How do you take a tool as stock standard as a pre-listing kit and turn it into an experience that’s memorable? Simple: you make it work harder.
A bit of real talk: most pre-listing kits look and feel the same. Glossy covers, generic promises, and the exact same spiel you’ve read time after time (after time).
The hard truth is, if your document blends into a big pile with the rest, you’re missing out on a substantial opportunity to impress a potential vendor before they’ve even signed. The harder truth is, if they can’t pinpoint you in the pile, they might not sign at all. Now I know what you’re saying: “Well go on, what’s the secret to coming out on top?” It’s simple: you make your document work harder by considering these three points.
How Do You Present Your Pre-Listing Kit?
We’ve helped countless agents and agencies design, develop, and write pre-listing kits for over 12 years now. From experience, one of the biggest factors in creating a truly unique piece of marketing is understanding the process and context in which it’ll be used.
Think about it this way: a document that’s left with a vendor post-meeting is going to have a completely different look, sound, and function to one that an agent goes through page-by-page. Neither is better than the other, but both shape every other aspect of the document differently.
Your goal is to identify a clear process. And lean into it.
How Do You Structure Your Pre-Listing Kit?
After you’ve identified your process, next consider what your unique point of difference is in the market. What’s the number one reason a vendor would pick you over the competition? That’s now your framing for all the copy and content.
Getting a sense of your target audience can also help you work out what’s crucial information and what’s wasting people’s time. A first-time vendor is going to be relieved, and better informed, to have ‘auction vs best offers’ explained to them. A vendor selling for the second, third, or tenth time might disengage as soon as the information pops up.
Finally, How Do You Make Your Pre-Listing Kit Stand Out in That Big Old Pile?
With purpose and structure locked in, and your content written, there’s just one step left – designing it. And some might say this is where the fun begins.
Here, you have to assume a vendor is looking at a minimum of two or three pre-listing kits, so when it comes to design, it’s going to need to stand out. Aspects such as the size of the booklet, the paper stock, and the kinds of imagery you use all play a role in keeping your main message at the forefront of a vendor’s mind.
If you’re a franchisee, there’s also a chance you could be going up against other agencies from your franchise. So going a little “off brand,” as corporate might say, can actually end up being a point of difference.
Ultimately, there are many factors that make a pre-listing kit memorable. Your job is just to work out what selections are best for your key message, your target audience, and your local market. And if you’re not sure where to start, get in contact with a marketing agency. They’ll point you in the right direction.