in the space he was about to present. "When the client arrived, there were 200 people in and around the space eating their pizza!" Weber says. Soon thereaſt er, the client signed the lease. Surprisingly, not all clients can be won over with a pizza
lunch. But a little creativity, coupled with a presentation that fi ts the client's needs, can go a long way in securing a listing or closing a deal. CIRE asked CCIMs to share tips for creating more-successful property presentations.
Presentation Basics
When it comes to property presentations, most CCIMs agree: Be concise. "It should be direct and to the point," says Frank S. Weiskopf, CCIM, broker with Realty Execu- tives Associates in Maryville, Tenn. "It is a sales pitch, aſt er all." With a wealth of technology tools and data at their
disposal, commercial real estate professionals might be tempted to pack proposals or PowerPoint presentations with all available details and graphics. But, as with any eff ective rhetoric, what is leſt out can be as important as what is leſt in. "One element of pitches that should be phased out is
the printed proposal, which, in some cases, totals 50-plus pages," says Evelyn R. Ward, CCIM, broker associate with Transwestern in Houston. "I have yet to hear of a client who actually reads the elements inside. I prefer a four- to fi ve-page handout that presents a quick synopsis." Jim Tucker, CCIM, principal broker with NetWorks
Commercial Real Estate in Richmond, Va., prepares a full property off ering memorandum but uses a one-page "place mat" for presentations, which he creates in Pow- erPoint. He learned this approach from Terry Coyne, CCIM, senior vice president of Grubb & Ellis Cleve- land, at a CCIM Institute fall conference. "T e place mat
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answers the three questions every owner wants out of the presentation," Tucker explains. "What is my property worth? What marketing process will be used to get that price? And what is your fee for the successful completion of the assignment?" Such focus on the customer appeals to decision mak-
ers. For example, when Tucker and his distressed assets resolution team conducted a property presentation for a major bank, he handed the bank president a place mat. "She examined it and then said, 'You know what I like about this? We have to call for appraisals with every move we make, which oſt en takes weeks. But with what you just handed me, I can immediately pick up the phone and start giving instructions,'" Tucker says. Depending on the audience, other information may
be necessary as well. Larry Hausman, CCIM, investment broker with Marcus & Millichap in Louisville, Ky., looks for price, capitalization rate, remaining lease term, and tenant credit information on all presentations, which usually arrive via fellow M&M; brokers. And, though it
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