Like I mentioned on New Year’s Day, I’ve started a short 4-part series on the four critical areas of real estate success: sales, prospecting, listing and negotiating.
Each post is made up of 10 must-reads from the past year or two. This is some of our best material for each topic, intended to help you kick butt in 2012.
So far we’ve got:
- 10 Must-Read Posts on Great Real Estate Sales Ideas
- 10 Must-Read Posts on Great Real Estate Prospecting Ideas
- 10 Must-Read Posts on Great Real Estate Listing Ideas
- 10 Must-Read Posts on Great Real Estate Negotiations
Today, great real estate listing ideas.
All ten articles in today’s post will probably take you about 30 minutes to read altogether, so when you are ready to read, sit back, relax and absorb as much of the material as you possibly can, because as I’ve said before, deliberate practice will make you a master.
Enjoy!
10 Must-Read Posts on Great Real Estate Listing Ideas
The Secret to Making a Living Off of Expireds
Tell me if you see yourself in this scenario: you’re scanning the MLS for expired listings. You find more than 20. It’s a good day. You then grab the phone and start dialling. If that’s you, then you’re not alone. Unfortunately, it’s a huge waste of time. Here’s why. Read more.
Lure Buyers in Without Lowering the Price
While necessary [and something, by the way, you can do near pain-free with this method], price reductions are no fun for your clients. That’s money they lose and you lose. Read more.
10 Effective Ways to Build a Profitable Business in a Lousy Market
But what if you don’t live in one of these comeback cities? What if you live in a city that looks to suffer even more foreclosure losses? Well, one way to approach this problem is simply to attack it at it’s source… Read more.
How to Ride the Wave of Foreclosures to Your Best Year Ever
Working pre-foreclosures is less about padding your pocket and more about helping another human being. I can’t stress that enough. So, when approaching pre-foreclosures for the first time use these ideas to prove to them that you are truly their to help can save their home. Read more.
10 Home-staging Tips to Attract More Buyers
What a couple of easy tips to help you make a home look attractive to a buyer? Look no further. Read more.
How to Win (Almost) Every Listing Presentation
Long ago I believed that winning listing presentations meant having a mental toolbox full of witty comebacks, sly counter objections and a persuasive delivery that would allow me to deflect arguments, shut down concerns and steamroll the prospect into signing with me. That’s all changed. Read more.
10 Things You Don’t Want Homeowners Saying to You
With the housing market is not expected to bottom out any time soon, you could probably use a little jolt of laughter to shake the blues that’s plaguing us in this distressed economy. And after you read this top-ten list, why not share one of your own frigthening comments you’ve heard homesellers make. Read more.
My Unofficial Guide to Short Selling
Short selling is nothing new. Especially with the collapsing home market, and all. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to gather all the best ideas on short selling I can find. Read more.
Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve Formula to Sell More Homes
Pain and problems dominate us. Everyday and every hour we are constantly looking for solutions for our pain and problems. This holds true for home buyers and sellers. That’s why it’s a great idea to use the PAS formula in your sales presentations. Read more.
Social Media Matters: Selling Houses During Hard Times
Everyone knows that in today’s market, it’s not enough just to get the listing—you need to have an aggressive marketing plan. While printed flyers, signage and the basics will always have their place, we all know that over 80% of home buyers begin their search for a new home online. In fact, second only to over-priced home, no internet marketing strategy is the biggest reason homes don’t sell. That’s why you need advanced online marketing strategies–social media strategies–to help you create a compelling online presence. Read more.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Want fresh, new ideas on making your phone ring with prospects? Then grab this free 7-part online video training series.
Will you consider paying a kindness forward today?
Why?
It all started this morning…a gorgeous spring morning with the sun twinkling through the bedroom shades. A feeling of joy and gratitude just naturally began to flow into me. I felt this kind of tingling sensation of “I really do love life…I’m so blessed!”
From there I walk into my daughter’s room to wake her up for school. I sit on the edge of her bed and gently stoke her hair, as her eyes slowly peek open. She smiles, looks up and says, “Hi, daddy!”
It’s a feeling like no other. If you’ve experienced it you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I truly wish I could let you climb inside my senses and experience it…I would love to be able to gift that to you.
However, life unfortunately isn’t like that.
It’s filled with mysteries that test your physical, mental, and spiritual capacities for what sometimes feels like absolutely no objective reason why.
And then there are the joys…like the light in my daughter’s eyes. The beautiful blue color and a sweet voice that almost sounds like birds singing, except when she’s yelling at her older brother, of course.
Well, as I leave her room, my wife asks me, “Did you hear about Chloe’s dad?”
“No. What?”
“He committed suicide yesterday.”
Instantly it’s like an electrical impulse shot through me. I went from joy, gratitude, and love…to “WHAT?!”
It’s hard to fathom the mental and spiritual forces that would take a person to such a place. But the story…it’s actually much deeper and far more heart-wrenching.
See, five years ago Chloe was this amazing little girl with a twinkle in her eye that would melt the most cynical soul and turn it to putty.
She was special…very special. Everyone loved Chloe. When she walked in her smile would light up a room. The kids loved her. The other parents thought she was just the ideal child. And then the crushing news was announced…Chloe was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Worse yet…her disease…this very rare cancer…it was terminal.
Yet, in spite of it she just smiled, loved, and filled everyone who ever met her with a sense of gratitude…something really special.
She and her family were the picture of courage during her fight. The community rallied around this sweet little child. And everyone’s heart was breaking as one…with this family…these lovely people.
WHY?!
It’s one of those great mysteries of life. Why do bad things happen to such nice people?
It’s hard to reconcile. It’s hard to grasp.
Anyway…the fight…they fought it with grace and dignity. But tragically, a little less than 8 months later, Chloe closed her earthly eyes for the last time. The twinkle was gone.
And as a daddy, who gets the extraordinary privilege of getting to see his daughter’s light shine, my heart ached for that poor family. They were mere acquaintances. In fact, I barely knew them.
Yet, every time I looked at my daughter, saw the joy…and life in her eyes…I felt like Chloe’s parents were a part of me. My soul ached at the thought of their loss.
Now, fast forward four years. You’ll see a monument to her outside her elementary school and she’s a quiet sad memory for us. Yet the pain and anguish obviously had raged on for all that time. No peace. No joy. Dark painful memories and the never-ending question…WHY?!
Until finally, it was all he could take.
Now, round two of unimaginable pain and anguish for that poor mother and Chloe’s older brother.
But rather than ask why…I’d like to ask a small favor of you. Close you eyes and send loving thoughts to this poor battered family. Then…TODAY…pay a kindness forward in honor of them.
Today choose to make the world a little bit better place for your being here.
It doesn’t have to be anything huge…a simple smile, with a genuine “How are you today?”
Simply pay a kindness forward and offer that up as you prayer for this grieving family.
In loving memory of Chloe and her dad.
(Out of respect the names and family relationships have been changed for privacy reasons.)
2009 in 12 Posts [Exploit These Ideas for a Great 2010!]
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Okay. It’s nearly the end of 2009. The recession is officially over. The market has at least stabilized in most areas. If not improved.
The only dark spot? Foreclosures will continue. Unfortunately that’s a loss for a homeowner or two. On the bright side, that’s a gold mine for short selling hungry agents.
With all this in mind, though, one thing is for certain: We can’t let up. We need to exploit every strategy, tool and tip we can to not only survive…but thrive. That’s why I present to you the best ideas of 2009.
My Unofficial Guide to Short Selling January
January was a good month to short sell. Heck, with the home market hitting it’s lowest point and all. 2010 isn’t thought to be any better. Bad news for home owners. Great news for lover’s of the short sell.
One of the Most Persuasive Formulas for Writing Persuasive IVR Ads February
Let’s face it: Pain and problems dominate us. Every day and every hour people are constantly looking for solutions to their pain and problems. Here’s how you can help them.
Five Proven Tips to Help You Negotiate in a Buyer’s Market March
Before the dismal collapse of the housing market, negotiation skills weren’t quite as important as they are now. In many cases, all you had to do was put the house on the market with a reasonable price and get out of the way. Things have changed.
Make Sure You Know the Answer to This Question Before Your Next Listing Presentation April
April wasn’t any better of a month. In fact, I knew too many people flailing. But I knew so many who weren’t. What gives? Sucky listing presentations.
Nine Dead-Simple Ways to Persuade People May
Jay Leno gave some great advice on relationship building, which, in the end, is all that matters–great market or not.
Eliminate This Behavior and Become More Effective June
We’re all guilty of trying to aggressively pin down buyers during desperate times. But that’s not always the best way to go about it. In fact, a sales approach where you create pressure-free conversations with buyers is more effective. Much more effective.
Six Effective Ways to Win More Negotiations July
When the funnel dries up…negotiation skills become all the more important. That’s why in July I tried to focus on sharing some basic negotiation secrets that once mastered will hopefully help you close more deals.
How to Stop Ridiculous Buyer Offers August
Lowball offers from buyers…you can’t avoid them when you’re in one of our nation’s deepest recessions. But you can control them. And keep buyers at the table even if they think they are in control.
Your Real Estate Career: How to Have a Happy Ending September
In the face of stress and potential tragedy, successful real estate agents have the power of being able to overcome the natural human tendency to react to things as they happen. Instead, they plan.
Need a Damn Good Referral System to Save Your Career? October
People like to work with wise, friendly people. And once you lock into the ebb and flow of your prospects and clients, you’re business will be on the fast track. That’s why a good referral system is essential.
Gimpy Website? 5 Techniques to Create a Killer One November
Odds are you have a website. The million dollar question, though: Is it a good one? If not, here are some ways to help that stumbling old coot develop into a strapping stud.
25 Year Veteran Explains Her Mouth-Watering Success December
This gal become one of the nations top 50 agents in a tiny market during a dismal market. How’d she do it? You’re going to love her story.
Like what you read? Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add.
And if you like what you read, subscribe to the real estate marketing Blog by email or news feed.
Recently during a conversation someone turned up their noses when I mentioned Cialdini’s book, Influence. It took me off guard. To make sure I read them correctly, I asked them if they read it.
“No” was their response.
Interesting. I asked why not. Their answer in a nutshell: Persuasion is for crooks.
Now, some people use influence or persuasion to take advantage of people. Yes, that’s true. So it puts the idea of selling, marketing and persuasion as evil into people’s mind. Puts a bad taste in their mouth.
And yes, of course, persuasion has been abused throughout history. And will continue to be abused.
But there are plenty of legitimate persuasion techniques. In fact, I think when you are chasing down the right things for people and working for their good and you have their best intentions in mind…you owe it to your client to be persuasive.
So building upon a previous post, I’d like to to share 5 essential persuasion tricks with you.
1. Authority Head Nod
Often all you really need to get somebody off the fence is to give them a suggestion from an authority figure. In your case, this could be the house inspector. A lawyer.
As Hogan and James say in their book Covert Persuasion, “A suggestion from an authority figure can often override a person’s visual memory to create a new and different memory.” In other words, people think differently, depending on who’s talking. Magic happens when you quote someone in power.
2. Agree with Their Point of View
People instantly resist what they don’t believe, so the moment you sense someone pulling back, affirm their point of view. You may have to find out first what it is that’s causing them to withdraw. So discover their belief and let them know you agree with them. They’ll be in a more flexible state of mind.
3. Avoid Verbal Commitments
Let me qualify this.
When I say “avoid verbal commitments” I mean commitments that you will want your client to change later. For example, avoid having your client state which home they want. If you do that, then you’re going to run into the problem of consistency, which basically says that people, aware that they’ve made a public stand, will hold tight to that stand so as to appear consistent.
Consistency in behavioris good, especially in difficult or tense times…and is the biggest part to influencing people. But don’t over do it. You may end up with a stubborn client when you don’t want them that way.
Granted, this may have happened to you before. It might happen in the future. The key is to learn from it. Keep your eyes open.
4. Limit Choices
This is an oldie, but goody, especially if you want to hear more “yes.”
Copy writing legend John Caples was one of the first advertisers of catalogs to point this out when he discovered that ads that limited choices massively out sold ads that offered too many choices.
The problem with too many choices is that the mind can go into overload. People get confused with too many choices and when they get confused–like me–they walk away. Not good.
So, define a very narrow number of choices. But don’t withhold relevant, important or urgent information. Stay way above the table on this. Your goal is to help your client buy a home. The smart thing for them is too limit their choices.
5. Justify Your Requests
According to popular research, the word because can get your copies made faster, get you through airport security without waiting in line, and get your children to behave.
Why is that? Human Factors suggests that we are patterned to accept requests when they are followed by a reason. But sometimes all we really hear because. We tune out after that.
My point is this: When asking your client do something, tell them why. I bet more than 93% more people will agree with you. How do I know? Because Human Factors said so. 
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiation Reputation
Are You Making This Persuasion Mistake?
Follow Up: Why Targeted Repetition Works So Well
Filed Under Real Estate Prospecting Ideas, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
As every great agent knows, it’s your consistency that will make the difference in making any follow-up program work. Even if you borderline on obnoxious.
Understand, I don’t mean you have to be a jerk…but you may have to be that agent who refuses to “take a hint”.
If someone calls you–whether via your 800 hotline call capture line or simply your office phone–they are indicating that they are interested. And if they are interested, its your duty to follow up with them to see whether they need more information.
Here are a couple ways of doing that.
1. Create a policy with yourself or your team to make hotline follow-up calls in less than thirty minutes.
2. Write, rehearse and memorize follow-up scripts. This alone will help you lower your call reluctance.
3. Capture every prospects’ home address over the phone. Even if they have all the information they need, ask them if it’s okay to get their home address so you can mail them a report or article.
4. Plug all prospects who are farther out in the buying or selling cycle into a monthly service newsletter like Service For Life.
5. Flat out just keep calling to get an appointment.
6. If you get their voice mail, leave a provocative message: “Hi Cal. Listen, I have a copy of your home listing from the MLS and have a question for you. Could you call me back at…” But be careful: your question better be honest. The last thing people want to be bothered with is a bait-and-switch question.
Without argument, the agent who is the most consistent with follow-up calls will be the winner. I don’t think anyone would disputte that.
And the best way to build consistent, targeted repetition into your individual program is to schedule it. Do this work the same time each day, everyday and you will find that the consistency becomes a habit and eventually that habit will reap massive rewards. You can bet the farm on that.
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
Sick of Failure? The Seven Natural Laws of Real Estate Prospecting
3 Critical Questions: The Secret to Networking Success
5 Tips to Eliminate the Fear of Rejection and Call Reluctance
Lead Generation Bonanza: 7 Ways to Turn an Ad Upside Down and Get More Responses
Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Lead generation. It can be a real witch.
Likely, in the early days of your career as a real estate agent, you’ll invest heavy amounts of time and energy into crafting ads. Finding sources to place those ads. And emptying your wallet to pay for them.
Thus, it can be frustrating to do all this and find that no one is listening. Let alone responding.
It’s like being a slave. No, worse. It’s like being a crippled slave.
Yet, not advertising will leave your career deformed and lying in the dust…far behind your competition. What should you do?
The Most Clever Tactic to Generating a Bonanza of Calls
Well, what I want to share with you is one of the simplest tatics I’ve found to effecctively getting people to call you. It’s obvious and very basic. But so many real estate agents don’t do it.
The tactic is simiply to turn your ad upside down…and make the caller’s response the primary focus.
Here are a number of ways to do just that.
Start a Debate: Pick a controversial topic or one that you think people have strong opinions about. State the two sides of the argument. And let your callers go at it. Your voice mail will rack up with leads.
Ask for Advice: State a problem that you or your target consumer has and ask for help. Ask for a solution or advice. You could call this a community workshop and turn it into an event down the road.
Ask for Tips: Choose a topic that your target consumers might know something about and ask them for pratical help. You might then compile the tips and share them in a newsletter with those who called you.
Ask for Examples: Give callers an invitation to submit examples of a topic that’s important to you or them. Again, you can then turn around and share the results with them in a newsletter.
Ask for Experiences: Propose a question about “your worst buying nightmare” or “best listing experience you ever had.” This is another great opportunity to share the results at an event or newsletter.
Run a Poll: Pick a topic–say, the economic recession–and survey people. Ask them if they’ve been laid off, going to be laid off or super secure in their jobs. Then ask them to expand. Share the results as you like.
Here’s the thing to remember: You need to promise your caller’s that you’ll share the results. And then actually share the results at an event or newsletter. Or something. Just make sure you share.
This Is the Problem You Want to Have
As I’ve stated before, this approach works enormously well when you have an interactive voice response system tracking and capturing your leads. But it’s likely to swamp you with you with callers.
Don’t fear.
This is lead generation 101. All you really want to do is get people calling you. Who cares if you generate 1,000 leads in a month?
That’s not a bad problem to have. Because once they’ve called, then you can rapidly disqualify them.
Tell me what you think. And feel free to share other examples in the in comments!
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
Sick of Failure? The Seven Natural Laws of Real Estate Prospecting
Try This Six Step Lead Generation Strategy for a Shaky Market
Your Personal Strategy to Building Some Serious Real Estate Wealth
One of the Oldest Web Writing Guidelines
Filed Under blogs, SEO, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
The inverted pyramid. An age-old journalistic trick. And the blogger’s best friend.
Some think it’s worthless. Others alter it. Yet, anyone who writes online–including you–will find it’s the most effective formula in your arsenal.
In fact, it’s critical in any search engine optimization strategy you have.
What Is the Inverted Pyramid?
Essentially, the inverted pyramid style means that you give the most important or interesting details first, and then continue to dribble less important information throughout the body of the content.
Ideally, you’ll want to give the most important content in the first paragraph, and save the least important content for last.
The first sentence should answer the two most important questions about the subject of your content: Who and What.
The Who is who your page is about–be it a person, a resource or a place—and the What is what happened to that person, business or place.
The inverted pyramid can help your SEO copywriting endeavor in two ways:
1. The most important information is mentioned at the very start, thereby helping the readers understand the summary of our webpage.
2. Your most important keywords (which will necessarily correlate with the most important information) get displayed at the top. Thereby increasing the chances that the search engines take notice of our web page.
Why Is SEO Important?
This may seem like a strange characteristic of a real estate website, but it’s actually crucial: Search engines, in addition to page content, look at the number of links pointing into Web pages.
Often, the more inbound links a Website has, all other things being equal, the higher in the search rankings it will appear.
By providing creative, unique and regularly updated content on your website or blog, other people will want to link to your site.
But optimizing your website for both search engines and people needn’t be a trade-off.
Where’s the Balance Between SEO and People?
There’s significant overlap between the tasks required to reach these two objectives, and this overlap can be used to our advantage.
It shouldn’t be too challenging to create a Website that users can find easily via the search engines, and use once they reach it.
Related Articles
Get Attention: 10 Unorthodox Ideas That Really Work
21 Low Budget Ways to Keep the Revenue Flowing During a Recession
Conquering Call Reluctance Once and For All
Critics. You gotta love ‘em. They’ve got a warning or harsh comment for anything that doesn’t align with their worldview.
Perhaps I should call them naysayers. Or old school diehards. Maybe taskmasters. Gruffy, but lovable.
Whatever name I give them, however, one thing is true: the hair on the back of their neck stands on end at anything that sniffs of unprofessionalism.
Take blogging, for example. A real estate critic–if you can get him on a blog–will write articles on open houses, listings and the market. He sticks to the party line like Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins: “Precision and order/ That’s all I ask.”
He gasps at a misspelling. Shakes his head at grammatical mistakes. And soils his pants at the mention he should consider writing about his daughter’s first day of school.
I have to confess: Todd Carpenter’s great article People Really Do Want You to Tweet About Your Cat inspired this blog post. In particular what he said about his Twitter topics of discussion during Connect 08–namely antics at an after party, who he wanted to go to lunch with and tequila drinking etiquette:
“Unprofessional? Yes. Absolutely unprofessional. That’s the point really.”
So what’s unprofessional behavior got to do with real estate blogging supremacy? Quite a lot. Let me show you how through these 6 tips.
Tip 1: Get Personal
If you’ve been exposed to social media at all, you’ve definitely heard this concept: Let your hair hang down. But it’s more than that. It’s about personality. Breaking the mold. Letting your spirit come through.
If you like stallions, mention stallions in your blogs posts. Draw stories and metaphors from your loves and passions. Show people you love something more than real estate. And land. And the economy. And money.
2. Be Vulnerable
Last year I wrote about the heart attacks Jet Blue lawyers probably had when their CEO publically complained about his own company. That’s honesty. That’s vulnerability. And it’s credible.
Why is being credible and vulnerable important? Because of the soft stuff: Your reputation. What people think about you. That stuff compounds, even though we can’t track it. Stockpile whuffie and money will eventually arrive at your doorstep.
Tip 3: Display Passion
I love to see people who are enthusiastic. [Except maybe Anthony Robbins.] You can’t help to get hooked to their drive, their urgency, their energy. Look at Jay Sekulow or the guys at the Motley Fool. Their is no doubt they are alive. And love being alive.
The result? Their enthusiasim has drawn substantial followings.
Decide to be something more than a warm body in the blogosphere. Decide to be life. A light. Do it now.
Tip 4: Make Worry-Free Mistakes
At some point you are going to forget to dot an i or cross a t. Don’t worry. You may upset your English professor. You may drive Jim Cronin away. But like the late copywriter legend Gary Halbert [work safe video] said a long time ago, “You’re going to piss some people off no matter what. Ignore them. They’re not your audience.”
Tip 5: Fail Often
Jeremiah Owyang tells a story about his first presentation he gave for a client when he started working for Forrester Research. The presentation bombed. The client poo-pooed him. And his boss scolded him.
This would drive some people to want to live under their bed with a bottle of vodka and sleeping pills. Not Jeremiah. He failed. But he was okay with that. Why? He got over it and vowed never to do it again.
Moral of the story: Lunge out of your comfort zone. And learn. Growth will naturally follow.
Tip 6: Apologize Profusely
For the longest time I thought that people who apologized were sissies (what about you?). Apologies stank of weakness. Hmf. I thought it was enough I felt really bad on the inside. Problem is, no one can see your heart. Or hear your thoughts. You need to apologize. And loud.
Furthermore, when you do screw up, admitting you wronged someone will build magnificent bridges between you, that person, your base and their base…because your entire little affair will probably be blogged publically.
Nobody likes someone who stiff chins it and never admit he’s going the wrong path or said the wrong thing. So, get in the habit of asking for forgiveness. This is almost as productive and life-changing as the habit of gratefulness.
Conclusion
While this list isn’t exhaustive, I think it definitely sums up what four years of experience in blogging has taught me–sharing personal experiences on how to be a better professional will make you rise to the top.
The cascading formula is simple: Jakob Nielson wants you to write articles. Brian Clark wants you to add value. Todd Carpenter wants you to be personal. And I want you to be unprofessional.
Go on. Soar.
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
How a Cocky, Obsessive CEO of GE Can Make You a World-Class Blogger
How to Create, Grow and Protect a Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
5 Unbeatable Strategies for Using Audacity to Get the Most Out of Real Estate Negotiations
It’s hard enough to get a referral after a successful sale. Expired–forget it.
To make matters worse, the economy’s tanked and it’s an election year. (Is the election almost over?) So, selling a home can seem near impossible at times. And wrenching a referral out of it like pulling teeth.
And it doesn’t matter if you are a rookie or seasoned veteran. Some homes just won’t move and never produce a referral. Even if you use critical strategies like these.
But here’s the real kicker: if your signs stays up a long time in somebody’s yard, or someone else’s sign replaces yours, the neighbors will feel you did not do your job, and they won’t quite trust you. Even if it wasn’t your fault the home didn’t move.
And like the seven natural laws of real estate prospecting, this is just a natural law in real estate, too: Homes that are on the market longer than 60 days are earmarked as problem homes.
However, a home that stays on the market too long gets a bad rap, but unfortunately, so do you. It can turn into a referral nightmare.
It gets even worse if your picture is on the sign in the yard. And if you have two such homes at once, it could get really ugly for you.
So, the idea is to spot a potential problem home during the listing presentation. (There’s good reason you don’t want to win every listing presentation.)
What you want to know is if the home is something you want to add to your inventory. Or not. Here are the 13 questions you should ask yourself before taking a listing:
1. Is this a home you would not object to buying yourself?
2. Does the home show well?
3. If not what can be done to improve the salability (and is the seller ready to take those steps)?
4. Are the sellers’ expectations and timeframe reasonable?
5. Are the sellers motivated?
6. Is there a sense of urgency?
7. Is there a need to sell? (More space? Relocation?)
8. What are the positives of the home?
9. What are the negatives of the home?
10. Are there any structural issues that need to be addressed?
11. Will the sellers address the negatives prior to listing the home?
12. Will the sellers agree to price the home in-line with the neighborhood comps?
13. Will the sellers list with you, at your commission rate and terms?
If the answers to the above questions are mostly “No,” then why bother taking the listing? You are just setting yourself up for acquiring a bad reputation.
To do so will ensure an unhappy relationship with unreasonable demands until the term of the listing expires. And a dismal career to boot.
You don’t want a dismal career, do you?
Leave a comment if this post was helpful or if you have anything you’d like to add. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
5 Unbeatable Reasons for Using Audacity to Get the Most Out of Real Estate Negotiations
Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve Formula for Killer Sales Presentations
How to Create, Build and Protect a Fearsome Negotiating Reputation
What Every Real Estate Agent Should Know about Writing Headlines
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Whether you are writing a sales letter, postcard or blog–you need to know how to make it stand out. This is critical to real estate marketing.
No bones about it: Writing is important. Everyone must do it.
Yet, you are competing in a ruthless and combative environment. You need every trick of the trade you can find so that you are not lost in the storm surge of advertisement.
That’s why it’s so important to test everything you do in real estate marketing. You need to experiment. Be bold. Rock your readers. Jilt them out of their slumber. Make them sit up and pay attention to you.
How do you do that? I thought you’d never ask. Here are a few headline writing techniques you may find helpful:
1. Ask a Question
Better yet, make sure it’s a question to which the reader wants to know the answer.
Before: “Do You Know What My Realty Company Accomplished Last Year?”
After: “What Do Successful Real Estate Agents Have That Failing Real Estate Agents Sometimes Lack?”
2. Use the Word “Why”
Adding the word “why” in front of a factual statement increases the reader’s curiosity.
Before: “95% of For Sale By Owners Fail.”
After: “Why 95% of For Sale By Owners Fail.”
3. Employ the Rule of 3
I’m not sure why this works, but it just does. Seems to do with our attraction to things that are bundled in 3. Father, mother and child. Judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. Body, soul and spirit.
How do you use it in a headline? Simply list three benefits.
Before: “Learn How to Work with More Clients and Make More Money.”
After: “Learn How to Work with More Clients, Sell More Homes and Make More Money.”
4. Write “Ignore It at Your Peril”
This works well when dealing with fear. Write “Ignore It at Your Peril” in a headline to emphasize its important.
Before: “The One Thing You Must Do to Avoid Foreclosure.
After: “The One Thing You Must Do to Avoid Foreclosure. Ignore It at Your Peril.”
5. Add a Question Mark to Your Headline
Making a statement that’s hard to believe? All you have to do to make it easier to swallow is question the claim yourself by adding a question mark to the end of the headline.
Before: 500% Profits from Selling Your Home
After: 500% Profits from Selling Your Home?
6. Mention Current Events and News
A news angle is especially effective when writing about the real estate market.
Why? Topics discussed on a daily basis typically affect the larger population. And people tend to be more in tune to these current events. So they’re receptive.
For example, say you’re searching for pre-foreclosures: “Stay One Step Ahead of Foreclosure Just Like Ed McMahon – But Without the Humiliation.”
7. Use the Words “New,” “Introducing,” or “Announcing”
Why does this work so well? It works because people are interested in what is new.
Example: “Introducing a Painless Way to Sell Your Home in a Weak Economy.”
8. Tell the Reader to Do Something
Example: “Call This Number to See How I Could Sell Your Home Fast.”
This is one of the ways we recommend clients use the 800 response hotline number.
When the reader follows the instructions in the headline–and called the number–they heard an audio tour of their very home.
Result? An instant on-the-spot demonstration proving the product works.
9. Promise the Reader Useful Information
Prospects are more likely to read your ad if they feel they can learn something useful by doing so.
Dale Carnegie sold more books when he said he could teach people “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
Eugene Schwartz sold more course when he promised parents “How to Turn Your Child into a Classroom Wizard.”
10. Ask a “Who Else Wants…?” Question
This is a classic social proof strategy. It implies that a lot of people out there are already on board.
- Who Else Wants a Bigger, Safer Home?”
- Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress in a Home?
11. Suggest a Fast and Easy Solution
People love quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging problem.
- Here’s a Quick Way to Get Out of Debt
- Here’s a Fast and Easy Way to Avoid Foreclosure
12. Challenge the Reader Through Curiosity
Big curiosity draw with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.
- What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
- What Everybody Ought to Know About the Housing Market
Did you find this article useful? If so, leave a comment. And if you like what you read, subscribe to the Real Estate Marketing Blog.
Related Articles
Do You Use These Bill Jayme Techniques When Writing?
Top 8 Reasons Why Copywriting Is Important to Real Estate
Why Writing Is the Most Important Thing You Can Learn