50% of Listings Aren’t Selling… But This Script Can Help You Close Many More Than Most Agents

Did you know that half the listings in America aren’t selling? Yes—half.

That takes us back to the old-school days. When I first started in real estate with Century 21, I proudly wore the gold coat. I had to buy it myself, so it was a big accomplishment. Back then, I attended a class called the Two-to-One Class. The theory was simple: for every two listings you took, only one would sell. A 50% sales rate.

Now, imagine meeting with a seller and saying:

“Good news—I’ll do my best to get your home sold. Bad news—I’m only successful about half the time.”

How do you think they’d respond? Probably not too excited. I realized quickly I didn’t want a 50% failure rate—I wanted 100% success. That meant changing the conversation.

Here’s the script I used:

“Mr. Seller, you may not realize this, but in today’s market only about 50% of listings are selling. That’s unacceptable to me. I want to sell 100% of the listings I take. But that requires us to have a different kind of conversation. I can tell you what you want to hear, or I can tell you the honest truth. Which would you prefer?”

Of course, they’ll say “the truth.” Then I’d follow up with, “Are you sure?” We’d laugh, but it set the tone.

Because if I just told them what they wanted to hear, I’d be “buying” the listing—promising an unrealistic price, pretending no work needed to be done, and ignoring the real challenges. That doesn’t serve them. Instead, I’d help them prepare, make adjustments, and strategize so they could actually sell for top dollar.

Here’s the key:

People appreciate honesty. They love what I call “gentle brutality.” As long as you get their permission in advance, they’ll welcome it. When they say, “Give it to me straight,” they mean it.

That approach helped me take 150 listings in my second year as a 19-year-old agent. When you use these techniques, sellers will choose you because they know you’re not just trying to buy their listing. You’re telling them the truth—and that’s exactly what they need.

Try this technique in your market. See how it works for you.

Have a great day, and good selling.

*******
Why do Brokerage Owners, Office Leaders, Team Leaders, and Solo Agents choose Jim to be their coach?

+ 32 Years of Real Estate Sales, Management, and Coaching Experience
+ Top 1% REALTOR Himself (he has been in the trenches)
+ Opened his First Real Estate Company at 23
+ Grew his Real Estate Company to 17 Offices (largest in Oregon)
+ His Current Team Closed $1.4 Billion in Sales in One Year
+ He is a Current Real Trends Top 500 Broker

When you work with Jim there is no "team" of coaches - you are being trained by Jim and tapping his knowledge and experience.

When your office or team joins our brokerage coaching platform, every agent at your firm will tap into our training and coaching resources.

These benefits include:

20 Weeks of On-Demand Lead Generation Coaching: Access our extensive coaching program, offering daily guidance for 20 weeks, empowering your agents with proven lead generation strategies.

Extensive Downloads Library: Gain access to a vast collection of resources, including scripts, texts, emails, drip campaigns, checklists, systems, forms, and more, all designed to enhance your agents' productivity and success.

Marketing Assets: Stay at the forefront of real estate marketing with new social media and digital assets delivered to your team on a weekly basis, ensuring you have the latest tools and strategies to effectively reach your target audience.

Live Monday Coaching: Kickstart your week with our live Monday coaching sessions, where we deliver the biggest and brightest ideas in the industry. Gain invaluable insights and stay ahead of the curve.

Live Wednesday Coaching: Join our tech and marketing experts every Wednesday as they dive into the hottest real estate tech and trends. Discover innovative tools and strategies that will give your agents a competitive edge.

Live Friday Coaching: Tap into our live podcast series, where we interview some of the biggest names in the real estate industry. Learn from the best and gain inspiration from their success stories.

At eRealEstateCoach.com, we are committed to helping you and your team thrive. Productive agents become raving fans helping you attract the top talent in the industry.

Visit https://www.erealestatecoach2.com/explorecoaching to learn more.