Planning For Real Estate Success 2020

Wade Webb on November 13, 2019

2020 realtor business planA mentor and someone I admire incredibly Jim Rohn, the legendary business philosopher always said to “Finish your week before it begins.” He meant that we take control of our schedule and real estate business and plan for the week ahead before it even happens. If we don’t take control then someone else or something else always does!

So when the year begins to wind down you should not wait until the very end to start planning for next year. This means having a crystal clear understanding of the successes and challenges of your current year, how it impacts your upcoming year, and developing a vision of what you want to accomplish, and how. Many agents aim for nothing every year and most hit it with amazing accuracy!! I believe you should always start working on your next year strategy months in advance of the new year. This awards you enough time to make an impact on your final quarter, and lay the groundwork for making sure your next fiscal year starts off on a solid footing.

For agents who want to achieve greatness, push the envelope, and grow their business through market share, market penetration, paying down debt, increasing sales, profits and cash flow, I urge you to get going now! The way I see things is, if your business isn’t growing, pushing the envelope, thriving, and maximizing profit, then all you’re really doing is suffering a slow death. Believe me, your competition is fighting the fight every day, and they didn’t wake up in the morning and say “Gosh, golly, I hope I stay even in 2020.” They want to eat your lunch, take your business, absorb your market share and steal your customers away.

Some people might ask me if they should start planning by looking at their competition, and I say NO. Why focus on the competition, instead of focusing on yourself? When it comes to my business, I don’t care what others do. I care about what I do. Recognize your competition for what and who they are, and then put your best foot forward by pushing the envelope in your business. You should approach the new year as if you are going to battle, and for that you should develop a strategic plan.

Business Plan – a written document that describes in detail how a business, usually a new one, is going to achieve its goals. A business plan lays out a written plan from a marketing, financial and operational viewpoint.

FACT: LESS THAN 3% OF REAL ESTATE AGENTS HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN

FACT: ESTIMATED 3% OF REAL ESTATE AGENTS IN NORTH AMERICA DO 97% OF THE BUSINESS

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Writing a business plan may seem a daunting task as there are so many moving parts and concepts to address. Take it one step at a time and be sure to schedule regular review (quarterly, semi-annually, or annually) of your plan to be sure you are on track to meet your goals. It is that time of year again when we begin to build our plan for 2020 so let’s look at the key areas of the agent’s solid business plan.

Business Plan for the Successful REALTOR©

Step 1) “Success and history always leaves us clues.” I began by looking back to identify the clues that have been left for us and the business. I would look at the real estate market first and search for the following clues.

What have the number of sales been doing the last year? 2-5 years? Up? Down?

What have the number of listings been doing the last year? 2-5 years? Up? Down?

What have the average and median prices been doing?

What price ranges are experiencing more activity? Less activity?

What neighborhoods or areas are experiencing more activity? Less Activity?

What property types are selling more? Less?

What buyer types are buying more?

Where are the buyers coming from? Local? Next state or province? Over Seas?

Imagine the targeted and strategic plan you would be able to build for you and your real estate business with this kind of information? Now you are not just winging it. You really know where and what to focus on.

Step 2) Looking At The Present State of Your Own Real Estate Business

What have my sales been doing? Up? Down?

What have my listings been doing? Up? Down?

What is my average price? Can I raise my average selling price?

What is my Gross Commission Income doing?

What is my average deal worth?

Where are my listings and sales coming from? Sources of business?

What types of buyers do I represent?

Where are the buyers coming from? Local? Out of area?

What are my pending sales?

What do I have for potential buyers and sellers?

What is working? What is not working?

What do I need to start doing again? Stop doing?

What if you took the time to really track and measure and reflect on your business at a deeper level and see your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of yourself and your own business?

Step 3) Activity Plans – Take the time to lay out your activity plan calendar a year in advance. Focus on the activities you know you are good at and you see a return on your invested time and money. I am guessing for most agents it would be your sphere of influence, referrals and face to face or voice to voice activities. Set up a schedule for a month or two in advance of your activities for generating business. What is the activity? When? How? To Whom? Track and measure each of these scheduled activities to help identify the best of the best.

Step 4) Budgeting – Profit is the goal in business. Knowing what your personal life and your business world cost you monthly is so important. Expense management is just as important as your income and earnings. Have a clear picture of your expenses and measure all of them for their return on investment or if they can be reduced in any way. I understand this my be terrifying for most of us to see what we are spending personally and professionally but it is the foundation of your business plan to know what your personal and professional lives cost and then be able to set a financial target that is enough to cover them both and leave you some profit! So many of us stay away from this and run in a deficit and that is not good practice for any of us.

Step 5) Goals – If your “Why” is big enough the “how” will take care of itself. What is your purpose? Vision? Values? Mission Statement? Taking the time to know what it is you want and why you want it is a game changer for us all. Nothing gives me more joy than impacting and improving people’s lives personally and professionally every day. I have realized that the driving compelling force in my life is serving others and having the means to create memorable experiences with the people I care about most and nothing else has given me more joy than these amazing WHY’s in my own life.

In my own real estate business, taking the time over the last 25 years to create a business plan has been so incredibly beneficial for me and I know it will for you as well. In today’s post I have given you a brief business plan overview. To help you get going with your own plan I put together a Step-by-Step Real Estate Business Plan Workbook you can download for free by clicking the link below.

Click here to download the new 2020 business plan PDF….

Strength and courage,
Wade

Pre Open House Strategies In 2019

Wade Webb on October 9, 2019

pre open houseOne of the best activities I did for my business was an open house and it never failed me and should never fail you if done correctly. An open house will always be one of the top ways an agent can generate business because face to face lead generation is where most of us are at our best. This is the best opportunity for the consumer to meet you and get to know you and with enough skill they will even like and trust you.

So what was my goal for an open house? My number one goal was to capture a contacts Name, Email and Cell number and win the right to meet with them for an appointment outside of my open house and share solutions to their challenges in today’s market place. Some of you may say Wade the goal is selling the listing you’re hosting an open house at, and I say “yes I get it” and I also say “The blind squirrel does find a nut once in a while” but focus on contact capture and setting the appointment.

So where do we start?

Setting The Stage – Pre Open House Strategies 

  1. Select properties on salability, location, traffic, curb appeal, condition, style, area, price.
  2. Choose the date a week or two out to properly plan for the event.
  3. Consider working the open house with another agent to be able to control the crowds.
  4. Preview and tour the home and comparable homes, so you really know your market.
  5. Decide about food, beverage and entertainment for the event.
  6. Strategize where the public looks for open houses online and offline to generate more traffic. Check out www.preopenhouse.com
  7. The day and time will not matter if you have prepared and marketed the event properly.
  8. Post a sign rider on the property for sale sign for the week or two prior to the event.
  9. **POWER TIP** Market and advertise only the start time of your opens. Open @ or Open from …… This will make people call you and leave you their name and number ( lead capture) to ensure you don’t leave before they have arrived and you will call them when leaving. You also now can leave if nobody comes within an hour and not be held hostage to an open house that has nobody attending. Make sense?
  10. Join forces with other agents and other listings in the area to drive your activity and traffic count up for the open house.
  11. Announce your open house event using Facebook Live, Email your database, Social media posts.
  12. Door knock and invite all the neighbors in the area of the open house and have them come to the open 15 minutes prior to the public start time. When the public arrives the open house will already have the neighbors there and creates a buzz and hype for the public arrival thinking this is a hot listing with traffic arriving early.
  13. Drop a post card or door hanger invitation for the surrounding neighborhood when someone is not home to be invited in person.
  14. Door knock the Expired listings and for sale by owners around your open house listing and offer to show their properties and give them a taste of how hard you work to market homes.

So there you have some of the pre open house strategies and I trust some of these will help you plan better or consider making adjustments to what you are already doing. Don’t hesitate to share in the comments below some of your own strategies, we would love to hear from you!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

The Dark Side of Retargeting: How Retargeting Could Be Killing Your Sales

Wade Webb on September 25, 2019

real estate retargetingRetargeting is the holy grail of digital marketing. It’s the solution to shopping cart abandonment. It’s the end of wasted Adwords revenue. It’s awesome. Except when it isn’t.

Before I launch into what comes next, I want to make it clear I am a fan of retargeting/remarketing. I use it. I recommend it. I think it rocks. Whether you’re trying to sell a pair of shoes or marketing a SaaS, retargeting has major advantages. It works on social media, general web browsing, and even across devices. Remarketing is a smart technique with a ton of advantages. But is there a dark side to retargeting? The short answer is yes. Let me explain.

Retargeting Can Be Expensive. Many marketers leap into retargeting because they assume it would somehow reduce their overall advertising costs. For a long time, PPC experts have been strategizing the means and methods for reducing adspend. The high cost of Adwords and the meteoric bidding levels for ultra-competitive terms have sabotaged some marketing budgets. Based on the promises of many retargeting services, it seemed the obvious solution. In reality, however, the way to reduce spending is to make a decision and stick to it. While retargeting may have a higher ad ROI, it doesn’t necessarily follow you’re going to spend less on it.

Retargeting Can Annoy or Anger Customers. When it comes right down to it, what does your customer think of retargeting? This is a significant issue, because ultimately, retargeting is about them (not you). Take a look at the data. InSkin Media’s consumer survey found the two main responses to a retargeted ad were annoyance and anger. Based on the data, the more frequently an ad is displayed, the more aggravating it can be. By the tenth time someone sees an ad, they get the message. More impressions aren’t going to compel them. You’ve driven them off a cliff. It’s too late. What do these emotions mean for sales? Again, let’s look at the data. The news isn’t great.

55% of customers put off buying

53% get irritated

Only 10% buy

If you are retargeting, it’s probably not a good idea to increase the number of impressions. The higher your frequency, the greater the likelihood of ticking someone off.

The chance at gaining 10% is nice. But what about the remainder of your potential customers? Are you gaining a few at the expense of alienating a majority? Rather than risk it, it’s best to err on the side of fewer impressions and happier potential customers.

Retargeting Can Create Concerns Over Privacy. One of the most common complaints about retargeting is that it’s “creepy.” This is why ClickZ had to try to explain away the creepy sentiment surrounding retargeting. Retargeting may not be creepy in actuality, but that won’t keep customers from thinking it’s creepy. Saying it ain’t so won’t change the fact they think it’s so. In a New York Times article on retargeting, reporters quoted Julie Matlin who was innocently looking for shoes. Her quick glance at a pair of kicks on Zappos.com turned into a recurring marketing experience: “For days or weeks, every site I went to seemed to be showing me ads for those shoes,” said Ms. Matlin, a mother of two from Montreal. “It is a pretty clever marketing tool. But it’s a little creepy, especially if you don’t know what’s going on.” The creepy sensation has been enough to increase the interest in Do Not Track laws rolled out by the government.

Retargeting Can Ignore the Buy Cycle. It’s ironic. One of the most fundamental of all marketing principles can be so easily overlooked in the frenzied rush towards retargeting. I’m talking about the marketing buy cycle — the concept that customers go through a cyclical process that prepares them to buy. It’s similar to the sales funnel, in that the process begins with more customers, and ends up with the converting few. Retargeting is intended to capture more of those consumers as they proceed through the funnel. If you’re not careful, however, you can actually damage conversion rates by ignoring the buy cycle. The customer may simply not be ready to buy. They’re no longer leaning towards your alternative. They’ve chosen a competitor. Maybe they already bought the product from a competitor. If you keep your retargeting window open for a long time, you increase the likelihood you are retargeting a customer who is no longer in the right spot of the buy cycle.

Retargeting can cause you to abdicate control. One of the major benefits of retargeting is it allows a more hands-off approach to marketing. One B2B blog describes the advantages of a managed retargeting platform: Managed platforms are ideal for retargeting newcomers who are unlikely to roll up their sleeves and dig into the minutia of managing a retargeting campaign. Managed platform providers will help you run your retargeting campaigns based on the target metrics and settings you specify. These platforms offer account managers and automated optimization tools that help build and tweak campaigns to maximize performance. Yet this perceived advantage can quickly become a disadvantage. Being hands-off of any marketing effort is risky, to say the least. At worst, it can turn into a sales-killing, prospect-aggravating, brand-ruining fiasco. I have a very simple recommendation if you’re considering letting your retargeting machine roll along on its own: Don’t do it. It’s not just about losing control. It’s more about losing all awareness. If there’s one thing marketers need, it’s a keen understanding of their data and the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives. What’s successful and what’s not. Who’s converting on what? Which method has the higher ROI? Which version is adequately reaching our target audience? Setting up your retargeting, and letting it purr along without your oversight is a risk too great

Retargeting can create negative organic search engine optimization. My own website designer discovered after a year of retargeting ads our website was becoming irrelevant to Google with so many click ins and click outs from people who didn’t want to go to our website. We began to lose huge search engine positioning with Google and our website slid back several pages, so consider driving the retargeting to another landing page and not your main website in risk of becoming irrelevant to Google.

So…Am I saying you should stop retargeting? Absolutely not. Retargeting is the modern wave of marketing, and we ought not neglect anything simply because of some attendant risks. We don’t give up on something just because it has risks. There is risk in doing business. There is risk in life. The pathway to success is paved with bricks of risk. What we must do is be aware of the risks in retargeting. It’s not the holy grail some marketers claim it is. It’s powerful. It’s effective. But it does have a dark side. Know this dark side, and you’ll be able to use retargeting with maximum effectiveness.

Have you seen any pitfalls with retargeting? Share your comments below with our readers.

Strength and courage,
Wade

Secrets To Attracting More Real Estate Listing Leads

Wade Webb on August 28, 2019

real estate listing secretsHave you ever heard the saying, “List to Exist”? One of the very important lessons I have learned as an agent is that getting listing/seller leads is crucial to my success. Something to consider… When you lead generate and market to attract buyers, you typically get 1 sale. But when you go after listings/seller leads, you typically get 2 sales. Why 2 sales? Because the seller, a lot of the times, also buys once their home is sold. Or… You may get the 2nd (or even 3rd) sale from a sign call, internet lead, or open house lead as a result of having the listing. Pretty cool right? SO HOW DO YOU ATTRACT MORE LISTING LEADS?

1. UTILIZE YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

The first thing to do is reach out to your sphere of influence via email and offer your contacts a free CMA. The key here is to have an excellent script. For instance, you may like to say something like:

“Hey [first name], Did you know that the N. American housing market increased by $1.9 trillion last year? As your Real Estate consultant, my mission is to always make sure you know the value of your home. If you would like a free CMA to find out your property value, click the button below or give us a shout.”Yes! I would Like to know more about my home! The button included in the message should send your contacts to a landing page where they can submit their data without needing to call you. This makes it easier for prospects to reach out to you — therefore increasing your conversion rate. You’ll also find out who, in your sphere of influence, may be thinking about moving in the next 12 months. This strategy is even better if you send a follow up email to make sure your leads received the information.

2. MARKET TO YOUR VIPS

VIPs are people in your sphere of influence who have either done business with you before or have sent you a referral. I dedicate more time and funds to this category than any other, as it yields significant results. Whenever you need to increase your listing leads, focus on this category. You can market to your VIPs in a few different ways:

1) VIP EVENTS It’s a good idea to hold VIP events quarterly, or at least as often as possible. This will give you face-to-face time with the most important people to your business: those who already love what you do and send you referrals.

2) GIVE GIFTS I also like to give my VIPs gifts on a quarterly basis. This allows me to show my appreciation to them throughout the year.

3) START A FACEBOOK GROUP Invite all your VIPs to a private Facebook group. They’ll all be able to provide value to each other, especially those who have businesses of their own and could benefit from referrals. A Facebook group is also a great place to keep VIPs informed about upcoming events and to share photos after the event takes place.

3. DON’T NEGLECT “FOR SALE BY OWNERS”

The “for sale by owners” category has not always been my favorite. However, thanks to some newer technologies, it has become a whole lot easier and cheaper to market such prospects in your desired area. Plus, it’s valuable: only 13 percent sell within their desired timeline and just 18 percent receive the price they want. For these reasons, it’s important not to neglect this category. Plenty of companies will send a list of newly-expired or “for sale by owners” listings straight to your inbox. Better still, you can gain this information for free by searching on Zillow. This will also allow you to define your exact geographical area and price range. Plus, the seller phone numbers tend to be much more accurate than those on purchased lists.

4. HOW TO REACH OUT

When you reach out to “for sale by owners” prospects, be sure to follow up at least 12 times. That may seem like a lot, but you need to bear in mind that most “for sale by owners” leads don’t make a decision or move until after seven to 10 weeks. Another thing you should do is use video text rather than phone calls. This is because 80 percent of people would prefer to have a text conversation with businesses — and only two in 10 people even answer their phones. Furthermore, using video texts sets your apart from the competition. I’m not saying that all 12 touchpoints should be through video text — just a couple times is enough — but the first time you reach out should definitely be through video. This allows you to make an introduction where prospects can see your voice and hear your tone of voice. Many people are resistant to make video texts, often because they don’t like how they look or sound on video. However, I can assure you that you’ll see it’s the right decision when the leads start rolling in.

5. CONNECTING WITH NEW VENDORS

My method is quite old school: wear your name badge or branded gear when you’re out and about. When you’re running errands between appointments, strike up conversations, especially with other people in branded gear. For instance, you could say, “Oh, I see you’re in the roofing business. Could you benefit from more referrals?” The people you talk to will be blown away that you’re offering to help them in their business. Follow up with additional questions, such as “Who’s your ideal client?” and “What geographical area do you serve?” A great option is to send these new connections to a dedicated landing page. You can text them a link to the page and they can fill out the form on their phones. If you don’t have a landing page, an alternative is to simply take down their contact information in the moment. HOW TO USE THE INFORMATION Add the data you collect to a vendor sheet. When you’re helping your clients during real estate transactions, refer them to these vendors. But you also need to go a step further: add the vendors to your sphere-of-influence list and market to them on a regular basis. Then, they’ll be able to help you out, too — and it’ll be a win–win situation for everybody involved.

6. DEVELOP SOCIAL PROOF

You need to gain social proof on all your social media channels, but most of all on Facebook because consumers use the app between eight and 14 times a day. As prospects are already hanging out there, it’s a great place to gain social proof. This will help you appear as an expert in your area and keep you top of mind for listing referrals. Gaining social proof could be as simple as posting testimonials from clients you’ve worked with. Alternatively, you could run a Facebook ad to market yourself as an expert in your area to your sphere of influence.

Whatever you do, work on presenting yourself as a successful agent — and people will send you referrals. Let me know in the comments WHICH OF THESE IDEAS IS YOUR FAVORITE?

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Avoid Or Get Out Of A Realtor Summer Slump

Wade Webb on July 31, 2019

realtor summer slumpSummertime is an interesting time for real estate. Many agents refer to the time directly before the summer start as the “selling season”and year over year, this time of year tends to be one of the most profitable for those agents who fully embrace spring and watch their summer numbers fall off slightly.

Is there really a selling season in real estate?

Well, yes and no. Do many people transact real estate (or at least put their homes on the market) during the spring time? Yes, year over year we do see an uptick in this activity. However, what is interesting is why “summer” tends to be a time in most agents years when things slow down. As with any business, cycles happen and it can be expected cycles in real estate happen as well.

But why do these cycles tend to happen? Well, it comes down to the way most agents set up their businesses. You see, over the past few years we have seen an uptick in agents and brokers signing on “teams.” What this has translated to is the sheer fact it allows agents to continue to do business 52 weeks a year, without having to work ‘in’ their business, but instead work ‘on’ it.

Summertime is an excellent time to really add value to people and focus on deepening the relationship side of your business and tap into the other 150 to 250 people each of those people know as well. It amazes me agents feel they have added value to their clients by newsletters, market stats, email market reports, calendars and on and on and on. Clients expect this from us not something they feel like we did unexpectedly or make them feel special. Have any of us had a client tell another client about the newsletter you sent? The calendar you delivered in the fall? Let’s take the time to really make our relationships feel like they are really valued.

One of my favorite books is “The Generosity Factor” by Ken Blanchard. In this book you are taught the value of your “Four T’s”

1. Your Time 

2. Your Touch 

3. Your Talents 

4. Your Treasures

What do you think would happen to your business this summer and fall if you took time to implement the following action steps?

Summer Action Plan

* Phone call just checking in to let them know you appreciate them. Asking anything you could do for them?

* Breakfast, Coffee, Lunch. Take time to listen and appreciate them.

* Walk or a hike with a client.

* Drop off at a clients work place unexpected a Tri Pack of Ketchup, Mustard, Relish with a tag saying ” Just Ketching Up, Want you to know I relish your real estate referrals and let you know not all agents cut the mustard!”

* Host a client appreciation event. Like an open house at your home for wine and cheese. BBQ. Beach party picnic.

* Write them a personal hand written note of appreciation.

* Drop in and see them, giving them a hug, handshake or pat on the back letting them know you appreciate them.

So many agents underestimate the power of the simple. Wade it can’t be as simple as my time? Sharing my personality and strengths with others? Giving someone a hug, pat on the back or hand shake? Hosting them for a BBQ at my home? Dropping them a little BBQ toppings tri pack from Walmart?

We all have the time this time of year and you can only control what you are doing not what others are doing. So I challenge you to take up an item or all on the action plan and finish your summer strong and let me know what kind of momentum you created, I dare ya!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Where & How To Use A Virtual Tour To Sell Your Listings

Wade Webb on June 26, 2019

virtual tour sell listingsWhy would you want to include a virtual tour with your home marketing efforts? Nowadays, buyers don’t even look at online listings if they don’t include a virtual tour. The technology for virtual touring properties on the internet is amazing with the help of services like IGuide and Matterport. This allows us to virtually take the property to any potential buyer around the world and let them virtually experience the property without physically being here.

How Do Virtual Tours Work?

Virtual tours take you inside the home and give you a 180 to a 360-degree view. Some are interactive, meaning you click the mouse and it takes you to the ceiling, the floor, the walls, leaving no inch of the room unseen. Others are flat-screen views put together to give you a moving image that you watch but do not control. Some are digital and 3D like you are in there in person. You can order virtual tours in a number of ways. Shoot your own photographs and hire a professional to simply upload and assemble them for you. Hire a professional to shoot the photos, upload and assemble artwork into a tour. It’s so affordable today that most people pay for a virtual tour. Or buy your own software and compose/create it yourself.

How to Get Started With Making a House Virtual Tour?

Every virtual tour should consist of a minimum of two spins. Even a small 800-square-foot condo can be shot on a two-spin tour: the living room and the clubhouse/pool area, for example. Use collages of 36 photos or more. Super intense virtual tours are generally reserved for the homes valued at more than a million dollars and may involve an aerial tour shot from a drone. Buyers want to see the guesthouses, the wine cellars, the indoor pool and spa facilities, the libraries, media rooms, gyms, studios, the 18-car garages, and helicopter pads. Most professional virtual tour companies will handle everything for you, from beginning to finish, and will supply their own server to host the virtual tour. All you have to do is post the link in the appropriate places. These virtual tours are generally one long continuous show.

Tips for Staging a Virtual Tour

Determine what your focus is and what your viewpoints are. You can take your own digital photographs and upload them to your computer. This way you can study each room for its appeal and photogenic quality. Print out the photos you like and show the virtual tour photographer the angles that you want. Begin the tour focused on the most interesting element in the space and end with that element. Think about what the viewer will see first to determine your starting point for the tour. You don’t want to begin filming a doorway, for example, because most doorways are boring. Move excess furniture out, and properly prepare the room you are shooting. You want the space clean, open, clutter-free and to appear much larger than it is. Consider the level of the camera. If you raised it a foot or so, would it eliminate glare from windows or avoid showing the unpainted fence outside? Choose the best spot in the room to set up the camera. While you might capture a wider range of view from a location close to a hall or door, think about the entire circle of view and how interested your viewer will be staring at a close-up of a nearby wall. Remember, one click of the mouse, and your image is lost.

Added Features for Virtual Tours

Most virtual tours provide ample space for marketing content. Use adjectives sparingly. Concentrate instead on the use of sharp nouns and action verbs. Every picture tells a story, doesn’t it? Describe that moving video with text that rolls across the screen. Don’t rely on the viewer to know enough to scroll down the page to your verbiage. Add a line of verbiage directly to the video. Supplying Audio: Some virtual tours give you the option of adding your voice to the tour. Be enthusiastic, speak clearly, and remember to smile, like you were talking to a friend because a smile resonates in the voice. Allow a mute button.

Where to Upload and Post Your House Virtual Tour Link

  • Link the virtual tour to your agent’s MLS number.
  • Upload the tour to local websites and your agent’s personal website.
  • Consider buying a separate Web address to host the virtual tour. Domain names are very cheap, and independent property websites are popular.
  • Many tour operators will also upload the link to Realtor.com, Realtor.ca, a website which gives visitors the option of viewing only those listings with virtual tours.
  • Put your virtual tour on YouTube.
  • Showcase your virtual tour on Facebook.

There you have the latest technology for marketing listings to the internet empowered buyers around the world. Check out your local virtual tour provider today and put this technology to work for your listings and sellers today! You will be glad you did.

Strength and courage,
Wade

5 Steps To Converting The Incoming Calls

Wade Webb on June 5, 2019

convert incoming calls real estate agentI would estimate the average real estate agent loses between $20,000 and $80,000 a year because they don’t know how to handle sign calls, ad calls, or any other inquiries from buyers or sellers.  And chances are, YOU are losing money too.  Even many veteran agents, who think they knew how to work a call, are making costly mistakes. If you simply master the art of handling inquiry calls, you will see a strong increase in your income…and you’ll stop letting money run through your hands when you prepare correctly and know what you’ll say even before someone picks up the phone to call you.

5-Step Process for Realtors© to Convert Incoming Calls

STEP 1 – Understand Your Primary GOAL.  Most agents think when they receive a call, their job is to sell real estate.  It’s not, and this could be the very first mistake you’re making.  People don’t buy real estate from a stranger over the phone.  The primary goal of your conversation over the phone is to…

Get A Name, Phone Number, And Face-To-Face Meeting!

STEP 2 –  Be Prepared Beforehand!  Your success will be related to how well you prepare for the calls you’ll get. PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU WHAT THEY WANT IF YOU’LL JUST ASK. You need to think through the questions you’ll get from prospect calls, and have a prepared, straight-forward answer for them in a way that sells your services.

For example: If you have a listing in a resort subdivision, you better know about dues for joining the club, complete market values, EVERYTHING about the home you’ve listed, and other benefits of living in the area (schools, shopping, transportation, community services, etc.).

You also need to think through the questions you’ll ask your buyers to do 2 things:
1) Qualify them as real buyers/sellers (their motivation), and
2) Motivate them to meet with you.

STEP 3 – Know Your Inventory So You Can Motivate A Phone Number and A Meeting.  If you have a listing in the $250,000 price range, you need to know at least 5 additional GREAT homes in that price range.  The chances of a caller buying your home can be thin, but the chances of selling them “A HOME” are good – if you know what you’re doing.  Here’s the approach you use to motivate a phone number and a meeting. No one will want to meet with you without a specific, irresistible, self-serving reason. No one  wants to get sold!  They simply want their problems solved. So, what will you DO for them?  For example, if you get a sign call, you know a lot about them because they called you regarding a listing or other property. You also know what they’re looking for because they answered your questions above.  What do you think will motivate a meeting?  The perfect HOME!

Mr./Ms. Prospect, I have  2 homes – and perhaps one more if it’s still on the market – that perfectly match what you’re looking for.  Let me pull out my information on them and I’ll call you back with details.  Are you going to be around in the next 15 minutes?  What’s your phone number?

You now have a lead…now it’s time to find the exact home they described to you from your questions above.  CALL THEM BACK EXACTLY WHEN YOU TOLD THEM…NO LATER THAN 15 MINUTES! When you call them back, you need to tease them with features and benefits of the homes – to perfectly match the ones they gave you earlier. Then you need to set-up a meeting to look at those homes.

STEP 4 – Take Detailed Notes.  Don’t rely on your memory.  I know this sounds simple, but you could get 20 calls a day, and you need to keep track of details.  So, go out and buy a set of 5 X 7 inch cards.  And on each card, get down as much information as possible on your prospect’s desires.  Also get as much personal information as possible.  And work your cards diligently, or put them into your online contact manager for regular follow-up.

STEP 5 – Get Your Head Straight. 90% of working prospect calls is YOUR mental state and preparedness.  Here’s what I suggest you do to close your calls to clients:

Get prepared mentally.  When your phone rings, tell yourself, “I’m going to meet with these callers.”  That’s your single goal.

Create a script of items or QUESTIONS you need to use during your prospect calls.  Don’t rely on your memory to come through during a tense situation.

ASK FOR THE APPOINTMENT.  “Ask and you shall receive.”  I can’t tell you how many agents I meet who simply don’t ask for the meeting…or the sale.  Many agents lack the confidence to ask for the business.  Don’t expect to be successful in real estate if you can’t ask for the business.

Strength and courage,
Wade

35 Free, No Cost Real Estate Lead Gen Ideas in 2019

Wade Webb on May 15, 2019

2019 realtor marketing tipsOften I hear realtors tell me how expensive it is to do effective marketing as a real estate agent and how they don’t have the budget for these costs. Although I agree there are some very pricey marketing tactics in play right now, I assure you there are countless highly effective tactics that are “zero” cost  or low cost to the agent….

35 Free or Low Cost Lead Gen Ideas for Realtors©

  1. Pick up the phone and talk to 5 current or past clients a day. Give them your greatest gift, “your time.”
  2. Ask for the business ”Of all the people you know, who do you think will be moving next?”
  3. Record a new, upbeat and original message on your voicemail every day. Try a riddle, joke, tip, quote or short story.
  4. Create a “do it yourself” info graphic of your local market statistics for real estate and post it on social media or email it to your clients. A Market Snapshot.
  5. Check the local news or internet for a good news story and clip or print the story and send the person who the story is about a personal note saying “well done or congratulations” and include your business card.
  6. Create a video of your best buying or selling tips and post them to YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter.
  7. Create a video of a past client testimonial sharing their experience doing business with you and post it to your website or social media. Get them to give you a google or yelp review.
  8. Create an instructional video on “How to” or “Step by Step” process.
  9. Constantly wear your company name badge. Don’t be a secret agent. Even add a company logo to your clothing.
  10. Join or start a networking group like Business Network International (BNI). So many business owners and service providers could use an agent like you.
  11. Write and post some of your best marketing, buying or selling ideas in Real Estate on your own blog like I have done with AgentsBoost!
  12. Submit press releases each week to local media sources like new innovative real estate marketing, using drones, videos, interactive floor plans, virtual reality, etc.
  13. Create joint ventures and partnerships with other businesses and services that fall in line with the real estate industry. Add them to your website!
  14. Complete a detailed profile of yourself in Google, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
  15. Write a short market update each month and email it to your database.
  16. Post classified ads on free online websites like Craigslist, Kijiji, Oodle.
  17. Teach other business owners and service providers how to market with little or no money.
  18. Write and send a personal hand written note to 5 people every day.
  19. Door knock an area where you have or your company has a bona fide buyer, recent sold or recent new listing or invite them to your open house.
  20. Post on social media and email every month your local market “best bets” for buying opportunities. All categories like first time buy, move up buy, foreclosure or rental.
  21. Visit face to face an expired listing owner with a sold topper in hand and say “We have just been notified your home is no longer on the market and I am sure the last person you want to see at your door is another real estate agent. I just have 2 quick questions and will be on my way”. First “why do you think one of these “sold” signs did not get on your property” and second “why did you want to sell in the first place?”
  22. Hold an open house on a listing any day that only takes a customer no more than 2 open house signs to get to from the main traffic.
  23. Create a contest or a client referral rewards program.
  24. Volunteer for an event or at a local charity. Join a service club. Attend a networking event and exchange business cards.
  25. Host a buying, selling or investing real estate seminar. Co-present with other experts like lawyers, lenders, inspectors, etc.
  26. Video interview local business owners, service providers and professionals in your community.
  27. Create an agent to agent referral business with agents from other cities sending you their buyer and seller referrals.
  28. Connect with solicitors that represent family, estate or financial institution law for referral business.
  29. Work the referral network of other realtors in other cities and become their agent of choice for buyer and seller referrals in your marketplace.
  30. Create a referral network with trades people, contractors, renovators and handyman professionals.
  31. 97% response rate texting someone and asking them “How’s biz?” and in exchange you can expect them to text back the same question to you about the market!
  32. On FB show people you care by sharing and commenting on their posts. Message them and ask them “how they are doing?”
  33. Educate your clients on how to give you a referral. “Call me with their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and promise you not to pressure them in any way.”
  34. Help a For Sale By Owner in exchange for the opportunity to represent them when they are needing assistance to buy again. Help them enough they might give up and even list with you!
  35. Target and work a geographic farm area. Become the expert in one specific segment of the market. Video, blog, door knock, Facebook live video from a listing in your farm area, farm market area statistic updates.

So there you have it, an in depth list of ideas for agents with smaller or no marketing budgets in 2019. Feel free to add more ideas and suggestions to this year’s list in the comment section below!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Fanatical Prospecting Effect

Wade Webb on May 1, 2019

realtor prospectingA major activity for a real estate agent is to prospect for, and convert leads. This seems to be the most avoided activity due to its unnatural, time consuming and difficulty to do for most agents in the business today. This week we look at some of the best practices of prospecting in real estate from the book “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount. We help the agent to overcome call reluctance, structure your referral requests and leave a message that will increase your prospecting conversion.

Let’s begin by accepting the fact that prospecting requires you to interrupt people and it is not bothering people but you are interrupting people in a relevant way and that’s what we do in sales. I believe I am an excellent resource in real estate and the agent that they need for help. Stop asking people “Is this a good time to call?” The reflex response from anyone to this over used question is always “NO” but instead give them the reason for your call and get to the point. Be Brief! Be Bright! Be Gone! The 1,2,3 punch to prospecting.

Learn how to ask for the referral. Don’t overcomplicate it, simply ask “Of all the people you know who do think will be moving next?” Just pick up the phone today and call a few past clients and ask them this question and let me know what response you get?! It is important you not only know how to ask for the referral but also educate them on how to give you that referral. “Give me their name and number and I will follow them up and give them excellent service and I promise not to pressure them at all.”

Once you have got past the reluctance of prospecting and you get good at being brief, bright and be gone. You master the ability to ask for the referral and remember to educate them on how to give that referral, you then block time for prospecting daily. The key to changing your business is blocking the time to prospect. Like exercising, the best workouts are usually intense, small intervals. So block your prospecting time to an hour a day. Yes an hour a day. Then break the hour into three separate 20 minute chunks of prospecting time. I guarantee you will see better prospecting results for your business. Remember! One hour a day, split into 3 twenty minute chunks will have a greater impact.

The last prospecting tip is removing all distractions and stop the multi-tasking insanity now! Turn everything off. Be present and focused for that intense interval of twenty minutes of prospecting called your Golden Hour. Maximize that prospecting effort and see the results begin to change for you by being completely focused on the task at hand.

So there you have it. We have to interrupt people in real estate to make money and accepting that fact will make your life a lot easier. If you are polite and relevant your interruption will always be welcome to any prospect. As an exercise today take the time to create a weekly grid and start blocking your one hour of prospecting every day but remember to block it into three separate twenty minute blocks of focused uninterrupted prospecting.

Let me know your results in the next couple of weeks!

  1. Grid the time, block the time
  2. 3 twenty minute chunks a day
  3. Do it first thing in your day
  4. Remove all distractions
  5. Repeat!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

The Personal and Professional Power In Journaling

Wade Webb on April 17, 2019

realtor journalingFor the past 15 years I have a collection of black, hard cover books with pages and pages of personal and professional ideas, thoughts and insights I have captured along my own personal and professional journey.

So many of my coaching clients ask me about my journals and why do I journal all these years? The benefits of journaling are countless. People who journal every day experience better mental health, heightened productivity, lower stress, increased clarity and a greater sense of peace.

Strategic journaling leads to substantial happiness and fulfillment – a frame of mind that is worth striving for daily! As a Coach who has worked exclusively with entrepreneurs and professionals for well over a decade, I have used the process of journaling from the very beginning in order to help agents realize personal and professional transformation and achieve dramatic improvement in their relationships, their career, their health, and their overall well-being.

This week I have shared journaling strategies below to make your journaling efforts more effective. Keep in mind, however, journaling has no boundaries, no requirements and no rules. This is just a guideline to help point you in the right direction!

DUMP – Maybe you’ve just gotten into a fight with someone important. Maybe something bad has happened at work. Or maybe you’re just stressed out over a bunch of things. Something is going on in your life and you’re feeling it on an emotional level. Journaling invites you to write about the event, what happened and how you feel about it.

Dump #1– Express all of your thoughts and opinions.

Dump #2– When you think you’re done, keep going. Get it all out of your system and write even the stuff you would never, ever share with another soul.

Then when you’re completely done, unload it. Unload all your frustration, your anger, your fear, your anxiety, your pissed off-ness, whatever it is. When you’re done unloading, write the following line: “It’s time to turn myself around.” At that point, you want to stop dumping. You want to dump the dump. In other words: “I’m done dumping. I’m finished with that, and I’m ready to head in a new direction.” To head in a new direction, we can start answering questions like, “What do I want to do about this problem or situation? How do I want to view the world from this point forward? How can I move forward from here? What would I rather have?” Once you generate some answers to these questions, you’ll feel much clearer, more powerful and more at peace.

You are asking yourself. “How Can I Apply This Strategy?” Nicole Sachs journaling expert shared we ALL have so many incredible things we want to do with our lives. We seek to improve our businesses, our health, and our relationships with loved ones and with ourselves.

The bottle neck is we carry a whole host of narratives that do not fit or equate with the lives we would LOVE to lead. Use your journal to just unload, to dump it out and to write it down: “Here’s what’s going on, here’s why it creates this type of emotion, this is why I’m stressed or overwhelmed,” etc.

ASK, “WHY NOT?” – What’s stopping you from achieving a particular goal or living the life you desire? Write down every single reason why you believe you cannot have what you want. It could be you don’t think you have enough time, money, energy, experience etc. Then…write a challenge for every item on your list. Look at each individual item and ask yourself, “Is that true?” For example, do you really not have the resources necessary to get what you want, or are you simply expending too much time, money and energy on other things? Asking yourself questions like this allows you to identify your limiting beliefs and build the muscle necessary to overcome them.

BLUE SKY – Allow yourself to daydream. If anything were possible, what would you want your life to look like? Dream big and stretch the boundaries you tend to place on yourself, or eliminate them altogether if possible. Create the wildest, most crazy vision you possibility can. When you take the time to visualize yourself in that big, wild, expansive place, you experience a massive mood shift and begin to believe it’s possible to get there. Your dream becomes something you can actually contemplate instead of being something unattainable and/or designed for someone else more capable or deserving.

LISTS – Write down lists of things you want to do, people you want to network with, places you want to visit, characteristics you’d like in a partner, etc. If you find yourself crunched for time, you can even make a list of things you would like to journal about later on. This is a GREAT way to capture your thoughts and ideas in the moment, and you can refer back to these lists later to help guide you.

GRATITUDE – There are times in my life when I am feeling down about life and business. I worked with someone who suggested I write down a list of 10 things I was grateful for 10 times a day for a week. That’s 100 things, per day. I thought that was mildly excessive, but I did it anyway. This exercise changed my fundamental DNA. All of a sudden, I was only focusing on what was good and right in my world. I didn’t have any room left for what was getting me down − I flooded my system with gratitude. As a result, life and work became fun again! So, what are you grateful for? Write what you’re grateful for each day, or write every single awesome thing that comes to mind right now. If you’re stumped, consider this − do you have a place to sleep, clothes to wear and food to eat? Write it down!

DEVELOPING A PLAN – Do you have a great idea? Journal about it! What’s the idea? What are the steps involved in bringing the idea to fruition? What do you need to do? Who do you need to talk to? What are the action items? This could be in regards to anything − a business project, a party theme, a move to a new city, a weight loss regimen, etc. This kind of journaling invites you to write out your plan in regards to a goal.

LETTER WRITING – Pick important people in your life and write a letter to them saying what they mean to you, why they’re important, why you value them and what you love about them. Imagine you’re on your deathbed and you’re leaving behind your deepest, most intimate and kindest thoughts for this person. This may be a little morose, but it helps to envision the assignment. Don’t hold anything back! This exercise will immediately make you feel great, and even if you never share this letter with them, writing it actually increases your intimacy with them. It turns your attention to all the amazing characteristics of the key people in your life and leaves you with a wonderful sense of gratitude and appreciation

WHAT IS MY PRIORITY RIGHT NOW? – Sometimes we lose our way. We get distracted. We get pulled away from our goals, our desires and the things most important to us. We fall off the wagon. Answering this question helps us get back on track. It redirects our focus to what is most essential to us. You can ask yourself this question in terms of your physical health, emotional health, relationships, business goals, etc., and with any given timeline. For example, you could ask yourself, “What do I want to do in terms of exercise today? What exercises would I like to do every day? How fit would I like to be in a year from now?” This journaling activity recalibrates us.

I hope some of the benefits to Journaling this week have inspired you to take up this habit and apply it to your personal and professional life. I dare you to run out and buy yourself a journal and start journaling once a day for the next 21 days and let me know what that does for you. I am excited to hear all about it!

Strength and courage,
Wade