10 Costly, Agent Marketing Mistakes - Part 2

Because it's easy to get 'funnel-vision' thinking, these thoughts are to help you become more aware of what's really working in your market and to help you improve your marketing systems.

The last 4 marketing mistakes I see agents making all of the time are:

• #4 - Curtail image advertising unless...
  
  Does billboard marketing work? Does shopping cart marketing work? Does plastering your face everywhere work? If it's getting you actual business, where consumers are hiring you then keep doing what you're doing. If you have a contract for bench advertising or any other long-term advertising, then you need to look closely to see if you're getting results for your hard-earned dollars. There was a time when agent and company image advertising often worked, but in today's market many consumers won't even pay attention to anything you have to say unless you are focused on serving their needs. Remember, the consumer is thinking "WIIFM" - What's In It For Me?" If you're only tooting your own horn, then the consumer could care less about you. What can you do for them? What can you offer them? How can you differentiate yourself from other salespeople?
  
• #3 - Not blogging!
  
  If you haven't started blogging, it's not too late. This is a great, FREE way to promote yourself and your services to other professionals for referrals as well as to consumers who read your posts. Having a web log (blog) is a great addition to your web site, because you get to share your expertise and thoughts about whatever it is you want to talk about. Consumers and clients get to see a glimpse of who are behind your facade, should you want to share your professional and personal thoughts on various topics. Blogs can also help you become more visible in organic, free searches done by the public. There are many free blog site platforms available. One real estate community blog site is ActiveRain - click here. Others are blogger or wordpress or realtown...
  
• #2 - Not taking educational courses!
  
  When real estate markets were HOT, agents would always say "I don't have any time right now for classes. I'm so busy." Well, most agents have a little more available time now and one of the best ways to make good use of that time is to educate yourself. I believe education can really shorten your learning curve. Have you ever heard "...the more you learn, the more you earn..." Agents with advanced designations like CRS, GRI, ABR, e-PRO, etc do, on average, earn a significantly higher amount of income than those who don't educate themselves. I think it's called "A CLUE!" When you learn new skills or improve your existing skills by taking them to the next level, you will become a better agent, a better person, a more balanced person, and more.
  
• #1 - Not focusing on money-making activities!
  
  In today's real estate climate, consumers are afraid. They watch CNN, read magazines, peruse the Internet and bad news about the economy and the housing market are everywhere. They don't know if they can qualify for a mortgage. BUT the reality is homes are still being sold, because sellers need to sell and if the price is right, buyers will buy. It's just that there's a huge inventory of homes today in most markets. So you need to focus on doing money-making activities now!

YES, prospecting - following up with leads - calling inactive clients. Do the activities that will produce sales. Because it's a numbers game out there, here's a question for you: Would you want every listing that comes your way? NO! Some homes will be in poor shape...have unmotivated sellers...be way over-priced...etc. You have to produce the numbers, so that you can find the gems that will still sell in today's market. Going back to the basics is CRITICAL! Don't think you're too good to do it...you're fooling yourself. Experienced agents, new agents and even mega-producing agents have gone back to the basics, because if you don't, you won't survive in the real estate business for very long, unless you have deep pockets and want to kid yourself. You've got to work smarter. That means being more effective with your time. Get more activities done in less time. Improve your efficiency. You'll be leaner and meaner and can survive any type of market.

Now go do it!

To your success,

Dan

Join FREE Network For Real Estate Referrals & Ideas: ActiveRain Real Estate Network

All content copyrighted © 2008 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

10 Costly, Agent Marketing Mistakes - Part I

Look around and see if you're seeing the same marketing mistakes being made out in the marketplace as I am. You may even be doing a couple of them yourself.

10 Costly, Agent Marketing Mistakes I See Agents Making Daily:

• #10 - Un-branded E-Mail Addresses
  If you're only using one e-mail address for both your business and personal purposes, you're making a big mistake. Too many agents are using an AOL, Juno, hotmail, comcast, bellsouth, etc as their primary e-mail address. When you use those services, you're marketing them, not you. You need to have multiple e-mail addresses, including one for branding you, i.e. dan@danweis.com and one for for branding your real estate business, i.e. bob@(yourcity)realestate.com. Keep it as short as possible. You can come up with a lot of creative names, but select a brand name that will be easily salable in the future when you decide to sell your real estate business.

• #9 - Not Using Signature Files
  Many agents don't even use a signature at the end of their email. You can design one that you just insert or copy & paste at the end of each e-mail you write. You should add links to have people stay at your sites longer or to provide additional information for them. Here's an example of one I use for clients and prospects:
  
  

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

My Web site: http://www.CincinnatiRealEstateGuy.com
My Blog: http://www.CincinnatiRealEstateNews.com

Who's the next person you know planning to buy or sell?
Call me & I'll take great care of them!
Need Help with Identity Theft or Legal Issues?www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/danweis

• #8 - Lack of Staging
  We've all been through properties that looked like a tornado had just gone through the home and the sellers knew someone was coming through. Since it's a buyer's market in most areas, it's critical that you help your sellers prepare their home to show in its best light possible. If they aren't willing to do much, then you need to price it accordingly or decide if you want the listing.
  
• #7 - Poorly-Taken Interior Photos
  Wow, looking at the photos of properties that are online! I'm amazed at how many homes are cluttered, have too much furniture in the rooms, show kitchen counters full of stuff, are dark photos, etc. If a home isn't ready to be photographed, you have to wonder if it's really even ready to be put on the market and available for showings. Make sure that your listing's photos are as good as possible. Sellers are costing themselves thousands of dollars and lost sales, because consumers look at their online photos and move on to the next home.
  
• #6 - ZERO or One Photo
  What you have to find out is how many photos does your MLS allow you to post online? Last year, my Cincinnati MLS went from increasing the number of allowable photos from 6 to 15 photos. That's more than double, yet there are still many listings with no photos or just one photo. Some have 3, 4, or 5 photos, but it's rare for listings to have all 15 photos posted...I'd say less than 10% of listings have the maximum allowable number. Now I understand that some properties just aren't that photogenic, but if buyers don't see photos online, they're going to wonder what's wrong with the home. If there aren't enough good photos of the interior then why not take some photos of the neighborhood amenities or schools, etc.
  
• #5 - Ineffective Classified & Magazine Advertising
  
  With approximately 80% of all buyers searching the Internet for real estate, why are you still advertising in the newspaper and real estate magazines? Now, if you track your numbers and are getting proven results from these advertising mediums, then continue using them. But if you're spending money on these mediums and you're not even getting any calls, then it's time to re-allocate your money into the Internet. It's important to track where your business comes from, because when sellers say why aren't you advertising in the newspaper, etc, you can show them that it's a waste of time and money. If you decide to use classified or magazine advertising, then make sure you promote your web site or offer a free report. That may help you increase your responses.
  

Often times, you look at these different mistakes that others are making and wonder to yourself, "Wow, I'm glad I'm not spending my money that way." But sometimes it's easy to get sucked into using a product or service that on the surface looks like it will work or that it will appease the seller, when in reality it's not going to benefit anyone except the vendor.

Next week, I'll go over the other 5 costly marketing mistakes agents are making.

To your success,

Dan

What's your BIGGEST FRUSTRATION in your business? E-mail me at: dan@agentsuccesscoach.com

Join FREE Network For Real Estate Referrals & Ideas: ActiveRain Real Estate Network

All content copyrighted © 2008 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

Are Distractions Killing Your Business?

You look at your watch and it's 5:00pm.

You say to yourself: "Already? The day just flew by."

Did you accomplish everything you set out to do today?

Did you follow a written list of items that you needed to complete today?

Our lives are so full of distractions from the phone ringing to people coming up to us and interrupting our thought patterns to putting up with the tolerations like having a messy, unorganized desk. (Sure, we say we know where everything on it. Right!)

The problem is we know in our heads what we want to do on a particular day, but we often end up doing other less-productive activities that in the short-term may not seem to make a difference, but in the long-term will cost us business.

If you have a listing appointment or are showing homes to a client, you know you won't miss those appointments. But it's the smaller details in your day - like making the client follow-up calls or contacting your prospect leads to schedule appointments or delegating some tasks for an assistant to complete.

The solution is to get serious about knowing exactly what needs to be done each day, so that you don't miss anything and your business will run more efficiently and profitably.

In today's world of technology gadgets everywhere, if you haven't been using a 'to-do list' on Top Producer, Word, Outlook or your Blackberry, etc., then it's time to at least use a 3x5 card or a sheet of paper and list everything you need to do in the day on it.

Don't get fancy!

Right now you need to keep things simple. Simple works!

If you haven't been using an automated contact management system, like Top Producer, Outlook or ACT, then start with a sheet of paper and also simultaneously copy everything into the software program, so you can get comfortable using it.

Continuity is the key. It has to become a habit. People say a habit can take 21 - 30 days to become a part of your daily routine.

When you think of something else during the day that needs to be done, write it down. Don't put them on a separate Post-It notes or little pieces of paper.

The best time to put together your next day's 'to-do list' is the night before. Write down everything you can think of. Then in the morning before you start your day, review your list to see if you need to add anything else to it.

Next, it's time to play a game called "Hyper-Focus". Start taking the action steps of completing each item on your list. Don't answer your phone...don't talk with others...just see how much you can finish in 1 hour. When you look back at the time, you'll be amazed at how much you accomplished. What normally would take you
3-4 hours, you finished in just over an hour.

Why? Because you were 100% focused on what had to be done.

If you were making phone calls, you stayed on point and didn't get distracted by talking about unrelated issues. You got what you needed and moved on to accomplishing the next item on your list.

This strategy will allow you to do 'spurts' of business in record time, which will open up your time to continue onto other projects or take some time off to be with your family.

Also, because you've already accomplished them, you won't have a bunch of small tasks floating around in your head all day waiting to be done and causing you to continually be distracted form your focus.

No real estate agent should be "ON" 24/7. Work hard and smart when you're working and enjoy life when you're off the clock.

You must set up boundaries for when you work and when you play, because life goes too quickly. If you have children, you need to enjoy them before they grow up and if you have friends, you need to make time to nurture your relationships or they'll wither away.

To your success,

Dan

What's your BIGGEST FRUSTRATION in your business? E-mail me at: dan@agentsuccesscoach.com

Join FREE Network For Real Estate Referrals & Ideas: ActiveRain Real Estate Network

All content copyrighted © 2008 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach

Are You Invisible To Today's Internet-Savvy Consumer?

Are your real estate competitors passing you by with all of the latest technology that consumers are craving?

If you don't have N.A.R.'s e-PRO designation yet, you may find yourself losing more business to those who are implementing the strategies that consumers expect today: more Internet tools and instant response to their queries.

I wanted to take a moment to pass along some information on the e-PRO certification course that might be of interest to you. I personally have found the online course to be one of the best moves I've made in my career.

e-PRO is the National Association of REALTORS' fastest-growing, certification course and has provided me with all the tools I need to grow my business and provide the service that today's Internet savvy consumers demand. With more than 75% of all buyers beginning their search on the Web, the information contained in the e-PRO course is invaluable.

You've got to watch this short, informational e-PRO video. It's an overview of what the e-PRO designation is all about.

The e-PRO course is perfect for new or technologically-challenged real estate agents who want to jump start their career.

To sign up for the e-PRO course and to receive your $25 discount, CLICK HERE.

Whether you're a brand new real estate agent or a seasoned professional, whose never quite jumped on the Internet bandwagon, this is an NAR designation course that you can't afford not to have.

After receiving your e-PRO designation, you also won't have to worry about paying annual dues for keeping the designation. There are NO annual dues! I love it!

Another benefit of completing the e-PRO designation is that it can count as an elective course towards completing the CRS, ABR or CIPS designations.

Take advantage of the e-PRO $25 discount by CLICKING HERE Right Now!

Stop Being Burned By Buyers!

If you've been in real estate for any length of time, you've possibly lost a buyer, because of one of the following reasons:

• they saw an open house on their own time, fell in love & wrote offer with listing agent,
• after viewing homes with you, they stopped in at a builder's model home and were told they'd get a better deal without involving you,
• they just used you for information...their phone was disconnected and they never called you back,
• they were working with several agents at once & you lost out,
• they bought a home outside of your service area,
• after weeks of viewing homes with you, they said they had to work with an agent recommended by their relocation company,
• you lost out in multiple offers and they got mad at you and never returned your calls
  

There are other scenarios, but you get the idea.

So how do you prevent these scenarios from happening to you?

Here are 3 steps that will drastically improve your odds:

1. Mortgage Pre-approval - Get your clients pre-approved for a mortgage. Before you meet your clients or show them properties, make sure that they sit down with a mortgage consultant, who will review their credit and personal information and provide them with an underwriter-reviewed, pre-approval based on a mortgage program that best fits their needs.
   
2. Buyer Consultation - Explain the home buying process. Again, before showing properties, meet with your clients and review the home buying process with them step-by-step. Let them ask questions. Share with them what your expectations are of them during the process. Let them know that you're looking out for their best interests. Trust is earned over time, so always be counseling them. The more they understand how things work, the more loyal client you'll have. Tell them about how open houses and for sale by owners work. You know they see them. They may not always tell you, but you know they do.
   
   
3. Constant Communication - Don't let days go by without calling your buyers. You need to ask them how they want to be communicated with (by email or phone) and how often they'd like to hear from you. Then increase the frequency just a bit. You can never talk to them too much, if you have valuable info to tell them.

Over the years, no matter how much of it you do right, there will still be some buyers, who go into the Witness Protection Program after spending a lot of time with you. Just do your best to avoid it as much as possible by following the steps above.

Just keep asking your clients questions through the home buying process. If you're losing buyers for any reason, you need to figure it out fast - is it a unique circumstance or could you have avoided it?

In the end, follow these steps and you'll definitely increase your buyer conversion rate.

To your success,

Dan

What's your BIGGEST FRUSTRATION in your business? E-mail me at: dan@agentsuccesscoach.com

Join FREE Network For Real Estate Referrals & Ideas: ActiveRain Real Estate Network

All content copyrighted © 2008 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach