Have you ever wondered what the advantages are to having a featured listing package for your listings?  In this article I’m going to show you why you may want to consider getting a featured listing package.

Do you get pissed off when other agents pick buyers off your listings? We are going to address that too!

I know it’s annoying…

Most agents list their properties on the MLS and click the button that feeds to the BIG real estate search websites like Trulia, Zillow, and Realtor.com.  You might think that you are doing everything you can to market your listing correctly, but are you?

You should have 3 goals for every listing you take;

1. Create lots of exposure for the property with a GREAT online presentation.
2. Impress the seller (they will be your first online showing GUARANTEED).
3. Leverage listing for spin-off business.

Let’s examine the difference between having a featured listing package on the sites vs. not having one.

We have featured packages with Realtor.com, Homes.com, and Trulia.  As of the time of this writing Zillow is the only site that does not have a featured listing package. Instead you to must buy zip codes. Once you have an active zip code account and spend a certain amount per month with Zillow, you will get 5 featured listings at a time. Pricing is always changing so I won’t quote anything in this article.

I’m going to show you why I think that ALL listing agents should have the featured packages. I like to refer to this as listing optimization.

Your Listings Should Be Used To Pick Up Spin Off Business

One of the most annoying things to me is when another agent shows your listing and they meet the potential buyer for the first time at the property. The showings always very awkward and most times the showing is unqualified and it’s a waste of time.

Don’t get mad at the buyers agent for trying to pick up new clients. Get mad that you didn’t get the call!

Having a featured listing package is how you avoid sharing your listing with other agents. If you don’t have a featured package, you will have other agents advertised on your listing page. These agents are paying to be there.

Non-Featured Package On Trulia

VS.

Featured Package on Trulia

RedFin is the only site that you cannot buy a featured listing package on. RedFin owns their search site as it’s used to generate buyer leads for their agents.

Add Call To Actions To Drive Potential Leads Back To Your Site

The second reason I believe in featured packages is because they allow you to have a much better online presentation of your listings. You are able to add in videos, call to actions, and spruce up the overall attractiveness of your listing.  These screen shots are from Realtor.com’s back end.

I’m able to add in headlines that make my listing more attractive to click on such as, “Top Floor With Amazing Skyline Views” (something that would make the listing more likely to be viewed online).

I’m able to add in a special message box where I can place an additional call to action to get online buyers to click and go back to my website where I have a better chance of creating a lead.

I can add in my property video that can be branded to me.

I can add in my property website and get Realtor.com views to click back to my webpage on my site and then tease that online traffic to opt in for something else on my site to create a lead.

I can add in an additional text description other than the MLS remarks.  This is where I would ask the seller to write an emotionally based description of what they loved most about living in the home.

All of these things create a much better online presentation of your listing online.

All of these things also put you in a better position to create spin-off business from your listing.

All of these things make your sellers happy.

Here’s what a listing looks like that’s fully optimized on Realtor.com.

Here’s what a listing on Realtor.com looks like not optimized.

Do you see the difference?

We have received listing calls from this.  Sometimes, clients can see your video and like the way you did it.  You never really know up front how much more business you will retrieve from this, but I can tell you that it’s the little things you do on each listing that lead to the next deal.

So, should you get a featured listing package for your listings going forward?

That’s going to be up to you to decide, but I would start by outlining your goals of each listing. If you share the same goals as I outlined, then I would if I were you.

Real estate is not a hard business, but it’s a hustle business.  The question you should ask yourself is if you feel like you are in the right hustle?

Check out the links on this post and please comment below.  I would love to hear from you.

If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

Do You Know The 3 Marketing Systems To Set Up In Your Real Estate Business To Avoid Cold Calls & Prospecting Forever?

Creating systems to keep business opportunities coming is very important to running a successful real estate business. If you like marketing systems you should check this out…

What’s your job as a listing agent?

It should be to properly market your listing for sale in addition to facilitating the transaction with great customer service.  The most important part of marketing a listing is it’s presentation.  Your listing presentation is the way you portray your listing to the public for sale. It’s how it appears, looks, and is positioned online.

Your main goal  for every listing should be to make your listing appear so desirable that buyers would be STUPID not to take a look at it. This is why a seller is hiring you!

It’s a fact that your first showing will take place online.  Actually most of your showings will take place online.  People will sift through properties online and note the ones they like. If your online presentation SUCKS, then you just screwed up a potential showing.

THE FIRST PART OF OUR JOB IS TO MAKE HOUSES LOOK GOOD SO THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THEM.

THE SECOND PART OF OUR JOB IS TO THEN TAKE THAT GOOD LOOKING HOUSE AND MARKET IT TO THE WORLD

So, where do you start?

You start with getting professional pictures and videos.

Professional Pictures

It’s 2016 and believe it or not there are still agents out there who list properties with the worst pictures EVER. I know this may seem like common sense for most full time agents, but you CANNOT risk doing a poor job. If your listing pictures are bad, you are deterring potential showings from inquiring.

What do you think your seller thinks of bad pictures?  I found this picture on the internet and I think it was a FSBO so go figure, but it shows how professionalism is needed in our industry. Do you think this house sold?  I mean who wants to buy the house with the dick pic?

Back to more serious issues…

Have you ever seen listing pictures taken with a person or a pet in the background?

It amazes me that some listings are on the MLS without any pictures!  I mean how are people hiring some of these agents?  It’s mind boggling to me.

The key to taking pictures is that the pictures should show off the main selling features of the property.

Let me give you an example…

I have a client who is looking for a condo in the south loop of Chicago.  He is looking for a view of the skyline specifically.  If there’s no view, he doesn’t want to see it.  In my market the view is a HUGE selling point.  The very same unit without a view could cost $50,000-$75,000 less in some cases.

Anyways, while I am searching for properties I sift through the pictures first to check out the view.  He is also searching online and sending me properties with pictures that have a view! His search criteria is limited to listings with pictures that show off cool views.

He’s passing up listings on his search because there are no pictures of the view.  How many online shoppers are missing the same listing?

There’s more strategy to taking pictures then just getting a couple snap shots. You want to make sure you get the selling features of the property.  Here is a list of some possible selling features many agents wouldn’t think of shooting.

• Views
• great schools
• common areas
• neighborhood
• HUGE closets
• multiple shots of same outdoor space
• multiple shots of same kitchen from different angles
• inside of garage
• storage
• skylights

Make sure you get as many pictures done as possible.  You are selling your services short when you only take 10-12 pictures of a single property.  The more photos you take the better for marketing purposes.

Property Videos

I love property videos because not that many agents are doing them. Anytime you can find a way to stand out from what everyone else is doing, take advantage of it.  Videos allow you to do a few things. Let’s first start with the marketing component of videos.

Videos Are Lead Generators

The video below is based on a true story and one of my most popular videos on my You Tube Channel.  I had no idea that it would be so successful. Here’s the story:

This was a rental unit we made $700 on before our split.  Yes, I did a listing video on a rental!  The video cost me $200 alone so do the math. Most agents would never get a video on a rental listing. Let’s just say that this video has paid its dividends. It has over 6,000 views as of the time of this writing.  The term “Lofts For Rent In Chicago” was the keyword that got it ranked so high. Some videos get tons of views and others not so much, but this one was winner that will continue to spit out business to me.

This video made me well over $25,000 just last year.  The very first couple who called me off it was just inquiring about loft living in the city.  I ended up selling them a $400,000 condo and also listed their single family in the suburbs for $290,000. That was just one client, I have many more. The video got them to call me since I was the “loft” expert, haha! Video makes you an authority. Authorities get business without having to prospect.

Point of the story is that you never know where your next client is going to come from. Go all out on marketing every listing regardless of what you will make because every listing should be viewed as a future paycheck in addition to creating leverage for additional business. This story proves just that.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Videos Make Your Clients Happy

Another reason why I use video in our listings is because I want to provide the top notch service for my clients.  I don’t ever want them second guessing why they hired me.  Video gives you that extra push in online presentation.  It’s a fact that listing with a video will have more views and engagement. It’s also a fact that sellers will be impressed with your video services and less likely to second guess why they hired you.

We want to use videos with every listing because it’s part of our service to our clients.

Market Your Brand

Listing videos also give you an excuse to market your brand to your network in a sell without selling kind of way.  My new listing gives me an excuse to market my brand without feeling sleezy.  My friends and clients love when I post my videos on my social media sites.  It gets people to take notice of what you do for a living and serves as a referral marketing tool.

One of the goals for ALL your listing should be to leverage them into additional spin off business. Listing videos allows you to do this effectively, especially as a referral marketing tool.  Once I get a new listing I immediately post that video on Facebook and the rest of my other social media sites. I will also email it out to my database!

Video Isn’t Scary

You might not be a pro the first time you use video, but don’t worry you will get the hang of it.  I do recommend getting a professional to shoot your videos because sometimes they could back fire if you shoot a very bad one.  I used one of mine as an example below.  If you are going to make listing videos just make sure they look good.  You don’t want to post one of these…

This is a bad video don’t do this.

Conclusion

The presentation of your listing online is half the battle of implementing a REAL ONLINE MARKETING PLAN.  Your pictures and videos are there to make your listing more attractive.  If you online presentation is good, chances are you will have more showings.  That’s your job isn’t it?

Real estate is not a hard business, but it’s a hustle business.  The question you should ask yourself is if you feel like you are in the right hustle?

Check out the links on this post and please comment below.  I would love to hear from you.

If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

The jury is out and the vast majority of home buyers and sellers have spoken.  They say…

“Realtors suck, they’re lazy and overpaid. Their service blows and I don’t think they even deserve a 4% listing commission….”

Here’s the good news.  You do not have to be the status quo.

The Internet changed everything for us. It took away our biggest competitive advantage… the MLS.

Today, anyone can put their home online with a flat fee brokerage and implement the same marketing plan as 98% of the Realtors and brokerages…

Pop a sign in the yard and list it on the MLS.

A Realtor’s duties have become more customer service-oriented. We handle the facilitation of transactions and make sure once we get an offer that it closes.

But should we be doing more?

What are you doing to market a property other than popping a sign in the yard and listing it on the MLS?

Sellers expect us to implement marketing techniques to provide more exposure to their property so they can sell it faster and for more money.  The question is: what are you doing in your listing marketing systems to satisfy your clients?

Sellers understand that 98% of finding a buyer happens online now!

They will love you if you do more than the status quo.

Inman News came out with an article recently that listed the two largest threats to the real estate industry:

1. Low-quality agents: What makes a low-quality agent? My assumptions tells me that it’s an agent who sucks at their job. Their listing marketing plan involves the standard MLS listing plus popping a sign in the yard. Their service is mediocre at best and they basically answer phones, schedules showings that come off the MLS, and facilitate a transactions once they receive an offer.
2. Poor Consumer Experience: This one is pretty obvious. They thought working with you sucked and they were not impressed with how much money they had to pay you considering the services rendered.

This doesn’t happen to me.  And it’s not going to happen to you after you get done reading this article and sign up for my next bootcamp that shows you exactly how to make sellers love you!

How cool would it be if sellers never questioned paying a minimum of 5% commission? What if they signed up to pay a 6% commission without you having to sell them on anything?

No, I’m not bullshitting you. You can do this by changing the way you service your listings.

Here’s what happened…

I was in Denver at a marketing conference. During lunch one day, I met a group of marketing people and sat down to break bread.

The guy sitting next to me was pretty cool and we started talking about what he did for a living. Naturally, he asked me what I did next and I told him I train Realtors in marketing and running businesses.

He said, “No shit, I just sold my house and my Realtor was the worst. I wish you would have trained her”.

My eyes lit up because instantly I knew this was a great opportunity for some good market research.

I said, “Really? That doesn’t really surprise me, but why did you dislike her so much? Did she do anything specifically that pissed you off?”

I started taking notes.

He said, “When we met our Realtor, she came over to the house and was extremely nice. She went over some paperwork and we talked a little bit. She briefed us on the sales process, answered a few questions, had us sign some papers, and then took off. Once we went on the market, the house sold in about 2 days. I literally think all she did was list the house on the MLS and some other agent brought over a buyer and that was it. I was so pissed because this agent didn’t do a damn thing. She never went over what she was going to do to market our house or anything in detail. We literally did not know what we were paying a commission for.”

I said, “Really, so when you signed your listing agreement she didn’t outline what she was going to do to market your house and what the overall marketing strategy was?”

He said, “Nope, and that’s why I was so pissed. If she would have just listed out some things she was going to do to help sell the house, I think we would be fine with that. I could care less what her rate was as long as it was justified. It would have been nice to know what I was paying for regardless of how fast or slow the house took to sell.”

INSTANTLY a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that all he wanted was a choice. He wanted to be given options of different marketing plans and be able to choose between them. I asked him what he would think if he was presented two different marketing options. He thought it was a brilliant idea.

The used car industry did this with Car Max. Car Max gives consumers the ability to choose and make their own decisions. The car salesmen that work there do not try to sell you anything. They do the complete opposite. They try to help you choose and narrow down a selection of cars based on the type of vehicle that would suit your needs. They sell through education.

You can’t find a car on that lot? No problem. They search their nationwide database and find one in another state to have shipped to you.

You want to see if the car is a good deal or not? Great! All you have to do is look it up on Kelly’s Blue Book with one of the many computers they have to research your own value.

Car Max sells cars by not selling them at all. Their sales approach is to provide consumers with all the information they desire and let them CHOOSE.

So why couldn’t we do the same thing with the real estate industry?

We could and here’s how we do it.

The image below is directly from my listing presentation. I offer sellers two separate options or commission plans. I let them decide which one they want to have.

There are two ways to use this strategy:

First, if you are going for a 6% plus commission, then give them two options. Here’s what you get for 5% and here’s what you get for 6%. For an extra 1% you can get all of this additional marketing, which increases your overall exposure by x amount of views, clicks, likes etc..

The question you need to ask yourself, Mr. & Mrs. Seller, is that if you think the extra 1% is worth exposing your property to this many more potential buyers? Nine times out of ten it’s going to be.

Going about it this way allows a consumer to choose between the two and you really do not have to “sell” them anything. I hate selling someone something.

OR

You can use this strategy the way I use it.  I give all of my clients the 6% plan for 5% commission.  Presenting the marketing options in this way allows me to position my services in a way that’s perceived to give them a good deal.

A student of mine tried this for the first time on her best friend when she was listing their house. Before the listing appointment she was worried that her best friend was going to ask her to “give her a deal”.  She gave her the 6% plan for 5% and avoided the conversation of having to go below 5%. Sellers don’t have a problem paying us as long as our commission is justified.

This post is going to be part of a series I’m writing where I will break down the exact marketing systems I use to earn my commission!

What you think?

Did you like this article?  If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

Creating systems to keep business opportunities coming is very important to running a successful real estate business.

Would you be interested in learning more about adapting a cold marketing attraction plan in your business? Do you want to run a business instead of being run by one?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may want to check this out…

Did you ever get frustrated with the agent in your market that you see killing it? You know you have about the same marketing plan as them, but their production is way higher than yours. You both been in the business for about the same time, but what gives? You are thinking to yourself:

“What are they doing that I’m not”

“I’m way smarter than them”

“I know this market way better than they do”

“What’s their secret”

“How do I beat them”

You can have two agents performing the exact same marketing strategies, but have entirely different results. Are you curious about why this is?

So for the past two years I sat back and studied what the underlying difference is and it came down to a very simple conclusion.  Marketing, prospecting, lead generation, or whatever you want to call it comes in two forms.  You can be referred business, which is what I call warm business.  These are super easy to convert.

OR

You can have cold business, which is a potential client that you came across from one of your marketing efforts.  The difference is that you didn’t know this prospective client before.

So what’s the difference between the two agents? Why is one getting such better results than the other and they are doing the same thing?

Approach.

Here’s how cold lead generation works.

You get a lead.  Either they called you (permission based marketing) or you cold called them (this sucks). Regardless of how you come into contact, you have someone on the phone.

The primary goal of any lead should always be to set an appointment.  So therefore you need to build rapport before you set a face to face.  Getting that prospect to agree to meet with you depends on if they think you are worth meeting. To be worth meeting they must LIKE You and think you can add value to them.

Your primary goal should be to get them to like you as soon as possible.  How is this done?

In order to get others to like you, you must understand how communication is perceived.  If you can master the skill of communicating effectively, you are 75% of the way there.

60% of all communication is based on tone!

30% of all communication is based body language!

10% of all communication is based on content or what you actually say!

I learned this from my coach, which is the only reason I know about it. Think about how important the first 10-15 seconds is with any cold lead you speak to on the phone? The initial tone you have sets the pace of the call.  It’s your first impression! The more energy you bring the easier it is to build rapport!

When you are meeting with people in person, your body language is super important. It’s the way you shake someone’s hand to the direct eye contact you make. If your body language is weak and displays no confidence at all then you are more likely to come off as weak or incompetent.   This is deep stuff!

Nobody remembers what the hell you say unless its really interesting. If you have great tone and confident body language you are 90% of the way to getting someone to love you.

Conversion is sort of like dating.  Think about your significant other or your first serious boyfriend or girlfriend.  You knew if you were attracted to them in the first 15 seconds based on what they said and how they handled yourself.  Yes looks help, but on the phone there are no looks. If your mate was belligerently drunk slurring their words you probably may have lost attraction instantly.  If they were Rico Suave, the opposite happened.

Setting appointments with potential clients is exactly like this.  You have to “attract” them within the very first seconds you open your mouth! When you are doing this on the phone it’s all about your tone!  Are you excited when you answer your phone like, “HELLO THIS IS MIKE WHAT’S GOING ON”

OR

Do you sound like Ben Stein from the dry eyes commercial?

As I studied the personality of different agents I noticed the one differences between agents who convert very well compared to those who couldn’t schedule an appointment if their life depended on it.

Here are the traits I found the conversion pros to have:

Serving- The initial tone they use when they answer their phone made you want to give them a hug. They were very straightforward and were looking to help people, not sell them. If your initial tone from the second you take a call is very positive they led to more appointments. If they were having a bad day, not so much.

Friendly– The agent upon their call back would be more focused on talking about the prospect’s dog than anything else trying to build a rapport. They initially focused on building rapport vs. trying to pivot directly to a real estate conversation.

Educator– They focused on helping the potential lead get the answers they were looking for first. They didn’t talk about themselves at all and focused more on helping them than personal gain. If the potential client asked a crazy question they told them straight up it was a crazy question.

No Script– I hate scripts.  it’ sounds super cheesy and many people know you are reading off something. The way to schedule more appointments is when everything comes off as natural.  There is no script in the world that can prepare you for a call for since you don’t know what someone is going to call about.  If you are going the cold calling route, then maybe you have an idea of what you are going to say, but it has to be value first driven.

Honesty– The agent told them straight up the truth and didn’t try to beat around a bush.  If the property they were inquiring was a piece or crap, they told the potential client it was a piece of crap.  No BS, just straight shooters.

Focus all your “scripting” on relationship building.  Once you adapt this mindset you can throw your script in the garbage. Remember that people don’t want to be sold, they want to be served. Don’t chase deals, chase relationships! The best way to sell is to not sell anything at all.

What you think?

Did you like this article?  If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

Creating systems to keep business opportunities coming is very important to running a successful real estate business.

Would you be interested in learning more about adapting a cold marketing attraction plan in your business? Do you want to run a business instead of being run by one?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may want to check this out…

Do you know what sellers want from you?

They want a real marketing plan that consists of doing more than listing a house on the MLS and putting a sign in the yard. Sellers don’t want just any Realtor, they want a marketer!

So how do you talk more like a marketer and less like a Realtor?

If you can speak to each seller about these 3 very important marketing points, you will do very well on your listing presentations. I like to call these the 3 ways to position any property for sale. Let’s take a look!

Pricing Positioning

The way you price a property is the most important part of positioning. Since virtually every real estate search is being performed online right now, you want to explain to your seller how people search online. They search in $25,000-$50,000 increments. That means that each time you price change into a $25,000-$50,000 increment, you will literally reach an entire new audience who previously was not seeing your listing on their radar. Most sellers don’t realize this and when you point this out in detail, you look like a ROCKSTAR.

Pricing positioning, many times, is the key to getting an offer. It’s amazing what a repositioning in price can do for your listing even if the price change is only $5,000. You should have a pre-planned pricing strategy laid out for your seller upfront should your initial offering not get enough traction to create an offer.

Case Study:

We took over a listing from an agent who had the property listed for over 250 days without one price change.  Nobody wants to buy the house that sat on the market FOREVER. When we took the property over we decided to list it at $214,900.  This was only a $5,000 price change from when it was previously listed at $219,900. The seller was taking a big loss on the property so every dollar counted!  We sat on the market for roughly 3-4 weeks.  We were getting showings and even received a second showing, but no offers.

I had to have a heart to heart with the seller and tell him that we needed to go below the $200,000 to get an offer. I knew this because we would then be targeting the “up to $200,000” buyer pool and were missing out on everyone capping their searches at $200,000. Within 4 days, we received an offer within $1,000 of list price. The buyer didn’t want to lose out on that deal!  That’s pricing positioning!

TIP: Always try to tell stories of past experiences. It helps people understand much better and you will get your point across more effectively.

Market Time

This is one of the most important things an agent can express to their client. The longer a property sits on the market, the more likely the seller will get low-balled. WHY? Because nobody wants to buy the house that nobody else wanted. When a property gets listed for sale, everyone takes notice of it. Your best chance of getting an offer is the first few weeks it’s on the market.

People are more likely to pay more for a house when the thought of it being taken away from them by someone else is present. Someone will pay more for something they feel will be gone tomorrow. When speaking about price with your seller it’s very important that you explain this to them in detail.

When you get a seller that wants to try to test the market and shoot for an unrealistic price, just make sure they know the consequences up front of accumulating market time.

Description Positioning

How you describe a property is extremely important when marketing online. You have to remember that your listing remarks are like the storyboard of the house. You want to focus on the benefits of the property and provoke curiosity. If you have good property pictures and a video, you don’t need to use all your remarks doing what the pictures and video does.

You want your remarks to focus on what it’s like owning that property. Is it close to a highway, good school district, lake, nightlife, or public transportation? What about closet space, yard, storage, and light? These are things you cannot see in the pictures or videos and should be focused on in the remarks. You want to sell the area and property benefits.

If it was an investment type property where you knew the buyer would be an investor, you should focus your remarks on CAP rates, cash on cash returns, and cash flow. You will want to speak “investor language” so that you can resonate with them.

Regardless of the type of property you are selling, you want to create an ideal buyer avatar and then try to speak or strike a cord with that buyer.

Case Study:

I am going to use another example from the same case study.  The property in the above case study was on the north side of Chicago in a neighborhood that Loyola University is located in.  It’s a short walk to Lake Michigan and public transportation, which is the draw for living in that area.   I told the seller upfront that their buyer was going to come from one of these categories.  These are the listing remarks on this exact listing that were used.

“PRICED TO SELL!Recent gut rehab w/all the upgrades galore steps from Lakefront,Loyola,& Redline stop around the corner.Ultra convenient location.Super bright unit feels brand new w/ exposed brick,featuring hardwood flrs throughout,cherry cabs,Stainless Steel appliances, granite c-tops,3 large bedrooms and both baths completely upgraded.Nice size deck off living room for grilling & outdoor space,pkg leased,storage room”

I knew that I had to focus on the location to really talk to that buyer.  The couple who purchased this condo loved to take walks on the lake.  They are lake people and the remarks about vicinity of lake are what stood out to them. That’s what we concentrated the message on and they later confirmed this is what got their attention. This is Description Positioning!

Marketing Positioning

This should be your step by step marketing plan. This is where you show them you do more than list property on MLS with a sign in the yard.  Once you have created your ideal buyer avatar you should have a good idea of where to focus your marketing efforts. If I was selling a 1BR 1BTH condo in downtown Chicago, I know that the buyer will probably be a single person under the age of 34.

Therefore, I would focus certain marketing efforts trying to reach that demographic.  One thing I would do is create a Facebook ads campaign to target all nearby zips under those demographics (Facebook just 1 example of using social media to market listings). I would then also optimize my You Tube video for the same results and write a blog focusing on the neighborhood the property is located in. You want to steer all marketing efforts towards your ideal buyer avatar. You have a better chance of picking off spin off business this way as well.

This is literally our checklist of what we complete on every listing we take.  Copy it.  I think you can see how we overwhelm our clients with marketing.

Did you like this article?  If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

How Do You Find More Clients?

Creating a better system to service your listings is one of the things you can be doing to increase spin off business, but it’s not everything.

Would you be interested in learning more about adapting a several marketing systems that work simultaneously in your business to create multiple lead sources? Do you want to run a business instead of being run by one? Do you hate cold calling or cold prospecting?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may want to check this out…

UPDATED 3-18-16

It’s 2016 and I want to give you one of the best real estate marketing tips that you may come across this year.

Ready….

The best real estate marketing tips are…drum roll please….

Overload any and all prospects with as much content as possible that answers all their questions and concerns.  If you want to practice real estate this way, then you must know what content marketing is. Once you do, you can take the principles of content marketing and apply them to virtually everything you do in your real estate business in person and even online.

WHY?

Because people no longer want to be sold and real estate agents should not be in the business of selling anyone anything. They are in the business of helping people with their housing problems. If you want to sell real estate without having to close anybody, then this is how you do it.

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is defined as creating informational content intentionally purposed for consumers who may be seeking that very information. You then use that content to attract potential business to you. Content can be anything that is informational in real estate for consumers. It could be a blog post, the way you give a listing presentation, or even the way you take inbound cold leads.  It’s anything you present to an audience or potential client that educates them on your business vs. shoving some kind of sales pitch down someone’s throat.

For example: Someone might want to know how to sell and buy a house at the same time.  I wrote an article about that very subject and ended up picking up some leads off of it.  The leads found me through the article I wrote and promoted.  In this case I was using content to create a blog post and then promote that blog post to the very audience that is seeking that information through Facebook ads.   I know that this is a little advanced, but I want you to take the concept of content marketing and apply it to virtually everything you do in your real estate business.

You can find a link to that article here.

7 Steps To Selling & Buying A House At The Same Time

Let me tell you why you want to approach your business with a content based approach.

People hate to be sold.  Have you ever enjoyed being sold anything?  On the flip side everyone loves to be able to buy things. but as long as they are on their own terms.  People like to arrive at their own decisions, not be told what to do.  It should be our job to lay out all of their options so they can make their own decisions.

I recall my first year in the business over a a decade ago. I was showing a buyer client a condo and I will never forget the cheesy Realtor that was sitting in the open house of this new development.  He was the stereotype of what so many people would think a Realtor is.  He had huge teeth and a very creepy smile and he says to my client and I as we are walking out the door, “So should I get the ball rolling on this paperwork and tie this one up for you?”

My client was so annoyed because of the way he said it. It felt slimy and sleazy. At the time I didn’t know any better because I was so new to the game, but looking back at it I see that this incident had an effect to how I approached everything in my business.

I learned right away, because I was young, that I had to approach any potential lead with content overload.  I learned to become an educator vs. a salesman. Since I was only 22 years old I had to do something to get people to trust my advice on their housing problems.  I came up with a kick ass buyers presentation and invested 45-60 minutes with every client lead I had before I took them out on showings.

I did this for 2 reasons.

1. It showed them that I cared what they were looking for.  I took time out of the day to help them understand the buying process by educating them. They then had a lot more trust in me and time spent working with someone lessened.
2. They became loyal to me and didn’t go behind my back and buy something else. I focused on the relationship aspect which in turn resulted in more referrals.

Approaching real estate with a content based approach allows you to sell without having to actually sell anything.

You don’t have to be an expert blogger to approach your business in a content rich approach.  You can just apply this concept to everything you do.  Take the salesmanship out of it and learn to sell without actually selling.  That’s right sell without selling. Lead by educating or supplying content to others.

People only use Realtors for our advice in the market and the process of buying or selling.  So if you want to be a good agent, know your market and perfect the process of buying and selling!

Let’s look at some examples of how to use these real estate marketing tips in practice.

Content Marketing For Cold Lead Generation

Lets go over different types of sellers you can target with a content rich approach from a cold lead generating perspective.  When approaching a specific target audience the first question you should always ask yourself is, “How can I provide value to this person?”.  Your answer to that question is exactly how you should approach that individual whether you are cold calling them or you are sending them a marketing piece.

FSBO’s- This is an easy one.  You know they don’t want to list with an agent hence the FSBO, but how can you provide them value?  If they are selling their house then perhaps you can help them out with some of the following advice to begin building a relationship with them. Do not go after the listing.  Go after the relationship! We know they have no idea what they are doing and the vast majority of FSBO’s will end up listing anyways. My advice is to start the dating process early!  Some of the links below are also blog articles I wrote to send traffic to you can read for in depth examples or use them as a guide to write your own.

• How to sell and buy a house
• How to market a house on their own
• How to get a good deal on a house
• Offer them free staging advice and a buyers consultation
• Offer to give them a CMA on house, especially if they are underpriced

Now create some content and turn it into a marketing piece and send FSBO sellers to. You can use the content in these articles as your script.

Cancelled/Expireds– You know they are most likely scarred by their previous listing not selling. So how can you provide value to them and stand out? I would approach cancelled and expired listings not as a Realtor, but as a marketer.  Show them how to position a house for sale by walking them through a marketing plan that involves more than just listing a house on the MLS and putting a sign in yard.(positioning article link below)

Cancelled or expired sellers are looking for more than just another agent. They are looking for someone that can get their house moved. They want to talk to marketers, not Realtors. They hired a Realtor the first time. One of the best ways to explain how to market a house to any seller is to talk about positioning.  You can check out this article and see what I mean by it, but I can bet you that not many agents are talking to their potential seller leads like this.

This is my script right here. Check out the article and let me know what you think.

How To Position Your House For Sale

These are two examples of audiences I would target for cold marketing efforts.  There are several different ways you can reach these sellers, but that’s a whole other course.  The point I want to make here is that you can use this concept as an idea to create a marketing piece or even a script for a cold call.

The other thing I hope you can take away from this is that you will receive a higher client conversion rate by educating than by trying to sell and close someone.

EX: FSBO Phone Script Cold Call

Agent:

Hey Mr. Seller my name is Mike and I’m an agent with Blabla.  Look, I’m not calling you to get your listing like the million of other cold calls I’m sure you are getting from my colleagues, but I’m calling to give you this DIY home sales kit that helps people who are selling their homes without an agent do everything on their own. I respect the fact that you are trying to keep as much of your equity as possible so I want to help you try to sell your house for Free.  If for some reason you can’t do it on your own then maybe you’ll give me a shot at the listing down the road.

Seller:

Well…ok I guess.

Agent:

I’m sure I’m the first one who is saying this to you because most agents want to get your listing but I do things different.  If I am able to help you sell your house then maybe you would let me help you find your next house.  As a matter of fact selling and buying at the same time is a very tricky thing to do. Do you know how that process works?

I think you understand where I am going with this. I know what the seller already wants and is more likely to open up with.

Content Marketing Approach With Sellers

We all like to get an easy listing where we don’t really have to do any kind of selling, but that doesn’t mean you should not fully educate everyone you deal with.  Let me give you a perfect example:

Your best friend is selling their house.  Obviously they are going to use you to list it, but most agents would just get the listing signed and do their thing without much explanation since they know this is a slam dunk.  When you are running a business you should never take any kind of shortcut regardless who you are serving. This includes walking your “best friend” through everything involved in selling a house as you would for a 2 million dollar potential listing that was a cold lead.

WHY?

Because your “best friend” is more than likely going to refer you more business when they see you in a professional light.  They take you more seriously when you take your whole business more seriously and treat them just like you would treat anyone else you are working with.  There’s a time to take care of business and there’s a time to to have fun.

I give every seller the exact same explanation, marketing plan, and over all customer service process because I am running a business based on systems. This is a small detail many agents take for granted.  When you can prove to your closest friends and family that you are a kick ass Realtor, they are more likely to endorse your services more frequently.  They will brag about you they will be so happy.

They will more likely be happy they hired you because you are good at what you do and not because they felt obligated to. I actually like to provide the best level of service for my close friends because they wouldn’t take me seriously otherwise. Start programming them early on sending you referrals and once they see you are good at what you do, more of them will come.

Best Real Estate Marketing Tips With Buyers

Working with buyers can be very time consuming, but they are always much easier to convert in my experience. However, it’s because they are time consuming that you should do more qualifying to make sure that whoever you work with is going to buy something.  You do this by offering to give them a buyer’s consultation.  A buyer’s consultation is nothing more than a meeting where you are doing a content overload on your potential client.

While you are educating them on how to buy a house, you are also qualifying how real they are. One of the fastest ways to burn yourself out is by showing a buyer 20+ homes only to find out they can’t even get a loan! The only person to blame in that situation is yourself.

This happens to agents all the time and is the exact reason why it’ so important to have an effective process in place.  Meeting with a buyer ahead of time also allows you to listen to what they are searching for.  If you listen well enough you are more than likely going to show them properties they want to see, which will also limit the amount of time you must invest with them.

Just in 2014, I can name off 4-5 more buyers I inherited from other agents who didn’t do any of this.  Each one of those buyers came to me already frustrated with Realtors in general.  After every meeting, they all said the exact same thing.  They were very thankful that I was taking time out of my day to go over such important details with them vs. just start taking them out.  I earned their business by doing a content overload on them. They all closed and are now referral sources for additional business.  Leverage the relationship not the sale!

Be the professor not the student!

The same way I work with sellers, I also work with buyers.  When I made first contact with these buyers my script is very simple.  I first listen to them and see how I can help them.  After a little small talk and unloading some real estate content on them to establish my authority I say something along the lines of this:

“Well let’s do this.  I don’t mind spending 30-45 minutes to grab a coffee, have a bite to eat, or even grab a beer and then you can better tell me exactly what you are looking for.  I will be able to tell you if it’s realistic or not and also walk you through some very important things to look for.  That way I don’t waste your or my own time showing you places you have no desire in seeing.  Does that sound like a plan”

Really all I did was set up a face to face education meeting so that I earn their business and further ensure they don’t cheat on me with another Realtor. I don’t care if you are my best friend, I am going to overload you with content about how to buy a house the right way so that I can earn you trust, respect, and future referrals. Many agents do not do this.  They jump in and start showing a buyer properties without fully vetting them or really listening to what they want.

It’s well worth your time to invest 30-45 minutes with a new potential buyer client for a buyers presentation regardless of who you are working with.  It will help manage your time and create a better initial relationship with your new client.

Best Real Estate Marketing Tips In Conclusion

The real estate business is very simple.  It’s about building relationships with people and maintaining those relationships over time. I believe the best way to build a business relationship with any prospect, warm or cold, is to establish an authority position as their Realtor by educating them with the concept of content marketing.

Never assume that people know everything that we know because they don’t.  Run your business by serving others in any way possible by supplying them with as much content as possible.  If you run your business this way I bet you will see an increase in referrals and client conversions.  Supplying the right content to those who seek it is the best real estate marketing tip that I can give you.

Did you like this article? Are you using a content marketing approach in every aspect of your business? If you think others could benefit from this article share it and help us get the word out by clicking the social media icons below or at the top of this post.

How Do You Find More Clients?

Creating a better system to service your listings is one of the things you can be doing to increase referral business, but it’s not everything.

Would you be interested in learning more about adapting a several marketing systems that work simultaneously in your business to create multiple lead sources? Do you want to run a business instead of being run by one? Do you hate cold calling or cold prospecting?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may want to check our system out…