Your 30-Day Countdown To 2008!

Many real estate columnists and business coaches are now talking about setting your goals for 2008, since we have just over 30 days left in 2007.

Well, that's good and bad to do.

The good part is that it's a great time to start planning how you want to set up your business plan for 2008, but...

...the bad part is most real estate agents have already mentally written off the last 30 days of 2007 to 'holiday parties' or 'no one is in the mood to buy or sell' or 'the market is terrible so why try'.

These EXCUSES are just that...EXCUSES.

You still have 9.5% of your year left! Don't slow down!

Don't be like most real estate agents in the market right now. It's time to take action to either finish 2007 with a couple of more sales or at least set up 2008 with some great leads that will happen after the first of the year.

Here are 5 steps you can take to make these last 30+ days profitable to you:

1. Go back through all of your warm and cold leads from the past 3 months. They're either in your day timer or on yellow post-it notes or who knows where. Contact them to see if they've already bought or sold or do they plan to buying or selling within the next
   60 - 90 days.
   
2. Contact all of your current sellers and if their homes have been on the market for more than 2 weeks without a price change, see if they're willing to adjust their price some more. Competitively priced listings are still selling. Unfortunately, it's just that most listings are still over-priced.
   
3. Contact all of your buyers and see where they stand right now. Have they been pre-approved by a lender? Are they ready to make an offer on a property? Especially during the next month, keep in close contact with them...it's easy for them to get distracted too. Sellers with homes on the market over the holidays are highly motivated.
   
4. Contact your inactive clients. Wish them well for the holidays...ask if there's anything you can do for them...do they have any mortgage questions...do they need a contractor...be their real estate resource. Also, update their e-mail address. People change those more often than you think.
   
5. Lastly, spend time with your family in the coming month. But work when you schedule it and play & relax when you have time to do it. All work and no play makes for a crabby agent. Set daily activities to complete before you finish your business each day.
   
   

The more you stay active in December, the better first quarter you'll have in 2008. If you go into your office to work each day, don't worry that most agents aren't there. Take advantage of the quiet and forge ahead to achieve your goals for the month.

If you do everything you set your mind to do for the next 30 days, you'll be very happy when the Times Square Ball drops on New Year's Eve.

To your success,

Dan

All content copyrighted © 2007 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

Today is Thanksgiving!

As we give thanks today on Thanksgiving, take time out to think about what you're thankful for.

Why not go around dinner table and have each person say what or who they are TRULY thankful for this year.

For many agents, this year has been tough - financially, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Maybe you've worked twice as hard for half the commission this year. Maybe you've had to deal with a lot more difficult clients this year. Maybe real estate hasn't been enjoyable for you this year.

Well, be thankful for everything you have in life, because there are hundreds of millions of people, who are in a lot worse situations than you and I right now.

Think about our troops in harm's way every day...the hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshan people now suffering from the cyclone that hit their country last week...the homeless - men, women & children...the unthinkable pain and suffering happening around the world...

Take a moment to think about how blessed we are to be living in the greatest country in the world.

When times get tough, you need to look at how you can do things differently, so that you can maintain or exceed your expectations.

The real estate market doesn't always have 5%, 10%, 20% or more appreciation every year. We've been very fortunate for many years and now we're in a changing market. Don't forget that the housing market always goes through cycles...some longer than others.

But remember, homes are still selling in our market. The ones with the best pricing, in the best condition and are effectively negotiated...are selling.

So take time out this week and think about the good things and the people you're closest to in your life. Have you picked up the phone to see how a sick relative is doing or checked up on a distant cousin who you used to be close to?

We all can get too wrapped up in our daily, busy lives and we wonder where all of our time goes.

Take time out to look over your schedule and see how you can work more efficiently, so that you can have more time to do the things you love doing and spend more time with the people you love too.

Thanks for letting me share my tips with you each week.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

To you and your family,

Dan

Can Classified Ads Yield You Better Results?

While real estate advertising continues to decrease in newspapers, many brokers and agents continue to promote themselves and their listings in that print medium.

Is that the right or wrong thing for them to do?

I can't answer that question, because I don't know what results they're getting.

The right question to ask is: "Through tracking their advertising, are they getting quality leads from that advertising medium?

It's a two-part result to analyze, because they may be getting lots of quality leads, but are they converting them to listings and sales? That's a topic for another day.

Today, I want you to look at your classified newspaper advertising.

If you submit listings into your local newspaper each week, are your ads just like everyone else's ads?

Be honest with yourself!

That is the easy way to do it sometimes, because you don't have to put much thought into the process of writing the ad...and you are really thinking that the ad won't do much to generate any leads any way, aren't you?

We've all been there at one point or another. It's 5 minutes until the ad deadline and you're scrambling to come up with some text just to get the ad in on time.

Well now, let's try something different.

Let's look at designing a template that you can use for your listings that are hopefully more effective and bring you more leads.

Doing it this way allows you to follow a format that can bring you better results and you can also TEST different aspects of it over time to see which versions draw the most interest from consumers.

Isn't that what you're ultimately after?

YOU HAVE ONLY SECONDS TO GRAB the consumer's attention!

2...3...4...5 seconds at most.

What's the purpose of an ad?

No, it's not to list everything but the kitchen sink. :)

The purpose of an ad is to get the consumer to contact you.

Why would they call you and how would they reach you?

Have you given them a HOT BUTTON in your ad to make them sit up and take notice?

Please don't say "3bd, 1bth, FP, LLWO on CDS st".

If you do, you're throwing your money down the drain.

What is it about your listing that's going to make someone want it badly?

It's either PLEASURE or GREED.

Consumers either fall in love with a property, seeing something in it that really attracts them to the property or if it's a plain jane, for example, then you have to hit their GREED button...it's too good of a deal to pass up.

So here's what you should have in your ad:

• Neighborhood name
• property address
• price range..."in the $180's" (qualifies buyers - don't need to be exact)
• a couple of HOT features that connect with PLEASURE or GREED
• property web site (Photos at www...)
• your direct phone number

You want to get the consumer to take the next step of either going online to get more information about your listing or to call you to ask you some questions.

If you have any questions about this topic, please e-mail me at dan@danweis.com.

To your success,

Dan

All content copyrighted © 2007 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

What eBay Can Teach You About Success!

I recently picked up an issue of the Business 2.0 magazine and was skimming through it, looking for articles of interest, when I came across a story about Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay.

It was such an excellent article that I wanted totear it out and share it with you.

It was an article about FOCUS and growing a business.

In the article, Meg Whitman was asked: "eBay is an amazing growth machine. What were the key decisions you made that set up the company for this kind of hyperthyroidism?"

Her answer, "The key decisions can all be characterized by focus, focus, focus. Back in March of 1998, we were faced with a decision on what categories we wanted to focus on."

"We decide to really be a collectibles company. The heaviest users were collectors. The heaviest sellers were collectors. It was a very explicit, strategic decision, because part of the group wanted to go into consumer electronics and all of these categories we are in today."

And we answered, "We have only a limited number of resources. What is the best focus that we can have?"

Wow!

That's so critical, but it's too easy to become scattered and lose sight of your goal.

Re-read that last sentence Meg Whitman said above.

Ask yourself the question this way: "I only have a limited number of resources. What is the best focus I can have?"

Meg Whitman is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. What do Meg, Tiger, Oprah and Donald Trump all know?

You need to FIND YOUR FOCUS and TAKE ACTION.

Stop doing things that take away from your FOCUS.

You can delegate, but you can't get back your time. So really look at what makes you the most money per hour and do it. Delegate the rest.

Are Your Print Ad Dollars Going Down The Drain?

I've noticed recently how in my marketplace, the Sunday real estate section of our newspaper has been shrinking ... the large company ads as well as the individual, classified ads.

It appears that more consumers are looking for properties online. (I saw a survey that said up to 8 out of 10 consumers go online searching for homes.) When many agents I've questioned ask open house prospects how they found the open house, most of them say that they found it through the Internet or by directional and for sale signs.

My questions are: Are newspaper and real estate magazine ads still working? Do you get calls? Are you tracking where your leads come from? If you're not getting calls from your ads, why are you still advertising in those places?

While the newspapers are getting fewer ads, the real estate magazine company still appear to be holding steady with the number of pages they fill in their magazines each month.

Are you only paying for classified ads in real estate magazines and newspapers, because sellers want you to?

Are sellers even asking you to do classified ads or are you still promoting it in your marketing
plan, because you just think sellers want that?

Maybe you do it, because you think your competition is still doing it. But is it an effective use of your resources?

Do you know at this moment how much you've spent this year on classified & magazine ads?

If it's not brought up in your presentation, do you need to discuss it? If you must do, yet you know it's ineffective, why not just promise to do it less frequently.

When the topic of classified advertising is brought up by a seller, I always ask them: If you were looking for a home today, would you read through little 2 or 3-line ads in the Sunday newspaper or would you prefer to go online and find photos and lots of details about different homes?

Practically, all of them say "The Internet".

To which I reply, then why would you want me to spend my marketing budget on newspaper classified ads?

Now, one reason agents may be continuing to advertise in the traditional locations is because they feel that they'll still get the occasional lead that way.

They may also be concerned that they aren't getting enough leads from their Internet presence. Well, what you need to realize is that consumers can now more easily "cloak" themselves behind their computer screens and they don't want you to know that they're there. The consumer will only 'raise their hand' if and when they need something from you.

Next week, I will talk about "Can your classified ads get you better results?"

If you have any questions about this topic, please e-mail me at dan@danweis.com.

To your success,

Dan

All content copyrighted © 2007 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

Is Your Signature Costing You Business?

I don't mean your hand-written signature, but your e-mail signature. This is an oft-forgotten, simple strategy that can make you a lot of money.

Take a look at your e-mail signature. What does it include? Many agents have their name, company, address, and 3 or 4 phone numbers in their signature.

Let's take a closer look at what can provide you with maximum benefit.

What are the most important items to be included that will make it easiest for a prospect or client to reach you?

Also, you should have direct-response marketing in your signature.

Here's an example of my client e-mail signature:

Dan Weis
Real Estate Consultant since 1985

RE/MAX Unlimited Realtors - Cincinnati, OH

cell: 513-615-1890 fax: 513-842-8830

E-mail: dan@DanWeis.com

Web site: http://cincinnatirealestatehelp.com/

Visit my blog: http://cincinnatirealestatenews.com/

___________________________________

I don't understand why agents list 3 or 4 phone numbers (office, direct line, cell, voice mail, home) on their e-mail signatures and business cards. It confuses the prospect and a confused mind takes no action. What's the one number that you're most reachable at (but have voice mail on, if you're not available to talk)? Don't have people trying to guess which number they should call you at. Give them one number.

Also, it's important to list your e-mail address, web site, blog (if you use one) and a call to action that can be used for direct-response leads.

Another strategy is to make different e-mail signatures for different groups of people. You could have one for your clients and one for your prospects. You can even break it down more to specific niche groups. You could offer each of them a different direct-response ad.

If you have any questions about this topic, please e-mail me at dan@danweis.com.

To your success,

Dan

All content copyrighted © 2007 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

Sorting To Find The Diamond Prospects!

In today's real estate market, there are sellers, who...

...can't sell, because they owe more than their property is worth,

...just want to use you for CMA information and then sell their property 'by owner',

...have a relative or friend "in the business", but they use you to gain insight to help 'them' list their property,

...interview many agents to see who will take the least amount of commission.

If one of these scenarios hasn't happened to you recently, you're not meeting enough sellers.

The reality today is that you really need to protect your valuable time for only those consumers, who you really expect to have a good chance of working with and not just pump you for information.

How do you do that?

Well, before you spend a couple of preparing a CMA and even running over to their property, it's important to ask a series of questions that will help you determine if you want to pursue this opportunity.

Remember, as a professional, you need to find out who's worthy of your time. Sellers often think they're the ones who decide if you get the job of representing them, but you should be 'interviewing' them as well to see if they meet your standards.

When a prospect contacts you, you need to let them know that prior to coming out, you need to ask them a series of questions to better help you understand their situation and see if think you'll be able to help them.

Do you really want to spend a couple of hours preparing a presentation for a seller, who just wants to know what their property is worth to see if they can re-finance?

Now, there's nothing wrong with that, if you find out upfront that that's what they want from you. Then you won't waste all of your valuable time.

Now, I always set a time over the phone to be able to ask my questions. Sometimes I can do it right then, while other times we arrange another time that works for both of us.

Here are some of the questions that I ask on the phone call: (you may have others & I'd love to hear them)

• Do you NEED to sell or do you just WANT to try to sell right now?
• Where are you moving to? When do you have to be there?
• What do you like best about your home?
• What improvement/major repairs have you made in past few years?
• How would you rate the overall condition of your home?
• Do you have any mortgages on your home? If yes, what are approximate balances?
• Are you familiar with recent home sales in your neighborhood?
• Where do you estimate your home's value to be? Not sure? Where would you guess?
• Which is more important to you: the highest price possible or a quick sale?
• If you didn't get your price, how would that affect your selling plans?
• What's your biggest concern about the home-selling process? (LISTEN!)
• What originally attracted you to buy your home?
• Have you thought about selling by yourself? (You know they have!)
• What are the most important qualities you're looking for in a real estate professional?
• Are you interviewing any other agents besides me?
• With your permission, I'd like to be the last agent you talk to. When's your last appt scheduled for?

Thanks for taking your time to answer my questions. Your answers will help me formulated a customized marketing strategy that best meets your needs.

By the way, I'll be emailing you some very imprtant information that we'll be reviewing at my appt. Please take time to go through it before we meet.


Now, with questions like those above, you'll get a pretty good idea about what the seller's motivation is, needs are and if you want to take the time to prepare a CMA and presentation.

If you currently use other questions, I'd love to hear them. What's working for you?

It's time to take control. Don't let others waste your time!

And one final point, don't tell me "I can't do a canned presentation." That's baloney! A well-rehearsed presentation won't sound 'canned'. The highest-paid professionals in all fields practice and rehearse their 'presentations'. You'll be having a dialogue with the seller, not a monologue. Let the seller answer questions and then if you need to go deeper with finding out more, you'll be able to.

This strategy takes practice, but once mastered, you'll be in the driver's seat and you'll actually end up helping the seller determine what's the best thing to do for their situation...whatever that is.

Keep me posted on how it works for you. I'd love to hear your results!

3 Simple Steps To Taking More Listings!

Are your listing appointments taking too long or are you losing out to your competitors?

Here are three steps that can help you increase your odds of bringing home more new listings.

(1) Decide the order of your presentation.

* Tour the property.

* Discuss marketing plan.

* Discuss pricing.

In what order do you normally give your presentation? What happens if you go the way noted above and after 2 hours, the sellers don't like your price. You've wasted a lot of your time, haven't you? What if you tour the property, discuss pricing and then, if in agreement, you review your marketing plan? Then, if the sellers don't like your pricing and you feel strongly about the list price, you can save a lot of time and move on to your next appt.

Don't fall into the trap of listing the home at an unrealistic price, because you can end up with a lot of headaches. Provide the sellers with detailed market data and show them what the market is doing right now. Determine which order works the best for you and fine-tune it.

(2) Do a pre-listing phone consultation.

Assemble a list of questions that you can ask the sellers by making a 10-minute phone call. You will be able to decipher which sellers are more serious about selling and you'll gain information on what some of the seller's "Hot Buttons" are and that leads me to step #3.

(3) Pre-empt the seller's objections by covering them in your presentation.

Once you learn about what concerns the sellers have, you can bring them up as a part of your listing presentation as though they are normal concerns of most sellers. When you address the seller's concerns before they have a chance to object, you're in more control of the situation and are guiding them to an outcome that is best for their situation. So, before your next listing appointment, take some time to find out what the seller's needs and concerns are. Then cover those items in your listing presentation and finally, figure out the best order for your listing presentation to help you gain a new, salable listing.

To your success,

Dan