NEW MEXICO 11-16-20

NEW MEXICO EDITION

BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE:

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients that Will Last a Lifetime

FEATURED AGENT

MANNY PATINO

ARE YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS COSTING YOU MONEY?

6 WAYS TO GET YOUR CLIENT TO TRUST YOU

COVER STORY

CASSANDRA MORRISON

NEW MEXICO EDITION

MANNY PATINO Manny Patino’s expertise and knowledge of 9 Las Cruces have helped him to become the highest ranked and reviewed agent in the city.

His clients rave that he understands construction inside and out, and can talk them through everything related to new home construction.

“My knowledge about real estate and construction really sets me apart,” Manny says. He’s dedicated to providing top notch service and always takes the time to talk his clients through CASSANDRA MORRISON every step of the process, whether they are looking for new, used, or custom homes.

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MANNY PATINO

expertise on everything tion to negotiating the d my favorite part of the jo rewarding.” His expertis ticed. Manny is a nati Home Salesman. He wo the 2020 Rockie Salespe the National Associatio (NAHB), which is one o awards in the new home the 2020 Top Gun Award national training organiz

Manny graduated from New Mexico State University To give back to the community, h CONTENTS with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, to St. Jude Children’s Research Ho majoring in International Business and Marketing, with of the Las Cruces Association an 4) 6 WAYS TOLinguistics.

GET YOUR 15) 3 BEYOND-THE-OFFICE a minor in Spanish He is fluent in Spanish the local Homebuilder’s Associ TO and TRUST ACTIVITIES meetings TO INSPIRE A andCLIENT Portuguese is anYOU alumnus of the Universidade frequently.

I like to know CREATIVE BOOM Federal do Rio de Janeiro. During and after his college BUSINESS they are doing.”

In his free time ® 6) BE THEIR REALTOR career, Manny worked in many fields and owned a few time with his wife, mother, and ne FOR LIFE: HOW TO BUILD 20) ARE YOUR PRESENTATION businesses, which have provided him with the amount shih tzu on walks.

RELATIONSHIP SKILLS COSTING YOU of A experience he now WITH uses inYOUR his real estate career.

THAT LAST experience MONEY? HeCLIENTS has over 18 yearsWILL of combined in Real For the future, Manny plans to con A LIFETIME Estate, Marketing, Commercial Lending, Information people as he can. “Las Cruces is g Technology, and Graphic Design. “I realized that my spurt,” he says. “More people favorite job has always been real estate.” Manny now getting pre-approved for loans. T serves Las Cruces, as well as Santa Teresa. help, the more rewarding my job w Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440

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mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com When it comes time to market listings, Manny underNo portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent stands that in today’s market, most buyers start their Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published search a home online. hires professional photog-or facts supplied by its authors. materials,for Top Agent Magazine cannot He be held responsible for opinions expressed To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. raphers to take photos that show the property in its best Published in the U.S. light. He also creates video tours of each listing. He’s a professional in Search Engine Optimization and spends Top Agent Magazine an average of $12,000 a month on marketing. Having lived in Las Cruces for so many years, he has a strong

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

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6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything 4

or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust.

But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?

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Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website

When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.

Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive.

Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.

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Be Responsive and Accessible

Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating.

Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.

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Be Honest and Transparent

Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it.

You should always act in their best interest.

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Go the Extra Mile

If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.

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Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes

Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.

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Be Consistent

Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent.

But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates

consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.

Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.

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Be Their REALTOR® for Life: How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients That Will Last a Lifetime In the world of real estate, an agent’s relationship with their clients can make or break their career. This industry revolves around working well with people, and being able to develop a strong relationship with your clients is the foundation that you business is based upon.

Just like with a house, if that foundation is weak, the rest of the structure is also going to be unsteady and fragile. The mark of a good REALTOR® is their ability to build up a good referral network and following of loyal clients. This isn’t something that just happens by accident. Building healthy, strong relationships with your clients takes work and knowing how to gain another person’s trust, respect, and friendship. Here are some ways to make sure you are building the right kind of relationship with your clients.

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1. Use Your Friendliness and Optimism to Win Them Over: No one wants a pushy, overly confident salesperson for a REALTOR®. Clients are much more inclined to put their trust in the hands of someone who is friendly when it comes to one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. A pleasant, outgoing disposition will win you more clients as well as friends. You want to establish rapport in the first few minutes of first meeting prospective clients. Rather than starting with business right off the bat, begin your meeting with some small talk such as similar interests, hobbies, and family life. This will immediately help to put your clients at ease, and show that you are not simply trying to “sell” them something.

People also respond well to optimism. During what can be a very stressful time, clients need someone to help them stay positive when a situation looks difficult and challenging. Optimism also tends to radiate charisma, and people want to be around and do business with charismatic people. You want to learn how to understand, motivate, and inspire people.

2. Be an Inquisitive Learner and an Empathetic Listener:

On the other side of this coin is knowing how to listen empathetically. Empathy involves actually putting yourself or your mind in their shoes so you can genuinely understand their concerns, needs, and opinions. That understanding and empathy is then reflected in your conversation with that client. Your clients want to know that you care about their situation, and that they’re not just another sale for you to make. People are much more willing to put their trust in you when they can sense that you are actually making an effort to feel what they feel in order to understand their situation.

Showing your interest through questions, and then thoughtfully listening goes a long way towards gaining trust. Showing empathy and acknowledging the feelings and emotions involved in your clients situation helps build a relationship founded on genuine care and trust.

3. Watch for Nonverbal Clues:

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity and ask your clients a lot of questions. Some of these questions may even be difficult and uncomfortable. You want to discover and learn as much as you can about your client. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into the role of the know-it-all. Every different client has unique needs, so you want to learn as much as you can about their specific situation before trying to propose a solution. You want to uncover their primary motive for buying or selling, and flush Top Agent Magazine

out any potential concerns they might have.

After you’ve gained as much information as possible, you can then gauge their interest in your possible solutions by asking “what if” questions. Being inquisitive also demonstrates to your clients that you are genuinely interested and invested in their situation.

Most communication happens nonverbally, so knowing how to interpret your client’s body language can be incredibly helpful. Here are a few things to pay special attention to: Eye contact: Be careful with the level of eye contact you use with clients when first meeting.

Too much and too little eye contact can send the wrong impression. You want to try and maintain eye contact around 70 percent of the time. That is the amount that most people are comfortable with. Pay attention to your client’s level of eye

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contact to determine how comfortable they are.

When someone avoids eye contact that could mean they are not engaged in the conversation.

A good way to quickly build a feeling of rapport when first meeting clients is to make eye contact when you first meet them and then start nodding yes to what they’re saying. If the client reciprocates the eye contact and nodding, you’ve established a connection.

4. Prove your honesty and credibility:

Choose the right handshake for each client: One handshake does not fit all people, and that first handshake can be crucial to making a good first impression. The way to do a good handshake for each client is to try and mirror the other person’s handshake in strength, keep your shoulders aligned as you are preferably standing when you shake hands. While you shake your client’s hand make sure you make eye contact and give them a sincere smile.

Showing a little weakness can actually be to your advantage in this situation, and will actually make others more inclined view you as honest. You don’t want to come across as too good to be true. When revealing this weakness, however, the key to coming out on top is turning what sounds like a weakness into a strength. For example, your service may be more expensive, but that’s because you offer more personalized and extra services than your competitors.

Honesty and integrity are the two traits that 98 percent of buyers and sellers report are qualities they consider “very important”. The thing is you can say you have these traits all you want on your website, bio, etc., but trust has to be earned, and the only way to do this is to prove your credibility.

Here are a few tips for how to sound more credible:

When you talk to your clients avoid using filler words such as “um” and “uh”, which can decrease your credibility. You also want to watch the tone of your voice. People tend to translate a deeper tone as sounding more credible.

You want to develop a relationship to last a lifetime when interacting with your clients. There are many things you can do to accomplish this, and using these tips can take you from getting just a few referrals and repeat customers to gaining a loyal client following. Taking the little extra time to make sure you are projecting the right attitude and making sure that you are doing things to gain your client’s trust can make a world of difference for your business.

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CASSANDRA MORRISON 9

Top Agent Cassandra Morrison works with Coldwell Banker Legacy, the market share leader in New Mexico since 1987.

Their international presence gives Cassandra’s clients global connections and local traditions. Cassandra Morrison earned a degree in business administration and began her professional career in government specializing in negotiations and crisis management. But it was her personal activity of flipping homes that ultimately swayed her into pursuing her 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

real estate license. That was back in 2010, and she’s never looked back.

Cassandra now works with Coldwell Banker Legacy, the market share leader in New Mexico since 1987. This partnership allows Top Agent Magazine

her to service her clients with the cuttingedge technology, up to the minute market knowledge, pricing trends, and elegant marketing material. Their international presence gives Cassandra’s clients global connections and local traditions.

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Well on her way to surpassing her goal sales volume of $10 million this year, Cassandra reports that 80% of her business is repeat and referral clientele. “I truly believe people keep coming back due to our quality customer service,” she notes. “We offer honesty 11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“I truly believe clients keep coming back due to our quality customer service,” Cassandra notes. “We offer honesty and integrity. I will always tell a client the truth, even if it’s not what they want to hear.” and integrity. I will always tell a client the truth, even if it’s not what they want to hear.”

It’s not surprising that Cassandra receives stellar reviews for her esteemed work ethic.

One client recently wrote: “Cassandra is a very personable and knowledgeable Real Estate Professional. She goes above and beyond to help you sell as well as buy a home. Not only does she look for things in Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

a home that might be an issue a few years down the road, she also looks at the neighborhood based on your personal needs. If you have children, she makes sure to check the neighborhood for crime rate as well as sex offenders in the area to give you a bigger picture than just the house that you are about to purchase. This to me is someone who truly cares about the people that she works with and for. I would highly recommend her Top Agent Magazine

to anyone who is in the market to sell or purchase a new home.”

To promote her listings, Cassandra primarily relies on tried and true marketing provided by Coldwell Banker. “And it helps that I’ve just been ePRO Certified this year,” she asserts.

What she loves most about her job is the relationships she forges. “It’s a very social profession,” she observes. “I love getting out there, meeting new people, and helping them reach their real estate goals.”

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Cassandra gives back to her community as a voting member of the Community Police Council for the Northeast Area Command for the City of Albuquerque. In addition, she regularly donates time and materials to local charities like Personalities Plus.

When Cassandra does have a little downtime, she enjoys doing Reformer Pilates, taking nice long walks with her dog, Giovanna, and remodeling each and every room of her newly purchased 1970 home. “I’m thoroughly enjoying that,” she exclaims.

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As for the future, Cassandra plans to focus homes, but because we are a lower income area, on the global luxury market in her area. “In that means homes starting in the $500,000s,� other regions, that means multi-million dollar she says.

To learn more about Cassandra Morrison, email her at abqladyrealtor@gmail.com, or visit abqladyrealtor.com, or call 505- 480-8035 http://

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3 Beyond-the-Office Activities to Inspire a Creative Business Boom Maintaining motivation year-round is a challenge, especially for those who are several years into a demanding real estate career. It’s easy to burn out, get stuck in a rut, or cycle blindly through a well-worn routine. But those that leave an impact on their industry understand that creativity holds the key to innovation and longevity. To stay ahead of Top Agent Magazine

the curve and build your brand, you’ve got to take the time to breathe new life into your practice and see things from a new angle. But where to begin?

To invite change, you’ve got to look outside the box—or in this case, beyond the office. If you’re in need of a professional creative make-

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To stay ahead of the curve and build your brand, you’ve got to take the time to breathe new life into your practice and see things from a new angle. over, or at least want to experience a burst of inventive energy, consider some of the activities below. You may just shake up your routine, bend your brain in new ways, and inject some inspiration into your professional path.

Expand your mind through meditation.

You’ve likely heard all about the supposed powers of meditation, and perhaps you’ve long considered it an over-hyped New Age invention. But did you know that some of the foremost entrepreneurs of our era practice this cost-free, mentally restorative routine? From Oprah Winfrey to Steve Jobs, practitioners of meditation cite its stress-relieving principles, in addition to improvements in concentration, energy, self-awareness, and overall health.

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Even mainstream medicine is beginning to understand the preventative and restorative health benefits that meditation affords. As professional fields go, the mortgage and real estate industries require their fair share of emotional labor—you’re tasked with guiding clients through the investment of a lifetime.

Meditation promotes peace and perspective, while reducing stress, adding a new level of self-awareness, and helping you mentally declutter. When it comes down to it, it only makes sense that taking time to go quiet and center your mind helps professionals find wherewithal amidst a hectic industry. Next time you’re feeling drained, out of ideas, or at your wit’s end—consider just fifteen minutes of meditation to get you started. Like most things, it takes some practice. But, if you commit the time, you’ll be thanking yourself later.

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Learn something new.

If you’re facing burnout, then adding a new responsibility to your plate may seem like the least appetizing self-help solution there is.

However, learning a new skill can reinvigorate your understanding of familiar tasks and dilemmas. Plus, learning a new skill doesn’t have to mean formal classes or time-draining homework. Select something that can even kill two birds with one stone. Want to let off some steam, too? Try a kickboxing class that meets just once-a-week. You’ll have something new to look forward to, meet new people, challenge yourself, and earn some feel-good endorphins, Top Agent Magazine

too. Want to cut loose and have some fun? Join a board game meet-up group, take a cooking class, or try rock-climbing for the first time. A stimulating new activity will light up long-dormant parts of your brain, and your clients and colleagues will surely notice the influx of energy to your outlook. Still don’t think you have enough time to add something new to the mix? Blend your morning commute with an audio language learning service. The point is to shake-up your habits and introduce a new challenge that’s unrelated to work. Doing so can make you look at things in a new light and boost your mood along the way.

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See new sights.

If you can, there’s no better way to break from routine than to physically separate yourself from your surroundings. There’s nothing more inspiring than traveling to new destinations, experiencing new cultures, and getting a sense of the world’s true vastness. If a trip abroad isn’t in the cards, don’t fret. There are bound to be plenty of places relatively close by that you’ve never seen. And these trips don’t have to break the bank, either. Devote just one or two days to visiting a place you’ve never gone before, like a state park, protected forest, or a small seaside village. Perhaps you’re only a few hours from a National Park you’ve been meaning to visit but have never made time for. Or, there’s a lively city one state over that you’ve always wanted to try. Whatever the destination, near or far, you’ll refresh

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your perspective entirely when removed from all your usual routines. New restaurants, traffic patterns, storefronts, weather—whatever the change may be, you’ll be experiencing everything brand new all around you. Taking the time for trips like these isn’t easy. In fact, making yourself devote those free days may be a difficult task itself. But it’s the most direct way to get a breath of truly fresh air, and when you return home you’ll be able to assess familiar surroundings in a totally new light.

However you decide to add creativity to your professional life, don’t wait. Once you take the plunge, you’ll be regretting you hadn’t done it sooner. After all, the key to longevity is regular maintenance, so do your part and break the mold today.

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MANNY PATINO Manny Patino’s expertise and knowledge of Las Cruces have helped him to become the highest ranked and reviewed agent in the city.

His clients rave that he understands construction inside and out, and can talk them through everything related to new home construction.

“My knowledge about real estate and construction really sets me apart,” Manny says. He’s dedicated to providing top notch service and always takes the time to talk his clients through every step of the process, whether they are looking for new, used, or custom homes.

Manny graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, majoring in International Business and Marketing, with a minor in Spanish Linguistics. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is an alumnus of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. During and after his college career, Manny worked in many fields and owned a few businesses, which have provided him with the amount of experience he now uses in his real estate career.

He has over 18 years of combined experience in Real Estate, Marketing, Commercial Lending, Information Technology, and Graphic Design. “I realized that my favorite job has always been real estate.” Manny now serves Las Cruces, as well as Santa Teresa.

When it comes time to market listings, Manny understands that in today’s market, most buyers start their search for a home online. He hires professional photographers to take photos that show the property in its best light. He also creates video tours of each listing. He’s a professional in Search Engine Optimization and spends an average of $12,000 a month on marketing. Having lived in Las Cruces for so many years, he has a strong pool of buyers that he connects with his sellers. The result of this thorough, professional approach is often a quick sale at a very competitive price. Each year he closes around one hundred transactions.

“People come to me knowing little about real estate.

They just know they want a house. I’m able to provide Top Agent Magazine

expertise on everything from home construction to negotiating the deal. Helping people is my favorite part of the job,” he says. “It’s very rewarding.” His expertise has not gone unnoticed. Manny is a nationally awarded New Home Salesman. He won the Silver Award for the 2020 Rockie Salesperson of the Year from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), which is one of the most prestigious awards in the new home industry. He also won the 2020 Top Gun Award from Highland Bay, a national training organization.

To give back to the community, he donates generously to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He’s a member of the Las Cruces Association and works closely with the local Homebuilder’s Association. “I attend their meetings frequently. I like to know what’s new and what they are doing.” In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, mother, and nephews, and taking his shih tzu on walks.

For the future, Manny plans to continue helping as many people as he can. “Las Cruces is going through a growth spurt,” he says. “More people are moving here and getting pre-approved for loans. The more people I can help, the more rewarding my job will be.”

To find out more about Manny Patino, please call (575) 520-7604 email at Contact@MannyPatino.com, or visit NewHomes101.com www.

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Are Your Presentation Skills Costing You Money?

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ometimes we’re so focused on technology and education that we forget this is a “people business”. And, a great deal of the money you make comes from your ‘point of contact’ skills. What do I mean by that? Lead generating dialogues and presentation dialogues. Yet, how much do we work on those verbal skills?

Unfortunately, communication sales skills have gotten short shrift in the last decade. Why? I think it’s because many of us are so challenged by technological changes. But, slow down. Think about how you actually make money. It’s at point of contact.

Getting better at point of contact skills translates into more money in less time.

We’re All Presenters Everyone in the real estate business presents: Agents present, when they are doing listing or buyer presentations. Managers present when they are recruiting, or doing their office meetings. Mortgage and title 20

By Carla Cross

When you’re doing a listing presentation, what do you want to happen? You want them to sign the listing agreement when you’re done. reps present when they are in front of a group of agents in an office, talking about their services. So, doesn’t it make sense to become ‘killer’ at those presentations? You’ll double your money and halve your time.

Bug Off: I Do Okay Just Like I Am Yeah. I know. As a musician, I’ve worked with literally hundreds of people who thought they ‘played good enough.’

Some people just get to a certain performance level and leave it there. Have you ever thought that, often, our presentation strategies (or lack of) work in spite of us, not because of us?

As a musician, I know the thrill of performing at high levels. So, open your mind and consider

stepping up to a higher presentation level. Not only will you have personal satisfaction, you’ll make more money!

Now, let’s tackle one set of presentation skills: Organizing that presentation effectively.

Having heard listing presentations that wander all around the world, I know the importance of effective presentation organization.

Three Steps to Organize Your Presentation to Knock Their Socks Off Most of the time, we just get in front of people and say whatever we think of first. That leads to some big presentation mistakes, and costs us ‘sales.’ Instead of stumbling through a presentation, why not organize it to Copyright Top Top Agent Agent Magazine

grab their attention, persuade them to your way of thinking, and motivate them to action?

You can. In my new resource, Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make Your Best Presentation Ever, I show a simple three-step format to create your persuasive presentation. No matter why you’re in front of people, we need to be persuasive Think about it. When you’re doing a listing presentation, what do you want to happen? You want them to sign the listing agreement when you’re done.

So, it’s extremely important that you organize your listing presentation using a persuasive format, not just an information-heavy dialogue flow.

Grab Their Attention in the Opening Have you thought about your opening? Or, are you nervously standing at the sellers’ door, worried about what you’re going to say? Are you hiding in your office because you dread doing that sales meeting? When we haven’t organized our presentation, we come up with some really boring, off-putting openings, like: I won’t take much of your time, but...

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We have a lot to cover today We won’t get through the outline I know you don’t want to listen, but...

I’m not really prepared

You just open your presentation book, point to the pretty pages, and say, “here’s a keybox” (I’m not kidding. I’ve seen it….)

Great openings, yes? Yet, we’ve heard them dozens of times. You don’t have to settle for whatever 21

If you’re doing a presentation to sellers, one of the major objectives of your presentation is to persuade them to your listing price point of view. comes ‘naturally.’ Instead, make your openings: Provocative Interesting Different Engaging I just attended a ‘Train the Trainer’ session (yes, I still learn great stuff every day!), where the trainer said it was important to engage the audience in a meaningful way in the first two minutes of your presentation. I think that’s a great rule to follow today, because people’s attention spans are the length of a gnat’s eyebrow. So, the next time you attend a presentation, see how much time elapses before the speaker/presenter/trainer gets the audience into meaningful action.

I don’t mean to ask a rhetorical question, either!

A Middle That Educates Your ‘Audience’ to Your Point of View In the middle of your pres22

entation, add those stories, statistics, and visuals that support your point of view. By the way, as you create that presentation, jot down your point of view. If you’re doing a presentation to sellers, one of the major objectives of your presentation is to persuade them to your listing price point of view.

Retention is Key

Why Use Visuals?

Three days later:

There are two reasons to use visuals in your presentation:

We retain 10% of the information when we hear it

We believe what we see

We retain 65% of the information when we hear and see it

We retain the information much longer As you organize your presentation, ask yourself:

Have you ever met with sellers or buyers, given them lots of information—and then had them question you about it a few days later—as if they never heard you—or heard you backwards? That’s because people don’t hear and retain very well.

Look at the statistics:

So, use visuals to prove your points, not to merely show pretty pictures of houses.

The Ending: What are the main, and fre- Back to the Beginning quently, unspoken objections my ‘audience’ will have? How do I educate them to show them the reasoning behind my point of view?

Have you thought about your wrap-up? Or, like many presenters, does your ending sound like this?

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Well, that’s all. What do you think?

pop tunes are constructed with this format:

We’re out of time. Thank you.

I hope you’ll list with me

theme—variation—theme

I don’t have time to close.

I couldn’t get to much of the material, but you can read it In fact, even the most professional presenters frequently have trouble with their endings.

One of the main reasons is that they run out of time. Another is that they haven’t thought the ending through.

How to Do a Stunning Ending Crafting an effecting ending is the second most important part of your presentation. (The first is the opening). To craft a great ending, Go back to your beginning opening theme Summarize the benefits of going ahead with you/take action Motivate your ‘audience’ to take action

A Great Presentation is Crafted Like a Pop Song As a musician, I know that all Top Agent Top Magazine Copyright Agent Magazine

This is known in the music business as the ABA format.

Think of your favorite pop tune: Hum the beginning.

Think of the end. They’re alike, right? It’s the middle— known as the ‘bridge’—that is the humdinger. It wanders all around. Your persuasive presentation should be crafted like that pop tune: A. A compelling start (think Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, etc.)

B. An interesting, developed middle, with stories, statistics A. Back to that theme, with a motivating ending Now, you’re all set to craft a great listing or buyer presentation, great recruiting meeting or sales meeting, or awesome product/service presentation to any audience.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, President of Carla Cross & Co., is an international speaker, coach, and resource provider specializing in real estate management. A former master level CRB instructor, and National REALTOR® Educator winner, Carla was recently named one of the 50 most influential women in real estate. For a free document on standards to establish, email Carla at Carla@carlacross. com and ask for standards document.

Carla has written six internationally published books, and provides coaching programs for management, including her affordable inoffice coaching programs Up and Running in 30 Days and On Track to Success in 30 Days for Experienced Agents, which provide standards, focus, and accountability.

Reach Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carla cross.com.

P. S. Practice!

Many more tips on presentations and presentation skills are in my new resource, Knock Their Socks Off: Tips to Make your Best Presentation Ever.

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