Friday, March 29, 2024

Lisa Gray

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Lisa is an accomplished marketer with years of expertise in direct response marketing, digital marketing, data analytics and business development working with both B2C and B2B.

    Although it depends upon whom you ask, estimates vary about the average length of time a real estate agent stays in their career. Trainer Tom Ferry says that 87 percent wash out within five years and others say that the churn rate is around 95 percent.

    If you’re a new agent who hopes to be in it for the long haul or an established one who is facing challenges, read on to understand some of the stumbling blocks you may face and how to overcome them.

    Let complacency take hold

    When that sense of security settles over you, when you decide that being average is good enough – wake up!

    NAR’s member survey claims that fewer than one-fourth of real estate agents earn more than $100,000 annually. The median earnings, at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $44,090.

    What’s interesting, is how the business behaviors of the lowest and highest earners differ. Rich agents, for instance, aren’t afraid to spend money. And, no, it isn’t because they have more of it to spend. Most claim that they started their careers with the mindset that “it takes money to make money.”

    An Active Rain survey of these agents finds that they spend more of their incomes on tech upgrades and 10 times more on marketing than the poorer agents.

     Refuse to spend money

    Remember the NAR member survey we mentioned above? Ever wonder what separates the two groups of earners (aside from experience)?

    Those who earn more aren’t afraid to spend the money necessary to set them apart from the rest of the agent-pack in their area.

    The wealthier agents spend their money on their websites, their CRM, and email marketing. In fact, this group of agents spends 10 times more on marketing than the lower-earning agents.

    Keep hanging on to every last nickel and you’ll fail. It’s as simple as that.


    Related: How to Harness the 5 Key Traits of ‘Rock Star’ Agents


    Don’t grasp “When you list, you last”

    The holy grail in academia is to publish. It’s one of the few ways to promote yourself as an authority and, thus, further a career. In fact, the admonishment is “Publish or Perish.”

    We have one of those in real estate: “When you list, you last.” When you consider that your listings will generate far more clients than your buyers will (if you work them properly), you understand the dictum.

    Servicing a listing is also a lot less labor-intensive than working with a buyer. Focusing on listings “will allow you to get what you want a lot faster and allow you to have a life,” according to real estate trainer Knolly Williams.

    In his book “Millionaire Real Estate Agent,” Gary Keller claims that listings are vital if you hope to build your business to its highest level, “with the lowest costs and highest net.”

    Finally, Matt Williams at Realtor.org challenges agents to walk into any real estate broker’s office and ask to meet their most successful agent. The chances are pretty good, he says, that “you’ll soon be shaking the hand of someone whose income comes mostly from listing.”

    How much is “mostly?” The experts recommend that 60 percent of your business should be listings.

     Ignore past clients

    One of the most amazing real estate statistics to come out of the NAR is that the majority of real estate consumers (85 percent, according to the latest survey) loved their agent so much that they promised to use them again in the future.

    Yet, fewer than 25 percent actually do use the same agent

    This is a direct result of a failure to follow up on the agent’s part. The most awesome closing gift ever given won’t make these people remember you five years down the line when it’s time to sell their home. Especially if another agent has been farming them or otherwise getting their name in front of them more often than you do yours.

    Inconsistent or non-existent follow-up is like throwing money away and a surefire way to sabotage your business.

    Consider this: a 5 percent increase in your client retention rate can bump your income as much as 95 percent, according to research by Harvard Business School.

    Don’t neglect others in your sphere of influence, either. According to NAR, as much as 65 percent of your business can come from that pool if you consistently reach out to them.

    Don’t worry about how to keep in touch. Put these people on a drip campaign and send out postcards, newsletters, market updates, free reports and anything else that will keep you top-of-mind.

    Fail to plan for success

    It’s difficult to remain focused on your goals if you lack a plan. Guessing or hoping that you meet your objectives isn’t smart. An assumption of where you stand at any given moment is about as accurate as a Zestimate of a property’s value.

    Avoid the hit-or-miss chaos and make a business plan. Yes, it’s boring and yes, it’s time-consuming. There are lots of guides online to help you, but we’re rather partial to the Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan.

    Don’t accept being an average agent, spend the money it takes to market your business, chase listings instead of buyers, send past clients lots of love, and create and follow a business plan.

    Answer their burning question and get them reaching out (available in the postcard section under the Get More Listing Series)

    THAT is how to ensure your success and tenure in real estate.

    Send at least 100 Should I Stay or Should I Go postcard from the Get More Listings Series to an area where you want more listings.

    You might also like:

    The Biggest Client Complaint and How Not to Be That Agent

    Professional Agent Behavior: 101 


    Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

    PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!

    1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

     

     

    2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

     

    “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here

     

     

    3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

     

     

    4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

    Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan.  – Click Here

     

     

    5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

    Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

     

      The reality is, there is never enough time in the day to get all of your necessary work done, including marketing.

      And certain important aspects of your work can only be done by YOU. This forces you to make hard choices about where to dedicate your time.

      But what happens to the rest of the work?

      Go from overwhelmed to an opportunity multiplier

      Lets look at marketing activities.

      The success of direct response marketing for branding and generating new clients is well known. This is especially true for Just Listed and Just Sold postcards.

      However, the effort involved in uploading home photos, adding copy, and creating a targeted mailing list can drain you of valuable time.

      We know the importance of getting Just Listed and Just Sold postcards out with every listing and sold. It’s the road map top agents follow to maximize each opportunity and ensure no money is left on the table.

      And we also understand that you can’t stop in the middle of an already over-booked day to send out a Just Listed or Just Sold postcard.

      Which means, very often, these postcards just don’t go out…and money gets left behind.


      Related: Find out your marketing ROI. Try our Free ROI Calculator


      Therefore, automating this important area of your business plays a big role in cultivating ongoing business success…and growth.

      Meet your problem solver – MSLmailings.com.

      It’s the answer that frees you from this time-consuming work, yet provides you with the desired results.

      You continue doing the work most important to your business – prospecting and going on appointments. MLSMailings.com takes care of sending out your Just Listed and Just Sold postcards – ensuring no money is left behind.

      MLSMailings.com is like your own “invisible marketing assistant”.

      It really is easy to maximize your opportunities

      You may be thinking, “but I’m so busy, I don’t even have time to execute a process like this”.

      Not so, using MLSMailings.com is easy.

      Here’s how it works.

      MLSMailings.com automatically generates postcards for your listings when they are active and sold. The data is received directly from your MLS and a postcard is generated automatically.

      You receive an email 24 hours prior to printing, giving you the option to opt out. If you want the postcard to go out, you do nothing and the postcard is mailed to surrounding home owners of the property address.

      That’s it!

      There is no commitment for you to use this service and you can stop using it when ever you want.

      However, it’s doubtful you’ll stop.

      Once you’ve been freed of a time consuming activity and able to focus all of your attention on growing your business there will be no turning back.

      There’s no longer a reason to leave money on the table. Your opportunity multiplying Just Listed and Just Sold postcards can go out EVERY TIME.

      Go Now to MLSMailings.com and start freeing up time for the important tasks ONLY YOU can do for your business!

      Order Free printed sample postcards from MLSMailings.com, here.
      You might also like:

      Creative Marketing: Be Daring, Be Memorable

      Avoid These 4 Common Real Estate Agent Marketing Mistakes


      Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

      PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!

      1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

       

       

      2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

       

      “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here

       

       

      3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

      The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

       

       

      4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

      Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan.  – Click Here

       

       

      5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

      Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

        We have two winners!

        A first place $250 Gift Card winner & a second place $100 Gift Card winner!

        1.Congratulations Stacey Severn on winning our 1st Prize $250 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card!

        Stacey shared the following feedback with ProspectsPLUS!

        “I like the flexibility in the templates, the ability to target accurately, and the fact that I don’t have to print labels or buy stamps, or take the time to put my mailings together.”

        “It’s all done for me!”

        Stacey’s latest marketing pieces she’s sent out include – Just Sold, Fence Sitters, and Just Closed postcards.

        Just Sold, Fence Sitter, and Just Closed postcards (all available in the postcard section)

        2. Congratulations Edna Wilson on winning the 2nd Prize $100 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card

        Edna shared the following feedback with ProspectsPLUS!,

        “This has been a game changer for me and my business!!!” I highly recommend them for all your postcard and printing needs“.

        Edna’s latest marketing pieces she’s sent out include – Get More Listings, Agent Introduction, and Up Load Your Own postcards.

        Get More Listings, Agent Introduction, and Open House postcards (all available in the postcard section).

        Take the lead from Stacey and Edna and send at least 100 marketing pieces to an area where you want more buyers or sellers!


        You might also like to read:

        How to Harness the 5 Key Traits of ‘Rock Star’ Agents

        Agent Facebook Success: Rules of Engagement

        Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

          Ditch that stage fright

          One thing I learned during my time in sales is you don’t have to be on a stage to experience “stage fright” door knocking is just as intimidating.

          The heart-pounding, parched mouth, tight throat, trembling, sweating and nausea can happen when doing something as simple as merely contemplating making a cold call.

          Worse, it comes on in spades when considering knocking on a stranger’s door to ask about his plans for the future.

          Professionals in psychology and psychiatry call this “performance anxiety,” an aspect of social anxiety, and claim that the malady is “ … fairly common, occurring in as much as 13% of the population,” according to James W. Jefferson, MD, at the National Institutes of Health.

          Stage fright can be overcome and you can be knocking your way to real estate riches. 

          1. Overcoming the jitters

          According to the pros, the best cure for the jitters is preparation, so practice your door-knocking approach until it becomes second nature.

          “Don’t focus on what could go wrong,” suggests the professionals at WebMD.com. “Instead focus on the positive. Visualize your success.”

          They also suggest concentrating on connecting with your audience. When Mrs. Homeowner opens the door, smile, make eye contact with her and don’t think of her as the enemy.

          Tony Robbins says that to become successful at anything, “model someone who is already getting the results that you want.” In fact, he credits this technique with being “the number one secret for the things in my life that I’ve mastered.”

          We watched a lot of agent-advice videos on scripts and other approaches to door-knocking and, by far, we feel that Borino (former rags-to-riches agent and current real estate coach), does a brilliant job. He’s definitely someone you can learn from, and copy. 

          2. Make a game out of it

          Instead of approaching a day of door-knocking as drudgery, make a game out of it. Don’t concentrate on how many leads you need to pick up from the session but go for the no’s instead. Investor Sal Williams walks you through his game of “I need 39 ‘no’s’ in his YouTube video. 


          Related: Score Big with Door Hangers


          3. Don’t go empty-handed

          No, leaving a business card with the homeowner isn’t enough.

          Rachel Adams Lee began her mega-agent career by knocking on 200 doors per week. She shares some tips on creating a handout that offers value to the homeowner in her YouTube video.

          But, really, anything that offers value to the homeowner will be welcome. This might include a neighborhood market update on one side of a postcard or flyer and general homeowner information on the other. Valuable info for homeowners includes:

          • How to take an insurance inventory of their home’s contents.
          • How to solve the “should I buy first or sell first” dilemma.
          • A story about how much equity local homeowners have regained since the recession ended.
          • Which remodeling projects add value to a home and which to avoid.

          One very successful agent we know commissioned a freelance writer to ghostwrite a seller’s handbook that walks homeowners through the entire selling process.

          Handing an actual paperback book to a potential client, with the agent as an author, not only offers value to the homeowner but establishes her as an expert in real estate. 

          4. One ingenious tip for the chronically shy

          Despite knowing the scripts verbatim and watching the videos of the masters, some agents just can’t bring themselves to shake the “Ew, I’m a slimy salesperson” feeling by knocking on strangers’ doors.

          We learned a tip from Minneapolis agent Shannon Brooks that we think you’ll love. In fall and spring, Shannon door-knocks, but not for the reasons other agents do.  She’s collecting non-perishable food donations for local food banks.

          And, she takes it a step further by branding the bags she leaves with homeowners.

          It started off with basic paper bags,” Brooks tells smartzip.com’s Gina Thelemann. “but now it has evolved into a branded bag with my name and brand, and my lender and title partner’s brands, too!”

          It also started with the aim of helping the community but she quickly learned what an amazing strategy it could be for the chronically shy agent. The initial conversation is easier to start, it’s non-threatening to the homeowner and it allows you to follow-up when you return to pick up the donated items.

          5. Which doors to knock on

          Good for you if you already have a geo farm. If you don’t, now is the time to choose one. But, choose intelligently.

          First, check the tenure of current homeowners in your chosen area. In 2017, the average home seller had lived in her home for 10 years, according to the NAR. So, seek out a farming area in which the homeowners have lived there at least 8 or 9 years.

          Then, consider your income goals and narrow down your choice of neighborhoods to those at the right price point to help you meet your goals.

          Coach Tom Ferry says to start with between 250 and 500 homes and then expand “as saturation and ROI is accomplished,” according to coach Kay Fairchild.

          Another approach, as explained by coach Kevin Ward, is to target certain homeowners, not neighborhoods. Ward calls these homeowners “turbo leads” and they include FSBOs, expired listings, and homeowners who’ve received notice of defaults.

          “They have already exhibited a need or a desire to sell their property,” he explains. In his video, he walks you through how to approach the homeowner in a way that lessens the chance of resistance.

          Like all marketing methods, it takes time and requires keeping organized records of your contacts and following-up.

          Time to dive in and order at least 100 door hangers to attract more buyers, more sellers or advertise your  open house or new listing!
          Remember to also keep FSBO and Expired Door Hangers in your car for that spontaneous drive by.

          You might also like:

          How to Overcome First Phone Call Fears

          Three Ways to Prove Your Neighborhood Expertise


          Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

          PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!

          1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

          Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

           

           

          2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

           

          “Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here

           

           

          3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

          The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

           

           

          4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

          Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan.  – Click Here

           

           

          5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

          Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here