How to Exploit Your Cutting Edge "Secret Weapon"... Focus on Fundamentals!
Dear Friend and REALTOR®,
In spite of all the exciting and revolutionary changes, I want to start off by going back to basics and addressing some key fundamentals. Because it’s the fundamentals combined with cutting edge tools, like our Response Hotline, that will have you beating the pants off your competition!
Not focusing on the fundamentals is like building a house on sand.
The three fundamentals I’m going to address in this report...headlines...ad positioning...and follow-up preparation.
It amazes me when I look through my local newspaper. I see ads with nothing but purely self-serving headlines. They basically say give me your business because I want your money.
I guess the writer thought it would be good enough to just write something "catchy". From experience in the school of hard knocks, I can tell you... it’s not!
How important are good headlines?
According to David Ogilvy (one of the all time great advertising masters), "Headlines are 90% of your ad's effectiveness. I’ve had one ad out-produce another ad by 22 times. The only difference was the headline.
"Really think about that one folks! A 2200% difference and the only change was the headline.
So, what makes a good headline?
There have been entire books written on the subject of headlines. But, I’ll quickly give you a couple pointers. It has to promise your reader a clear, self-serving benefit...from their perspective...not yours!
Really try to step outside your own experience and get into their shoes...what would be important to you if you were buying or selling a home?
The other thing, don’t limit yourself to a set number of words. As long as it's meaningful to your reader, it doesn’t matter. Prospects will read everything you put in front of them as long as it’s interesting and important to them.
My point is, whenever you’re putting together a flier, sales letter or anything that’s going to be in a prospects hands...focus a great deal on the headline.
Try to fashion your headlines to contain one or more of these four key points:
- The most important is it must be written with the self-interest
of your reader in mind - Try to make the headline appear to be something news-worthy.
Readers love news - Make it appear that you have a quick and easy solution to
their problem - Avoid headlines that only provoke curiosity...combine curiosity
with self-interest, news and a quick and easy solution and you’re
virtually guaranteed a winner
As a footnote, I would like to strongly urge you to get a copy of "Tested Advertising Methods" by John Caples.
It’s a fabulous book that will teach you the fundamentals of writing good headlines and ad copy. It has helped build more successful ad campaigns and produce more profitable advertising than any other book ever written! To many advertising people it is like the bible of direct response advertising! If you get a copy and make a study of it, you will have the ammunition to take your ads from dead, tombstone ads to gushers of profitability!
The second fundamental I want to address is ad positioning.
Due to the limited amount of space in this newsletter, I’m just going to touch on this subject. I plan on going into much greater detail in an up-coming issue.
Let’s assume you have a good headline and the ad copy supports your headline and calls your reader to action. In order to make that ad successful, the first goal is to get the ad seen. That’s why the number one, single-most important factor in newspaper advertising is positioning.
If your ad is going to generate a response, it first has to be seen. If it doesn’t get seen, it makes no difference how good your headline or ad copy. It has no chance at all.
I’ll give you a quick example using an ad in our direct response ad kit with the headline, "WARNING! Don’t List Your Home Until..."
In the Sunday edition of a newspaper, it pulled 47 responses in one day... positioned correctly.
We had another agent, in the exact same city, use the exact same newspaper with the exact same ad for a Sunday edition a couple weeks later. The ad pulled 2 responses!
What was the difference?
It was buried in the section and rarely seen.
What’s the lesson? Fight for good position! Try to get your ad placed on the front or backside of a section. People sort their papers by section before they read.
If you can’t get the front or back side of a section, get it placed in the upper half, left side of pages 2 or 3 of a section. When readers open a section, their eyes tend to scan the upper half of the inside two pages...from left to right.
In an upcoming issue, I’m going to cover this in great detail. This is so important it bares repeating. It can save you thousands of dollars in wasted advertising. It can leverage the effectiveness of your ads. With proper placement (provided you have a well-crafted ad with a good headline), you can achieve profitable results.
The third fundamental I want to address is follow-up preparation.
This is a fundamental I’m sure gets over-looked more times than not. As an agent you get caught up in the day to day routine. Finding time to plan your follow-up can be difficult.
But, one of the major keys to being successful in anything you do is planning. I like the way Jim Rohn puts it, "Life does not get better by hope. It gets better by plan!" Isn’t that great?
The same can be said for follow-up. You need to plan your follow-up.
You might be thinking, "If I get a pager call and I’m calling back in 3 minutes, how can I plan my call?"
Well, here’s a razor sharp way.
Look up a list of comparable properties for every one of your listings. And when you get a page, pull out your list of comparables and call your prospect back.
The conversation would go something like this...
"Hello, this is Jane Realtor with ABC Realty, a few minutes ago you called about one of my listings on Cherry St. from the ad in the homes magazine. As a courtesy I always follow up to see if I can be of service. Does that home seem to have what you are looking for in a home?"
At this point you’ll probably get the question, "What’s the price of the home?" Don’t do it. Don’t tell them yet...ask the question, "Well, what price range are you looking for?" Then, guide the conversation with open-ended questions.
If they continue to ask about the property they called on, enthusiastically tell them about it...then give them the price. You’ll build some value before dropping the bomb.
Now, you’ll get a true feel for their interest level.
At this point in the conversation, it’s the perfect time to bring up your list of comparables. Begin by saying something like, "You know based on what you’ve told me, we have a house in the same area of town, with the same number of rooms, it’s every bit as nice for about $12,000 less. Would you be interested in hearing about that one?"
Again, this isn’t a new way of doing business, it’s a new way to make contact. The fundamentals are the same! My suggestion would be to revisit the fundamentals by referring to Section 5 of your course materials.
My very best to you in your business-building. Until next time...
Warmest wishes for your success,
Gary Elwood
Founder and Chairman
