CRE Brokers Secret Weapon [Using Property Marketing Videos]

Having spent quite a few years in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry, we’ve seen our fair share of client pitches by brokers trying to win a listing. Some were good; some, not so much. 

The Bad Pitch

One or two brokers walk in and put a big place mat on the table with comparable listings. They claim they have five people ready to buy or that there’s ten tenants in the market ready to lease. 

They do the PowerPoint Cha-Cha-Cha, leading with a slide about themselves first, even though the pitch is about the client and their asset.

They regale the owners of deals they did in the past and talk more about themselves than the market and the asset. 

They show some comps they pulled from CoStar an hour beforehand and then wait for the call back and wonder why it never came. 

The Good Pitch 

When teams were well-prepared for a pitch, they were successful more than not.

This preparation included performing diligent research on the asset(s), demographics, GIS analysis, owners’ portfolios, competitive listings in the market, a go-to-market plan and they rehearsed their pitch. 

The teams that came into the pitch with a plan on how to take the asset to market​ typically held the client’s attention and had the most engagement.  

Why a Pitch Video Works

Owners obviously want to know who in the market is looking for an asset like theirs. Whether it’s a building they’re looking to lease up or a property they’re looking to sell, they want a brokerage firm that will bring tenants and buyers to the table from day one. 

From a marketing perspective, they already know you’re going to put up signage, build flyers, offering memorandums, post on LoopNet, CoStar and an array of different websites, and then email your contact database with the info. That’s standard practice in the CRE space. 

On top of that, it’s highly likely that owners know their properties better than the brokers that are pitching for the listing. Coming into a pitch and regurgitating facts about their property and telling them what they already know isn’t the best use of their time. Instead, focus on what they don’t know. 

When pitches include videos of the ownership’s property, it immediately grabs their attention. All it takes is a 60-90 second video that includes:  

• Aerial imagery of the asset  
• Highlighting local landmarks   
• Nearby transportation and amenities   
• Key demographic statistics   
• Concludes with a short clip about the broker team

Owners can visualize your thought process and see that you’ve already invested  in their business by compiling this type of content. More importantly,  they can take this content with them and share with those that might not have been in attendance. 

The Leave Behind

If all you’re leaving owners after the pitch is your business card and a slide deck, do you really expect to win? 

A “Win the Pitch” video package provides them with a content piece that they’ll remember you for and demonstrates exactly how you’ll work with them on the project from a marketing perspective.

If four firms pitch a project and your pitch is the most memorable, while distinguishing you from your competition, isn’t it worth the investment up front?

Owners also care about the fees and if there’s a fee potential that approaches six figures, it should be an automatic decision to include a pitch video. 

A winning pitch video contains two elements, the Property Marketing piece and the Team Branding piece. Have a look at a sample to get an idea of what we mean.