain genuine and present.
There are many professionals that carry themselves well with a level of sophistication and professionalism that will surely instil confidence, but of course, that isn't the only way to garner positive attention. Some carry an irresistible nature bubbly enthusiasm while others angle their videos toward light-hearted humour. I would argue that when comparing apples to apples, the latter creators leave a longer-lasting and more pleasant impressions The reason? They are different enough and a refreshing break from monotony of the usual fanfare.
One must understand that in a presentation / sales pitch, the audience is not only there to gather information, but also to feel. But don't make your entire presentation a charade, because the goal isn't performance, it's authenticity.
Reading Directly from Slide / Script
A common mistake is treating slides as a script rather than a visual aid or guiding structure.
Signs of slide dependency include:
Reading bullet points verbatim
Not maintaining good eye-contact with client/audience
Overloading slides with text or being overly verbose.
While Navis Atlas provides a myriad of high quality interactions (via Scripts) for reference, it is always important to isolate key ideas, data highlights and unique selling points. Every presentation is unique to audience, circumstance and setting, so you shouldn't be a flyer/recording.
Watch Out For Ticks - The Silent Killer
One of the most common presentation weaknesses is the overuse of verbal fillers, or ticks such as:
“Um”
“Uh”
“Like”
“You know”
“Basically”
“So…”
These fillers usually appear when a speaker is thinking ahead or feeling nervous. They make the salesperson feel less prepared, less confident and less authoritative. In some instances, it could completely derail your audience.
I recently attended a Zoom session conducted by my child's school. In this session, the heads of departments detailed the strategy and approach to growing the children's potential for each subject. There was one presenter that ended every sentence with "alright?" and it was incredibly distracting. Instead of paying attention to the content, I was anticipating the next time she said "alright?". I joked to my wife that if we were playing a drinking game and I had a shot each time she said "alright?", I'd be drunk in 10 minutes.
It's hard to catch yourself in the act when it comes to verbal ticks. Ask a few friends or fellow agents to listen to a 5-minute pitch from you and at the end, ask them if they notice any ticks. Take their feedback and work on removing those pesky ticks by recording yourself.
Talking Too Fast and Ignoring Client Connection
These two issues are like 1A and 1B. Nervousness always rears itself as sped-up speech. A hundred words a minute can be hard to digest, and that's a problem compounded by not leaving room for your client to react and give you tell-tale signs of how/where to lead the conversation.
Practicing good speech cadence with well-timed pauses can dramatically improve your ability to close.
Example; You are in the lift headed to the unit with your client and briefly mention that the owners have built a walk-in wardrobe. Pausing frequently between points of information for a raised brow (usually indicating interest) or a slight grimace (concern, disdain) can give you critical information that you can act on.
Raised eyebrow can result in a follow-up comment like, "would be fantastic if you are always jousting your spouse for wardrobe space" whereas a grimace or disinterest reaction can warrant a response such as, "it shouldn't take much to restore the built-in wardrobe back into a decently-sized bedroom.".
How you deliver needs to be couple with how you are able to react to your audience's body language and behaviour. This is a skill that needs to be sharpened with practice and exposure.
Again, you need go no further than our Navis Atlas app, because being very comfortable and confident in your fundamentals leaves you more mental bandwidth to observe and process audience reactions.
Bottom Line
The good news is that you don't need to be excel in any particular aspect of presentation and/or communication to be good at sales. In fact, the best sales people are the ones with no holes in their pitch, which translates to no distractions for the client/audience, allowing them to absorb and feel, instead of decipher and interpret.
Being prepared is of course the cornerstone of every positive interaction, you need to be a well-oiled machine that blends exposure, practice and product confidence into your unique personality.
Get the unfair advantage that will propel your real estate career to new heights with the Navis Atlas app. But don't just take our word for it — The proof is in the pudding. Come experience it yourself. Schedule a session right now.
Stuart Chng is the Managing Partner of Navis and Chief Agency District Director at Huttons and the co-creator of Navis Atlas and PrimeKey Analysis.
He adores music and can play a few instruments decently without upsetting his neighbours. When not doing so, he enjoys pillow fighting with his son and coming up with silly puns which barely amuses his wife.
Professionally, he is a licensed real estate agent, avid investor in options, stocks and real estate, team leader, speaker and columnist for several property newsletters and blogs and is often quoted in media interviews on 938FM, Channel 8, PropertyReport, PropertyGuru and other publications.
Throughout his career, he has helped many clients grow their wealth through selecting great real estate investments and managing their portfolios actively. Read his clients' reviews here.
Stuart has also coached many top million dollar producing agents from top Singapore real estate agencies. Read his agents' reviews here.
Related readings:
Comments