Prospecting

When was the last time you received a personal thank you card that someone took the time to hand write and mail to you? Those kinds of personalized cards are often far more powerful than any other form of communication because they convey how special we feel the recipient is. Everyone loves to be recognized and to feel that their contributions have made a difference in someone’s lives. read full entry

Purchasing a home can be a stressful time for buyers. With so many things to keep in mind – such as financing options, how to keep track of all the homes they view, whether their existing home will sell, and negotiating an affordable price – buyers can easily become overwhelmed. read full entry

Great listing presentations are clear, concise explanations of how you will help sellers sell their home. The best presentations focus on listening to the seller talk 80% of the time and you asking and answering questions 20% of the time. The secret is to be prepared with a list of questions you will ask and a strategy for how you will move the discussion forward to cover each of your key points. read full entry

Most real estate agents get the majority of their clients through referrals. There are lots of reasons agents love referrals. Most referrals are already interested in buying or selling their home. Because their friend or colleague referred you, you already have credibility in their eyes. They are easier to work with and are more likely to close the real estate transaction. And they are much more profitable because you didn’t have to spend money on advertising or lead generation to convert them to clients. read full entry

Expired listings can be a profitable real estate niche to target. If you search your local MLS database, often you’ll find that 30-50% of homes expire and many of these sellers are anxious to re-list their homes with new agents. read full entry

Many real estate agents know they should follow up with prospects and their sphere of influence, but they quickly run out of ideas for what to write about. The challenge is finding useful, interesting things to say each week or month. After all, if your readers don’t find your content valuable, it becomes another piece of junk mail they receive regularly and ends up being deleted or thrown away without much thought. Here are a few ideas for writing interesting follow ups. read full entry

Turning a potential buyer into your client can be challenging for many real estate agents. If a potential buyer calls you on the phone or walks through your door, do you have a system in place to qualify the buyer before you show them homes for sale? read full entry

Many real estate agents target For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) and have little success after the initial conversation when the seller asks the agent to cut his commission. Yet targeting FSBOs can be profitable. According to the National Association of Realtors, about 80-85% of FSBOs eventually end up working with an agent. read full entry

When you walk into an appointment with a prospect, you must be prepared to guide your seller through the home selling process. Many agents do this with a scripted sales presentations while others choose to wing it. Top producers don’t read a sales script line-by-line, but they do have a well-thought-out outline for what they want to talk about in their meeting with prospects. read full entry

To be successful in real estate requires making as many contacts with potential prospects as possible. Think of marketing as a funnel. Initially, you start with a vast pool of people who are “strangers” who have never heard of you. Through your advertising, marketing and promotions, you narrow that vast pool down into “suspects” who might need your services at some point in the future. With continued marketing and follow up, you turn some of the “suspects” into “prospects” who contact you to set up an initial consultation. Of those initial consultations, you will convert a few “prospects” into “clients.” And finally, some of your clients will become “advocates” for your services. Here’s a breakdown of each: read full entry