If what you have planned this week does not include prospecting and marketing for new leads, then you should rework your plan. Nothing you do during your business week is more important than adding new names to your contact management system. The ways to generate real estate buyer and seller leads have not changed very much over time. Floor duty, open houses, just listed and just sold cards and letters, calling expired listings, calling FSBO, calling family and friends, advertising in the newspaper are several of the tried and true ways to increase your business. Today savvy agents are also taking advantage of the internet through blogging, personal website and lead generating companies to increase their business.

Make this week less about the non important stuff and more about lead generation and you will reap the benefits!

In my opinion the American Lifestyle Magazine looks good, has interesting articles and is a great reminder marketing piece for agents to send to their past customers and for use as a marketing/branding/prospecting piece.

I have numerous agents from 2 different branch offices say that their past clients appreciate the professional, upscale look and quality of the magazine and that referrals and new business have resulted from the agent’s direct placement of the magazine.

If you are looking for a unique marketing piece that will get noticed, check out the American Lifestyle Magazine.

You may want to try writing about something else. People go to the internet to find things, places, or events in their community. These are the same things, places or events that you already go to or have found.

• Where can you get take out Chinese?
• Where can I find a cheap used car?
• Where can I find a clothing donation drop off box?

Those are 3 examples that showed at the top of my Google search when I typed in; “Where can I find Kissimmee”. It just so happens I know where there is good Chinese take out in the area, I know a couple of honest reliable used car salesmen in the area and I can point you to 2 or 3 different drop off locations for your donations.

With this local information, I can write a short, informative blog post that others will find useful. I’ll provide directions, perhaps post a picture or two, offer a review and anything else that matters to me, because there is a good chance it will matter to the reader of my post as well.

“Helping people find things” blog posts are a good way to brand you as a real estate agent who knows the local community. Over time people who visit your blog will see you as a great source of information, not only about where to find things, but about the community in general, including the real estate market. The next time you are stuck on what to write, give this a try. I think you will find that sharing of this type of information is much easier to put on paper.

•  How about spending the morning uploading your most recent contacts to your contact management system and then create a new drip email campaign or newsletter? 
• The early hours are a perfect time to add something new and interesting to your Facebook business page. 
• Blogging in the a.m. is a perfect time to let people starting their day know how the market is or where the best coffee can be found in town. 
• Thank you cards can be written while the sun is rising, just remember to ask for the referral. 
• Visit Twitter or local community forums and see if there are area specific questions from the night before left unanswered. 
• Finish up your neighborhood newsletter while eating your bagel.

Any of these task could result in a new buyer or seller for you and can be accomplished at the crack of dawn.  It is a great way to get a head start on  your competition and will set the course for a productive day!

What are some of your suggestions for prospecting at the crack of dawn?

What is working, what has not produced any results and what have you been meaning to try?  Those are thoughts that should be a part of your Monday.  Will you spend the week calling your center of influence?  Will you be spending the majority of your time this week prospecting for new buyers, new sellers or outgoing referrals?

My suggestion for this Monday is to plan on spending time each day this week contacting 5 new people.  Start a spread sheet that lists the 5 people you talked to, their phone number, email address, and a brief description of the contact made.  Follow up by adding these 5 people to your contact management solution and send them a personal hand written card.  

It’s Monday, you do know where your customers and clients are, go contact them!

 Once every other month or so a 4^th quartile producer in my office will tell me about a contact they made through some form of print media they are using.  Their update will almost always include them telling me the new contact proves that print advertising still works.

 But will it lead to success?

 The 2010 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers completed by NAR reports that only 2% of buyers use print media when starting their home search.  2%.  The same amount of buyers who utilize the very productive “home buyer seminar”. (Insert sarcasm)

 It is important to identify and learn how to use the right tools if you wish to succeed in the real estate sales business.  With the majority of home buyers starting their home search online, an obvious tool you should be using is the internet.  You do not have to be an internet celebrity to enjoy success through your efforts.  You just need to know where buyers and sellers are and then be there.  That sounds similar to the way this business has always been done successfully, even prior to computers.

All of this being true, it would seem wise to have an online presence to substantiate your belief. As crazy as it seems, as agents reduce the amount of money they spend on print advertising, they are not as quick to invest in online advertisement resources.

I would encourage each of you to spend the next several months building up your online presence. There are many avenues available in which you can start building your own online identity including; Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, company provided website, online contact management services and Realtor.com.

For those who want to take their online marketing a step further, you should consider having a professional website created that include an IDX solution for customers to search for homes at your site. You might also want to consider investing in marketing and branding ads on sites such as Yahoo.com, Trulia.com or Zillow.com.

Here are a few links that provide instruction and tips that will help you get started on this new path to business!

Building a blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY

Start Facebook account: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-New-Facebook-Account

Field guide to effective online marketing: http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg203

Jar opener

The jar opener is a common promotional item used by associates of my company. The benefits of the jar opener are its many uses, and relatively inexpensive cost to brand and purchase. We keep boxes of jar openers on hand and encourage the associates to pass them out when the meet a customer for the first time, in office or while canvassing a local neighborhood. Several years back I offered, via my website, to send anyone who emailed me a request, a free jar opener. Within the next few days after making the offer I received hundreds of requests from people throughout the world.

Other promotional items

There are many different types of marketing pieces you can choose from besides key chains, calendars and magnets. You have a better chance of your item being kept and your name remembered if you put some time and thought into what you decide to use. You should try and tailor the item to your niche or area or expertise.

• Umbrellas
• Coolies
• Mouse pads
• Pens
• Stress toys
• Tote bags
• Mugs
• Hats or visors

Of course none of these items will help you or your business if they stay stuffed away in a closet or storage area. You have to get yourself in front of as many people as possible to pass out your freebie and hopefully add another name to your business network.

photo credit by oskay

As agents we should pay particular attention to our spending habits and why we choose the companies and services that we use daily. They can provide insight into the mind of a potential customer, because we are also potential customers and as such we think like a customer thinks.  So what is there to be learned from where we purchase our gas?

I can count on one hand the number of times I have actually walked into the gas station’s building over the past year. I am sure that inside the station there will be a smiling sales person behind the cash register offering a warm greeting, maybe even a manager watching over the comings and goings, making sure shelves are stocked. I am usually in a hurry and have no need for a huge soda pop in a cup or a pack of gum. I’ll buy the station’s gas even without the warm and fuzzy greeting or any direct selling of their product. Why?

There are 3 reasons that I can think of for buying gas at a particular station without ever going in to speak with a sales associate.

1. I have a need.
2. They are are able to handle my need.
3. Convenience.

I have a need

I have a need for gas, so a purchase is going to follow. From the customer viewpoint, the need comes first and starts the purchase process rolling. Buyers and sellers of real estate have a need as well.

• Seller needs to relocate.
• Buyer needs to stop renting and buy a home.
• Seller needs to short sell their home.
• Buyer needs to use FHA or VA financing.
• Seller needs to purchase another home after selling theirs.
• Buyer needs to purchase a home in a specific area.

They are able to handle my need

I know that the gas station can fill my need. How do I know? I can see that they have gas pumps. I see other people buying gas ahead of me. They have a big sign advertising that they are a gas station and have a variety of grades of gas to sell.

Do customers know that you can fill their real estate needs? Do you make sure your marketing and prospecting efforts carefully outline what you offer that fills the needs of others?

• Do you promote yourself as a relocation specialist?
• What have you done this year that clearly identifies you as an agent that can assist first time homebuyers?
• Do you make sure your market knows that you have the education and qualifications to assist sellers with the short sale process?
• Who knows that you can help a buyer obtain a FHA or VA loan?
• Buying a home while selling one is more complex; does your customer base know you to be a knowledgeable real estate professional?
• Are you the area/city/town expert?

If we are to learn from the gas station, the customer would need to know all about us even without or before meeting us.  How is that possible?

Word of mouth, marketing and prospecting that accentuates your services.

Your current and previous customers are walking billboards. Your family and friends are your radio and TV spots, reaching into hundreds if not thousands of households with a message about you. Word of mouth will let people know that you can fill their needs before they ever meet you.

Does your marketing and prospecting accentuate what the customer is really concerned about, their needs? Is your message clear, for instance, that you are a relocation specialist and do you offer examples of how that benefits them. Do they know you understand the fears and concerns with buying a home for the first time and are able to guide new home buyers successfully through the process? Remember your goal is to introduce your skills to the customer and let them know what you can do for them before getting face to face.

Convenience

I pass by several gas stations on my way to the one I most commonly use because of the convenience of using this station. I know where to find the station, they are easy to find, easy to use, and are able to provide me what I need when I need it. If not, I search for the next “known” gas station I need.

Can potential customers say the same thing about you? Do you have enough for-sale signs out in the neighborhood that make it easy for a new customer to find you? There is a phrase, “you list to last” and the reason I find this to be true is because listings result in new customers calling the phone number(s) on the for-sale signs. Are you online? Do you take advantage of social media sites leaving online directional signs to you? Can the potential buyer or seller conveniently locate you anytime of the day or night from their home or office? Do you answer the phone? This is a biggie. Are you always letting calls go to voicemail putting all of the work on the caller to either leave a message or move on to a more convenient agent? If we are to pattern ourselves after a service such as a gas station, we need to be around every corner, open for business and ready to serve the needs of our customers.

We can learn from our everyday purchases

There is a lot for us to learn from our own buying and spending habits. Analyzing why we purchase from one store or vendor over another will help us reach more of the customers we seek. Start making mental or written notes as to why you shop a certain store or read one direct mail piece over another and then incorporate what motivates you into your own real estate business.

Photo Credit by the Italian voice

I have also found another opportunity available to real estate agents just before the start of football season. An opportunity not often thought of is blogging about the upcoming season schedule for the local high school, college or professional team. Real estate blogs that offer more than just housing statistics will attract more readers. You will be surprised to discover how many people in your local community are searching online for the date and time of the next football game. Once they have discovered your blog and see all the great information available to them, it is very likely that they will subscribe or put your blog in their favorite places.

Kick off this football season with a blog post or two about the local season and watch your visitor count grow.