It’s not just what you say but how you say it: Why delivery is so important
What is more important — content or delivery? A seminar I recently attended brings up this question. There was a lot of great content at the seminar, but delivery…not so much.
The biggest problem? I didn’t feel the love. Even though the speakers had good information to present, it felt like a sales job, where they just spewed out information.
Our first orator was incredibly prepared. The content was good, and it was apparent the presentation was very well rehearsed. But there is a difference between really knowing your subject, so you can confidently talk about it versus speaking in memorized, rehearsed lines. This felt forced and fake.
The following speakers had good content as well, but the presentation was so poor it was painful to sit through. The rapidly vacated seats confirmed I was not the only one who had trouble engaging. In fact, I probably missed some good information because I was so distracted by the delivery.
This reminded me, as real estate agents, we are “on stage” all the time. (That is one reason why we must be mindful of our comments on social media.) We are constantly presenting, whether we’re speaking to someone casually asking about the market, interacting in social settings, taking our buyers on a community tour, showing homes, going to listing appointments or holding open houses. During the seminar I thought to myself, “It’s a good thing this wasn’t a listing presentation!”
Even if you have the very best content in your presentation, if you don’t engage the seller, build rapport and show you are genuinely interested, you are not going to come away with the listing. That is why we need to practice, out loud, to someone who will give us feedback. You don’t need to memorize your lines – but you should know your subject, so you can talk about it confidentially and effortlessly. Your thorough research will ensure you have great, accurate content. Rest assured, the homeowner is looking for that information. When you easily and eloquently share that information and show empathy for the seller, you’ll have a win-win situation. You win the listing; the seller wins a great REALTOR®.
