What to Do With the Listing You Did Not Win

You presented, it went reasonably well, and they listed with somebody else. The usual response is to decide it was about the fee, feel briefly annoyed, and move on to the next one.

That reaction is understandable and it throws away two genuinely valuable things.

The first thing you lose is the information

A lost appointment is the only place you get an honest read on how your presentation lands. Clients who hire you will not tell you which part was weak. They hired you, so as far as they are concerned it worked.

The seller who chose somebody else has no reason to protect your feelings, which makes them the most useful person you could speak to. Most agents never ask, because the call is uncomfortable and the outcome feels settled.

If you do ask, keep it genuinely short and genuinely curious. You are not reopening the pitch. You are asking what made the difference, and then being quiet long enough to hear the answer.

The second thing you lose is the seller

A listing agreement is not a life sentence. Agreements expire, and a proportion of them expire without a sale, with a seller who is now considerably more motivated and considerably better informed about what they want.

The agent who stayed in polite contact throughout is in a very different position from the agent who vanished. Not hovering, and not running down the other agent, which reliably backfires. Simply still being visible and still being useful.

What that contact can reasonably look like

• A short note wishing them well with the sale, meant sincerely.
• Staying on your usual market updates, as somebody in your area rather than a target.
• A note if something significant changes on their street.
• A check in near the point the agreement would ordinarily end.

None of that is pursuit. It is the behaviour of somebody who works in the area and intends to keep working in it.

Losing well is a skill of its own

How you behave in the twenty four hours after losing an appointment is noticed more than most agents realise. Sellers talk to each other, and graciousness gets repeated in a way that grumbling also does.

There is also the internal effect. Treating a loss as information rather than a verdict is what allows you to walk into the next presentation without carrying the last one in with you.

A question to sit with this week

Take the last listing appointment you did not win and answer two things. What did the seller actually say when they told you, in their words rather than your interpretation. And what have you done since.

If the honest answer to the second is nothing, that is the opportunity, and it is still open.

Where to take it next

A presentation that loses on the same point repeatedly has a specific fault in it, and finding that fault is usually a short conversation rather than a long one.

Book a discovery call and we will look at where your presentations are losing.