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.

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

Apr 22, 2019

And, find out what trait helps guinea pigs make money (under creativity)

Success in any endeavor is in the eye and mind of the beholder. My idea of personal success may mean something completely different than yours.

Some folks use money as a benchmark while others don’t feel successful unless they are fulfilled in what they do for a living.

In real estate, money has a lot to do with success. Without it, you won’t stay in business for long. The keys to making money – financial success — in the industry involves a combination of certain personality and character traits and ingrained habits.

Let’s take a look at some of the traits that the most ‘Rock Star’ agents exhibit.

1. Tenacity

Successful real estate agents don’t let go. They treat every contact from a potential client with a ferocious tenacity, returning calls and emails immediately and following up relentlessly.

This doesn’t mean they become the fatal attraction of the local real estate industry, it means that the agents make their leads feel attended to and that they are ready and able to assist.

The same treatment is given to former clients, with consistent follow-up to ensure they remain top-of-mind when the topic of real estate comes up. Sending a Customer Appreciation Thank You postcard is a great way to stay connected and let your clients know you appreciate them.

Show your clients you appreciate them (available in the postcards section under Customer Appreciation)

2. Creativity

“Best practices.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve been seeing that phrase a lot lately. Applied to the real estate industry, the term should make you wary.

Sure, it sounds quite professional. The problem is, what old-school real estate agents call “best practices” are often nothing more than old, worn-out tactics.

It means doing the same stuff all the other agents are doing and have done for decades.

Best practices? Wipe that from your memory chip as the established go-to resource.

Sure, there are some conventional real estate marketing tactics that still work but to rely on them exclusively in lieu of trying something new is just plain stupid.

The flip side is that following the herd to every new tactic that comes along is equally silly.

Once upon a time, there was a real estate agent who decided to do her video blogs from her car on her way to the office in the morning. I’m not absolutely sure who that was, but I have a good idea.

I often wonder if she resents the fact that thousands of other agents decided to allow her to be the guinea pig with this new technique. And then when they saw it worked, generated revenue, and created new clients, they brazenly stole her idea. It’s to the point now that those agent dashboard video blogs are as trite as some agent taglines and just as ridiculed by the public.

Help them choose YOU (available in the postcard section under Market Quote postcards)

Don’t be afraid to be different and to stand out from the rest of the agents in town. Do something new, novel and fun and forget about “best practices.” Don’t rely on any one technique to remain unique for long. Keep on your toes.

3. Communication

Successful real estate agents know when to hold em’ and know when to fold ‘em. They walk their clients through every last thing that can possibly be expected to occur in the transaction and then they shut up and listen.

They gain an understanding of and pay attention to what the client expects out of the relationship. They listen to what the client wants and needs. Then, they act on that, not some supposition of the client’s desires.

Both sellers and buyers that are dissatisfied with their real estate agents typically claim that their agents didn’t communicate enough. Rich, fulfilled agents keep in contact with their clients at all points during the process, even when there’s nothing new to communicate.

Clients also expect you to communicate in the manner they prefer. So, text the texters, email the emailers and phone the phoners. And send direct mail when you are after a lasting impact. Even if there is nothing new to talk about, reach out and touch.

4. Congeniality

Successful real estate agents are, for the most part, easy to be around. They are network- builders and relationship retainers.

If the Rolodex were still a staple on every agent’s desk, theirs would be the biggest. Since they understand the value of being pleasant, they have vast networks. They can set a client up with the best trash-out guy in town, the best contractor, plumber, lender, and title company.

5. Not afraid to spend

A couple of years ago, real estate social network Active Rain site conducted a survey of 1,758 real estate agents to determine what separates rich real estate agents from poor ones.

Successful agents understand that they need to spend money to make money. In fact, according to the study, agents earning more than $100,000 a year spend 10 times more money on marketing than their less successful counterparts.

They also spend six times more money on technology. Whether spending the money made them a rich agent or it took being rich to be able to spend it, is another question.

Agents that succeed approach their real estate career as a business. They begin each year with a plan which is updated and tweaked throughout the year.

Most of all, they are somewhat fearless, willing to take risks and tenaciously devoted to their success.

Start building good habits today by sending at least 100 Please Allow Me postcards from the Agent Introduction Series to an area where you would like more business.

Let them know who the neighborhood expert is (available in the postcard section under Agent Introduction)

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

3 places to find inspiration for your website blog posts

Apr 17, 2019

I hate to sound like a nag, but if you aren’t blogging in 2019–why?

I recently read a blog post directed at real estate agents about various forms of marketing. One of them was blogging and the writer listed the pros and cons:

It is time-consuming or “costly” (if you hire someone to write your posts)
The results aren’t instant: It takes time and a commitment to a strategy to build traffic to your blog.

Neither of these “cons” should be a consideration. In 2019, blogging is non-negotiable. You simply must have a blog on your website. Then, you simply must promote it.

And, by the way, which real estate marketing method is “instant,” I wonder?

So, clear a spot on your daily “to-do” list for either the writing or the hiring of someone else to write your real estate blog posts. Then, take a look at our 3 places to find inspiration to get you going.

By the way, your blog posts don’t all have to be about real estate. In fact, the best agent blogs offer a mix of items of local interest, real estate and homeowner topics. All three offer a ton of opportunities to show your expertise and personality and to engage with potential clients.

Realtor marketing postcards for neighborhood updates with a free offer — Keep them up on area trends (Available in the postcard section under Neighborhood Update Series)

1. Amazon.com

Knowing your audience (what they’re thinking about, their pain points, etc.) is critical to crafting a winning blog post. A brilliant way to find out what’s currently on many homeowner’s minds is by checking the best-selling products on Amazon.com.

For instance, high on the best-selling products list right now is a gadget that keeps hair from going down the shower/tub drain. A post on clogged drains, how to unclog them and prevent them in the future would work well.

Several floor cleaning products make the list, from vacuums to mops. A post on caring for different types of flooring may be interesting to your audience. Or, write about the different types of floors and how they stack up against one another.

It’s spring, so don’t neglect checking out Amazon’s patio and garden category to get a feel for what potential clients are doing around the home’s exterior.

Right now, for instance, their battles seem to be with flying insects, ants and cockroaches. Write a post about DIY Spring Pest Control. You’ll find inspiration at Angieslist.com, FamilyHandyman.com and Clark.com.

To get started, go to Amazon’s best sellers list. On the left side of the page are the various categories you can browse. Home & Kitchen and Patio, Lawn & Garden are two good places to start.to discover what subjects are currently on peoples minds.

Get your phone ringing with a valuable Free Offer (available in the postcard section under Free Offer Series)

2. National real estate sites

Since you should rotate homeowner-focused blog posts with real estate-related posts, use your current clients’ questions and concerns for blog post topics.

When you get stuck, visit national real estate sites for inspiration. Zillow.com, for instance, offers Porchlight, its consumer-facing blog.

Current topics include many addressed to sellers:

Curb appeal boosters
To-dos before listing
How to negotiate the counteroffer

Check the site’s Tips & Advice section in particular. Redfin has a busy blog as well, and you’ll find endless inspiration for your blogs.

Today I took a spin around it and found posts about the best day to list a home for sale, home staging tips and digital home closings.

3. Local flavor

The most share-worthy posts you will write will be hyper-local and one of the best is published in spring: a guide to local summer camps for kids. No time to research your area’s summer camps? Hire someone to do it for you. Find inexpensive freelance researchers online at Fiverr.com and Upwork.com.

Keeping with the spring/summer theme, and keeping it local, check with your local parks and recreation department to learn about upcoming events.

Then, head to Yelp.com. Find the best eateries that offer patio dining, the best ice cream or fro-yo shops, places where kids eat free or dog friendly restaurants and create a listicle around each one.

Create a perfect Father’s Day scenario, complete with brunch or lunch and his favorite local activity. Or, choose a summer month and show how it’s celebrated locally. For inspiration, check out Anchorage, Alaska’s Unity Home Group blog.

Inspiration for your real estate website’s blog posts is everywhere. All you need to do is get them written, posted and then shared on social media.

Beats cold calling.

Send at least 100 Free Home Market Analysis postcards from the Call to Action Series to an area where you want more listings.

Get hands to raise with a popular Free Market Analysis Offer (available in the postcard section under Call to Action series)

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 ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Customer service! The best gift you can give your clients & Yourself

Apr 15, 2019

It’s the shortest path to being remembered & referred.

Knife sets, branded bottles of wine or Home Depot gift cards won’t make you memorable to your real estate clients, months or years after closing.

Only brilliant customer service and consistent follow-up can do that. To provide them with the best service, you’ll need to know what they want and need from you and go about providing it.

NAR recently released its 2019 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Report and while it’s heavy on millennial information (as usual), there are tidbits of information that apply well to all generations in the real estate market.

Understand who you’re working with

While it’s challenging to make blanket statements about a group of people based on age, it’s crazy to lump them into the two broad categories of “buyers” and “sellers.”

The NAR report at least gives insight into what the different generations are seeking in an agent and in a home.

Your most likely clients will be millennials and baby boomers (sorry, Gen X). Thirty-seven percent of recent home buyers are millennials and 32 percent were baby boomers. Two completely different sets of real estate consumers with completely different sets of wants and needs.

Millennials choose neighborhoods based on how convenient it is to their jobs. So, it should come as no surprise that commuting costs are a big factor when they search for a home.

Many baby boomers, on the other hand, are buying a home because they’re retiring. Their minds are on saving money as well, and their hot button is energy efficiency. A home that won’t burn through their retirement funds with heating and cooling costs.

These, again, are broad generalizations, but they give you a starting point to understand who you’ll be working with this year.

The initial client consultation is your opportunity to dive deeper into their specific wants and needs. This is true whether they are buying or selling a home.

Send a special thank you to those who matter most (Available in the postcard section under Customer Appreciation Series)

Prepare your clients

Millennials, especially, crave knowledge of the process. However, all buyers can benefit from a thorough buyer or seller consultation. How’s yours?

If it’s done on the fly, lasts about 15 minutes and doesn’t include anything they can physically hold in their hands, you have some work to do.

“The biggest benefit of using a real estate agent during buyers’ home search was the help they provided understanding the process,” according to the new NAR report.

In fact, 60 percent of all buyers surveyed claimed that the biggest benefit of working with an agent was getting help to understand the process.

Ensure that your consultation covers every step in the homebuying process and answers every conceivable question they may have.

Then, create handouts and copy them to the buyers’ section on your website. This might include a Mortgage 101 guide. More examples include explanations of the various government-backed loan mortgage programs or a walkthrough of the appraisal process and what a home inspector does.

The more time you spend with buyers in helping them learn the process, the smoother it will be and the more memorable you become.

Let your clients know you are thinking of them (available in the postcard section under Customer Appreciation Series)

Get your team in place

I once met a waitress who played a game with every customer she served. No, the customers weren’t aware of the game.

She called it “Anticipation,” and the rules were simple. To declare herself the winner for the day, she would need to anticipate what each table of customers needed and wanted. This rule was in place from the time they were seated until they paid the check.

This meant remembering the mint jelly for the guy who ordered lamb, ensuring the bread basket remained full and that there was sufficient butter on the table. Each table had a myriad of small details hat needed attention and if a customer had to ask her for something, she lost the game that day.

You can’t anticipate everything a client needs during the selling or buying process. However, you can fulfill many of them with your preferred vendor list.

If you are new to real estate, these are the professionals you turn to for mortgages, title and escrow, staging, cleaning, movers, repair work and legal advice.

While it’s a bit lengthy you can find a list of the types you may want to consider partnering with at TheRealEstateTrainer.com.

Then, tell your clients that it’s all part of your world-class “concierge service.”

Funny thing about we humans: we vividly remember the bad service we receive. Good service? Not so much. Which is why consistently following up after the transaction is so important.

A subtle reminder of just how awesome you are can get the referrals rolling in.

Send the Thank You as Big as a House postcard from the Customer Appreciation Series to all of your past clients.

Let your past clients know you’re there for them (available in the postcard section under the Customer Appreciation Series)

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!

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Earn the Respect You Deserve From Your Clients

Apr 8, 2019

Just curious: Why aren’t you telling your clients what you do for them? Sure, we’ve all seen the memes or infographics that list the tasks agents perform, but do you supply these to each and every client that signs on with you?

Do you outline on your website and in your listing presentations what you actually do for clients? And, no, we aren’t talking “negotiate to get you the best deal,” or “make suggestions on how to get your home ready for the market,” although those items do have a place on the list.

We’re talking a lengthy and impressive list of everything you do to earn the money you’re paid.

It’s truly a pity that this is even a suggestion. Do you wonder what your doctor, lawyer, veterinarian, hair stylist or plumber does to earn the money you pay them?

Apparently, buyers think that all you do is run MLS searches and open doors for them and sellers think your biggest contribution is helping to figure out home value and sticking a sign in the yard.

Unfortunately, the real estate agent’s “respectable profession” has been downgraded to a pastime, according to Justin Fox at Forbes.com.

Unlike other professions, to get the respect you deserve, you’ll need to earn it – to prove your worth.

Sucks, I know.

Provide them insight (available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series)

From their mouths to your ears

“With the press of a button, the home was online and buyers began touring the home,” a home seller told Andrea Requier at MarketWatch.com.

“However, my listing agent was not giving the tours, the buyer’s agents were. After the home sold, I realized that my agent did very little to earn his share of (the commission),” he concluded.

Notice how the seller credits both technology and buyers’ agents for the traffic through his home. He doesn’t seem to have a clue that his listing agent is responsible and exactly how much work it took to generate that traffic.

We can place the blame for real estate consumers’ ignorance of your job duties on others, but since so much of what you do is performed behind the scenes, the blame lies with agents.

It’s not enough to tell prospective clients how amazing you are. It’s not enough to list your statistics and to sling a snappy slogan at them.

This is not your parents’ real estate industry

“Emerging technologies and data-driven startups are empowering consumers and fundamentally changing the way they buy and sell properties,” according to Tommy O’Shaughnessy at ListWithClever.com.

“What’s more, discount and nontraditional brokerages are challenging the longstanding reign of the traditional realtor model.”

There are real threats to what we once assumed was a pretty bullet-proof profession. Now is not the time for complacency; not when all of these emerging technologies and alternative brokerages are busy proving their worth to the consumer.

What else real estate consumers don’t get

Interestingly, nearly half of home sellers think the buyer pays their agent’s commission, according to the results of a Clever Real Estate study published in February 2019.

Other interesting tidbits from the study include:

Nearly half of listing clients were unaware that they would be paying the buyer’s agent.
Nearly 40 percent of the survey respondents feel that artificial intelligence technology can sell a home better than a real estate agent.
Millennial home sellers were twice as likely to say that their agent was “unimportant or not important at all in the home-selling process.”

Yikes!

Far too many agents aren’t educating their clients and it’s to the point now where their ignorance of the process and what you do to earn the commission is discounted below that of artificial intelligence.

Provide peace of mind and confidence (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings Series)

It’s time to let them know a few things

To prove your value, start with explaining every last detail of the buying or selling process.

Explain to your buyers what to expect from the mortgage process, from start to finish, including the major players (loan processor, underwriter, etc.) and what duties each performs. This shows your knowledge – stuff they wouldn’t get if they were winging it on their own.

Go over the purchase agreement and all other forms the buyer will be expected to sign, explaining when he or she will receive it, what it means and what happens after it’s submitted.

You’ll naturally want to explain your part in the process as well. Assisting with repair negotiations and stressing the importance of performing the final walk through with a professional at hand are two you don’t want to neglect.

For instance, you might want to explain to a home seller:

“After you sign the listing agreement, I’ll head back to the office and call the sign company to ensure a sign is placed in your yard. I’ll begin the marketing campaign by writing a description of the home for the MLS entry. Then, I’ll …”

Step-by-step, what you do from list to close, or from the time a buyer signs on with you to close.

It should go without saying that you should explain complicated terms. Even some you don’t think are complicated, such as contingency, escrow, earnest money and title search.

A glossary of common real estate terms on your website can streamline this process. Just steer them to the right page.

Speaking of your website, how about creating an infographic outlining all the steps that you take when working with clients and posting it on your site?

So much of what a real estate agent does goes on behind the scenes. How are consumers going to know what you do—the value provided by working with you—if you don’t let them know each and every duty you perform?

Send at least 100 Just Curious About Selling postcards from the Get More Listings Series.

Let them know you’re ready to listen (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings)

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 ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook