So you’re getting a website. Great! Because without one you, especially in this day and age, you are setting yourself up to fail. But where do you start? What about all of these real estate website design template companies? Here we will discuss your options. Read the full story

One method being used to generate real estate sales leads is the Ugly Yellow Sign program paired with a toll-free number.

Ugly Yellow Signs are just that: Big yellow signs, usually written in magic marker… Read the full story

How tall is the tallest man in your town? Twice as tall as you? Three times?

Probably, he’s only 5-10% taller, if that. That’s not much. But he’s the tallest.

How much work does it take to do the most sales in your office? Twice the work? Three times? To be honest, sometimes it just takes 5-10% more effort. And the reason for this is simple: There are things the others simply won’t do, and many won’t do the 5-10% that you could easily do, 5-10% more work that will be effective, will have a high impact for the amount of effort involved on your part.

Let me tell you about Mark. Mark was a salesman. He enjoyed sales. He enjoyed getting paid more money because he sold more, and he liked selling more by implementing some of his interesting sales ideas. Whether it was lead generation, marketing, or getting an assistant to help free up his time from paperwork to selling, he would come up with original ideas to increase his sales.

One sales technique that really worked was the “Free Real Estate Buyer’s Guide”.

I’ll simply tell the story as it happened:

Mark hired a local writer to re-write several articles and even chapters of other books into the “Free Real Estate Buyer’s Guide”. He then went out and solicited advertising from different mortgage companies, home inspection and insurance companies as well as title companies. Between the different real estate related companies, he charged enough to pay for the printing of this booklet (with enough left over for advertising). With paid advertising and plenty of well printed copies, he then placed an ad in the paper which read:

“Free Real Estate Buyer’s Guide. Avoid the top 10 mistakes buyers make. Order by voicemail.”

He was inundated with requests each week for the buyer’s guide. He had a steady stream of housing buyers calling his line, each one leaving their contact information. None of the advertisers in the magazine were realtors, and he’d be delivering the “Free Real Estate Buyer’s Guide” by hand.

He’d call each one before hand to “verify their address”, oh, and if he happened to ask if they were already working with someone, so much the better, right? And if those already with an agent got theirs in the mail instead? Right!

This is much easier than you’d expect!

Here’s a rough to do list for this real estate leads project:

1. Go make sells calls and sell magazine ads.

Trust me, this was the easiest part. It doesn’t have to cost much! Whatever you can get out of the advertisers on the first run, get it! It’ll be that much easier to sell them ads the second time because you’ll be able to show them the previous editions. Who do you sell to? Well, try anyone interested in marketing to real estate buyers.

2. Organize the articles and ads into a booklet.

Graphic designers are artists, and trust me, if regular artists are starving artists, then graphic designers are their “not-quite-satisfied-after-dinner” cousins. Here is where you don’t want to skimp. This really goes back to our first impressions post about making that lasting first impression. If you are looking for who created our booklets, these our the identity masters! Tell them you want a brochure like the brochure mentioned on real estate sales leads.

3. Print the booklet..

Your designer should be able to recommend a good printer. 100lb book or 10pt card, there are a lot of different options. Many are relatively inexpensive. You could print 1000 of these for as little as $500. If you converted just one of those to a sale, and your odds are MUCH better than that, you would be ahead of the game.

4. Prepare your voicemail.

Make sure you prompt the callers for the information you’re going to need to get them their booklet (and call on them!).

5. Place your classified ads.

You can place them in more than one newspaper, you know!!! Why not max out the thrifty nickel and other sources, but make sure to put some of those advertising dollars into the classified ads.

6. Treat each response as a lead.

7. Deliver the Free Real Estate Guide and start a relationship with an interested real estate buyer!

When creating real estate sales leads, leaving a lasting positive impression is important. Out of all the people you run into each day, either on a personal or professional basis, only a few will be actively in need of a Real Estate Agent at the time you come into contact. However, most will be in need of a realtor at some point in their future. Your goal should be to leave a positive, memorable impression with everyone you come across, along with a memento or two with your contact information so they’ll know how to reach you in the future. This is where things like custom business cards really come into play as they allow you to leave a great lasting first impression.

Too many people rely on cheaply printed business cards or personalized pens that dry out the moment the cap comes off to be the sole reminders they leave with potential clients. Stop for a moment and consider how you feel when receiving such trinkets from people in other industries. Most likely, you throw away (or at best, recycle) these items without a second thought.

To leave a lasting impression with these potential sales leads, you need to leave your mark on something that lasts. Invest in high-quality personalized pens or mechanical pencils. The longer they write, the longer the person you give them to will have to look at your name. A working pen rarely winds up in the garbage; in a worst-case scenario, the writing utensil is passed along to someone else, which means all the more exposure for you. Don’t hesitate to use them yourself; leave them behind in waiting rooms, at the cashier’s station, or anywhere else that someone can use them. The more exposure your name receives, the more potential for creating that future sales lead.

If you give out notepads or post-it pads, make sure they’re thick enough to last awhile. Also give careful consideration to long-lasting useful items like dual chip clips/magnets, which could keep your name and number on a potential lead’s refrigerator for years. Bookmarks, flashlights, or even plastic drink cups with your personalized message also make long-lasting alternatives.

No matter what vehicle you choose to leave your mark behind, keep the message on it short and sweet. Include your name, a unique catch phrase or important credential (i.e. “Chicago Realtor for 25 Years”), and your phone number and ALWAYS include your website address. If you list an overwhelmingly amount of information in such a small space, you risk all of it being overlooked.

Remember the easier you make it for future real estate sales leads to find you, the more likely they will!

When I got through my real estate classes in August 2003, I knew enough to pass the state’s real estate licensing exam, but I didn’t know much about becoming  a a real estate agent. My perspective now would lead me to believe that there are several different areas of preparation to become a real estate agent.

First, even before real estate school, or as soon as possible during real estate school, it’d be a good idea to have a written business plan. I mean, one of the most common pressure sales tactics I’ve been unfortunate enough to receive is the "If you want to be a SERIOUS agent/investor/etc. you’ve got to do X" or "It’s a sign that you’re a SERIOUS realtor to do this or that." Well, if you’re serious about going to (for many purposes) work for yourself as a real estate agent, wouldn’t it be worth the times and effort to plan out the hows, wheres, budget and even work day as best you can?

Putting together the most comprehensive business plan possible will be one way to prepare yourself in other aspects besides what you need to know to pass the test.

In your written business plan, you might answer the following:

• Which broker will you be choosing and why?
• What are the commission splits?
• Will your broker do any coop advertising or provide any marketing materials?
• What will your monthly fees be if any?
• Will you be joining a broker that’s a member of the board of Realtors?
• What are the yearly fees to join the Board?
• Are there any mandatory classes you’ll need to take before becoming a member?
• When will these classes be held?
• What schedule will you keep?
• What % of your day will you be doing what?
• What kind of support/motiation will you have to do the kind of contacting that you don’t enjoy?
• What is your monthly budget for gas, marketing materials, flyers?
• What will your total initial layout be?
• Based on the budget you’ve created, when do you have to have your first sale and how will you achieve it?
• What activities will you perform to find new contacts?
• What will you do to learn the actual ropes?
• Who will you bring new concerns to?

When I passed the exam, I signed up with a "100% Commission" shop with little training, no marketing support, and little more than a "good luck". Knowing what I know now, I’d suggest getting as many of these questions sorted out and resolved beforehand.

Find yourself some people you look up to go over your business plan, not just buddies. You want to present this to people you respect to

1) Get feedback from people that REALLY care about your success and

2) People who you couldn’t want to present less than the BEST possible and researched business plan.