Sellers don’t care about your fancy CRM. They care how you use it

Broker and lead gen consultant Josh Ries shares strategies for demonstrating to sellers how your tech tools will get the results they're looking for

by Josh Ries Today, June 20, 2025 - Originally Published in Inman

Watch a Full Length YouTube Video - Here​

When I first got into real estate, my listing presentations were rough. I’m a tech nerd, obsessed with data and systems, so I’d spend the entire appointment talking about all the tools I used to market properties.

CRM automations, email sequencing, targeted ads — I thought it was impressive. But here’s the truth I learned the hard way: Sellers don’t care how slick your systems are. They care about what those systems do for them.

And more importantly, they care about seeing those results before they even hire you.

Your tech stack isn’t the selling point. Execution is

What sellers want is implementation, not explanation.

You can talk about CRMs and ad platforms all day, but it doesn’t land unless you connect it to an outcome they actually want. Selling their home faster. For more money. With less hassle.

So we stopped talking about the tools and started showing what those tools could do. Before the listing appointment even happens.

How we get sellers noticing our marketing before we even meet

Here’s how we changed our process.

As soon as a seller books a listing appointment with us, we send them a link to a custom landing page. The page is framed as a quick survey about their home — basic stuff like number of bedrooms, condition, timing and so on.

What they don’t realize is that the page also has a Google conversion tag embedded in it.

So the moment they open the link, whether it’s on their phone or laptop, they get added to a custom audience inside our Google Ads account.

That means the next time they go online, they start seeing our branding across the web.

And it works.

Turning the tables during the appointment

By the time we sit down for the actual listing appointment, the marketing has already started doing the heavy lifting.

One of the first questions we ask is, “Have you seen any of our ads since we booked this appointment?”

Most of the time, the answer is yes.

That’s when we let them in on the secret.

“Remember that page we sent you? That had a Google conversion tag built in. So when you filled it out, we were able to start showing you ads across the internet.”

Suddenly, everything clicks.

We’re not just talking about digital marketing. We’re already demonstrating it in real time.

What if they don’t see the ads?

This system isn’t perfect. Sometimes you don’t have enough time between booking and the appointment. Or the seller is using a privacy-focused browser that blocks ad tracking.

That’s OK. You can still walk them through the process and explain how it works. Even if the ads didn’t hit them, the explanation still builds trust and shows that your marketing has real strategy behind it.

But more often than not, as long as you have a couple of days, the seller does see the ads. And when that happens, the conversation changes.

Why this works so well

This approach does two things.

First, it builds credibility immediately. You’re not just another agent making promises. You’ve already delivered on one.

Second, it shows instead of tells. You’re not asking them to imagine what your systems might do. You’re letting them experience it firsthand.

It’s one thing to say, “We use advanced digital targeting to market your home.”

It’s another to say, “You’ve already seen how we do it — because you’re part of the system.”

Forget the CRM. Prove you know how to use it

Sellers don’t care how impressive your tech is. They care whether it helps them sell their home.

The best way to prove that? Show them.

If you’re using great tools, don’t just explain them. Demonstrate them. Build them into the seller journey before the listing agreement is signed. That’s how you turn systems into signed contracts.

Josh Ries is a real estate broker and a lead generation consultant. You can connect with him on TikTok and Instagram.

Want to learn to build your own real estate lead gen systems? Join Real Estate Lead Gen Academy​