Thursday, December 19, 2024

sphere of influence

    On Sunday, May 8, 2022, we celebrate Mother’s Day.

    Women comprise 64% of the population of real estate agents in the U.S., according to the NAR, and  60% of licensed brokers. 

    With 57 as the median age of a real estate agent, it’s safe to say that among the ranks, there are lots of moms.

    So, to all of the mothers out there, I wish you an early Happy Mother’s Day!

    How the holiday got its start

    Although it’s easy to assume that Hallmark created this holiday, it did not. In fact, this annual celebration of motherhood has an interesting path.

    It was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis who was seeking a way to pay tribute to her mother as well as mothers across the globe.

    A tireless campaign

    Jarvis’ mother, who gave birth to 11 children had a dream that someone someday would found a memorial to mothers commemorating them for their service. 

    Jarvis, along with her supporters, started a letter-writing campaign to city officials. She also spoke frequently on the topic at her church.

    However, nobody was interested in Mother’s Day. But, she kept at it and, in fact, was able to get assistance from John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia philanthropist.

    It took them two more years to make West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state, the first in the nation to set aside a day to honor mothers.  

    Four years later President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day an official national holiday and set aside the second Sunday in May just for moms.

    Retail hijacks another holiday

    What should have been a happy ending for Jarvis turned to frustration when retailers jumped on the holiday as a way to increase their profits. From florists to chocolatiers to gift card retailers, Mother’s Day became a retail holiday.

    An ironic twist

    Anna Jarvis felt that her mother’s idea had been hijacked, so she decided to throw her energy into a campaign to have the holiday rescinded. She organized boycotts and spent the rest of her life campaigning to have Mother’s Day repealed.

    Regardless, of how the story ended for Anna, I truly enjoy celebrating Mother’s Day and honoring the mothers in my life.

    If you’re interested in sending out a celebratory greeting to the mothers in your sphere, there’s still time. Send Mother’s Day postcards out first-class mail by April 29th to ensure they arrive in time.


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

    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

    Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here


    2. 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 Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

    3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

    The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

    4. 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

    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 Take a Listing Today Podcast

    Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

      It’s Time to Take an Easier Path

      Imagine what the future would look like if you could stop cold calling, door knocking, or chasing after FSBOs indefinitely – or at least cut way down on those activities?

      Ditching the more distasteful aspects of your real estate lead generation routine may be possible. If you vow, right now, to get serious about your CRM database.

      Warm calls are so much more pleasant. Making phone calls and having happy people answer the phone beats a cold call any day.

      It’s time to make building better relationships with people you already know, your priority.

      Are you only fishing for a day?

      Have you ever heard the adage “You can give someone a fish and they have food for a day or you can teach them to fish and they’ll be fed forever?

      I look at an SOI database in a similar way.

      You can get by living “listing to listing” just making ends meet or you can build a robust SOI database that will feed you ongoing listings, indefinitely.


      The Holiday Scheduled Campaign is shown above. It’s the perfect way to stay in touch with your sphere. Learn more, HERE

      The first method is all about instant gratification and takes a smaller amount of effort.

      The second method is about building something for the future, something substantial, that will take ongoing effort, but the rewards will be significant and lasting.

      So the question is, how do you want to live your life – fish by fish or with an endless stream of dinners?

      That being said, how’s your sphere of influence going?

      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.

      I guarantee you at some point this has happened to you, whether you’re aware or not.

      In fact, NAR states,

      “The typical real estate agent, sadly, earned 13 percent of their business from repeat clients and 17 percent from referrals.”

      Look at those numbers – they’re frustrating, aren’t they?

      Especially when NAR also states that nearly 90 percent of real estate consumers say they would use their agent again in the future.

      If past clients liked their experience with their agent shouldn’t agents be getting more than 17 percent of their business from them?

      Did they forget about you because you’ve forgotten to stay in front of them and nurture them?

      What has neglecting your sphere REALLY cost you?

      If your strategy has been only chasing new leads instead of working on your sphere, you may have lost sight of the lifetime value of your client.

      Take a past client for who you earned $4,000 in commission. Assume (by staying present in their life) you are their agent for four more buying and selling transactions (of the same value) over time that’s $16,000 in revenue.

      Now let’s say they send you two referrals per year for the next 10 years (of a similar value) that’s $80,000. This ONE client has a potential lifetime value of $96,000. How many clients, just like this, have you let fall to the waste side over the years?

      What has that decision cost your real estate business?

      Time to refocus your attention

      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 your SOI up on the “To Do” list? Made those warm contacts (instead of contacting strangers) a priority?

      You’ll end up on the minds of the people in your sphere, including your past clients, and when someone mentions to them they’re thinking about buying or selling a home, guess what happens next?

      So, how to get your real estate business on the referral track?

      Step 1: Organize your database

      Yeah, it 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 (new incoming leads)
      • Cold leads (people you haven’t been able to reach)
      • Family, friends, past clients
      • Vendors
      • People you know through your kids
      • Neighbors
      Step 2: Go through all of the contacts and verify the information

      At a minimum, 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, and that’s okay.

      Step 3: Pick up the phone and start calling people

      Start with people you know, like past clients, relatives, and friends. Let them know you’re thinking of them and checking in to see if you can help them with anything.

      While on the phone, tell them you’re updating your database and want to ensure you have their correct contact information. Verify that their addresses (mailing and email) are current and that you have the best phone number to contact them.

      Birthdates are important too (people LOVE getting birthday cards and it’s a great excuse to call). You don’t need a year, just ask for the month and day.

      When you make these calls, listen carefully to their end of the conversation for any tidbits you can add to the database. Great information to note in their record includes important family milestones, news on their business/job, or events involving their children or spouse.

      Then, as soon as you hang up, DO THIS! Update their information in the database, don’t “think” you’ll remember, just do it.

      And, schedule a follow-up call in your database, and a reminder to prompt you to send them a birthday card, anniversary card, etc.

      If they told you about an important event that’s coming up, wouldn’t it be great to mark your calendar with a reminder to shoot them an email and ask how everything went?

      Step 4: Committ to a time in your weekly schedule to work your Sphere

      You’ve started the process of building toward a future don’t stop now. Before you know it, you’ll have an organized, clean database, making your real estate lead generation a much more enjoyable and rewarding process.

      Two free tools that will make the process of building up your database much easier:


      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 Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

      2. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

      The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here


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

      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

      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

      The Take a Listing Today Podcast

      The Take a Listing Today Podcast

      Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – 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 in your success.

      We’re here to support you.

      Your ProspectsPLUS! Team


        Shown above: Alex Scopino’s Animal Series Postcard Campaign. Learn more, HERE

        Congratulations, Alex Scopino you are the winner of this week’s $120 gift card!

        Alex had the following words to say about his success after sending marketing from ProspectsPLUS!,

        “I’ve been using ProspectPLUS! for a few years now and have had a great response from customers. It’s very easy to navigate the website. My customers absolutely love the scheduled campaigns I’ve launched. I highly recommend them“.

        -Alex Scopino

        Thank you, Alex!


        NEW CONTEST STARTS NOW: Get the FIRST MONTH of Any Scheduled Campaign For FREE! ($120 value)

        FARM, Empty Nest Scheduled Campaign shown above. Learn more, HERE
        Enter this week’s contest for a chance to win a $120 gift card covering the first month of ANY Scheduled Campaign.

        The scheduled campaign includes 150 jumbo-sized postcards, sent standard postage (excluding data and tax. Including only the first month free of a new campaign).

        HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.

        Mention a “scheduled campaign you’ve launched” in your review and your entry into the contest is doubled.

        Leave a review on Google, HERE.
        Leave a review on Facebook, HERE.

        Don’t forget to watch out for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!


        Ready to Schedule an SOI, Farm, Get More Listing, Move-Up Market or Absentee Owner Campaign?

        Move-Up Market Scheduled Campaign shown above, learn more HERE
        Launch a Scheduled Campaign today and save time on your marketing by automating it!

        You Can Launch a Scheduled Campaign to any of the following Markets in Just Minutes:

        Sphere of Influence
        Geographic Farm
        Just Sold Follow-up
        Holiday
        Renters
        Absentee Owners
        Expireds
        FSBOs
        Fence Sitters*
        Get More Listings*
        Empty Nesters*
        Move-Up Market*

        (*Located under Farm Campaigns)

        And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before mailing goes out. The price shown at check out is per mailing, not campaign total).

        TO GET STARTED:

        STEP 1: Create your prospect list using our mailing list tools, HERE.

        STEP 2: Then, once you have your list, choose your Campaign, select your start date, and add your list, HERE or hit “Launch a Scheduled Campaign”, below.

        Launch a 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 in your success.

          There’s No Better Way Than Launching a Scheduled Campaign
          Choose From the Following Six Powerful Campaigns:

          Sphere of Influence Campaign – Stay top of mind with your SOI by sending 150 Jumbo-sized postcards, standard-class for only $121.00 a month.
          Farm Campaign – Keep new listings coming by sending 150 Jumbo-sized postcards standard-class to your Farm area for only $121.00 a month.
          Expired Campaign – Own the expired marketing by sending a postcard every day for 27 business days for $18.09.
          Absentee Owner Campaign – Get absentee owners calling you by sending 100 Jumbo-sized postcards, standard-class for $81.00 a month.
          FSBO Campaign – Convert the FSBO market by sending a postcard every day for 27 business days for $18.09.
          Renters Campaign – Turn renters into buyers by sending 100 Jumbo-sized postcards, standard-class for $81.00 a month.

          And, remember, when you schedule a campaign, you don’t pay until the mailing goes out (change or cancel any time til midnight the night prior to mailing).

          Make life easier in 2021 while taking your real estate business to the next level with Scheduled Campaigns!
          STARTING TODAY, Launch a Scheduled Campaign and Get “Unlock Success” For FREE ($159.00 Value)
          Just schedule any campaign shown, here, starting today (December 29th, 2020) and we will automatically send you Unlock Success in the mail (please allow 5 to 10 business days for delivery). Offer available while supplies last.

          Unlock Success contains 101 of Floyd Wickman’s greatest dialogues in audio format (on USB flash drive).

          Topics include negotiating commission, building trust, overcoming objections, mastering prospecting skills, and more.

          Launch your Scheduled Campaign today and get Floyd Wickman’s Unlock Success for Free, click the “GO NOW” button to get started.

          PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available 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.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.

          3. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

          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

          4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Business-Plan-3D-Book-New1-270x300.png

          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. 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

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

          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” 

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CRUSH-IT-Guide-3-d-298x300.jpg

          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

            Recently, I read an article over at Inman.com, written by Troy Palmquist. The subject is how to “… beef up your referral network,” and Palmquist offered some brilliant tips including one that should be unnecessary.

            Why? Because reminding real estate agents of the value of their real estate sphere, shouldn’t be necessary in 2020.

            Yet, too many agents let it slide, taking for granted the relationships that those names in their CRMs represent.

            Your sphere can be the lifeblood of not only a referral network, but of your entire business if it’s consistently nurtured.

            For that to happen, however, you need to devote more time to your sphere. In other words,

            Focus on lead quality, rather than lead volume.

            Animal II Series

            It takes time to nurture your SOI, to grow it, and, thus, to prosper from it. But the good news is that the tasks involved in accomplishing these goals are far easier and more comfortable for the agent than the constant rotations of the hamster wheel that is new lead gen.

            So, consider stepping off that wheel and working smarter, not harder.

            Let’s take a look at your CRM

            If you’re a new agent, “SOI” may mean little more than three letters. So, let’s start there.

            A sphere of influence in sales is a group of people over which you have some influence and to whom your opinion matters.

            In essence, it’s a group of people who already know, like and trust you. This group naturally includes close family members, colleagues from your previous jobs and anyone else you’ve had a cordial relationship with.

            Established agents: Are these contacts easy to filter in your CRM?

            There are numerous ways to categorize those names.

            Think about it: when creating marketing pieces, you don’t want to be sending information on buying a home to your seller leads and vice versa.

            So, the best place to start is to categorize by whether the contact is a potential buyer or seller.

            You’ll have lots of folks that don’t fit either category because they’re friend, family or others in your sphere.

            Create a category for your SOI as well. It’s ok if someone in your sphere is also a potential buying or selling client, their info will come up when you search for either.

            Need additional CRM organizational tips? Check out these websites:

            Now you’re all set to communicate

            Animal II Series

            Go through your CRM and pick out anyone in your SOI. Remember, they may or may not also be in the market to buy or sell, but they should be a target marketing audience.

            How you market to them is your choice, whether it’s via email (not very effective) or snail mail, this audience requires mostly generic information, such as:

            • How the market in your area is doing
            • The percentage increase in local home values
            • Homeowner DIY tips
            • Local events
            • Restaurant and Mom & Pop store reviews
            • Local and national economic news (in plain English)
            • Local, state and national down payment assistance programs

            Much of the topics that fit your SOI make amazing newsletter fodder and, right now, direct mail is the way to deliver it.

            Basically, you just want to send them something consistently that reminds them that they have a trusted friend in the real estate business.

            Use free social media strategies for all their worth

            If you don’t have a social media strategy, or haven’t been paying attention to the one you have, get busy changing that. If you’re too busy, it’s worth it to hire an intern or virtual assistant to keep on top of it.

            We get it that you don’t have time for a whole lot of schmoozing, so start with one platform. Facebook – it has near-perfect user demographics for real estate marketing.

            If you haven’t been on Facebook in some time you may not be aware of how it’s changed. Users are far more aggressive, bullying of those who disagree on popular news topics is common. The environment is really quite ugly, but it doesn’t impact the platform’s effectiveness for marketers.

            You’ll want to engage with your followers, but avoid (at all costs) becoming involved in the political threads that are quite popular right now. To avoid the temptation, don’t even read them; just scroll right by.

            If you aren’t a member of any local Facebook groups, find out which ones those in your SOI enjoy and join them.

            Your real estate sphere of influence can be a goldmine if you work it. Keep in touch, ask for referrals, and engage with them on social media.

            Animal II Series
            Send a postcard from the Animal II Series to your Sphere of Influence and keep those lines of communication open.

            Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our Demographic Search 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 some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

            1. 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.

            2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

            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

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

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2020-Planner-3D-999x1024.jpg

            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

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Business-Plan-3D-Book-New1-270x300.png

            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. 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

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

            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” 

            This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CRUSH-IT-Guide-3-d-298x300.jpg

            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

              LOOK INSIDE: For a FREE Report & Mailing List Download

              Catapult your real estate business to the next level during the 2nd half of 2021 with strategies from the online Master Marketing Magazine!

              It’s Chock Full of Valuable Content Like,
              • The 50 people to add to your sphere to get more referrals
              • 7 local market opportunities in your area right now
              • How to prove you’re the neighborhood expert & dominate
              • Go from one new listing to becoming a market maker
              • How to use Direct Response Reports to get more listings
              • How to uncover a goldmine with absentee owners
              • And, more…
              Check it out, click the “GO NOW” button below

              Want More Referrals? Stay connected to your Sphere with a Content Card Campaign.

              It’s currently on sale 10% OFF the first monthsale ends 7/3/21.

              SOI, Content Card Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

              TO LAUNCH AN SOI, Content Card CAMPAIGN:

              Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer). Use promo code: CONTENT10 to save 10% off the first month.

              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).

              Launch an SOI, Content Card 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…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available 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. 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

              This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

              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. 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

              This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

              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” 

              This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CRUSH-IT-Guide-3-d-298x300.jpg

              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

                A couple of years ago, I read an article about a woman in St. Paul, Minnesota who, for 15 years, had led exercise classes twice a week.

                Why this caught my interest is that this woman, Loretta Taggart, was 100 years old, which means she began her exercise-training career at age 85.

                Taggart chalked up her longevity and stamina to three things: “Moderation, attitude, gratitude … that’s it,” according to KARE-TV’s Jana Shortal.

                The Big Thanks postcard is available in the postcard section under the Customer Appreciation Series.

                Since we’re approaching Thanksgiving, this is the perfect time to discuss the many benefits of gratitude.

                Gratitude and the soul

                An attitude of gratitude doesn’t often happen naturally; it’s something that may require conscious practice. But, the practice is well worth the results, according to researchers at the Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley.

                “People who practice gratitude report fewer symptoms of illness, including depression, more optimism, and happiness, stronger relationships, more generous behavior . . .”

                This increased happiness leads to more success in life, they continue.

                Which flies in the face of most of our beliefs. Starting at a young age, most people believe that they’ll reach a state of happiness once they’re successful.

                Turns out, that’s backward. Living a life of gratitude is the first and most critical step to success and happiness. In fact, the roadmap to success involves three steps, according to the researchers:

                • Step one: Gratitude
                • Step two: Happiness
                • Step three: Success

                Other perks inherent in an attitude of gratitude include an increase in “financial patience,” according to a study cited in the journal Psychological Science.

                Why is this important to real estate agents?

                Think about how many in your ranks fail to reach out to those in their database. Instead, in their pursuit of “now business,” they chase after new leads. This, despite clear evidence that real estate consumers are ready and willing to work with the agent they used in the past.

                It’s that old “immediate gratification” thing. The one thing that makes us spend too much, smoke too much, eat too much.

                The Thank You postcard is available in the postcard section under the Customer Appreciation Series.

                Anyway, back to the study. Researchers learned that the amount of gratitude felt is in direct correlation to the degree of patience one exhibits.

                How to get that powerful gratitude juice?

                Ok, without getting too “woo-woo” on you, cultivating an attitude of gratitude starts with counting your blessings.

                Every day.

                Start a “gratitude journal” to help you out, jotting down those little blessings that made you feel grateful.

                Apparently, just the act of journaling your appreciation for the small blessings in your life will help build happiness, according to psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky.

                Her research shows that journaling just once a week (for six weeks) is ideal and that “people who wrote three times a week” didn’t experience a similar boost in happiness.

                Don’t just create lists in your journal. Give some thought to how your life would look and feel without a particular person or event that makes you feel grateful and then journal about it in detail.

                Surprises, by the way, are something to savor, especially if they result in instant gratitude, according to Toby H. Birnbaum, J.D and Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D.

                “Try to record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude,” they suggest.

                Even nasty surprises, however, may offer a valuable lesson or insight; something to definitely be thankful about.

                Real estate agents may find that free time with their families, new clients, a colleague that goes out of her way to help or a challenging transaction that met with success ends up in their journals.

                The peaceful calm you feel when petting your dog, the love that surges when you hear your child’s laughter, a warm smile from a total stranger – these are also things to consider if they make you feel grateful.

                Use tech to help you out

                If you prefer using a pen and a bound journal, by all means, go for it.

                If, on the other hand, you prefer tech, we’ve rounded up some journaling apps to make the task a little easier.

                Android gratitude journal apps:

                iOS gratitude apps:

                The Thinking of You postcard is available in the postcard section under the Customer Appreciation Series.

                This year, as always, we’re grateful for you. Thank you!

                Send the Thinking of You postcard from the Customer Appreciation Series to all of your past clients. Let them know you’re thinking of them and here to help with anything they may need.
                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 this year!

                1. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner – NEW 2020!

                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 One-Page Real Estate Business Plan – NEW 2020!

                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

                 

                 

                 

                3. Get the ALL-NEW Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT” 

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

                 

                 

                 

                4. 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

                 

                 

                 

                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

                  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 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 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

                  Create a Lead Generating Hour of Power

                  When you reach the end of your life, will you look back fondly on the five years (based on studies) you spent on social media?

                  Probably not. I mean, it’s when our time is up that we decide, darn it, we should’ve spent more time on the truly meaningful things in life. Unless, of course, you find social media truly meaningful.

                  …but meaningful enough to spend 2.25 hours every day on it?

                  Ok, so you do it for your business. But if you don’t have a social media strategy you may be wasting valuable business time as well.

                  If you find yourself trying out idea after idea, hoping that someday one of them will work, or if yours is the type of “strategy” that leads to reading and responding to every post, following links and, generally, wasting time, quit it!

                  The “why” behind your use of social media

                  Social media—at least some platforms—seem tailor-made for the real estate industry. Take Facebook, for example. The user-demographics align with the average real estate consumer, it’s easy to use and, if you don’t buy ads, it’s free.

                  To not be on Facebook is just plain silly. But, to avoid having it suck your time you need to understand how to best use it and then get clear on your goals.

                  Here are some agent goals we typically hear:

                  • To keep in touch with your sphere. Staying top-of-mind isn’t easy but reaching out on Facebook makes it easier.
                  • To reach potential clients. Unless you are doing this strategically, it may be a major time suck. Hoping your posts get shared isn’t a strategy.
                  • To keep up-to-date on the industry. To do this typically requires joining groups. If you aren’t careful, activities in these Facebook groups can wipe out a good portion of the day (or night).
                  • To drive traffic to your website.

                  Manage your time wisely

                  Consider scheduling social media time. Like blocks set aside for follow-up and lead generation, set aside a certain amount of time that you’ll spend on social media. Then, stick to the schedule. Use an alarm, if you must, to remind you when to stop.

                  At first, the amount of time you wasted will be painfully obvious. When the alarm sounds and all you’ve done is read posts, you may need some motivation to remain mindful of why you’re on the platform in the first place.

                  Create, don’t consume

                  “There are so many talented entrepreneurs out there who focus on just consuming all day long instead of creating,” laments Jason Sadler, founder of IWearYourShirt. 

                  Your first creation should be a social media strategy. Decide which platforms serve you best and let the others go, at least for now. For instance, Facebook is a must for agents who want to keep in touch with their sphere of influence and entice folks to visit their websites.

                  Instagram and Pinterest, on the other hand, don’t have the demographics that fit the average real estate buyer and seller and they are far more time-consuming than a quick, daily stop at Facebook.

                  Then, decide how much time you’ll devote to social media each week, set an alarm while visiting and leave when the time is up.

                  Skip the groups and communities, at least during work hours. They’re fine for garnering business advice and socializing with colleagues but save those visits for non-work hours.

                  Other strategies to consider:
                  • Ditch the notifications. Do you really need the distraction of being alerted every time someone posts a comment on a post you’re following?
                  • Use social media scheduling tools to automate the publishing of your content. Yes, there are cons to this as well as pros, but if you’re easily distracted and find yourself wasting a lot of time on social media, it’s a tool you may want to consider.

                  Take some tips from Laura Monroe, real estate marketing whiz, who explains her brilliant social media strategy.

                  She schedules her company’s social media posts the night before they will be posted. “ …  that way I’m not distracting myself from important tasks!”

                  During the day, she avoids additional distractions by turning off notifications “until I have all my important work-to-dos completed first.”

                  Around lunchtime, she takes “time to engage, respond to messages, and reach out to my network. More scheduling in the afternoon, and more engagement in the evenings when I’m planning the next day.”

                  It’s a strategically-planned social media schedule that allows her to remain engaged yet still attend to her important business tasks.

                  Social media can be a powerful way to generate leads and keep in touch with your Sphere. However, only if the time spent is managed wisely and not allowed to dominate your workday.

                  Another effective way to keep in touch with your Sphere is to send the popular Chill Out postcard from the Content Card Series.
                  It’s a fun and informative way to let your Sphere know you’re thinking about them this summer.

                  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 2 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

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

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

                  2. 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

                  Also…check out these cool tools 

                   Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

                  MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

                  Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

                  Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them, Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become their hero (BTW, you also get a $25 Gift Card too, now that’s what I’m talking about)!

                  More words of wisdom from Dean Jackson (the king of real estate marketing). In today’s article, he explains his innovative approach to converting leads over time. Dean Jackson is the founder of GoGoAgent and Listing Agent Lifestyle

                  Playing the long game

                  I’ve heard many agents complain when they try different sources to generate leads, for a few months, and get nothing out of it. Unfortunately, the point being missed with this way of thinking is the real payoff with lead generation is in playing the long game.

                  The correct approach is to look at your lead generation process, not as a short-term expense, but as a capital investment. Do not add unnecessary and misguided pressure to the action of generating leads by expecting to recapture your money in 30, 60 or even 90 days.

                  It’s time to amend your perception of the value of a lead over time. And begin to cultivate your leads over 12, 18 and even 24 months (regardless of lack of response). Then you will begin to build a true capital asset. And this asset of unconverted leads will become an incredible treasure trove that will continue to pay dividends for years.

                  A case study

                  A great story defending the above philosophy is of agent Tony Kalsi. We tracked lead conversion results on Tony’s listings for four years in a “Getting Listings Case Study”. And we discovered 21 transactions he achieved over the four-years were from leads he had generated in the first year that he had continued to cultivate.

                  If Tony had written off these 21 leads as “duds” due to not being able to convert them quickly, he would have missed out on – I don’t even want to think about how much money!!

                  I’ve heard story after story like this from agents who understand the long-term approach to converting their leads. They patiently educate and motivate their lead list, then watch the yield from that portfolio continue to pay off year after year.

                  Being conscious of your marketing dollars has its place. However, focusing only on what you can achieve “right away” from your marketing dollars and discarding the rest is a mistake. And this mistake will cost you longterm valuable assets.

                  Every new lead that you add to your “lead portfolio” is a potential future client. Some leads may convert quickly, but many more will convert over time, even years after your initial contact.

                  From “dud” to dynamite

                  If you have leads gathered over the years that you’ve identified as “duds” due to not converting quickly, I have a great marketing campaign for you. This campaign has the potential to bring many of them back into the fold.

                  Gather together an email list of your so-called “dud” leads and send them the following email. Put their “first name” in the subject line of the email and then ask them one simple question in the body of the email. “Hi  ‘insert person’s name’, “Are you still looking for a house in ‘insert city or neighborhood’?”. 

                  That’s it.

                  That little email and nothing more. Send that email to all of the dud leads you’ve generated and neglected for 90 days or longer (or you feel have neglected you). And you’ll be amazed at how many people respond “Yes, we’re still looking.” You’re also going to be surprised, not in a good way, at the number of responses you get from people that say, “No, we’ve already bought.”

                  This second response will break your heart, but don’t sulk, just make a mental note that YOU can not predict when a prospect will be READY to move forward. This knowledge will become a reminder to not prejudge your leads. But instead to take the long-term “asset management” approach to nurturing your leads as the treasure trove that they are.

                  Begin cultivating and nurturing your lead portfolio today by sending out the Ever Thought About Selling postcard from the Listing Inventory Series to at least 100 prospects from your lead list.

                  To learn more about the other incredible tools and resources Dean has available for agents go to GoGoAgent.com  and ListingAgentLifestyle.com.

                  Need help targeting the perfect niche of sellers or buyers? 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 3 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

                  1. The Free 2018 Real Estate Business Plan.

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

                  2. The 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

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

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

                  Also…check out these cool tools 🙂

                  Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

                  MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

                  Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand