Three Campaigns to Put Some Fun in Your Marketing

Feb 20, 2017

Staying Top of Mind With Your Sphere

by Julie Escobar

Consistency is key when marketing, but agents call us every week to ask, “What should I send?” So, we put together three suggestions to get you started.

Holiday Postcards: This week’s Master Marketing Schedule tip is to send your St. Patrick’s Day postcards to your sphere of influence. Agents love Holiday cards because they are timely, can be easily customized with a fun message, and the consistency (sending one per month) is just what the doctor ordered for staying top of mind. Just be sure to order the first class option for speedier delivery. Our St. Patrick’s Day postcard and Daylight Savings postcards are perfect for reaching out to that top tier of customers on your list in March.
Animal II Series: There’s a reason the internet is filled with puppies and kittens. They make people smile. As our friend Darryl Davis talks about – that’s one BIG key to building rapport and making connections with people – giving them reasons to SMIILE! We’ve recently added this new series option to our offerings because of agent demand. You can look for many additional cards to be added to this series over the next few months.
Market Quote Series: This series is growing as well and is an easy way to communicate some of what’s going on in the market right now, and have a little fun!

To get the most from your postcard campaign follow these steps:

Pick a postcard.
Choose a size.
Choose first-class delivery for holiday postcards, and your choice of delivery options for non-time sensitive postcards.
Choose the pre-written copy – or better yet, customize the back of the card with a message of your own. You can offer an item of value, invite customers to an event such as a home buying or selling workshop, or just send them well wishes.
Upload your sphere of influence list: those who know you, like you and trust you. This list is usually compiled from your friends, family, acquaintances and past customers. Statistically, if you stay in touch with these folks every month, one in twelve should produce a listing, sale or referral to you per year! If you need a list of the 250 people who should be in your sphere, head over to our resources page and dowload our BusinessBASE.
Use a promo code to save 10%! Here are the top postcard promo codes for the current month:
- VAL10S – standard size, mailed First-Class
- VAL10J – jumbo size, mailed First-Class
- VAL10P – panoramic size, mailed First-Class
- VAL10JSC – jumbo size, mailed Standard-Class
- VAL10PSC – panoramic size, mailed Standard-Class

Next, a fun tip to help you have more fun with your sphere and farm: Be sure to check in weekly to our Master Marketing Schedule. In the next few weeks you’ll see Pistachio Day, Dentist Day, Salesperson Day, Doctor Day, Pi Day and more. What do these all have in common? Each includes interesting and fun ways to connect with the folks in your market and differentiate yourself from your competitors! Find out how!

Need more help? Call our team at 866.405.3638! They’re happy to assist!

Three Steps to Driving More Listing Inventory

Feb 6, 2017

A Formula for Success

By Julie Escobar

In today’s market (or any market for that matter) – if you’re not out there networking, making calls, reaching out to your sphere and farm, being PRESENT in your marketplace and even knocking on doors – then you are leaving your success as a real estate agent to chance. The truth is? It’s not LUCK — it’s LISTINGS. And listings are STILL the name of the game.

So what are three things you can do to drive listing inventory in your market?

STEP ONE – SEND: Use a direct response postcard or flyer to the folks in the hot-turnover neighborhoods or even those that are right on the cusp of turnover. Let them know that the buying market is HOT and the time to sell is NOW. Be sure to send any marketing you choose in increments of at least three. (Remember that 3-7-27 rule – it takes 3 contacts for someone to recognize your name, 7 to put your name with what you do and 27 to become a brand or household name in the minds of the consumer. Most transactions happen after FIVE contacts.) We’ve got a terrific series that speaks directly the mindset of sellers in this market called our Listing Inventory Series.

STEP TWO – CALL: Here’s where a lot of agents either fall down on the job or lose their muster. Call people? Talk to them? Yikes! Can it be nerve wracking for some? Sure. Will you get ‘No’s”? Absolutely. But the numbers are in your favor. If you call enough people, make enough contacts, you’ll get a yes. And that yes can turn into a listing and a listing into a sale and a sale into a commission – so no leaving it to chance. Make a contact! (Or twenty, or more…)

Here is a sample dialogue to help you get started:

Agent: Hi, my name is _____, and as you may know, our market is on the move and we’ve got more buyers than we have listings. Have you thought about selling your home now or in the near future?
Seller Question: How much do you think I could get for my house?
Agent Answer (a la Floyd Wickman): I don’t know, I haven’t seen your house yet, let’s get together!

STEP THREE – SEE: Don’t knock the idea of old-fashioned door knocking! Getting out there and visible in the neighborhoods and communities you are eager to service and become a brand name in is just good business. Why? It’s personal. People can put the face with the name. They can see that you are committed to making an impact and you get a chance to get the real lay of the land. Door hangers or even shell-printed postcards are a great leave-behind for those who aren’t home – and a nice collateral piece for those who are.

I challenge you to take these three steps to grow your listing inventory, your market share – and your confidence! Be consistent with it at least once a quarter and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.

Want to learn more about how to drive listing inventory and build a stronger market share? Visit us online at www.prospectsplus.com or call our marketing team today at 866.405.3638! They’re terrific at helping agents figure out exactly what they need to market themselves in a budget-friendly way!

The Listing Multiplier

Nov 21, 2016

An Interview with Marketing Guru Dean Jackson

By Julie Escobar

When you want big marketing ideas with smart research and strategies to back them up, you want to listen to Dean Jackson. With humor and character, Dean not only takes agents OUTSIDE the box, he challenges them to leave the “box” in the dust and look to unconventional, creative strategies that make good solid business sense. So when we heard about his Listing Multiplier – we knew we wanted to share it with all of you.

Q: Dean, I read your awesome white paper on the Multiplier – can you give our readers a little nutshell of what this powerful concept is please?

A: Sure, the big idea here is to have a sense of what you are missing. To start, I ask agents to think of their last ten listings, and score them, one point each for the following opportunities:

Get it sold
Find the buyer
Find the buyer that buys another house
Get another listing from it
Get a referral from the seller

Now you take your number out of 50 for these opportunities. They’ll range from say, 8 out of 50 to 15 out of 50. In some cases, you’re hitting every opportunity, in others, such as a listing expiring, you get zero points. What you get once you’ve done this exercise is a sense of what your current system yields.

Now take that number and divide it by ten – that’s your Listing Multiplier Index. So, say you have a 20 out of 50, divide that by 10 and you get 2. That means your current system yields 2 listings for every listing you take. Now – the objective is to get that HIGHER. Imagine if you could double that or more and turn every listing into three transactions!

Q: Right? That would be awesome. Can you share some ways readers can start to do that?

A: Well yeah. Start with Just Listed postcards. Most of the time agents take the approach of, “I’ll just put it

in the MLS. Right now, listings go fast, so we don’t HAVE to market.” That’s just short-sighted. Instead of looking at what has to be done to “get by”, agents should be looking at using marketing such as Just Listed/Just Sold postcards, InfoBox flyers, single property websites, and instant open house landing pages — all to extend that one commission into many commissionable activities. Listing puts you in the ballgame, then it’s time to hit it out of the park.

Q: Can you explain the Instant Open House Landing page please?

A: Sure, you can learn more at www.gogoagent.com, but the idea is that you set up an instant landing page for the property address, people add their name and email address to download a pdf of all the property information. Then you send a very simple, very conversational, expecting a reply email to those folks, and to buyers that might be interested in the home that says, “Got some people coming by the property at 23 Greystone tomorrow afternoon to see the house. Would you care to join them?”

That’s it. No time, no details – just expecting a yes or no answer. We had one open house where eighteen people showed up at once! That’s letting your marketing do the work – generating buyers, new potential sellers and referrals. Now picture you have five listings, and you do the instant open house for all five – one at noon, one at 2, one at 3:30, 5 and 6:30. How great of a day would that be?

Q: Pretty amazing, I’d say! One thing I know that you talk about with your GoGoAgent members is setting your marketing up in such a way that you’re not having to make those dreaded “cold calls”. Can you expand on that?

A: Nothing I’d ever do would involve cold calls. No one likes to make them and no one likes to get them. I prefer to teach agents to use their email as a better communication tool. Short, conversational emails that make people feel like you are talking directly and specifically to them. That’s leverage-able.

Your postcard marketing as well – put some personality to it. Think of your postcards for what they are – an opportunity to share a message. Not long ago I was in Missouri and I went to the Pony Express Museum. It makes you think, you know? Those young people on the Pony Express risked their lives to deliver a message. Letters and communication were so important that people hired a government employee to take great risks to deliver them. We are still hiring a government employee to deliver our words to someone else – the least we can do is make them interesting! Think about what you would say if you were face-to-face. Differentiate yourself. Give people something that helps them engage.

Q: Any last words for our readers?

A: I would say to really just dive into learning about how to use your Listing Multiplier Index to take your business to incredible levels. When you think about what it would mean to you to take your multiplier from say a 1.1 to a 3.3 for your next ten listings, that would mean 20 extra transactions. If your average commission is $10,000 – that means an additional $200,000 per year. That’s exciting!

Q: I totally agree! I know agents would love to learn more about your creative, collaborative listing and sales ideas. How can they find out more?

A: They can find everything they need at www.gogoagent.com. Thanks!

Need help multiplying your listings? Call our team at 866.405.3638 or visit our site today at www.prospectsplus.com.

Building Your Brand and Business

Nov 14, 2016

With Geographic Farming Done Right

By Julie Escobar

Geographic farming has roared back to the marketing forefront for agents in our industry in ways we haven’t seen in years. Why? Because – when done right – it works.

And what exactly is “done right”? It’s when agents who are committed to consistency step up to make themselves known in a neighborhood in real and meaningful ways – getting out into communities, shaking hands, meeting people, making introductions and making a difference.

To talk about one creative tool for geographic farming, the Market Dominator, I sat down with Dominator Director Todd Robertson to learn a little more about the system, the agents who are using it and what it takes to really make an impact on a market area.

Q: Todd, you work with agents across the country who are growing their market share by doing smart geographic farming. Can you tell us a little about the Market Dominator?

A: Sure! This product evolved out of necessity. Agents around the country were asking for a consistency program that would allow them to truly dominate a neighborhood or piece of geography. After six months of research with our team, we came up with the product for our agents called the Market Dominator, which utilizes Every Door Direct Mail with the USPS. At 12” x 15”, it’s the largest legal size that can be sent through the mail, so it doesn’t get overlooked in the mailbox. The content is created every month by our team of writers, who do an outstanding job of weaving in the eight best practices of direct mail. And agents love it because it’s either 100% done for them or 90%, meaning they can make some changes to the back. And with our national sponsors on board now, we can literally send it for the price of a first-class postcard. The other great thing about it is that it’s a two-year campaign… kind of like joining the gym, your personal trainer makes you go.

Q: We both have been in this industry for a long time, and we both know that marketing alone is not what takes agents to the top of their game. It’s follow up and relationship building. Can you tell us some of the powerful ways Market Dominator members are going above and beyond to support their marketing mailing efforts by connecting with the folks in their farm neighborhoods?

A: In terms of what our best agents are doing supplementing the Market Dominator to increase their success rate in their numbers, we’re seeing them do things like canvassing their farms with door hangers, introducing themselves to everybody in the neighborhood, being consistent in sending out new on the market or Just Listed postcards when they get a listing and holding open houses in their carrier routes and making a splash in the area with signs and balloons on every street, every artery when they do. That way, when the Market Dominator shows up in that mailbox, the homeowners will see it and say, “Oh yeah, that’s Susie. I see her all over the place; she’s the neighborhood specialist.”

Q: We’ve talked about the tremendous opportunity agents have to reach out to the businesses that surround or are in their farm area to build reciprocal referral relationships. Can you share your thoughts on that?

A: Some of our Market Dominator members have given us ideas that we never thought about before that we try to share with our new members. One of them is to go after the local businesses in and/or around that carrier route. It’s really an outstanding strategy, because they can utilize the extra 20 Dominators that we give them each month in a clever way.

One of our great agents up in the Northeast simply takes her 20 and goes to every business where people have to wait, such as a hair salon, oil change shop and restaurants. She said the best was actually auto dealerships. What she would do in auto dealerships is first go in and make an introduction to the general sales manager that goes something like, “Hi, I’m Susie with XYZ Realty. I’m the neighborhood real estate specialist in this area. Would you mind if I leave a couple of these in the lobby of your service department?”

What’s great about that strategy is, number one, she’s prospecting the service manager, who becomes a mover and shaker on her SOI list – meaning she visits every month and has offered to let him or her know if a great listing comes on the market. Think about how most cities have what they call “auto dealership row,” where several dealerships are all on the same street. If you’re like Susie, you go right down that strip and pass out two or three Dominators in each dealership, meet some incredible new people and start establishing relationships in a pretty short period of time.

Number two, she’s leaving valuable content, with her name, face, contact information and calls to action in a place where a lot of people congregate. Think about when you have to have your car serviced, and you’ve had to wait anywhere from an hour to a full day in the guest services lounge. What are most people doing when they’re waiting? They’re looking at their phones or whatever magazines are sitting there, right? Imagine if two or three Market Dominators were sitting there with Ritz Carlton quality, filled with great information for people to peruse. Agents who are utilizing this tiny local business strategy with consistency, who have mastered their presentation skills and aren’t afraid to follow up, could find themselves with anywhere from two to 20 extra closings per year.

Q: What about agents who are afraid to follow up, either in person (door knocking) or on the phone? Any advice for them?

A: Some agents just want to send their marketing out, then sit back and see what happens. In my mind, to be great in real estate you have to be obsessed, or you end up being average. By “obsessed,” I mean you’ve already made a commitment to your neighborhood farm, so why not stretch yourself a little and go make an introduction? One way or another, knowing that you’re simply providing a great service to help these people buy or sell real estate is powerful motivation to meet people.

I also would say if somebody is still afraid or hesitant to follow up, spend a couple days and get so good at your listing presentation, get so great at overcoming objections, so great at your value proposition that you can’t help but have a relaxed sense of confidence. This will do a couple of things for you: It will get you excited to go out and meet people and prospect, which is the one thing most people hate doing (usually because they aren’t as confident in their presentation), and it will force you to fine-tune your skills, which will help you enjoy a long-term career.

Q: Consistency and sticking to a plan is a powerful combination for success in our business. Will you share why making the Dominator part of a consistent marketing plan is a smart strategy?

A: In terms of doing any marketing, consistency has to be part of the plan – whether it’s in real estate marketing, building wealth or getting in shape. The Market Dominator gives agents what they told us for many years they wanted: a two-year campaign. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, if your competition is going to do any marketing, history says they quit after the third contact. Yet we know that most activity doesn’t happen until after the fifth contact. So staying in the game for the duration is vital.

Q: Any last words of advice for our readers?

A: First, I would say that if you’re reading this article or reading our magazines or blogs and looking for real estate strategies and insights, you’ve already separated yourself from the competition. Because for you and me to get great at anything, we must remain a student of life. So I congratulate you on taking that step. Whether it’s the Market Dominator, one of our other great products or you just want to call our home office and brainstorm, our team is always willing to help you find the real estate marketing product that best fits your needs, your market and your area.

Thanks for the information and insight, Todd!

If you’d like to learn more about the Market Dominator System, visit www.prospectsplus.com/dominator, or call Todd directly at 855-383-6646.

Be In It to Win It

Nov 14, 2016

How Hyper-Local Information and Consistency Work to Your Advantage

By Julie Escobar

Real estate is not for the get-rich-quick, zero effort entrepreneur. To succeed for the long haul? You’ve got to take an ‘in it to win it’ approach. That means the kind of ‘one and done’ marketing that some folks want to ‘try on’ is not a viable, sustainable path to market share.

You’ve got to put the time in and PERSEVERE. To show up not just ONCE, but again and again and again. You know that old saying out of sight – out of mind? It’s especially true of customer relationships in today’s market. In fact, Statistics tell us it takes at LEAST three impressions for a consumer to recognize your name, seven to associate your name with your business, and twenty seven for them to like you, know you, trust you enough to do business with them. I know – it’s not instant gratification – but it is the smart business practice if you want to be in real estate for the long haul.

Make it easy on yourself. You get paid to get face-to-face and voice–to-voice with customers. Your job is to wow them with what you can do for them – how you can make that easier, more profitable & fewer headaches. Hard to do that when you’re still printing, cutting & stuffing envelopes. Put a system in place to reach your customers at the very least every 4-6 weeks. The Direct Marketing Association and top agents lean more towards every 21-30 days. It doesn’t have to be a lot – but it does have to be consistent. We’ve worked hard to make that easy for you with hundreds of ready-to-go campaigns that you can choose from that’s as simple as pick a card, customize however you like, add your list or purchase one and you are done!

One that is especially popular right now and getting results is our Neighborhood Update Free Offer Series. Why is it such a hit? It gives them the critical market information consumers want — and spotlights you as the authority in the neighborhood. Grab your local stats (recent listings and sales), sign in to your account, go to the neighborhood update free offer series, enter your data, get your list (at least 100 homeowners in the neighborhood you want to brand yourself in) and go! What people LOVE about this series is that it offers up the hyper local market information they are craving. What are homes in THEIR neighborhoods selling for? How much can they get for their home? What’s happening in their own back yard? Send one of these a month and watch your market share grow!

Next, map out your marketing for the rest of the year. Will you be sending holiday photocards or holiday cards? Order them early and get them sent. Calendar cards with magnetic backs are also very popular as means to stay top of mind (by being stuck to the refrigerator) all year around. You’ll find budget saving promo codes on our Specials Page.

Looking for more ideas for staying connected? Bookmark our Master Marketing Schedule. It’s filled with actionable marketing tips as well as some really fun, out-of-the-box, memorable ways to reach out to the people in your sphere and farm. That’s the key — helping to make sure your name is MEMORABLE — in a good way!

Some things to think about for this week. Know that if you need some help showing up – OVER and OVER – affordably, easily and without stress, our team is there for you. Call them at 866.405.3638 today or email pmc@prospectsplus.com. We’ve got you covered!

Tracking Your Results…

Nov 8, 2016

Taking the Guesswork Out of Real Estate Marketing

By Julie Escobar

You’ve got to love technology right? As real estate professionals in today’s competitive world, every marketing step counts – and every marketing dollar is important. We get that. That’s why we put systems in place to track 100% of all postcard and mailing orders. That way, you know what’s been delivered, when there’s an issue and exactly when you can start following up on your important real estate marketing mailing.

Here’s a quick video to show you how it works:

As you kick your marketing and momentum into high gear – here are four things you should know:

1. Track My Mail is a Resource You Can Trust. We know that every dollar counts and you want to know that your marketing is not only being sent, but is being delivered. We want the same. Every time you place an order, you will be sent a link when that order is shipped so you can track your mail every step of the way. When we deliver it to the post office, when and where it’s routed, and when it gets delivered. That way you’ve got total confidence that your marketing is working for you. There’s no extra cost, no fuss, no questions. We’ve got you covered.

2. There are LOTS of options available. Marketing is a big decision for agents today, and budgets are a giant factor. We’ve got tools that can match any budget, and can help you reach as far or as limited a target as you are comfortable with. From Every Door Direct options that allow you to blanket entire geographic areas, to Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards which are a foundation for any real estate marketing plan, to the collateral pieces you need for fair trade items, blog fodder, consumer friendly website downloads and presentation content and more. We can work with you one-on-one to meet your budget and extend your reach with ease.

3. By real estate professionals for real estate professionals. With our organization, you’ll know that your marketing is being written and produced by people who have long ties and experience in this industry we love. We’re constantly watching market trends so we can keep you on the cutting edge when it comes to always having the right piece for the right person at the right time. It’s the difference – that makes all the difference.

4. Totally editable. We get that creating is HARD and clicking is EASY. That’s why we try to do as much of the ‘heavy lifting’ as possible so that when you choose your marketing materials – be they real estate postcards, newsletters, flyers, brochures, or even kits – you don’t HAVE to change a thing if you don’t want to. You can simply have our system apply your contact and profile information and go – but if you want? You can totally change whatever you like. Change the words. The images. Upload your own piece even. Flexibility is key in today’s busy world. You have our commitment to continuously make that an easy solution.

Get started today!

We know that a successful agent is a busy agent. And time – is really of the essence. So giving you the options, materials, resources and support you need is our top priority. Call us today at 866.405.3638 and speak to one of our marketing professionals about building your book of business this year. We’ve got just what you need to succeed.

Four Tips and Tools For Building Your Listing Inventory

Jun 27, 2016

Positioning Yourself to Be the Go-To Agent

By Julie Escobar

It’s certainly a whole new ball game out there isn’t it? The buyers are out in force and agents are now fast and furiously competing to both find and market new listing inventory. If EVER there’s been a time where listings are the name of the game? It’s right now. We recently did a poll to see what people were most interested in this month in terms of their marketing — the number one choice? HOW TO GET MORE LISTINGS. Enter this week’s topic!

Let’s look at four tips and tools you can use to position yourself as the go-to agent for listings in your market.

Systematically work For Sale By Owners and Expired listings. Make this on the top of your to-do list each week. Send them something. Get voice-to-voice. Go see them. Since they’re already motivated sellers-make sure they know how motivated you are to help them achieve the results you want!
Include a PDF. Another strategy came from one of our top agent customers who, before every listing appointment, creates a pdf version of a Just Listed postcard with a picture of the potential seller’s house and all listing details and includes it in every listing presentation as an example of the marketing that she will get started immediately upon getting their signature! (Very clever!) Click here to see a selection of Just Listed Postcards you can download.
Host an Open House to generate listing leads. In areas where homes are just starting to turn over, you’ll more than likely shake out the 3-4 (or more) other homeowners in the neighborhood who have been thinking about selling. Be sure to do your homework – canvas the neighborhood well in advance of your open house. Advertise it well. Send open house cards, use door hangers or flyers to your existing sphere of influence or farm areas as well. Some agents create an open house field day – where they’ll advertise 3-6 open houses all on the same day, one right after the other. While it makes for a long day, it does showcase you as an agent who has a lot going on and knows how to get things done. I always recommend having powerful collateral pieces at your open houses as well. Like 6 Pitfalls to Overpricing Your Home, Saving for a Down Payment and the Cash Buyer Checklist. When you have more creative collateral than just the home listing flyer you present yourself at a higher level of service and resource.
Saturate Your Target Neighborhood. Working an area or areas where you know turnover is starting to happen? Blanket those areas with a powerful inventory-needed campaign that speaks to the mindset of potential sellers and spotlights you as the agent to call when they are thinking of selling now or in the near future. Our Listing Inventory Series is great for getting attention. Or, if you really want to turn up the heat, learn more about our Market Dominator System which takes saturation mailing and direct response marketing to a whole new level! Then be sure to follow up on that saturation mailing and make the most of your marketing efforts.

Good luck getting those listings, and remember if you need help – call our marketing team at 866.405.3638! Be sure to check out our Specials Page this month as well if you haven’t already and see what’s new and get your budget-saving promo codes!

Three Strategies to Put Yourself at the Top of Your Market

May 16, 2016

paper houses or homes showing a concept for real estate

Think and ACT Like a Top Producer

By Todd Robertson

There’s something I say at the end of every speech I give when presenting to sales professionals – “If the game is scheduled and you’ve decided to play, you might as well win.”

What I mean by that is that if you’re going to do the work, be in the game, and put in the time – you might as well give yourself the absolute best chance to knock it out of the park. That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about in this week’s quick post. There are three powerful ingredients to putting yourself at the top of the game in your market. They are…

Make it easy for people to find you. If you’re playing to win in today’s market you have to have an internet presence. That said, what you DON’T want to do is to put ALL of your eggs in that basket. Make sure you have a presence, are ranking, driving traffic, and showcasing not only your listings, but your credentials as the specialist in your area and can back that up. Opt-ins that keep your listing growing are a great add in as well. Make it easy for people to find you when they are searching and you’re one up on your competition.
Skills. There are SO many great trainers, speakers, courses, and connections these days, many even on demand so you can learn at your leisure. There’s no reason and frankly no excuse for an agent who is eager to succeed to not be playing at an extraordinary level. Tony Robbins calls it CANI – for Constant And Never Ending I What do your skill levels look like in terms of presentation, negotiation, pricing, prospecting – or all of the above? Never stop learning and fine tuning. You can have all the internet leads in the world or all the referrals in the world – if you don’t have the skills to close – then you are leaving money on the table.
Good ground game. What I mean by this is modern day farming. It’s easier than ever and so important. To pull it off though you have to deliver Ritz Carlton quality and service. That means picking the right area – then creating a dominating presence. To do that I suggest you…
1. Pick the absolute right area. Don’t just choose your carrier routes or neighborhood without doing your homework. In fact, we have a webinar coming up this month that shares exactly how to do that with the help of our friends over at Benutech. In it you’ll learn all about turnover rate, sales price, homeowner to renter ratios and how to use that data to find the right farm for you. Register to attend here.
2. Send out the largest legal size mailing possible (12×15). That sends a message to local homeowners that you are in the game to win. Show up BIG, and let them know you mean business.
3. Make it a campaign. In other words, if you’re going to be like 90+% of agents and drop one or two marketing strategies then call it a day, farming is not going to work. If you do however decide that you are going to commit for the duration and consistently show up month after month after month with a strong message and direct response offers – you’ll be positioning yourself to win.

Now if you’re ready to knock it out of the park, give me a call today at 702-683-1967. I know we’ve got the systems and tools to help you do just that.

Visit us online at www.prospectsplus.com or give us a call today at 866.405.3638.

One Powerful Way to Get More Referrals

Apr 4, 2016

Starts with a Little Appreciation

By Julie Escobar

People say a little appreciation goes a long way and they wouldn’t be wrong. We know from massive research where business really comes from, and it’s not from where most business people think. Statistics show that 66% of all the business generated by 95% of successful professionals today comes from only four sources:

Family
Friends
Close Acquaintances
Referrals generated by the first three groups

Statistics also show us that when you stay in consistent touch, top of mind, and deliver excellent service and show your appreciation, you can expect either a referral or a transaction from one in every twelve people in your sphere. So the questions to ask yourself is do you even know who is in your sphere, and how are you expertly staying in touch with them and delivering that top of mind service and appreciation?

If not, you’re leaving a lot of business on the table. One powerful way to tap into spring of referrals starts with two little words: thank you.

A long time ago I learned from Floyd Wickman that, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Show them you care.

Here are four easy strategies to help you do that:

Each month pull a list of every customer in your database who has an anniversary of either the sale or purchase of a home and send them a Customer Appreciation postcard with a personalized message on the back.
Each month choose 25-50 people from your sphere database and send them either a Thank You or a Thinking of You postcard from the Customer Appreciation series with a personalized message on the back.
Each month send a sphere-friendly postcard to the rest of your database to keep your name top of mind. Top customer picks would be the Listing Inventory Series, Content Cards, Holiday Cards, and Recipe Cards.
Pull an idea (or a few) from the fun connection suggestions on our Master Marketing Schedule each month. For example, this month, April 22nd, is National Jelly Bean Day. Get little packages of jelly beans to give to clients, the admin staff at your office, co-workers and friends. There’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Day in May for a chance to deliver some tasty treats to ten top clients. Or National Chocolate Day in July, where we suggest you grab ten of those little sampler boxes of chocolate and deliver to ten top clients with a note thanking them for being such a treat! Or Aviation Day in August where we suggest you order cardboard or paper airplanes from www.orientaltrading.com and pass them out to your farm area this day with a note attached saying, “Buying and selling real estate today takes an experienced pilot. I can help ensure you have a terrific landing! Call me today!” The schedule is filled with fun ideas that help you stand out from your competition. Try them!

Rising to the top of your game in your market means doing things differently than your competition. Where others show up once or twice – show up every month. Where others wait for the phone to ring – pick up the phone or see everyone in your sphere at least twice a year. Break the list into manageable numbers and call just to say hi, see if they have any questions, let them know you appreciate them and that you’re there when they need you. Where others sit on the sidelines, get in the mix every day. Be out and about in your community. Talk to your customers. Walk your farm areas. (The goal is to get the folks in your farm so connected with you that they become part of your sphere!)

Lastly, never, ever forget to say thank you, in big ways and small. To your customers, clients, colleagues, brokers, assistants, friends and family. It is a gesture that will never go out of style, and will garner you good will again and again. In a business built on relationships with people – good will goes a long way. On that note – a big THANK YOU to all of you who graciously allow us to be your marketing resource of choice!

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

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Get Back to the Basics

Mar 28, 2016

Insights from the Front Line with Ramona Williams

By Julie Escobar

When it comes to knowing EXACTLY what real estate professionals, and specifically our ProspectsPLUS!
customers want and need to grow their businesses in today’s market, I knew that there was one person who would be perfect to interview. My closest friend and always one of the smartest people in the room, our Director of Business Development, Ramona Williams. With both an MBA and more thirty years of experience working with real estate agents and brokers, she’s the go-to resource for insights and ideas.

Here’s what we learned:

Q: You are on the phones with customers every day, where do you think agents are needing the most help in terms of marketing their businesses and their listings?

A: Consistency – hands down. That’s honestly where most agent’s marketing breaks down. One and done marketing doesn’t work, never has and never will. Secondly, what hurts agents is having no strategy at all. That’s not a new problem of course. That’s historically where agents fail to grow their businesses, and why so many don’t make it. Unfortunately, the majority of agents try lots of little things, including whatever the “shiny new idea” is in the office at the moment and never commit to anything consistently. The result is they end up all over the place in terms of the message they are sending out into their market, and they’ll actually spend considerably more money trying every new thing that comes along than they would if they just put a solid, strategic plan of tested direct marketing that works in place and stuck to it. Consistently sending branded, direct response marketing every 21-45 days to a sphere and farm is still the best means of driving results in our industry.

Q: We’re seeing a huge rise in agents using EDDM^® as a means to strategically market for less – what is your take on that and what advice do you have for others eager to do the same?

A: I think Every Door Direct Mail^® is a terrific way for agents to cover a large geographic area because of the lower postage costs. It makes it really affordable for agents to get back to those basics like working a geographic farm. What I really like about seeing agents return to geo-farming is that it helps them focus their marketing efforts. For a long while we saw agents just chasing the next deal. They’d follow internet leads wherever they took them – sometimes driving hours to take a listing. EDDM helps them to find a geographic market area that makes sense for them and literally get in every door. When used consistently, it creates a much more predictive business and income model than constantly chasing new business. Here’s what else I can tell you – the great agents get that. They know that it’s not only OK to be in control of their marketing and business, it’s a must if you want to create a consistently growing business with commissions and referrals you can count on. I think so much of the time you see agents who look at the business of real estate as risky to start with or unpredictable because it’s commission based. So their mindset is that their business is supposed to be all over the place, or unpredictable as well. Savvy agents know that real estate is a business and can be a very lucrative one if they treat is like it is and work a plan.

Q: What product do you see the most demand for in today’s market?

A: I’d say in most areas of the country inventory is still historically low, so agents are looking for any vehicle that can help them get listings. So we’re seeing a lot of EDDM, Just Listed postcards and Just Sold postcards (which are great for pulling double duty – marketing the listing and the agent), our Market Dominator, Listing Inventory cards, FSBO and Expired tools, and our Neighborhood Update/Free Offer cards. The last take a little more work to input the listing data, but it’s what consumers want to see, and they make direct response offers, so they work. Again, it’s getting back to taking control of your marketing.

We are also seeing an uptick in agents struggling with pricing listings correctly and that’s where your eBook 21 Ways to Get Your Listing Priced Right the First Time (Despite the Seller’s Objections) is a terrific tool that’s really affordable and filled with the kind of objection handlers agents need today.

Q: You and I go way back in this business – we won’t say how far! How do you think the market has changed and what do you think agents can do to best get in front of those changes and be competitive?

A: You know, surprisingly, it really hasn’t changed all that much. Our business is and always be cyclical. What is different, of course, are the amount of technology options agents have and how many different organizations are selling to them. Many of which are amazing and game-changing solutions for agents, no doubt. It does, however, make it really easy for agents to take their eye off the ball and look for that “magic pill” that will skyrocket them to success. While that’s understandably tempting, the keys to being the top in your field is the stay focused, build inventory, price listing right, have a strategic plan, and find areas you really enjoy working and stay the course.

Q: Excellent advice! You work with top producers and high volume teams quite a bit as our Director of Business Development. What are some factors from a marketing perspective do you think they deploy that allow them to continuously rise to the top?

A: Much like we just talked about, top teams and top agents don’t roll the dice with their results. They build their businesses exponentially by putting systems in place so things don’t fall through the cracks and understand and implement the power of consistent marketing. In other words, they don’t wait and they don’t shy away from marketing at high levels. They prioritize immediate lead generation, but they also have systems that allow them to build their brand and their businesses long term. They are also typically service-minded professionals. They take excellent care of their customer base, and communicate effectively and often with their sphere and farm. That’s smart business.

Q: Awesome. Any last words of wisdom for the readers?

A: Well I guess I would say that this is truly a great industry where people can make an excellent, lucrative living that is relatively affordable to get into with a strong return on investment. I would tell them to be strategic, consistent and be mindful of who you model yourself after. You and I have both seen, countless times, agents who have been in this business 3, 4, 5 – even 10 years or more in this industry and have never put a sphere of influence database together. While some may do all right at that, it makes you really wonder where COULD their business be if they had put that basic but so important piece in place? That’s a lot of missed opportunity and money left on the table. I’d challenge agents to not do the same. Get back to the basics. Have a plan. Use strategic, consistent marketing (both in terms of timing and branding) to build your inventory, price them right, follow up, and take care of your book of business and your farm.

As always, you’re a tremendous source of advice for today’s professionals. What’s great for our customers to know is that you’ve done such an amazing job of both training and managing our support and marketing teams that they have incredible skills and insights as well and are wonderfully adept at helping agents and brokers figure out the best plans for them, and helping them strategically implement those plans every day. Kudos to you for that! Thanks for sharing!

If you’d like to connect with a member of Ramona’s team, you can call them at 866-405-3638 or email us at pmc@prospectsplus.com. They are eager to help make your job – and your life a whole lot easier!

Prev 123 Next

Page 2 of 3