Lisa Gray

845 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

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.

This Year’s Client Predictions

Jan 30, 2018

Meet your future clients

ProspectsPLUS! has dusted off the crystal ball and made your predictions for your trending listing clients.

Once you know your audience it’s a lot easier to target your marketing, so read on to get to know these homeowners.

The oh-so-reluctant homeowner

If inventories remain as constrained as they were last year, finding listings is going to be like finding that elusive white rabbit in a snowstorm.

However, a recent survey by Value Insured has found that homeowners understand that they’ve built up considerable equity. And, with interest rates so low, they now know it’s truly a great time to sell.

But, many of these sellers will also be buyers.

They read and watch the news, and have heard the horror stories of bidding wars over too few homes on the market and home prices rising at alarming rates.

In fact, more than 60 percent of the homeowners surveyed said that despite the great timing to sell, they are going to wait until buying becomes easier.

Freddie Mac is optimistic that the wait won’t be so long.

They’re predicting that new construction will ramp up and, combined with higher interest rates, prices should moderate.

**Homeowners that will jump into the market**

Generation X – the 62 million folks who will be between the ages of 42 to 53 this year – comprised the largest listing pool last year.

The Value Insured study we referenced earlier found that more than 60 percent of them will be looking for a larger home.

A National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) survey finds that the average Gen X homeowner currently lives in a home with 1,880 square feet of living space.

And, what will they buy?

Gen X has more children still at home than any other generation. But, look at the age span and you’ll agree that this group of real estate consumers has a diverse array of lifestyles.

Aside from the large group of families with children, the generation includes empty nesters, singles, and couples.

That said, studies show us a number of generalizations that can be made about Gen X housing preferences.

Lifestyle and neighborhood are more important than home amenities, according to the NAHB study.
Nearly three-quarters of Gen X homebuyers want a detached, single-family home with three or four bedrooms and at least 2,300 square feet of living space.
The older among them hope to age in place, so are demanding single-story homes.

Don’t write off baby boomers

The media loves to vilify baby boomers – those who will be between the ages of 54 and 72 – for the low housing inventory.

It isn’t that simple, claims Trulia’s Ralph McLaughlin. “Surprisingly, we find the share of owner-occupied homes owned by boomers is actually positively correlated with inventory.”

He goes on to point out the real reason behind the inventory crunch is homebuilders.

“Homebuilding’s impact – or a lack of it in some places – is by far and away the biggest influence when it comes to inventory woes.” Ralph states. “This outweighs other explanations by a large margin.”

Many industry experts state this is the year boomers finally decide to sell.

And, if you sell real estate in Maine, New Hampshire, Montana or Vermont (the states with the largest populations of boomers), you may want to specifically target this generation.

But, some won’t be buying another home

While Gen X home sellers will most likely be buyers as well, don’t automatically expect two transactions from your boomer clients. “Baby boomers are the fastest-growing group of renters,” according to Amy Zimmer at cnbc.com.

And, this group of would-be tenants state, overwhelmingly, that they will be renting so that they can ditch the maintenance headaches of homeownership.

“For many years I was responsible for a house, a family, corporation, and employees,” says a forum poster at aarp.com.

“I don’t have to worry about painting the house; the roof leaking; mowing the lawn; replacing the water heater.” “I don’t have to worry about a thing now,” he says of his decision to sell his home and rent a condo.

Those boomers who do plan on buying another home after they sell the current home will be looking for the following features, according to an NAHB survey:

- Home office – Remember, many boomers plan on putting off retirement. A home office offers flexibility in transitioning from the brick-and-mortar, 9-to5 routine.
- Tech and media centers, specifically wireless home networks that offer remote control of the home’s features.
- Good lighting and lots of natural light
- Wider doorways and hallways – For boomers who hope to age in place.
- Either one-story homes or homes with the master suite on the first floor. For some reason, our knees seem to be the first place on our bodies in which we begin to feel our age. Stairs are uncomfortable.

Listing agents have a lot to be optimistic about right now.

A healthy job market, rising home values and, hopefully, an ease in the housing shortage.

Target marketing to Gen X and baby boomers may just be your key to a prosperous year.

Send I Have a BUYER from the Listing Inventory Series to at least 100 new prospects in an area where you want more listings.

Create a Lifestyle Targeted mailing list here.

Need assistance taking your marketing to the next level? Call our support team at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT!

1. The Free 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

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

Top real estate professionals state 66% of their business comes from their sphere of influence. So how many people do you need in your SOI? Check out our Sphere of Influence Calculator (from your desktop) to find out the answer – 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, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Monday Motivation: The Beginning

Monday Motivation

Jan 29, 2018

“This is the beginning of anything you want.”

-unknown

Need assistance taking your marketing to the next level? Call our support team at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Friday Funny: No Wait

Friday Fun

Jan 26, 2018

Need assistance taking your marketing to the next level? Call our support team at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Wednesday Productivity: Intention

Wednesday Productivity

Jan 24, 2018

“Time is non-refundable, use it with intention.”

-unknown

We are here to support your success! Call us if we can do anything for you at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Why Direct Mail is King

Direct Mail

Jan 22, 2018

Annual spending on newspaper circulars, coupons, direct mail, and catalogs hit $76 billion in 2017!

Need I say more?

By the way, this was up 85% from 2012, according to a Wallstreet Journal article recently written by Sarah Nassauer.

“Paper ads that arrive in homes spur more buying than emails or texts”, said Jackson Jeyanayagam, chief marketing officer of Boxed.com.

“Email is starting to become a sandbox because you get so much”. Boxed spent 80% more on print advertising in 2017 than 2016.

Emily Frankel, senior director of digital marketing at Jet.com, a Walmart owned company, states, “Jet sent 35 million paper coupons and direct mailers last year”.

She continued, that the mailers have been effective in reaching new, more urban and affluent customers.

So, why is direct mail so effective?

A study commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau discovered that direct mail marketing—leaves a ‘deeper more emotional footprint’ on the brain than digital.

That difference can be pinpointed on MRI brain scans.

It produces brain responses that get stored in your memory. The printed piece itself becomes part of the subliminal messaging.

The following are more reasons for direct mail’s success.

It’s targeted

Most advertising is expensive and casts a wide, but not specific net.

With direct mail, you can match your marketing pieces specifically to your market or niche dramatically increasing your response rates.

You can target your mailing lists for those you most want to market by taking advantage of our Lifestyle Interest search.

It’s personal

Direct mail is your canvas. You can address your customer by name, share specific offers and communicate information that’s specific to your area.

And begin to create a top-of-mind awareness and trust.

By offering calls to action such as Free Reports, lists of homes, a Free Home Market Analysis and more – you create an opportunity for engagement with your audience.

It’s flexible

From postcards to newsletters to brochures, your direct mail options are extensive.

Add direct response offers and timely information and you again increase your response rates.

Some agents choose from a specific niche postcard series such as our Expired Series to send each month to develop brand a recognition.

Others mix and match their marketing messages – preferring to keep consumers alert and eager to see what they’ll send next.

It’s tangible

The truth is, as human beings we are tactile people.

So, engaging different senses is just smart business. If I get a message from a professional via email or digital ad, it registers in the moment – but not necessarily long term.

When I get a message that’s directed to me and offers something of importance to me and my family – that’s compelling.

Specifically, when I can feel it, touch it, put it on the refrigerator or tack it to my bulletin board, etc. – that message has a much longer shelf life.

And a better chance of getting a response – not just once but again and again.

It’s measurable

Use a unique URL or make a specific offer on a direct response piece and keep tabs on how many people click or call on that offer. Similiar to our Free Offer Series postcards.

Then adjust future mailings based on that response rate. It’s always advised to make a direct response offer on every piece of direct mail.

As opposed to just a generic, ‘here I am’ mailing.

Give people valuable reasons to reach out to you and they will!

It’s easy and cost-effective

Direct mail doesn’t have to mean big bucks.

With Every Door Direct Mail costs are low and market saturation is high.

Hopefully, this has given you insight into why direct mail is part of so many highly successful agents ongoing marketing plan.

Start taking advantage of this powerful form of marketing now.

Get started taking advantage of the power of direct mail. Send the Free Home Market Analysis Offer postcard from the Call to Action Series to your Geographic Farm this month.

Call our marketing team at 866.405.3638 for assistance. We are here for you!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Monday Motivation: Dare

Monday Motivation

Jan 22, 2018

“Fortune sides with him who dares.”

-Virgil

We are here to support your success! Call us if we can do anything for you at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Friday Funny: Home Inspection

Friday Fun

Jan 19, 2018

We are here to support your success! Call us if we can do anything for you at 866.405.3638 today!

PLUS: Whenever you have a moment…here are 3 things to check out that will help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan

2. The Online Sphere of Influence Calculator

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

Also…check these out 🙂

3 Click Postcards – Just snap, tap, send all from your mobile phone

MLS Mailings – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Wednesday Productivity: Strength

Wednesday Productivity

Jan 17, 2018

“The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The ProspectsPLUS! Team members are your biggest fans! We are here to help you succeed in 2018. Please reach out to us if there is any way we can help you 866.405.3638.

3 Defining Moves to Start the Year

Agent Success

Jan 16, 2018

Set the pace for Strategic Success

As competition grows more fierce, you may find yourself asking, “What’s my next move?”

Savvy agents are navigating the New Year with ease by investing in smart systems and tools that help them compete in today’s real estate market.

Who will take the lead in both listing and selling homes this year?

Those who stay strategically focused on one-to-one marketing, negotiate effectively up front and commit to consistent business development through monthly prospecting.

Time to set the standard high

In any market, taking a listing that won’t sell is worse than having no listing at all.

And while you may be tempted to take listings at any price, terms or commission, this is also a recipe for failure.

Consider instead, raising your standards using a strong, effective tool which spotlights the homeowner’s commitment to getting the home sold in the quickest possible time.

Our Merchandising Review is a great tool for this and there are three successful ways to implement it.

First: Make the right decisions at the listing appointment. It’s likely during your
presentation your sellers may have an objection or two regarding terms.

Try to shelve objection handling until after you have completed your presentation and obtained the signatures for the listing.

Then close your appointment by going over the Merchandising Review to make certain everything is in order.

Stating the Merchandising Review is a helpful tool to ensure everything is in order before the home is listed, the same way pilots use a pre-flight checklist.

This list of 18 different seller-controlled factors actually will help generate a quicker sale for the best possible price and terms. Then simply walk through the list and negotiate where necessary.

Get non-selling inventory back on track

Go through your inventory and red flag problem listings.

Walk through the problems using the Merchandising Review and the Five Most Common Mistakes tools.

Contact your sellers by phone or visit in person to help them understand those review items that are hindering the sale of their home.

Sample Dialogue: “Mr. and Mrs. Seller, we’ve had your property on the market for ____ days now and we are not getting the results that either of us had hoped for. We have a new tool called the Merchandising Review that helps us identify problem areas. I’d like to sit down with you to discuss those potential issues.

I believe if we walk through these items we can get your listing back on track and help exact a faster sale for your home. Would tomorrow at 6:00pm be good or would 8:30pm be better?”

Data mine for the niche that’s right for you

By targeting niche markets that are near and dear to your own interests, you’ll be better able to “speak their language” and let your passion for that market segment build the momentum you are looking for.

For example, do you love listing and selling waterfront properties? Is boating the way you unwind? Now, it’s easy to find and market to like-minded people and works not only with your sphere — but consumer interest groups that most resonate with you.

That way you are growing your book of business with the kind of folks you are most interested in working with. (And that just makes work, and life, a whole lot more interesting, don’t you think?)

It’s never been easier to do

Create a target mailing list to search for the customer segments you most want to market to:

Choose High-Income Consumers for luxury or investment property.
Choose the Lifestyle Interest option for niche markets such as golfers, Tennis enthusiasts, and Boat owners.
Empty-nesters are a great segment to market for downsizing. You could end up listing their current home, and help them purchase their new home
Look to High-Income Renters for high-quality first time home ownership options.
Choose move up market for those who have been in their homes over nine years. Help them list their current home and find their new dream property!

These market segments are just the tip of the iceberg. Find the niche that most works for you.

Whatever strategy you deploy this season, make sure your message is clear and marketing consistent.

Call, see or send something to everyone in your base of business at least every 30 days. You will find that your productivity, profitability, referrals, and commissions will be on track all year round.

Choose a postcard series from the niches mentioned above and send at least 100 postcards out to your newly targeted list.

Need help? Call our support team today at 866.405.3638 to put the best systems in place to build your business easily, and cost-effectively.

Monday Motivation: Conquer

Monday Motivation

Jan 15, 2018

It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

– Edmund Hillary

We are here to support your success! Call us if we can do anything for you at 866.405.3638 today!

Friday Funny: Good News

Friday Fun

Jan 12, 2018

We are here to support your success! Call us if we can do anything for you at 866.405.3638 today!

Take it to the Next Level

Business Success

Jan 10, 2018

7 tips to take your real estate business to the next level

If indications are right, 2018 should be quite the interesting year in real estate.

If you’ve decided it’s the year you’ll take a giant leap forward in your real estate business, well, I’ve got your back, read on for tips on how to do just that.

Treat your business as a business

It is not only a business, but it is one in which you are the CEO. So, act like a CEO.

Do you have a business plan? If not check out our Free Online Realtor Business Plan.

“If I asked you to drive from Omaha, Nebraska to San Diego, California what would be the first thing you would do? Probably mapquest and plan out the directions!” suggests Bubba Mills of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching.

“If I ask you how to do 50 transactions in one year, then shouldn’t you do the same thing?” he continues.

Those “directions” can be found in a business plan – the roadmap for your real estate business.

And, if you do have a plan, does it still require the use of outdated strategies? Update your Real Estate Marketing Plan to meet the needs of today’s real estate practice and today’s real estate consumer.

Next, build a budget, itemizing how much you’ll spend on your car, your dues, desk fees, E&O insurance, your listings and all the other things you spend money on in your business.

A budget is the only way to ensure you’ll meet your income goals by the end of the year.

Let the past guide you

Decide to focus on what has brought you success in the past and do more of it.

Perhaps choose the one tactic that worked best for you as a new agent and concentrate on that for a time.

Was it cold calling?

Sending postcards or newsletters? Door knocking? Whatever it was, resurrect those skills that worked in the past and put them to work helping you jump to the next level.

Start one new thing this year

Try your hand at something you haven’t done before such as automating your Just Listed/Just Sold Postcard mailing.

Free up time from manually handling your Just Listed Just Sold Postcard mailing and automate it instead.

It’s easy to do, affordable and takes the ongoing stress of getting those cards out in a timely manner off of your shoulders.

This leaves you more time to focus on other areas of marketing that need your attention.

How about trying your hand at sending a newsletter?

Las Vegas agent Debbie Drummond tells the story of how a newsletter helped her snag a client for a luxury high-rise condo after an agent who lived in the building failed miserably.

The couple ended up calling Debbie after they received her newsletter. “The newsletter has proven to be a money maker,” she tells Tyler Zey at easyagentpro.

Hire help

The quickest way to move your real estate business to the next level is to stop doing things that don’t make you money.

Hire an assistant to do them for you.

“If I had to touch every single piece in my system myself, I would never be able to produce multiple amounts of volume,” one of Las Vegas’ top producers tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“You have to be efficient, and you have to leverage the system (by hiring).”

Think you can’t afford an assistant? Try going the virtual route first. If you choose a virtual assistant who specializes in real estate you’ll do away with the time and effort involved in training him or her.

Two to consider are Kim Hughes & Company and Real Support. Both companies specialize in supporting real estate agents.

Pay tribute

To truly move your business to the next level, you need to admit that it’s time to stop ignoring your past clients.

To drive this point home, did you know the cost to acquire a new client is five times higher than pursuing someone you’ve already worked with.

Ready for another powerful statistic? Nearly 40 percent of home sellers found their agent through a referral (according to the NAR).

If your website isn’t effective, fix it

Who in your market ranks organically for your preferred keywords?

If it isn’t you, maybe you have some website issues. Check out the sites of those who do and vow to beat them at the Google game.

What are they doing that you aren’t? Typically, it’s the agents who post content consistently that get the best organic rankings, but go through the sites, page-by-page and learn from them.

Take time off

Taking time off actually increases our productivity by 80 percent, according to researchers at Alertness Solutions.

They are a company founded by former NASA scientists that provide fatigue management consulting services.

Research from Harvard University, however, cautions that unless your vacation is planned (at least one month ahead) and you travel far from your work, you won’t get a good ROI on that time away.

Unplug – completely – while you’re away and your focus will be stronger when you return to work, according to researchers at Boston College Center for Work and Family.

Rest and recharge your way to the next level in your real estate business.

Choose a Newsletter or the Market Dominator to send to 200 homes in your Geographic Farm in the month of January! Make sure they know YOU are their neighborhood expert.

The ProspectsPLUS! Team are your biggest fans! We are here to help you succeed in 2018. Please reach out to us if there is any way we can help you at 866.405.3638.

Prev 1...666768...71 Next

Page 67 of 71