A step-by-step guide to launching listings that sell.

CRE Success Principle: A great system is built once - but you get the opportunity to keep on improving it forever.

Are your listing launches inconsistent and rushed? A strong listing launch can mean the difference between a smooth campaign and a struggle to generate interest.

It's time to implement a system that gets results. The Listing Launch System covers every step from securing the agreement to the listing going live.

Key components include:

🤝 Secure agreements: Ensure paperwork is signed and vendor-paid advertising is agreed upon.

🤝 Gather assets: Schedule photography, videography and copywriting. Prepare brochures, IMs, and due diligence materials.

🤝 Engage VIPs: Notify buyers, tenants and investor groups of the listing. Create internal awareness and social media teasers.

🤝 Optimise launch: Ensure online listings are optimised, social media announcements are scheduled and email blasts are ready.

Using a structured approach like the Listing Launch System helps give every new listing the best chance of success.

For more on how to implement the Listing Launch System, join me for episode 213 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership.

Episode transcript:

In our last couple of episodes, we've talked about why systems matter, and also, we've explained how you can build more effective systems.

Well, in today's episode, I want to walk you through a system that, when you follow it, we’ll give every new listing the best possible chance of success.

Introducing “The listing launch system”.

Hello and welcome to episode 213 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership. I'm your host, Darren Krakowiak. I help commercial real estate principals accelerate revenue growth by building the right team, serving ideal clients and implementing scalable systems.

And there is one system that I have sitting in my bottom drawer that I haven't used for a long time. That is the system that I have to roll out value-based workshops to people who aren't clients, but who are in my network.

And I thought it was time to dust off that system and to run a workshop.

So, what I'm doing is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, the 2nd of April, which is one week from the release date of today's episode.

This workshop is called “Beating the Bigger Firms™”. And we're going to show you in this workshop, how to pitch and win against global agencies, without slashing your fees.

So, what I've noticed is that many commercial real estate principals have the expertise and their business has the track record, but some clients still default to the big-name agencies.

And they do this because, I think, the global firms do have brand recognition, they've got deep pockets and also the illusion of safety.

And unless you shift how you pitch, you're going to keep on losing deals that you should be winning.

Well, the good news is that you don't need to have a global name. You don't need to have a bigger team or a larger marketing budget to compete.

You just need a smarter strategy. One that flips the script and positions you as the best choice in your market.

That's exactly what we're going to help you build in this workshop. You're going to get a step-by-step framework to pitch with confidence, to handle objections and to make clients see why you are the right choice.

We're going to help you install the David versus Goliath positioning strategy, so prospects rethink their default choice and recognise the real value that you bring.

And you'll walk away from this workshop with a proven system to win more listings without ever cutting your fees.

And the firms you're competing against? Well, they won't even see this coming.

“Beating the Bigger Firms™” is happening on the 2nd of April. You can go to cresuccess.co/bigger to grab your ticket.

We've only got a few spots available for this one because we want to make it a really positive and impactful experience for those people who do join us. So, don't delay, grab your ticket at cresuccess.co/bigger

And if you're listening to this after that date, go there because if it goes, we'll probably run it again, so you might be able to join us for a later one.

But for now, if it's before the 2nd of April, I can't guarantee I'm going to run it again. So, make sure you do grab your ticket at cresuccess.co/bigger

So, in today's episode, I want to walk you through a system that when you follow it, we'll give every new listing the best possible chance of success. It's the Listing Launch System.

And, I think having a structured listing launch system matters because when you rush a launch or when it's inconsistent, that's not going to have a positive impact on the results of that campaign and the end result for the client.

So, what we want is a predictable, repeatable process that is efficient and that will create better outcomes.

And top performing agents, top performing agencies, they don't win it. They've got a proven system and you should too.

And what we're talking about here is a system to cover all the steps between when a vendor says, “Yes, I want you to list this property. I want to list this property with you and I want you to sell it for me to the public launch of the marketing campaign.”

So, all the things that happen from when you're told verbally that you've won it to when the public knows that you are the listing agent.

So, what happens before the listing is publicly announced? Well, the first thing that happens once you've won it is you're told that you’ve won it.

So, you need to then ensure that you have the agency agreement signed. So, that would be the first thing that I'd be putting in this system: Get all the paperwork in place, make sure that we've got vendor-paid advertising agreed and secured. And make sure that the plan for the campaign is clear, including the marketing schedule, the method of sale, and also the timeline.

We then need to gather all the assets that we need in order to run the campaign. That can include scheduling photography, and videography - if we're going to have a video to support the campaign.

And also, copywriting, we can design and procure the signboard. And if appropriate, we might say that in this system, we do not use DIY photos, we don't take descriptions from previous campaigns. We always start them fresh.

Or you might have a threshold over which it is mandatory for professional assets to be procured.

You can specify that in the system, so there's no excuse for an agent using their iPhone and taking photos which don't look professional for a campaign over a certain amount.

We also then need to prepare key documents like brochures and IMs, due diligence materials, floor plans, title documents, zoning information, the tenancy schedule if there is a tenant in place.

And we also need to make sure that any work that needs to be done to the property before it's ready to start marketing is procured.

And we need to engage with the tenant if there's one in place to make sure they're aware that the property is going to market.

Before we launch the campaign, there's a few things that we can do to ensure we have a strong start in relation to engaging with our VIPs.

You can have in your system that you expect your agents to email and call key contacts to notify buyers, tenants and investor groups as appropriate.

We also want to create internal awareness of the new listing. So, make sure all the agents in your office know about the listing and also that they're aligned on messaging.

And we might even put a social media teaser post out there, like a “coming soon” post, just to build up some curiosity.

And then there's a few more things that we can do to make sure that once the campaign goes live, it really hits the market with a bang.

We've got to make sure that we are ready to go with all of the documentation that needs to be put on to the listing portal. So, ensure that our descriptions are optimised with keywords and strong calls to action.

If it is part of your process to share a draft with the vendor, then we should put that into the system.

We want to also ensure that we're scheduling the announcement on social media, on personal and company pages as appropriate, featuring the best visuals and also engaging captions.

And if your CRM doesn't automatically do this, make sure you get the listing scheduled and uploaded to your website to go live on the right date as well.

Now we mentioned before about contacting the VIPs about the campaign before it goes live. Well, we should also have an email blast that goes out to the database once it does go live.

And as appropriate, we can tailor messaging to different segments within our list. And also make sure that you consider other email blasts that are being sent around the same time so we're not bombarding our list.

And if you've got a lot of listings going live at the same time, then maybe that impacts how you actually do release that information to your list.

And there's not only online stuff. There's also offline stuff. So, we mentioned sign boards, maybe you're going to have a print campaign as well. And also consider other digital ads.

These are all things that need to be done, agreed, and ready to go before the property goes live, so it goes live with a bang.

And I recommend that you use your online listing checklist to ensure that the properties are updated properly across all the appropriate platforms.

So that is the listing launch system. Now you might be listening to that and thinking “Oh he’s forgotten this and he hasn't done that.”

Well, that is one of the things that every system should have: input from other people who are involved in the process to make sure that we're not missing any key pieces of information and that we are totally capturing best practice.

Now every launch is a learning opportunity. So, once you've run a few listing launches through this process you can then find out, ‘What worked well? Do we have to maybe change some things to improve it? Do we need to identify any gaps that perhaps we need to close to ensure that we're not missing things? And also, can we refine or update the template or the checklists that we're using for this system?’

So, continue to fine-tune the system over time. And that will ensure that your listing launch system is a document that you can give to your agents.

And then, you know, that the system is going to ensure that the quality that you expect is achieved on each and every campaign before it is launched to the market.

Now, if this episode was helpful to you, or if you think maybe it might be helpful to a team member, or to another commercial real estate principal who could benefit from a stronger launch process, please do share this episode with them.

And as a reminder, you are invited to attend our workshop, which is happening one week after the launch of this podcast episode.

It's called Beating the Bigger Firms: How to Pitch and Win Against Global Agencies Without Slashing Your Fees. I would love to see you there. Go to cresuccess.co/bigger to grab your ticket.

That is our episode for today. Thanks so much for listening. I will speak to you soon.