Direct Mail Marketing on a Budget: How to Get the Best Bang for Your Buck

Oct 19, 2021

Why direct mail?

According to a CMO survey (a company that collects the opinions of top marketers), only 16.3 percent of marketers “are confident about recommending investing in social media marketing.”

If professional marketers aren’t able to justify spending their clients’ money on social media marketing, then you may want to pass for now, specifically if you’re working with a tight budget.

So where do you spend your marketing dollars when you’re funds are limited?

The proof is in the numbers

Direct mail marketings response rate, according to the DMA Response Rate Report, stands at nine percent to warm leads and five percent to cold.

In addition, the DMA states 56% of consumers believe print marketing is the most trustworthy of all marketing channels.

The email marketing response rate is one percent. Online display ads are even worse, at 0.30 percent.

Clearly, if you are looking for the best place to spend your limited marketing dollars, the answer is direct mail marketing.

How much should you allocate

Before getting clear on your budget you must understand your revenue goals and objectives.

As a guide, businesses spend, on average, 9.8 percent of revenue on marketing, according to the aforementioned CMO survey.

We see you wincing. But consider this: according to NAR, the overall budget item that agents spend the most money on every year is on their automobiles.

Cars aren’t exactly lead-generating machines, yet there you have it.

So, determine a percentage that you can feel comfortable with, based on your goals, and commit to spending that budget during the remainder of the year.

The following are three tips to get the most bang for your direct mail marketing budget

1. The List

For any marketing campaign to be successful you must know your audience. This is even more critical when you’re on a tight budget. Now is not the time to attempt to be all things to all people.

Call to Action Postcard Campaign is shown above

The easiest way to whittle down the audience is by first figuring out if you’re going after buyers or sellers. Make a choice.

This not only ensures that what you mail is relevant to the recipient, but helps you choose a farming area (subdivision vs apartment building, for instance).

Be very picky who you mail to. Throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks is a sure way to burn through your budget with nothing to show for the time and money spent.

Once you have defined your target markets, use our mailing list tools to create your prospect list.

2. The marketing pieces

After taking into account how many mailed pieces your budget will allow you to send, it’s time to determine an economic format. Postcards are most likely your best bet. They’re inexpensive to print and mail.

If your budget is super tight, consider foregoing postage costs and delivering door hangers. The advantages to using door hangers include that they stand out more and because you’ll save on postage your list can be larger.

Disadvantages include the labor intensiveness of having to visit each home on your list. Also, door hangers aren’t quite as effective when used in neighborhoods where people routinely enter their homes through the garage.

3. Offer something

Come up with a compelling offer and feature that on your direct mail postcards. A free home price analysis, buy first vs sell first evaluation or a free home equity analysis are all effective options.

The idea is to move recipients to act or, at the very least, hang on to your postcard until they’re ready to act.

Bottom line

Now, when your budget is tight, isn’t the time to take chances with marketing your real estate business.

Jumping on time-consuming and costly social media bandwagons that don’t deliver your target audience or wasting time and resources on an email that may not be opened, let alone read, can wait.

Use your budget on marketing that has the highest response rate – direct mail marketing.

The Move-Up Market is a great market to target right now. Especially since, with our current sale, you can get the first 100 prospects on a Move-Up Market list for FREE!

Discover Move-Up Market prospects in Your Area and Get the First 100 for **FREE** with the Demographic Search Tool.

HOW TO FIND MOVE-UP MARKET PROSPECTS IN YOUR AREA.

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.

USE PROMO CODE: MOVE100 to get the first 100 prospects free.

Discover Move-UP Market Prospects in your area, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 10/23/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 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

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

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

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

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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

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

The Contact Manager Tutorial

Oct 18, 2021

STEP ONE: Send a List to the Contact Manager

To send contacts from a list to the Contact Manager, click on your email address from the horizontal black navigational bar in the upper right-hand corner. A drop-down menu will appear. Choose “Mailing Lists.” from the menu.

Once in your mailing list section, decide which mailing list of contacts you want to move over. This list will also still remain in the “Mailing List” section as well.

Once you decide on your list, click the blue “Options” button for that list and choose the option “Send List to the Contact Manager” (see screenshot below).

STEP TWO: Add Tags to Your Mailing List

A window will pop up after you complete STEP ONE, allowing you to add tags to the list you are sending to the Contact Manager.

You can type in one tag or multiple. There are some tags already available in the tag drop-down menu. If you don’t see a tag you want there, you can create a tag by typing it into the provided space.

Once you are done adding tags, click the yellow “Import” button, and your contacts from this list will be imported into the Contact Manager.

STEP THREE: View Contacts in Contact Manager

You can now go to your Contact Manager and view contacts from this list. You will not see your list title from the mailing list section in Contact Manager, only the contacts from the list.

To get to Contact Manager, click on your email in the upper right-hand corner of the website and choose “Contact Manager” from the drop-down menu (see screenshot below).

Once in the Contact Manager, you can filter the contacts listed by using the “Tag Filter” located at the top center of this section to see how many tags there are with a specific tag title.

You can also add a new contact name to your Contact Manager by clicking the yellow button that says “Add Names.” Be sure to complete the new contact’s birthday and home anniversary date if there is one.

The “Add Names” yellow button can also be used to download your entire “contact Manager” list with tags and export it from the website.

STEP FOUR: Send a Postcard to a Specific “Tag” of Contacts

To send a postcard to a specific “tag” of contacts, choose your postcard from our postcard section.

Once you are on the postcard series screen, select the blue button titled “Add List’ (see screenshot below).

A drop-down menu will appear. Select the “Contact Manager List” and hit the “select” blue button (see screenshot below).

STEP FIVE: Add Specific Contact “Tags” to Your Mailing List for Your Postcard Mailing

Now add the “tags” you want to use to create your super-targeted mailing list in the box provided (see screenshot below). As you add the tags you want for this mailing list, they will appear in blue (see screenshot below). The screen will also give you your new quantity of contacts for this “tagged” mailing list.

Once you are done adding your tags, you are ready to continue editing your postcard and send it out to your new targeted list.

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.

Don’t Lose Your Leads to Your Competition. Do THIS Every Time

Oct 11, 2021

Every year, the NAR publishes a survey. And, every year we learn that consumers, despite saying they’d use their previous agent, go with the first agent they meet.

On the face of it, that seems like a pretty sad state of affairs—unless you can use that behavior to your advantage.

The need for speed

An older study of call response times to leads shows that from 35% to 50% of sales go to whoever reaches the prospect first.

This same study revealed that the chances you’ll actually make contact with a lead diminish the longer you wait to call. In fact, it decreases by more than 10 times in the first hour.

Unless you’re a one-woman or man show, wearing all the hats in your real estate business, it’s crazy not to do this ONE THING every time – call leads back a.s.a.p.

Within 5 minutes is optimal

Consider this: A red-hot lead is an online visitor who takes the time to enter her real name and real contact information.

Red-hot leads require your immediate attention. After all, they don’t typically come along every day. These people expect to hear from you and the other five agents they reached out to.

Be the first agent they talk to.

Do the call-back within 5 minutes and you’ll not only have the best chance of reaching the party, but call-backs within those 5 minutes convert better than call-backs made later. If you wait for a half-hour, your chances with the lead plummet 21%.

*Mortgage Options*, Direct Response Free Report, see **HERE**

What not to say

First, be prepared for the call-back. If the lead expressed interest in a particular property, print out the listing and familiarize yourself with it fully.

Then, don’t be overly salesy. Or talkative. Let the lead take the lead and be prepared to answer all questions.

Many sales coaches say that the first follow-up call should be informative, friendly, and very brief. Again, follow the lead. If he or she is chatty and doesn’t seem in a rush to get off the phone, keep chatting.

If, on the other hand, the lead is all business and seems rushed, take that as a clue to keep it brief.

What to Say

“Hi John, this is Anita Deal with World’s Best Real Estate Brokerage. I’m following up on your request for information on the home for sale at 123 Main Street. How can I help?”

Now, zip it and listen. Answer the lead’s questions and gauge whether he’s got time to talk or needs to be let go.

If it’s the former, ask non-threatening qualifying questions. These include:

Are you working with a real estate agent?
When do you plan on moving?
Have you seen a lender?
Do you have a home to sell before buying?

Don’t let the lead hang up without getting permission to follow up by phone, text or email.

If you offer a lead magnet, such as a free special report, offer to send it.

“May I email you my free report, “4 Mortgage Options With Low Down Payments”. Online leads are among the best you’ll get in real estate. Be brief, don’t be salesy, and get permission to follow up.

Keep it simple and human

Your UVP needs to be simple, both in length and in word choice. Here’s an example of what not to do:

We are “… a dominant online presence with a combination of innovative marketing and strategic outreach. Cutting-edge lead capture and unique tracking URL’s ensure exposure and buyer retention.”

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer reading this UVP on the group’s website.

What is “lead capture?” And “cutting edge” these terms have become absolute turn-offs. Tracking URL’s? Buyer retention? Where is the part of the UVP that allows the reader to clearly understand the value this team offers?

Then, ironically, this same UVP shows up on seven other real estate websites. Seven agents trying to prove what makes them different share a UVP with seven other brokerages.

Here’s another that we found. “Our astute team creates a plethora of assets unique to your home.”

Aside from dumping the words “astute” and “plethora,” this real estate team needs to describe exactly what “assets” they will “create.”

If you can save consumers money on their real estate deal, make the process easier, or make it quicker, you’ve got yourself the makings of a UVP that will attract real estate clients.

Thinking of going after the Empty Nest niche market for more leads? Right now, get the first 100 prospects on an Empty Nest list for FREE!

Discover Empty Nesters in Your Area and Get the First 100 for **FREE** with the Demographic Search Tool.

HOW TO DISCOVER EMPTY NESTERS IN YOUR AREA.

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.

USE PROMO CODE: EMPTY100 to get the first 100 prospects free.

Discover Empty Nesters in your area, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 10/16/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Listing Agents: Steal These Home Staging Tips for Your Clients

Oct 7, 2021

If I were to ask you which room in a home is most important to stage, what would you say?

Kitchen, right? Or, perhaps, bathroom.

According to a NAR survey of buyers’ agents, however, “Staging the living room was found to be most important for buyers.”

So, the kitchen and/or bathroom must be second in importance, right?

Actually, slightly more than 40% of buyers’ agents recommend staging the master bedroom.

Staging the kitchen came in third.

The folks at homelight.com surveyed nearly 1,000 buyers’ agents and learned that more than half of them feel that “… staging increases a home’s value from anywhere between 1% to 10%.”

Nearly 30% of the aforementioned NAR survey respondents claimed that staging a home had no impact on the sales price. Twenty percent of them claimed that “… staging a home increased the dollar value offered between one and five percent, compared to other similar homes on the market that were not staged.”

While the Real Estate Staging Association claims that staged homes sell 73% quicker than homes that aren’t staged.

As you can see, whether or not staging is valuable to the seller depends on who you ask. If you have a challenging listing, however, staging should be a must.

If you don’t offer staging as one of your sellers’ services, at least give your listing clients some tips on how to do it themselves.

Who will likely buy the home?

Read any staging website and you’ll learn that most stagers aim for the impossible: “universal appeal.” You, as a real estate agent who works with real estate consumers on a daily basis, know how impossible this is. Nothing is universally appealing.

Perhaps what stagers are alluding to are aspects of staging that appeal to a broad spectrum of homebuyers, such as:

The homes and the closets are light and bright.
The home has been depersonalized. Despite what many real estate bloggers claim, this doesn’t mean removing personal items such as photos and certificates. It means personal items, such as toiletries, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products and even used bars of soap, according to a study by Andrea Angott, Ph.D at Duke University.
Each room’s purpose is immediately evident. Remove office paraphernalia from the dining room and baby stuff from the master bedroom.
Each room gives the perception of lots of space. Remove excess items from the pantry, closets and cupboards so that they appear larger. Ensure the lighting is bright in closets. Remove oversized furniture.

As the listing agent, it’s important that you have a good idea of who makes up the buyer pool for each listing you take. Often, it’s obvious. Others, not so much.

If the home is a penthouse condo with a city view the buyer won’t likely be a family with young children. If the home is in a good school district, on the other hand, you can almost guarantee a family will buy it.

Once you have a good idea of the buyer pool you can offer more specific staging tips.

How do you get those new listings that you’ll be helping stage? How about launching a Get More Listings Campaign?

Get More Listing Campaigns are ON SALE 10% OFF the first month – 3 More Days!

*Get More Listings* Postcard Campaign (shown above). Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change up until the night before the mailing goes out). This sale expires 10/9/21.

Launch a Get More Listings Campaign Now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Want More Listings? Become a BIG FISH in a Small Pond

Sep 30, 2021

Social media. Pay-per-click. Email.

Digital marketing is hot with real estate agents. This provides an amazing opportunity for the agent who decides to take a different approach and become a BIG FISH in a small pond.

How do you do this? with direct mail.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “She works for a direct mail marketing company, of course, she will say this.”

Statistics, however, don’t lie. Direct mail marketing is not only strategic, but it can also be laser-focused to a particular audience and it works.

Why fish for listing leads in the huge ocean that is digital? Think about it; doesn’t it make more sense to cast your net in a smaller pond filled with people who you are certain ACTUALLY OWN HOMES?

Some things to consider

In a recent survey of real estate agents, 82% said their marketing goal this year is to “improve their social media presence,” according to Becky Brooks at theclose.com.

A worthy goal, but not very focused. Think about this: while they are chasing after Facebook leads, you’ll have little competition vying for attention in homeowners’ mailboxes.

With targeted direct mail you will not only reach homeowners. If you narrow your mailing list to only homeowners who have lived in their homes a certain number of years, or who live in starter homes or any other preferred criteria, you will have a far greater chance of taking listings than by randomly posting on social media.

For instance, by targeting homeowners who have been in their home for seven or more years, you’re creating a great list of potential fence-sitters to go after.

*Fence Sitter* postcard campaign shown above. To learn more, click **HERE**

Another thing to consider is the pandemic. In a recent USPS study, slightly more than 40% of Americans said that since the pandemic began, their excitement about receiving mail increased.

Nearly half of respondents said that a direct mail piece prompted them to go online to get more information about the sender.

The volume of direct mail plummeted from “… 213 billion pieces …” in 2016 to 120 billion last year. Interestingly, despite the drop in volume, the response rate skyrocketed nearly 200%.

You’ll have far less competition for eyes on your mail pieces and a better response rate than ever before.

Who makes up your potential seller audience?

Now that we’ve got you looking for listings in all the right places, what will you be sending? Keep in mind your audience – older generations, such as Baby Boomers and Gen X make up 75% of the real estate market combined.

When considering your direct mail marketing piece, don’t take valuable time out of your day to create marketing from scratch.

ProspectsPLUS! offers hundreds of marketing templates targeted specifically to your niche audience and designed by direct response experts.

Next, determine your recipient’s needs (boomers may want to downsize or move near their grown children) and offer a solution that is compelling (don’t worry ProspectsPLUS! has this covered for you as well). Check out the Empty Nest Series located under Farm campaigns.

Decide on the compelling offer to get those homeowners reaching out

A market update is always a good way to break the ice. Yes, it may be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Direct Response Report, *Advice For Cash-Strapped Landlords*.

A simple chart of recently listeds, under contracts, and solds, along with bedrooms, baths, square footage, and prices, is something that hits my mailbox once a quarter. Do I read it?

You bet I do!

Then, there are the absentee owners to consider. Many have been hit hard by the rent moratorium and want out from under their investments. Take a look at what we offer to market to these possible listers.

If you have a freebie they can download or you can deliver, all the better. Offer them the Direct Response Report, Advice For Cash-Strapped Landlords.

Consistency is key in any lead generation campaign, so send just-listed and just-sold postcards when appropriate. Keep reminding them just how much their neighbors are getting for their homes in this on-fire sellers’ market.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is real.

Another way to keep those listings flowing? A YEAR ROUND Holiday Postcard Campaign. Staying top of mind with Your Sphere & Farm is easy with a Monthly Holiday Campaign.

And, Holiday Campaigns are ON SALE 10% OFF the first month – 3 More Days!

*Holiday* Postcard Campaign (shown above). Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN:

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change up until the night before the mailing goes out). This sale expires 10/2/21.

Launch a Holiday Campaign Now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

What Makes You Different From Other Real Estate Agents?

Sep 28, 2021

Have you ever puzzled over what value you offer potential and existing clients that no other agent (or few others) offer?

Or, do you bundle up the same service as every other agent in town in the hope that it will be enough to prove to consumers why you deserve their business?

Determining your “unique value proposition,” or UVP for short, is critical, especially if you work in a market saturated with other real estate agents.

Quick explainer for newbies

A UVP “… is a concise, straight-to-the-point statement about the benefits you offer customers,” according to Solomon Thimothy at inc.com. “In other words, it’s an explanation of what makes you different,” he concludes.

It sets you apart from other agents. “It’s the promise you make to your customers and clients to deliver a unique experience, claims Tony Khuon at agilelifestyle.com.

So how do I come up with this UVP?

Think about what you can offer that few other agents do. If you’re a veteran, brush up on the VA home loan. Your UVP is that you are uniquely qualified to work with veterans.

If you’re an ace marketer or come from a marketing background you no doubt offer creative marketing solutions to home sellers. Solutions other agents can’t match. That’s an amazing UVP.

While many agents have started offering free services to their listing clients, the number still remains small. Stand out from the crowd by offering one or more of the following:

Free staging
Free housecleaning
Free curb appeal consultation
Free handyperson services (such as two hours of services, or something similar)

Yes, the thought of paying for these services is uncomfortable, but homeowners value these and, therefore, they make a dandy UVP.

Two more “services” that consumers find attractive are discounting your commission or giving a portion of your commission back to the community.

You don’t need to spend money, however, for what you offer to be considered valuable. “Homes I list sell for an average of 3% or more above list price.”

If true, that’s a pretty compelling UVP.

Remember to add your unique service to all of your marketing as a powerful call to action.

FARM, **Call to Action Series** Postcard Campaign shown above

Keep it simple and human

Your UVP needs to be simple, both in length and in word choice. Here’s an example of what not to do:

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer reading this UVP on the group’s website.

Then, ironically, this same UVP shows up on seven other real estate websites. Seven agents trying to prove what makes them different share a UVP with seven other brokerages.

Here’s another that we found. “Our astute team creates a plethora of assets unique to your home.”

Aside from dumping the words “astute” and “plethora,” this real estate team needs to describe exactly what “assets” they will “create.”

If you can save consumers money on their real estate deal, make the process easier or make it quicker, you’ve got yourself the makings of a UVP that will attract real estate clients.

Did you know our Holiday Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale 10% OFF the first month?

Farm, *Holiday* Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires on 10/02/21.

Launch a Holiday Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Stop Struggling to Get Listings! Put Your Focus HERE Instead

Sep 22, 2021

So, what methods are you using to get listing leads? Cold calls? Pursuing FSBOs and Expireds? Throwing random methods against the wall to see what sticks?

If you’re like many other agents, employing one of those methods is how you spend a good portion of your workday.

There is another, way to go and it includes hanging out with people who know, like, and trust you.

Maybe it’s time to concentrate on SOI marketing for real estate.

That advice you got as a rookie to depend on the people in your sphere for business was spot on and remains so to this day.

If you’ve been running your business intelligently, you have a CRM full of warm leads to which you can make warm calls.

All the time and energy convincing a stranger to like and trust you is better spent tending to your sphere of influence, nurturing the amazing possibilities in your CRM.

The *SOI, Inspiration Series* Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more **HERE**

For the newbies

The term “sphere of influence” didn’t originate as a sales term, but a political one. It first popped up in the late 1880s and it described a country that exercised “… exclusive or predominant control over a foreign area or territory,” according to britannica.com.

Today, the term is applied to a “business model” in which the aim is to attract customers and clients from people one knows instead of strangers.

Yes, it can be a terribly long list. It should include relatives, friends, friends of friends, the parents of your children’s friends, your parent’s friends and more.

Everyone you know. That is a lot of prospects.

These are people who will recognize your name on a direct mail piece and who won’t hang up on you when you call.

What can happen when you focus solely on your SOI?

Year after year, the NAR reports that home sellers sign up with the first agent they speak with. There are most likely a number of reasons that they do so but, primarily it’s because they forgot which agent sold them their home.

I recently read a blog post and, I apologize because I can’t remember who authored it and the website on which it appears.

In it, the author mentioned a real estate team whose coach advised them to focus on growing their SOI.

At the time, their CRM contained around 280 members of the team’s SOI. Within four years after heeding their coach’s advice, the team’s revenue skyrocket from zero to nearly $100 million.

It’s inspiring, isn’t it?

Like most lead generation methods, this won’t make you an overnight sensation. But if you’d prefer doing business with people you know, making warm calls instead of cold, it just may be the perfect way to generate listing leads.

Another way to grab your audience’s attention and keep it is with a Fence Sitters Campaign.

The Fence Sitters Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale for 10% OFF the first month – 3 More Days!

Fence Sitters Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A FENCE SITTERS CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer) and select the Fence Sitter Series.

USE PROMO CODE: FENCE10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires 9/25/21.

Launch a Fence Sitters Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Get More Listings by Offering the Seller Services That MATTER MOST

Sep 16, 2021

Most real estate agents know that staged homes sell faster and for more money. Some, however, go beyond merely suggesting staging to their listing clients.

Rather than lay the burden of staging on their clients, these agents bring in a staging team, at no expense to the homeowner.

What seller services do you offer? Does that list on your real estate website include the usual?

“Complimentary home value analysis!”
“Open Houses & Broker Tours”
“Your home will be entered into the MLS”
“Your home will be featured on our website”
“Place a distinctive [name of brokerage] for-sale sign on the property”
“Active promotion to my expansive network”
“I will bring the buyers to you” (for more information on how to do this by becoming a Market Maker, watch this video)

These are actual “Seller Services” offered by agents on their websites.

If you are tired of not getting the listing and want to truly offer value, thereby standing apart from the crowd, it’s time to change things up. Read on for some tips.

Complimentary Pre-Sale Home Inspection

As you know, when a problem is unearthed by the inspector, the entire transaction is at risk.

Why not be proactive and head off as many challenges as possible before putting the home on the market? Offer your listing clients a free, pre-market home inspection.

Yes, some agents balk at the idea, claiming that the inspection now becomes a disclosure item. And that’s true.

The flipside to this is that the items on the pre-sale inspection list will most likely show up on the buyer’s inspection report as well.

A pre-market inspection allows the homeowner to make the repairs that the lender or buyer will most likely demand.

If for some reason your client can’t or won’t make repairs, you’ll have the time to determine upfront how to deal with repair requests and to have that heart-to-heart about lowering the asking price.

Professional Photography

I don’t need to tell you that there are far too many agents out there who are still snapping listing photos on their smartphones.

Since the first showing of a home typically happens online, it needs to be ultra-compelling.

We know many successful agents who have left the old ways behind and offer the services of a professional photographer to snap the marketing photos. Yet, that service isn’t listed on any of the websites we researched for this blog post.

Virtual Tours

Over the past few months, the popularity of 3D tours has outpaced other types of virtual tours, including video.

In fact, a recent study by the NAR claims that “Consumers Strongly Prefer Listings With 3D Tours.” Here are a few other things you should know about virtual tours:

“About 55% of survey respondents say they’d even consider buying a property sight unseen if there was a 3D tour available in the online listing.” (NAR)
Agents who use 3D tours in their marketing of listings sell them 20% quicker and for 9% more than agents who don’t use them. (Matterport survey)
Almost 80% of real estate consumers say they would switch to a real estate agent who offers 3D tours of homes for sale [Matterport survey]

Consumers are demanding more than a video of a home’s interior. They want the ability to virtually tour homes without someone else deciding what they can and cannot view.

If other agents in your market offer this service and you don’t, the chances are pretty good that you won’t get the listing.

Do yourself a favor and earmark some marketing dollars for at least one, true, seller service before the end of this year.

Another way to grab your audience’s attention and keep it is with a Get More Listings Campaign.

The Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale for 10% OFF the first month – 3 More Days!

Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires 9/18/21.

Launch a Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Unleash the Power of the Real Estate Postcard the RIGHT Way

Sep 14, 2021

Ah, the humble postcard. So simple, yet filled with so much power.

For a time, it appeared that the selfie would replace the non-business postcard, but recent statistics say no.

In fact, in the recent Harris Poll Essential 100, Americans named the U.S. Postal Service as the number one most essential business’ in the country.

Never has this been more evident than in the real estate industry, which is seeing a resurgence in the use of “time-tested” marketing methods and direct mail is at the top of this list.

A late April Valassis survey found that 30% of consumers are spending more time reading the direct mail marketing pieces they receive.

There is an art to creating an effective postcard marketing campaign, though.

No, it’s not difficult, but there are certain strategies that work better than others. Let’s take a look at the most important of these.

It all starts with your audience

A Scheduled SOI Campaign is ideal for keeping in touch with your past clients and other VIPs in your sphere. And, ProspectsPLUS! offers a 3 extra closing guarantee when you Schedule a one-year SOI Campaign.

Postcards are also ideal for another type of lead generation – niche marketing. Decide on who it is you want to attract, buyers or sellers, and more specifically which niche of buyers and sellers, and launch a campaign.

The narrowing down of possible leads to focus on helps the rest of your marketing plan go more smoothly and increases your potential ROI.

If you’re looking for listings, find out the median duration of homeownership in your area. ATTOM Data Solutions’ most recent U.S. Home Sales Report shows that homeowners owned their homes an average of 7.95 years.

As we know, all real estate is local, so if you can find the data for your area, rely on that instead of the national numbers.

For instance, ATTOM also finds that homeowners in five Connecticut cities have the longest tenure, while those “… in Colorado Springs, CO … Oklahoma City, OK … Grand Rapids, MI …Denver, CO … and Minneapolis, MN had the shortest.

The Absentee Owner Campaign is shown above. Learn more **HERE**

This information helps you narrow your mailing list even further. You’re now looking for homeowners who purchased their homes at least six years ago (or whatever number is appropriate for your market).

How far back should you go?

“If someone bought last year or 30 years ago, they’re probably not looking to sell,” according to James McGrath, co-founder at Yoreevo in NYC.

“You want to be in that sweet spot of owners of 5-7 years,” he concludes.

The more you drill down in demographics, tenure, and the like with tools like the Demographic Search Tool (for niche marketing) and MapMyMail (for radial and pinpoint polygon lists), the more targeted the list and the better the response will be to your real estate direct mail campaign.

Absentee owners have been a popular target market this year. A targeted list of absentee owners in your local market can be easily created with the MapMyMail search tool (just select the “absentee owner” radio button in step 2).

We offer a number of brilliant Absentee Owner postcards as well. Make your marketing easy by scheduling an automated Absentee Owner Campaign.

Prefer targeting buyers?

Why not bring YOUR OWN buyer to the table. NAR states home buyers move within 15 miles of their last location. This means there’s a good chance your farm’s home buyers are renters located in the same area.

Geographic farming in some of the most popular apartment and condo complexes in your market is a good place to start. Narrow the search to tenants between the ages of 30 and 49. You might also want to narrow your target audience further, according to income.

Then create a targeted renter prospect list and launch a Rent By Numbers Campaign.

Ready to launch a targeted direct mail campaign?

Did you know our Farm, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month?

Farm, *Get More Listings* Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more, **HERE**

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Get More Listings Series of postcards.

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires on 9/18/21.

Launch a Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Two Common Real Estate Objections and How You Can Overcome Them

Sep 8, 2021

Don’t be surprised if, at least at the beginning of a new client relationship, you’re treated with skepticism and mistrust.

This is specifically true during uncertain times.

Building trust is a barrier that must be scaled for every agent when developing a new client relationship.

And, even after you’ve won them over, there are plenty of new objections you may have to overcome.

Objection Handling Brochure, *Pitfalls of Overpricing*

The following are two of the biggies you might encounter that prevent consumers from moving forward, specifically during a pandemic.

The commission negotiator

Agent commissions are the most common area of negotiation, specifically during a time when market stability is uncertain.

First, most consumers know that, by law, commissions are negotiable. What they don’t typically know is that you don’t pocket the entire commission. So your first objective is to educate them. Use numbers they can relate to in your example.

“Joe, suppose I earned $20 in commission. Half of that, $10, right off the top goes to the broker whose agent brought in the buyer for your home. The other $10 goes to my broker who then pays me my share, $5.”

If all else fails, fall back on a time-tested commission objection handling technique:

“Sure, Joe, you may well find another agent who is willing to cut her commission right now. But, ask yourself: If she can’t negotiate with you over keeping her earnings, how can you expect her to negotiate with the buyer when it comes to you getting the highest price possible? If she can’t convince you she is worth her full commission, she can’t very well convince anyone of anything”

The market challenged

Objection Handling Brochure, *Timing is Everything*

Then there are the consumers who have a misunderstanding of what’s happening in the market and how it might affect them. “We’d love to sell and buy another home, but prices are too unstable right now.” In the current housing market, you may be hearing this objection frequently. The alternative to this one is “We’ve decided to wait until the market gets better.”

Either way, if the market truly is conducive to selling and/or buying, crunch the numbers for them.

In the current market, most sellers will still get what they want for their homes. It’s the buy-side they’re concerned about.

What they’re often overlooking are two very important factors:

They have loads of equity right now
Mortgage rates are at all-time lows

Combine the equity with the savings from low mortgage rates and you most likely have a situation where they can afford to buy a replacement home.

The bottom line

Objection Handling Brochures, *Think It Over*

Objection handling requires a delicate balance – one that can be achieved through empathy. Dan Lok, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Closers.com uses what he calls the “3 Fs,” Feel, Felt, Found.

I understand how you feel
Others felt the same way
Here’s what I found

An example of this is the following statement, “I understand that you’re frightened you won’t be able to afford a replacement home. Others feel the same way. But this is what I’ve found.”

For a Limited Time: Download an Objection Handling Brochure PDF For FREE!

Just select “Download Only” from the Shipping Option and use the promo code FREEBROCHURE at check out to get your Free Objection Handling Brochure PDF, Click Here.

Now that you’re armed with an Objection Handling Brochure, it’s the ideal time to launch a marketing campaign.

Did you know our Farm, Call to Action Scheduled Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month!

Farm, *Call to Action* Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A CALL TO ACTION CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Call to Action Series of postcards.

USE PROMO CODE: ACTION10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires on 9/11/21.

Launch a Call to Action Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

How to Become a More Productive Real Estate Agent in 2 EASY Steps

Sep 2, 2021

Much of your daily activity may be necessary, but some tasks may be keeping you from being the top-producing real estate agent machine that I know you can be.

And, some of the suggested methods for becoming a high-yielding agent might surprise you.

For instance, Sir Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, insisted that he got twice as much done after napping (I’ve always liked that man).

“Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day,” he said. “That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imaginations. You will be able to accomplish more,” he concluded.

Fellow napper geniuses include Leonardo Da Vinci, who snoozed for 15-minutes, every four hours. President John F. Kennedy made it a habit to doze off every afternoon for one to two hours and who can forget the many photos of President Clinton, fast asleep, at some pretty inopportune moments?

So, go ahead and take a nap, but not before finding out other ways to become more productive.

1. Say “no” to overtime

Back in 2008, the powers-that-be at Microsoft Japan gave employees “five consecutive three-day weekends.”

While this cut operating costs for the company, it also increased sales. In fact, sales increased, per employee, 40% overproduction from the previous year.

Then, there is the study from a construction company wanting to figure out how scheduled overtime impacts their projects.

It turns out that working 60 hours or more per week over the course of two months correlated with a significant drop in productivity. Working more than 8 hours a day, 48 hours per week tanked productivity to the point where it was taking 3 hours to accomplish what had been done in 2 hours.

As a real estate agent, you need to be even more cautious of how much time you spend working. Without someone scheduling your work, it’s far too easy to keep working until you’re doused in that ‘midnight oil.

Set your schedule, keeping in mind the aforementioned studies. It may take some time to train yourself to turn off the lights and close the door at a set time each day, but it’s imperative if you hope to become a more productive real estate agent.

2. Take more breaks

You are your boss. As such, it is amazing how many agents treat themselves like sweatshop workers.

If you had a boss, you would be granted, by law, a number of breaks from work, scattered throughout the day.

Yet more than 60% of Americans claim to eat lunch at their desks.

Our brains need rest, according to Meg Sellg at psychologytoday.com. And to achieve it, avoid “Doing activities that don’t rely heavily on prefrontal cortex function [the area of your brain you are using when you work] but rely on different brain regions instead …,” says Nir Eyal, author of “Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life,” tells Sellg.

Need a tip to turn off that prefrontal cortex?

Get up and move. Whether it’s a 5-minute walk or any other physical activity, Stanford researchers have learned that movement makes us more creative and, thus, productive.

Eat your lunch at the park or even on a bus bench. Views of nature and streetscapes relax and rejuvenate.

Whether you work remotely or in a brick-and-mortar brokerage, stop chaining yourself to your desk. Take naps, take breaks and close your “office” at a specified time each day. Then, watch your productivity soar.

Looking for an attention-grabber? How about sending a Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign to your Sphere of Farm? The Series contains trending real estate news and statistics.

And, guess what? The Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale 10% OFF the first month – but only for 3 MORE DAYS!

Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A REAL ESTATE TIMES CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY until each mailing goes out (cancel or change mailing up until the night before it goes out).

USE PROMO CODE: TIMES10 to get 10% off at checkout.

Launch a Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a NEW 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically every month to an exclusive carrier route (membership includes your own online Homes & Life Agent Magazine). Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Become Unforgettable with the RIGHT Elevator Pitch. Here’s How

Aug 31, 2021

What do you tell people when they ask what you do for a living?

“I’m in real estate” is a common answer to the question. So is “I’m a real estate agent (or REALTOR®). Sure, those are answers to the question, but they aren’t exactly memorable.

Here’s how to craft a real estate agent elevator pitch that will make you unforgettable.

20 to 30 seconds

According to a Princeton University study, people form an opinion based on facial appearance within one-tenth of one second. Pass that test and then you’ll have a mere 20 to 30 seconds to wow them with your real estate elevator pitch.

Yup, it’s not much time, but if you can squeeze vital home information into the puny word count the MLS allows, you can certainly sell yourself in half of a minute.

It’s a tool you’ll use a lot

From responding to online leads to introducing yourself at cocktail parties and in marketing materials, a real estate elevator pitch is something you’ll find quite useful.

I love NextDoor.com, especially when a neighbor posts that he or she is looking for a real estate agent. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to see a really compelling response from agents. And, even sadder is that the agent responses are so similar they could be mistaken to have come from the same person.

“I go the extra mile” and “I go above and beyond” are common refrains. If that is your USP as well, please, do the industry a favor and dump it.

Agents can buy a NextDoor Neighborhood Sponsorship and, in my neighborhood at least, only three have done so. What they pay for, is an ad that looks like this (image left):

I haven’t come across an agent-sponsored ad yet that answers the questions suggested by the platform. Yet, they pay for the space.

Here’s a Sponsorship ad from another business (image right):

This phone and computer repair person understands the value of what he’s paying for and uses the space for all it’s worth with his or her elevator pitch.

Create your own real estate agent elevator pitch

“You know [the real estate pain point]? Well, I [solution]. In fact, [proof].”

That’s the formula for the ideal elevator pitch, according to author Allan Dib. “Good marketing takes the prospect through a journey that covers the problem, the solution and, finally, the proof,” according to Dibs.

Keep it quick. Keep it simple. Ensure it’s not too promotional.

Put in real estate terms, Dibs’ formula may look like this:

“You know how people who want to buy a home are having a hard time finding one? What we do is reach out to the homeowners in our database with a list of our buyers’ needs. This has been so successful that we have found homes for 25 of these clients just in the past 30 days.”

Go ahead and plug your elevator pitch into the formula or feel free to steal ours, if it fits.

Another way to grab your audience’s attention and keep it is with a Real Estate Times Series Campaign. The Real Estate Times Series has timely real estate news and statistics that is of value to homeowners.

Did you know, the Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale for 10% OFF the first month?

Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A REAL ESTATE TIMES CAMPAIGN:

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: TIMES10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires 9/4/21.

Launch a Real Estate Times Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”