A refresher Course in Attracting New Clients

Oct 7, 2019

This time of year is ideal for reviewing and reestablishing strategies that have been successful in the past.

With this in mind, let’s look at three strategies that have proven successful at attracting new clients, for many agents.

Strategy 1: Start with what’s warm

Remember when you first started in real estate? The answer to “how do I attract new clients?” was typically met with “reach out to everyone you know.” And, that advice is still pertinent.

Dust off your CRM and dig into it, starting with the warmest contacts. Reach out to family, friends, former colleagues, parents of your kids’ friends, and anyone else who you have even a modicum of a relationship. Ask them who they know that may be thinking of selling their home.

Our Holiday Postcards are a fun, easy way to reach out to your Sphere without feeling too salesy. Or choose a handwritten notecard, for a more intimate way of saying hello and reminding your Sphere you’re only a phone call away.

Don’t be discouraged if your contacts don’t respond with interest after the first mailing. You’ve begun the process of making yourself top-of-mind for the time when their interest changes or that of their friend.

Now, take a look at all the potential clients you’ve spoken with in the past – especially anyone that requested or received a listing presentation but ended up not selling. Find out what their current status is and reach out.

This tactic worked for St. Paul broker Teresa Boardman. First, she determined that they hadn’t listed with someone else and then she contacted them.

Shortly after starting the tactic she reported that “One homeowner, I’m going to list for sure and another one looks like a real strong possibility and another is trying to decide if he should rent out the house or sell it.”.

Strategy 2: Go where others won’t

If you think that every other agent in town is pursuing canceled, withdrawn and expired listings, Tom Ferry coach Tom Toole would beg to differ with you.

He looks at an expired listing as an ideal opportunity, because “most people are afraid to call them.”

And, it works for him. In a case study at tomferry.com, Toole reports that his annual gross commission income from working with expired listings is $525,000. His marketing investment is $3,000 a month.

He makes those icy-cold calls and those that aren’t ready to re-list go into a drip campaign of direct mail marketing. This is where newsletters and postcards can really pay off.

If you are getting ready to go after this lucrative niche our Expired Postcard Series is an effective solution.

Let them know you can get their home sold (Available under the Expired Series in the postcard section)

Strategy 3: Cast a wider net

With the media running endless stories of rapidly escalating home prices and potential rate hikes, it’s understandable that homeowners can be reluctant to sell.

Which makes now the perfect time to add another niche to focus on by going after homeowners who don’t have to sell – absentee owners.

Our Get More Listings Series offers postcards with content that effectively reaches out to these absentee owners.

Depending on how far away they live from their investment property they may have no idea how values have skyrocketed and the equity they’re currently sitting on.

Nearly 80 percent of landlords plan on owning their properties for five years, so seek out those who have owned for at least three years. You can get that specifically targeted mailing list here.

Consider these suggestions for direct mail marketing to absentee owners, from Louisville, Kentucky real estate investor Sharon Vornholt:

Personalize your direct mail – Use the owner’s name, instead of “Homeowner.”
Use the same “best practices” for this mail as you do your blog posts: Lots of white space, subheadings and bulleted points.
Don’t talk about you or your brokerage. Get to the point quickly and address the benefits for the homeowner (such as an increase in value).

Nobody knows what the foreseeable future holds for the real estate market. However, there’s one thing we do know and that is to last you need to continue to list.

Therefore, there’s nothing more important, as you finish this year and make plans for 2020 than to reacquaint yourself with the best ways to attract clients.

Notecards are available under the Notecard tab on ProspectsPLUS.com

Order personal Notecards and send out a couple handwritten notes every day to your Sphere of Influence.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

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

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

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

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

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

The real estate market: Perception and Reality

Sep 25, 2019

Once a year we like to take a look at the late-summer real estate market.

What we’ve been reading in the media lately is pretty confusing.

If it baffles people who work in the industry, imagine how the average buyer or seller, or even potential buyer or seller, feels right now. Talk about “fake news!”

Here’s one example among the many misleading news pieces we’ve read.

Late last month, Yahoo Finance published an article titled “Goldman Sachs reveals what’s holding back the housing market.”

So, what did Goldman Sachs base its gloomy conclusion on? Chief among the reasons:

Just Listed postcards are available in the postcard section under the Just Listed Color Series.

Tax Reform:

“The reduced tax incentives effectively increases a home’s cost of ownership.” What they neglected to add, which is significant, considering the average Yahoo Finance reader isn’t a 1 percenter or isn’t even remotely connected to anything Goldman Sachs-ish, is that this primarily affects wealthy homeowners, not the average homeowner.

Construction Labor Market:

Apparently, tightening illegal immigration policies have diminished the number of low-cost laborers these multi-billion-dollar corporations choose to hire.

“In the real world, however, there is a very limited number of potential employees in any given labor market. To attract more workers, you need to raise the wage rate,” according to Scott Sumner at the Library of Economics and Liberty.

Makes sense, right?

Instead of offering higher wages for American unemployed workers, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has turned to the federal government with pleas to allow more of these immigrants to work here legally.

“When a reporter stops by, you [the builder] tell her that you face a “shortage” of workers, even though there’s someone willing to do the job” for a higher wage, Sumner concludes.

In other words, the reporter (and thus, the public) isn’t told that the reality is that there isn’t a labor shortage, there is a living wage shortage among those who hire the labor.

The truth is, the unemployment rate in the construction sector is 0.4 percent higher this summer than last and it’s among the top four unemployed industry sectors.

These are American workers, sitting on the sidelines.

Start paying more and the labor “shortage” will turn into a glut. Therefore, Goldman Sach’s claim of a labor shortage is quite misleading.

This is the perception that real estate consumers are receiving from many in the media.

Just Sold postcards are available in the postcard section under the Just Listed Color Series.

The people spreading the perception may be folks who aren’t told the truth, such as the aforementioned reporter. They are definitely people who haven’t spent a day listing and selling real estate in the current market.

The reality is quite different

Holding back the housing market?

Many regions across the country (Rockford, IL; Houston, TX and Lexington, KY, for example) are experiencing record-breaking sales.

Certain housing sectors boast the same. For instance, multi-family housing showed quite positive gains in late August, according to MPMag.com.

While existing home sales increased 2.5 percent, nationwide, housing starts fell 4 percent in July. But the number of building permits, on a national basis, increased 8.4 percent.

Even the roller-coaster-like new-home (single-family) sector doesn’t tell a tale of woe. While sales are down, they’ve been up for the previous couple of months.

Additionally, SFR, condo and apartment builder sentiment is rosy, according to WorldPropertyJournal.com. Add to that Fannie Mae’s numbers that show consumer confidence in housing is at a record high.

So, why all the doom and gloom about the real estate market?

The “R” word

Recession. The U.S. is years overdue for one so it’s not a question of if the economy will contract, it’s when. After all, we’re now in the longest economic expansion in our history.

The “R” word, however, scares the public. Few mainstream Americans are aware that recessions are a natural part of the U.S. economic cycle and place the blame on the president, congress or whoever holds the current bogeyman title.

The last recession was largely caused by the real estate market, the memories of which are giving current real estate consumers the jitters.

Most economists say that the impending recession will not be caused by the real estate sector. Therefore, we can look to past recessions (with the exception of the last) to learn how real estate was affected.

If we’re about to experience a global economic downturn, as some doom and gloomers in the media are claiming, it certainly isn’t affecting many foreign housing markets.

News out of Australia claims “Australian homes fly at auctions in a boon for prices.” Toronto, Canada is enjoying a healthy real estate market as well as is Manilla, PH and even Vietnam. The UK is seeing a more-than 6 percent jump in home sales over this time last year.

You may need to talk your prospects down off the ledge with all of this anti-market hype. It’s only natural for them to be completely confused right now and you can help them clear it up.

Write a blog post stating the truth about the market and then share it on social media. Send infographics with the “Myths and the Realities” of the current market to your prospects.

Most of all, let your potential sellers know that they can relax because the chances are good that their homes may actually increase in value when we enter a recession,

The media is doing a disservice to not only real estate consumers but to our country’s economy as well. The misleading headlines, the omissions of positive aspects of the market lead to a widespread perception of a problem that simply doesn’t exist.

Show consumers homeowners are selling by sending out the Multi-Photo Just Listed postcard from the Multi-Photo Series.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

5 podcasts for the burned-out, stressed-out, ready-to-quit real estate agents

Sep 23, 2019

You know those times in your business where you seem to hit the groove? You cruise blissfully along, engulfed in it, with heightened awareness, and everything just seems to fall perfectly into place.

“Hitting on all cylinders” is what some call it. Whatever the label, it may last a day, a week or even longer. But it does end, and with it comes the let-down.

Some agents get stressed, others paralyzed. Both are symptoms of burn-out from the ups and downs (especially those dratted downs) of life in real estate.

Thankfully, help is easy to find — encouragement, insight, and tips from others that can propel you back to at least a semi-groove state.

You can visit a counselor, talk to your coach, read one of nearly 130 million published books, watch an inspiring video or listen to motivational podcasts.

Which is the perfect segue into our offering today: 5 podcasts that we think can lift the funk.

Tony Robbins Podcasts

“Why live an ordinary life, when you can live an extraordinary one?” Tony Robbins asks in one of his most famous quotations. If your life is feeling rather ordinary right now, take a cruise over to Robbins’ podcasts and turn it all around.

When it comes to dispensing motivation, nobody does it better than Tony Robbins.

Worth a listen: “If you’re ready for a major breakthrough in your business, hungry for change and you’re hungry for growth,” we recommend learning “momentum shifting” in “From Home Business to Billion Dollar Fitness Empire.” (Skip to 52 to jump right in).

Also, check out “Fear will Destroy you or Drive you.” Fast forward to 4:09 to skip the intro.

The School of Greatness — Lewis Howes

Once upon a time, a New York Times bestselling author built a wildly successful online media company, becoming known as among the “5 Internet Gurus Who Can Make You Rich.”

Easy for him to say, right?

Howes promises, however, to help you “learn the wisdom, skills, and tools to write your own story” and he does that through his weekly interviews with someone sure to inspire.

The Dangers of Overpricing Free Report is available on ProspectsPlus.com under the Free Report tab.

Worth a listen: Rise Above your Circumstance (forward to 2:28) and Set Yourself up for Success (skip to 1:45).

Invisibilia (from NPR)

Invisibilia is, according to publisher NPR, a podcast that “discusses the invisible concepts that control our behaviors, including beliefs, assumptions, cultural norms, and emotions.”

Slickly produced and professionally narrated, Invisibilia is most definitely easy on the ears as it captures the listener’s imagination.

They promise to “help you learn new things, or they take a common concept and present it in a new light, so you walk away with a completely different perspective.”

And, a new perspective may be just the answer for the burned-out, stressed-out, ready-to-quit real estate agent.

Worth a listen: If you think you have problems, you’ll love this! The End of Empathy

Aware Broadcasting – The Ziglar Show

The late Zig Zigler is still known as “America’s most influential and beloved encourager and believer that everyone could be, do and have more.”

He and a couple of partners, in fact, invented the modern sales seminar, traveling the country, teaching salespeople skills they didn’t know they needed.

Zig Ziglar motivated millions of people for many years, and The Ziglar Show continues his legacy by teaching you how to be the best you can be.

The next time you feel rejected by a client or prospect, think about Ziglar. His first book was rejected 39 times before finally being published.

His son, Tom, and Kevin Miller host the Aware Broadcasting podcasts, offering up enough motivation to get you back to lead generating like the real estate Rockstar you are.

We recommend “Find your motive or abandon the effort.”

Burnout to Breakthrough

Not as slickly produced as some of the above, but Dr. Eric Shuemake offers up some brilliant tips to deal with burnout.

Tip number one? Don’t quit – redefine your business. “Only do the things that only you can do,” he suggests.

We recommend: “What is Burnout Costing You?” Not just in money, but in time, health and quality of life?

And, Don’t Forget: Take a Listing Today

Actionable strategies to get you out of the office and taking a listing today. Brought to you by ProspectsPLUS! A popular episode is “How to Up Your Game & Scale-Out.”

Download the “Chop Your Mortgage” Free Report and use it in all of your marketing (direct mail, emails), and on your website as an opt-in.

The Chop Your Mortgage Free Report is available on ProspectsPlus.com under the Free Report tab.

Make sure you stay top-of-mind with the people that matter most!

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Want to make more money? Consider one of these real estate niches

Sep 18, 2019

If you follow the annual “The 1000” list from RealTrends, you may wonder how those agents make it so big in real estate.

In our opinion, the list tends to be a bit misleading, with team agents often listed as solo and vice versa.

Then, there’s Ben Caballero, always ranking number one in the “Individuals by Transaction Volume” category.

He is most likely an excellent agent. But he is not your traditional “solo” agent, as the category implies.

He “oversees a team of 22 people” who helped him sell “$2.2 billion worth of homes in 2018,” according to BusinessInsider.com.

For the purposes of this blog post, however, he makes all that money by specializing in a real estate niche. He sells only one type of home, which happens to be first on our list of profitable real estate niches.

New Home Sales

Caballero “only sells new-construction residential properties and he only works with volume builders, or companies that build several hundred homes per year — sometimes up to 3,000,” according to BusinessInsider.com’s Katie Warren.

He and his team sell, on average, 92 homes per week.

The niche is competitive and requires a bit of education before pursuing it. There is additional paperwork and, often different contracts than you’re accustomed to.

Financing may be tricky, and if the buyers don’t have an agent, your job description grows exponentially to include assisting the buyers through not only the purchase process but helping them choose a lot, floor plan, options and more.

Some builders require the agent to come up with a marketing plan, track and follow up with leads and develop relationships with title reps, lenders and others.

Some new home sales agents are employees, with employer-offered health insurance benefits, retirement plans, paid time off and bonuses.

Obviously, Caballero is proof positive of the amount of money it’s possible to make in this real estate niche.

The Luxury Market postcard is available in the postcard section under the Luxury Market Series.

If you’re curious about who is hiring new home sales agents and the job requirements, check out some online job boards, such as at Indeed.com and Monster.com.

Luxury Homes

When discussing lucrative real estate niches, luxury home sales is sort of a no-brainer. High-end homes are more expensive so commission checks are bigger. If you can develop a decent volume, you’ll be all set.

Knowing you want to specialize in luxury property and knowing how to go about it, however, are two different things.

First, you’ll need to truly understand your target audience. What are their needs? How do they differ from buyers and sellers of lower-priced homes?

Then, you’ll want to know how to reach the affluent. Marketing to them isn’t the same as marketing to other real estate consumers.

Finally, consider micro-concentrating within the luxury home niche. Choose to work with certain luxury clients, such as those who share common interests (belong to the same country club, work in a certain industry).

The Picture Yourself Here postcard is available in the postcard section under the Millennial Series.

If you plan on specializing in listing luxury property, check out this video from Michael LaFido.

Focus on a Generation

There are currently four generations of Americans who are most actively involved in buying and selling real estate.

Our youngest cohort is Gen Z, born between 1996 and today. This means that the oldest turned 23 this year. Believe it or not, these “youngsters” are buying homes. And, as the generation ages, more will be jumping into the real estate market.

Next in time are the millennials, born between 1977 and 1995 (they are between the ages of 24 and 42 in 2019). They number 83 million, more than the baby boomer cohort.

According to NAR, millennials are currently the largest group of homebuyers in the U.S. at 37 percent. That’s five percent more than baby boomers.

Forget the moaning and groaning over how “broke” they are. Yes, many have student loan debt. Many others, however, are finding ways to pay down this debt and acquire a decent credit rating.

Millennials, on average, boast an average FICO® Score of 665, squarely in the “fair” range according to Fair Isaac. The older of the group have the best scores and purchase more expensive homes.

Next comes Generation X, born between 1965 and 1976. They’re often referred to as the “forgotten generation,” ignored by the media and marketers.

These folks, in our opinion, are those the savvy agent will pursue. Why?

They are in their peak earning years, they (by and large) need larger homes and they typically have a home to sell. Plus, they have experience with real estate so they don’t require as much education and hand-holding as the younger generations.

Finally, we take a look at baby boomers. Born between 1946 and 1964, this group is now between the ages of 55 and 73. Since the most common age to retire is 62, many of the members of this cohort are still working and make up the nation’s highest wage earners.

Since NAR studies show that the average real estate agent is a woman in her 50s, this may just be the ideal real estate specialty. Marketing is so much easier when you have something in common with your target audience.

Get more information on how to market to Gen Z and millennials at the Center for Generational Kinetics’ website. Target boomers more effectively by reading up on them at KEAP.com (be aware, though, that the author got generational birthdates wrong) and SmallBizTrends.com.

There are also a number of baby boomer-specific blogs that are worth a look:

nextavenue.org
boomercafe.com
sixtyandme.com
The Too Much House postcard is available in the postcard section under teh Life Event Series.

Send the Too Much House postcard from the Life Event Series to a targeted list of Baby Boomers.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Stop wondering how you’ll get business in 2020 – Get serious about your database

Sep 16, 2019

Imagine what life would be like if you could stop cold calling, door knocking or chasing after FSBOs – or at least cut down on those activities.

Ditching the more distasteful aspects of your real estate lead generation routine is possible, if you vow, right now, to chase after referrals, and get serious about your database.

Warm calls are so much more pleasant and knocking on doors where people are happy to see you beats the alternative.

Make building better relationships with people you already know, the center of your 2020 marketing plan.

How’s your sphere of influence?

Agents who have been in the business for more than a minute tell horror stories about friends and even family members who “forgot” that they were in real estate and listed their homes with another agent.

In fact, NAR statistics say that “The typical REALTOR® earned 13 percent of their business from repeat clients and 17 percent from referrals from past clients and customers.” (The study doesn’t explain what they mean by “customers.”)

Look at those numbers – they’re pathetic, aren’t they? Especially when NAR surveys say that nearly 90 percent of real estate consumers say they would use their agent again in the future.

Past clients know you and, hopefully, they like and trust you. Shouldn’t agents be getting more than 17 percent of their business from referrals from them?

We get it. Agents have a ton of irons in the fire during the typical work week and keeping in contact with their SOI typically ends up as a low priority.

What would happen, though, if you moved it up on the list? Made those warm contacts (instead of contacting strangers) a priority? You’ll end up top-of-mind with your sphere when someone mentions buying or selling a home.

The Barking postcard is available in the postcard section under the from the Sphere/Farm Animal II Series.

Step 1 to get your real estate business on the referral track

Organize your database. Yeah, doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but it’s necessary to keep you on track.

If you already have an organizational method, you’re one step ahead. If not, let’s create a simple one.

Start by grouping your contacts. There are many ways to group them, so choose labels that make sense to you. Some suggestions include:

Hot leads (people you don’t know yet)
Cold leads (again, people you don’t know)
Sphere (or “family,” “friends” “ladies I play tennis with” “past clients”)
Vendors

Feel free to create subgroups, if it will help you to stay organized. Some of these may include:

Immediate family members
Extended family
Closest friends
Acquaintances
Neighbors
People you met through your kids

The All Ears postcards is available in the postcard section under the Sphere/Farm Animal II Series.

Thanks to the folks at TopProTraining.com for some of those ideas. Check out their list for more.

Kim Hughes at KimHughes.com suggests that the next step in setting up your database to help you succeed should be to go through all of the leads, checking the information you have on them and adding anything that comes to mind.

At a minimum, Hughes says you should have the contact’s full name and the name of immediate family members. Naturally, you won’t have family member info for some contacts, such as leads.

Pick up the phone and start calling people. Start with folks you know, like past clients, relatives and friends.

Tell them you’re updating your database and want to ensure you have their correct contact information:

Verify that the addresses, both snail and email, are current.
Best phone number to contact them.
Birth date is an important one (folks LOVE getting birthday greetings). The birthdate might be a tough one to ask, but tell them you like to reach out to people on their birthdays. You don’t need a year, so that may make the question “Hey, when is your birthday?” a bit easier to ask.

Get ideas for these conversations at TheRealEstateTrainer.com.

Listen carefully to their end of the conversation for any tidbits you can add to their spot in your database – “something such as an upcoming surgery, new baby or vacation,” Hughes suggests.

Then schedule a follow-up call, or a reminder to send a gift or flowers, depending on what they’ve told you.

This is a project that, although it needs to get done sooner, rather than later, is one that can be done in chunks. Hughes brilliantly recommends starting the organization process with your past clients.

But do schedule those time chunks and vow to stick by the schedule. Before you know it, you’ll have an organized, clean database, making your real estate lead generation a snap.

The Fall Maintenance postcard is available in the postcard section under the Content Card Series.

Send out the Fall Maintenance postcard from the Content Card Series to your Sphere and Farm.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

5 Ways to Make Sure You Finish Strong This Year

Sep 11, 2019

With a little over three months left in the year. Right now is the ideal time to go over your current years goals and make sure you have everything in order to finish strong. The following review should help keep you on track and ensure your success.

Review your numbers

Don’t wait another day to get a handle on your year-to-date numbers, if you haven’t already.

Figure out what you need to do to accomplish your goals with the time remaining. Figure out how many closings it will take and how many listings are needed to achieve those closings?

Work the math to see how many new contacts you need to make, to get the number of appointments to secure a listing, based on your closing ratio. This will tell you the number of listings needed to realize your goals.

Once you have this number, break it down to its simplest form. How many new contacts do you need to make weekly and daily? Then create a daily schedule to meet these goals. Make a commitment to stick to this schedule and not allow anything to throw you off track.

Leverage the opportunities to connect

This time of year is filled with holiday gatherings and neighborhood invites. And the holidays make it super easy to reach out and connect with your customer base and farm.

Autumn marketing postcard for agents — The Hello Autumn postcard is available in the postcard section under the Holiday Series.

Take advantage of all the opportunities to connect with everyone throughout the season with Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Postcards.

Don’t forget to layer and add to the effectiveness of your postcard marketing with a phone call.

As you head into the holiday season, call every existing customer you have, and wish them a happy holiday. Be sure they know you’re on top of anything related to real estate and are the expert resource to turn to for all of their real estate needs.

Ask for referrals

Before you hang up – ask for the referral. I know it is uncomfortable to ask someone for what feels like a “favor”, but remember you are doing them a favor by providing expert help to someone they know.

I personally enjoy the opportunity to refer a great restaurant, hairstylist, repairman, or health professional to someone I know. The reason for this is because I know how difficult it is to discover great resources. We’re all searching for the “best of the best” and love sharing this information once a business is discovered.

The people in your customer base are no different. Allow them the opportunity to become the provider of a great resource. Most people will forget to make a referral unless something or someone jogs their memory. Be the person to jog their memory while on the phone with them!

Don’t leave your marketing to chance.

This time of year it’s easy to get busy. That’s when things like marketing and prospecting fall through the cracks or take a back seat. Put a plan in place today to make sure you have marketing systems active and scheduled through the end of the year, so you stay top-of-mind all the way through the season.

This plan includes showcasing your Just Listed, Just Solds, and Open Houses for the greatest impact, exposure, and results. Remember, if you did an especially impressive job of getting that new listing under contract fast or at a great list-to-sale price ratio, add that subheading to your Just Sold Postcard! This information can be the differentiator in a competitive market making you stand out head and shoulders above the rest.

Set aside 20-30 minutes each week to review what changes you need to make to your current marketing plan based on your previous week’s activity. Then get your order out for whatever Holiday postcards, Just Listed/Just Sold, or Open House postcards you need to send that week. Knocking out your marketing at one time each week gives you a lot more time to prospect, present and close – the three things closest to your bottom line.

Commit to the extra mile

As they say, it’s never crowded along the extra mile. With three months remaining, this is an ideal time to push beyond your commitment goals a bit. If your goal is to make 10 phone calls a day, consider what would happen over the next month if you pushed that goal to 15 calls a day?

Here’s a goal to add to your list that will provide long-term success and make things interesting, commit to adding at least one new person to your prospect list each day regardless of what it takes. This means if you’ve made 15 phone calls and some neighborhood cold calling, yet still don’t have a new person to add to your prospect list, you keep going until you do.

If you only committed to that goal for the next three months, it would result in over 90 additional prospects by the end of the year.

The truth is the bottom 80% of agents in your industry won’t be doing any of these things over the next 90 days. Many will look at how far they are from their goal and give up. Many will do the basics and continue to live commission check to commission check. It will be those of you who strike out and stay laser-focused who will end up on top this year, crushing your goals and kick-starting 2019 with passion.

Where do you want to be in three months? The top 20% or bottom 80%? What you do in the next three months will make all the difference in how your year ends and the new year begins.

Kick off your year-end goal countdown by ordering at least 100 Holiday postcards to send out to your Sphere and Farm!

Make sure you stay top-of-mind with the people that matter most!

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

August $250 Gift Card Drawing Winner!

Sep 2, 2019

We have two winners!

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

1. Congratulations Quantella Simmons-Kinard on winning the 1st Prize $250 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card

Quantella shared the following feedback with ProspectsPLUS!,

“ProspectsPLUS! is my #1 go to for all of my postcard needs. The look nice, cost efficient, and ship fast!

Quantella’s latest marketing pieces she’s sent out include – Just Listed & Just Sold, Upload Your Own postcards.

2.Congratulations Amy Call on winning our 2nd Prize $100 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card!

Amy shared the following feedback with ProspectsPLUS!

“The postcards are amazing!

I have always sent out Just Listed postcards. I recently was at a listing presentation, telling the couple I was one of the few agents that sent out postcards. The wife smiled and pulled out a “Just sold” postcard she received from me months earlier.

I was hired as their agent!

From this one postcard I closed the sale of that home, I ended up bringing the buyers to that sale as well, and I got the listing on the buyers home! I will continue faithfully sending “Just Listed” and “Just Sold” postcards!!!

Amy’s latest marketing pieces she’s sent out include – Just Listed and Just Sold postcards.

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

You might also like:

Master the Art of Writing Listing Descriptions That Sell

Downsizing: How to Help Your Older Real Estate Clients

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

How to Choose a Real Estate Website That Won’t Break the Bank

Aug 28, 2019

Once the ink dries on your business and marketing plans (including a budget), it’s time to take the next step on your journey to wild success as a real estate agent and choose a website.

All real estate agents need a website (with IDX), in our opinion.

If that sounds like a blanket statement, it is. But that doesn’t mean it’s not accurate.

Real estate agent websites offer far more than the ability for consumers to search for homes for sale. If done right, a real estate website offers content to help homebuyers and sellers learn about the process, tips on how to be prepared to buy and sell and lots of local information.

For the agent, again, if done right, a website offers lead generation and a spot on the world wide web for potential clients to get to know you.

We get it – you’re probably not flush with money at this point, and every penny counts until you get that first commission check.

So, we set out on a mission to find real estate website providers who won’t put you in the poor house yet offer attractive, feature-rich websites to help you launch your new business.

The “Sell Faster” Free Report is available under the Free Report tab on ProspectsPLUS.com.

Boomtown

Boomtown is basically a lead generator that sells websites with a CRM, mobile app and more.

And, since two of the tools you’ll need from day one includes a CRM and a website, you can’t go wrong with Boomtown’s offerings.

It’s also one of the quickest and easiest real estate websites to customize, which is ideal for the new agent.

Best of all, we know from personal experience that Boomtown’s customer service is second-to-none.

Agents who leave positive reviews for Boomtown sites say that the sites are easy to use. Complaints include that customization of the sites has limitations.

Pricing is not published on the company’s website. Vanessa Doctor at FitSmallBusiness.com was able to locate prices on a third-party website (as of March 2019). Prices vary according to which of the four plans you choose. We can’t vouch for the accuracy of these prices, however.

Main plan: $1500 setup fee and then $1500 a month.
Launch: $750 setup fee and $1000 a month. Doctor also found that subscribers to this package are required to spend $250 or more per month on pay-per-click advertising.
CORE: $1700 setup fee and $1300 monthly.
Team/brokerage package: The same price as the Main plan.

Placester

Placester offers a reasonably-priced IDX website, perfect for the beginning agent. At $99 a month, you can’t beat the price. Plus, it’s only $99 to set it up.

If you’ve joined the NAR, you’ll get an even better price. Right now, Placester is offering $59 monthly plan. You’ll find details at Placester.com.

The sites offer basic lead capture (which you can upgrade), IDX listing integration capability, tools to help with email marketing and more.

Positive reviews we found online mention:

“Easy to set up and use”
“Great looking professional templates”
“The standard templates are very clean and optimized for mobile”

While the low price is a big plus, some reviewers have found drawbacks and limitations with a Placester website:

“Difficult to contact customer service.” Complaints about poor customer service popped up frequently in agent reviews of the company that we read.
The basic site is “lacking highly in customization.” The same reviewer said that color themes are limited and “you are only able to choose from a limited selection of pages.”
“a canned theme website”
The “Can Cost Thousands” Free Report is available under the Free Report tab on ProspectsPLUS.com.

Easy Agent Pro

If you are seeking a robust lead generation website right out of the gate, check out Easy Agent Pro’s offerings. Called “Leadsites,” they offer a number of apps to help you with marketing and lead capture.

We like the “Brag Wall,” a brilliant way to share reviews from clients to Zillow, Yelp, Facebook and more.

From squeeze pages to Instafarm and done-for-you-blogging, Easy Agent Pro is one you should definitely check out.

We reached out to the company’s marketing manager, Lukas Termini, for pricing information. “The lowest price is $149, the “Basic package,” he said in an email.

“It’s usually recommended for brokers because it doesn’t have IDX. But $179 is the standard option most folks go with,” he added.

Considering what’s included in that $179, we think EAP wins, hands down.

Positive reviews we found online include:

“Features a bold, modern, fun design. Fun add-ons and tools available. Great squeeze pages for lead generation.”
“They make very impressive websites for a reasonable cost.”
“Easy Agent Pro EDUCATES you AND demonstrates with their own marketing program that they truly understand how Google Ranking works.”
“I have gotten more closings from having this website then I did in the previous 12 years using other website providers.”

And, on the flipside:

“Takes some setup and management”
“The only problem is you don’t own the website.”

We searched and looked for more than an hour for negative reviews of Easy Agent Pro sites and the company and those two were all that we were able to round up.

The second complaint, by the way, was from a real estate agent podcast in which the reviewer began his comparison of Easy Agent Pro and Placester by saying that “Easy Agent Pro is top on my list.”

Even if you finally settle on a DIY WordPress site, you’ll be one step ahead of the other newbies in your market.

Here’s wishing you much success as a real estate agent.

The “Get More Money” Free Report is available under the Free Report tab on ProspectsPLUS.com.

Download the Free Report, “9 Ways to Get More Money” and use it in all of your marketing (direct mail, emails), and on your website as an opt in.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Should You Hire a real estate coach?

Aug 21, 2019

There are three rather steep learning curves when one enters the real estate industry as an agent. The first is learning all the boring stuff, such as metes and bounds, riparian rights and agency.

Then, there’s that baptism-by-fire thing that happens when you hang your license with your first broker. As a boot on the ground, you learn by doing, how to list and sell homes, how to fill out the contracts, how to give a listing presentation.

The third learning curve involves finessing your business so that you don’t waste time on lame lead gen that doesn’t offer a decent ROI.

This last is one curve that many agents never take. They prefer backtracking to accelerating into the one curve that will make them more successful.

The Just Curious postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.

It all comes down to complacency or hunger. Agents in the latter group, especially those who have hit a plateau, may just benefit from life or business coaching.

Are you struggling?

“Impossible decisions. Immovable objects. Unstoppable forces. Problems abound, financial, career, health, relationships, life.”

Sound familiar? Sean Everett, editor at Humanizing Tech, calls this “A hero’s journey.” And, if it does sound familiar, he suggests that you need a coach.

Think you don’t need one? Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO once felt the same way. He was at the top of his game when someone suggested he hire a coach. He initially resisted but finally caved.

He’s not the only member of the rich and famous crowd to realize the need for help. Oprah, members of Metallica, Leonardo DiCaprio, former president Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi and Hugh Jackman represent a few of them who credit their success to their coaches.

Everyone needs a coach

That’s a quote from Schmidt, in an interview with Fortune magazine. If you:

Have no idea about last year’s production
Have no clear plan for this year’s
Lack a marketing budget
Are confused about lead generation
Feel stuck and/or overwhelmed
Are frustrated

The Should I Stay or Should I Go postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.

you need a coach.

The benefits of working with a coach

Inman.com published a survey a couple of years ago that found that 90 percent of agents who worked with a coach saw at least a 10 percent increase in their production after one year.

Twenty-six percent said theirs increased more than 25 percent and 10 percent of this group of agents’ production increased between 100 to almost 200 percent.

That is a crazy amount of winning, right?

A real estate or even a life coach can view your business as an outsider. Not being involved in the day-to-day minutiae has benefits. They examine the big picture and simplify your process.

“Coaching helps you to take responsibility for your life, let go of what others think and become your true self. It’s about you creating the life that you want – and deserve,” according to Emma-Louise Elsey, founder of Simplicity Life Coaching Ltd. and The CoachingToolsCompany.com.

If you want to reap the rewards of working with a coach, though, commit to doing what he or she says.

Choosing a real estate or life coach

Coaching is offered in a variety of media so decide first how you best learn, which type fits best into your schedule and the one you’re most likely to stick with.

When considering a coach, look at his or her background because you’ll only want to “take the advice of people who have done what” you want to do, according to entrepreneur Tim Kitchen at Forbes.com.

Then again, sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes from someone who has never done what you do, such as President Bill Clinton who was coached by Tony Robbins.

If you need help generating leads or someone to hold you accountable for following up with them, there are plenty of real estate specific coaches from which to choose. Don’t be surprised if you end up working with several before you find the one that’s a good fit for your needs.

Take a look at the comparison of three of the most popular real estate coaches, Ferry, Buffini and Proctor at FitSmallBusiness.com.

The agents we’ve spoken with all say that it’s important to feel comfortable with a coach. Keep looking until you’ve found “the one.”

The Looking For Some Expert Advice postcard is available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series.

Send the Looking For Some Expert Advice postcard from the Get More Listings Series to an area where you want more listings.

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

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

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator

Business Photo Ideas From the Pros – Stand Out From the Crowd

Aug 19, 2019

One of the biggest agent concerns is finding ways to stand out in the crowded marketplace of other agents.

Why, then, do so many agents copy other agents? From websites to scripts, originality is sabotaged at every turn. And this is most apparent when it comes to an agents photo.

Nine photos out of 10 are absolutely identical. The hands are either on the hips or arms are crossed. Is it any wonder that consumers have the notion that all real estate agents are alike?

Step away from the pack during your next photo shoot. Here are some ideas from the pros.

The Sometimes it Pays postcard is available in the postcard section under the Fence Sitters Series.

What to do with your face

About five years ago, the folks at Photofeeder.com conducted a study to determine “what elements reliably produce a better professional headshot photo.

The study found that slightly squinting your eyes makes you appear more competent and influential. In addition, the study showed eyes wide open connote fear.

To smile or not to smile? Mouth open or closed? Who knew so much goes into an effective business photo?

No smile, according to Photofeeder’s study, destroys your likeability. Closing your mouth when you smile had no effect on whether or not you appear competent but it will make you look likeable.

The best thing to do with your mouth during a photo shoot is to allow your teeth to show when you smile. Showing your teeth boosts both competence and likeability scores.

Finally, be mindful of what you do with your chin. We have a tendency to tilt it skyward when photographed. Keep it down. Nobody wants to look up your nostrils.

Strike a pose

News anchor at Houston’s KPRC Channel 2, Dominique Sachse, offers some clever tricks (especially for women) on what to do with your body in your photo.

She recommends you avoid “that staged pose,” of the “45-degree pivot, with the hand on the hip.”

Crossing the arms is an epidemic in real estate business photos. The ubiquitous pose is actually “a standard crutch for photographers trying to knock out a quick portrait,” Jeremy Barr, creator of “Local People with their Arms Crossed”, tells Wired.com.

According to body language experts, arms crossed makes you look defensive, shy or insecure. It also makes one appear unapproachable – not a vibe that real estate agents want to give off.

The Doesn’t Take a Crystal Ball postcard is available from the postcard section under the Fence Sitter Series.

“Non-verbal communication happens in still photography just as easily as it happens in an active conversation,” claims the pros at ARES Business Coaching.

What to wear

What to wear in your real estate photo shoot is a common conundrum for many agents. The answer is: it depends.

Wear clothing that is appropriate to either your typical clientele, or to your marketplace. Luxury agents, those who specialize in country property, farms and ranches will have no problem with this.

If you’re a real estate generalist, consider “business casual” attire; something a bit less formal than corporate business attire but still professional.

For women, this typically means skirt or slacks, a button-down blouse, and closed-toe shoes. “For men, this typically means a button-down shirt, slacks, and dress shoes, according to Jill Ilao at FitSmallBusiness.com. Get additional tips about business casual attire from Ann Sraders at TheStreet.com.

Again, this should be adjusted for your marketplace. No-one will look askance at a photo of a female agent in Hawaii wearing open-toed shoes.

The one bit of clothing and accessory advice that all business photographers agree on is to ditch the glamour shots. Dangling earrings, low-cut blouses, skin-tight clothing – appropriate for a stripper audition, maybe, but not for a real estate agent.

Here are some examples of agent photos done right:

Craig Ackerman, San Francisco Bay Area

Notice the smile, with teeth showing. His arms are open, giving the impression that he’s approachable.

Kelly Moye, Denver area

Kelly strikes a casual pose, but it’s the smile that got us.

Erin Mathews, Dallas area luxury agent

We think Erin chose the perfect outfit and backdrop for a luxury agent. Again, notice the smile, with teeth showing.

Jason and Rachel Harper, Home Team, Temecula / Murrieta, CA

Business casual attire? Check (ok, she’s wearing open-toed shoes. In Temecula she can get away with it). Great smiles? Check. Most of all, the photo is professional yet gives the impression this team is fun to work with.

The Time is Running Out postcards from the postcard section under the Fence Sitters Series.

There’s no time to lose in getting your postcards out for the fall season.

Send the Time is running Out postcard from the Fence-Sitters Series to light a fire under the feet of slow-moving sellers.

You might also like:

Real Estate Marketing That Leaves No Money Behind

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

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

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook