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Saturday, May 25, 2019

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

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

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

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

     Understand who you’re working with

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Send the Thank You as Big as a House postcard from the Customer Appreciation Series to all of your past clients.
    Let your past clients know you’re there for them (available in the postcard section under the Customer Appreciation Series)

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

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

    1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    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

      Did you know that there’s a difference between a video tour and a virtual tour? Indeed, there is.

      While both describe a “digital rendition” of something real, think about the many ways we use the word “virtual.”

      • Virtual assistant
      • Virtual reality
      • Virtual storage

      None of these include video. So, the first difference between the two involves the very definitions of each.

      Then, there is that little issue about who is in control of the home tour. With a video tour, it’s the agent or producer of the video who decides what features of the home will be shown.

      In a virtual tour, the viewer has the control, able to virtually walk through the home at his or her leisure, stop, change directions and pause in areas that are interesting.

      Which one do you think is of most value to a homebuyer? If you said “virtual tour,” pat yourself on the back. In a NAR survey of homebuyers, 40 percent said they found virtual tours “very useful.

      This same survey, by the way (2018 Real Estate in a Digital Age), asked buyers which sources of information they used while home shopping. Mention this study to your sellers, because “online video site” came in last.

      Sadly, the opposite is true for sellers. They want a video tour of their home. Until sellers become more educated about the popularity of 3D virtual home tours, such as those via Matterport, home sellers will continue demanding useless and expensive listing videos.

      But that hasn’t happened yet. If you’re one of those agents who offers video tours, let’s get you up to speed on how to NOT make the 3 most common video mistakes.

      Compel your target market with a Free Report Offer (available in our Free Report section)
      Mistake 1 – Going the cheap route

      There are two routes you can take when deciding how to produce your listing videos:

      • Hire a professional videographer
      • Do it yourself

      Both can be expensive (after all, your time is worth something), but the DIY route is probably less expensive.

      It’s also probably the least effective. And, if you list luxury properties, DIY listing videos are career killers.

      We ran a quick search of various videographer sites and found prices that start at $300 for a very basic video. Most pros tend to charge at least $500.

      We all want to save as much of our “paycheck” as possible, but there are expenses in small businesses that can’t be avoided. Marketing and branding are but two and they’re crucial for your success.

      Take the leap, hire a professional and write the expense off on your taxes.

      Mistake 2 – It’s a listing video, not “War and Peace”

      Saying that we humans have dinky attention spans might just be the understatement of the century.

      In fact, 56 percent of all videos published in the last year are less than 2 minutes long. Fewer than half of video viewers (46 percent) stick with a video all the way to the end, according to research published by Vidyard.com.

      Smart marketers know this, which is why that same report shows that 75 percent of videos produced by businesses in the last year are less than two minutes in length.

      Encourage spring selling with a Free Report (available in the Free Report section)

      Brevity reigns when it comes to getting someone to press the start button on your videos. Then, you need to engage them immediately. Avoid putting yourself in the frame at the beginning of the video. Head straight to the most compelling aspects of the home.

      Mistake 3- Failure to promote your real estate videos

      Like any content you create, promotion is the key to success. After you upload your listing video to YouTube, embed it on your website and the home’s dedicated page, if you created one.

      Then, start pumping it out via social media (especially Facebook and LinkedIn) and email.

      The days when homes practically sell themselves may be coming to an end this year. If you aren’t producing walk-throughs of your listings, you’re not serving your listing clients.

      Hire a pro and get the job done right.

      Order the “Nine Strategies for up to 17% More” Free Report and offer it in person, through direct mail, email, and add to your website as a free download in exchange for an email address.
      Excite sellers and get them calling you (available in the Free Report section)

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

      PLUS: When you have time…here are Free ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

      1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      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

       

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

        Sucks, I know. 

        Provide them insight (available in the postcard section under the Get More Listings Series)
        From their mouths to your ears

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

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

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

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

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

        This is not your parents’ real estate industry

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

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

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

        What else real estate consumers don’t get

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

        Other interesting tidbits from the study include:

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

        Yikes!

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

        Provide peace of mind and confidence (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings Series)
        It’s time to let them know a few things

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

        Send at least 100 Just Curious About Selling postcards from the Get More Listings Series.
        Let them know you’re ready to listen (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings)

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

        PLUS: When you have time…here are Free ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

        1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

        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

        Provide a fresh perspective (available in the postcard section under Get More Listings Series)

        1.Congratulations Haeyoon Jacobus on winning our 1st Prize $250 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card!

        Haeyoon shares the following experiences with ProspectsPLUS!

        “I can’t wait to see the results of the Market Dominator System I’m using with my co-advertiser. I am also using postcards to market to my neighborhood.  I’ve had a great ROI!

        I love the easy, breezy process and the great customer service! I’ve dropped all of my other postcard marketing companies.

        ProspectsPLUS! is the one for me!

        Haeyoon’s Latest Marketing Pieces Include – the Market Dominator & Neighborhood Specialist Flyer.

        Market Dominator & Neighborhood Specialist Flyer
        2. Congratulations Sue Wise on winning the 2nd Prize $100 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card

        Sue shares the following experience with ProspectsPLUS!

        “ProspectsPLUS! postcard mailings are an easy way to reach clients”.

        Sue’s Latest Marketing Pieces Include – The FSBO Door Hanger & The Fence Sitter postcard.

        We understand why Sue likes door hangers, they’re the ideal tool for branding yourself as the neighborhood expert.

        In addition, they catch attention, provide the perfect reason for canvassing, and are an easy and effective leave behind. It looks like Sue’s last door hanger choice (below) was meant to target FSBOs.

        FSBO Door Hanger, Fence Sitter postcards

        Take the lead from Haeyoon and Sue and send at least 100 marketing newsletters and/or postcards to an area where you want more buyers or sellers!

        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!

          You’ve conducted a buyers’ consultation and you have a pretty good handle on what your potential buyers want in a home. Now, it’s time to find them the home that gets a BIG YES. Here are some tips to help you go from showing to SOLD in lightning speed.

          The checklist

          Just as no two listing clients are identical, not all buyers are alike. Some of them will take your consultation to heart, while others will remain unfocused. Although the following technique works for both, it’s the latter who will get the most out of it.

          Create some checklists and worksheets for your clients to use as they tour each home. HUD offers a home comparison checklist that you can download. Brand it and hand it out to your buyers.

          Motivate buyers to start looking (available in the postcard section under fence Sitter Buyer Series)

          Do the same with a wish list worksheet – which is just as useful for you as it is for your clients. It helps you narrow down the list of homes to show and it helps keeps your clients focused on what is truly important to them.

          Go overboard on sharing information

          If there’s a home on the viewing list that you know fits most or all of your clients’ requirements, help make the sale by loading them up with valuable information.

          Is it their first time in a neighborhood? Be sure to grab some information about it and nearby amenities. If you know where they work, get an estimated commute time by putting the home’s address into Google maps and asking for directions to the work address. The time it takes to drive from one location to the other is included in Google’s directions.

          If the buyers have children, locate nearby schools on a map of the area. Even if they don’t have kids, learn about the quality of those schools.

          If you get lucky, and the home is located close to a quality school, remind childless buyers of how homes near good schools are good investments because they tend to hold their value better than homes near poor-performing schools.

          The best way to get this information is by going online, to schooldigger.com, and entering the name of the school or district in the search box.

          Finally, compiling a CMA for any home you think the buyers will be interested in is a must. They’ll want to know if it’s priced right and had those stats at your fingertips is a valuable customer service tactic.

          Get buyers excited to start looking (available in the postcard section under Fence Sitter Buyer Series)
          Don’t encourage enormously high expectations

          I love this tip from John D. Mayfield, broker/owner of Mayfield Real Estate in Farmington, MO. He calls it “underselling,” and cautions agents not to “hype” up a home before the showing.

          Why?

          “Buyers may feel the home doesn’t meet their hyped-up expectations,” he suggests and goes on to caution that “The opposite is true, too—many practitioners have stories of showing homes they thought were downright ugly, only to learn” that it was just what the buyers were looking for.

          Sure, you should mention the home’s features that match their wish list, but, as Mayfield says, “Let the home sell itself.”

          Set the stage

          If you won’t be loading the buyers in your car, try to get to the home a few minutes before they do. This way you can run through the home and open drapes, turn on all the lights and ensure pets are safely tucked away.

          Know when to back off

          Veteran buyers’ agents know the signs of both interest and disinterest in a home. The buyer who zips through the home, barely looking at it, most likely decided at the curb that he didn’t like it.

          Then, there’s the buyer who focuses on one or two rooms, repeatedly returning to them – a definite sign of interest.

          When working with the latter, you need to know when to physically back off. Especially if it’s a couple, give them some privacy to discuss what is most evidently on their minds. “Is there enough room here for the sofa?” “How do you think yellow would work in here?”

          The nit-picker, on the other hand, needs your presence. Although many agents think the buyers who notice every little thing wrong in a home show disinterest, an experienced pro at the helm can guide them into understanding what easy fixes many of these “problems” can be.

          Give them a vision

          Most buyer agents know that a couple that starts talking about furniture placement is interested in the home. They’re envisioning what the rooms will look like with their furniture and accessories.

          Since you were smart enough to get them to provide a thorough wish list, guide their vision by pointing out the features they will find most desirable. Get them to realize that just because a room is used as a bedroom, it doesn’t have to be.

          Show buyers you understand them (Available in the postcard section under Fence Sitter Buyer series)

          Do they long for a home office? Point out which bedroom would make the ideal office and why.

          Generate some buyer interest by sending at least 100 Time is Now postcards from the Fence Sitter Buyer Series to an area where you want more buyers.

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

          PLUS: When you have time…here are Free ways we can help you have an INVINCIBLE 2019!

          1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

          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

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