Making the Right Sales Pitch in Commercial or Retail Property Listing

When working in commercial real estate, the process of showing or pitching the ad is something that happens pretty much every day in one form or another. Since you’re up against other agents who are also introducing a client (in most cases), your sales pitch or presentation template needs to be very good and relevant to the local real estate market.

The common rule in presenting or pitching is that 90% of the focus should be on the property and the customer. The leverage you can get and use in the presentation is achieved by knowing what the “pain of ownership” is for the customer. When you know this fact, you can come up with solutions.

Here is a checklist of some key elements for preparing the property presentation or sales pitch:

1. Inspect the property before doing the land. If possible, do this inspection with the customer. You must know the property intimately and completely. Devise a plan for how you would bring people to the property and inspect the property. This strategy can be part of your recommendations to the client.
2. Research the area and the property by walking the relevant streets. It is remarkable how much it will add to your perception and dialogue when talking to the client during the presentation.
3. Understand the history of the property to see if it contains perceptions or obstacles that require resolution. As part of this process, be sure to review the tenant’s history in case it contains challenges such as environmental or heritage impact.
4. Know how the property can be accessed by occupants and tenants. It will be a selling point or a consideration in your marketing campaign.
5. The property’s local services and amenities will impact the sale or rental strategy, as the case may be. Use these factors in your overall strategy.
6. The branding or image that the property gives for sale or rental should be narrowed down to one or two main factors for the target market. This will power your advertising process and campaign.
7. Your advertising campaign must be specific and not generic. It must creatively link the benefits of ownership to local businesses and investors.
8. Determine a key target market that would find the property relevant and attractive. How are you going to market to them? When you know the answer, it becomes the focus of the presentation.
9. The mode of sale or rental chosen is a basic factor around which the real estate development will be built. Always choose the best method and tell the client exactly why you did it.
10. Make customer ownership the hallmark of your presentation in every way.

As a final note in preparing your presentation, a great way to show the client that you really know where the property is going is to set up a PERT and GANTT model of expected progress and strategy. This powerful series of graphical displays can become a feature of your presentation or pitch.