Real Estate Marketing Tips Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Wade Webb Real Estate Coaching

Secrets To 11% Online Real Estate Lead Conversion

Wade Webb on January 9, 2019

We all know online leads are supposed to be the latest and greatest thing in real estate but they can be fairly expensive and the national average conversion rate is only about 1.5% but what if you could convert your online leads at a rate of 11%?

Would you do what it takes and start crushing it online as an agent? Sadly most agents would say “it is too much work, online leads suck and real estate sucks and I am sure there is something out there better than an 11% conversion rate for me thanks very much!”

This week I want to share some of the ways you can increase online lead conversion and reach a double digit conversion rate… so let’s do this!

We all know the most important rule to online lead conversion is speed to lead (under 5 minutes response time)! The first agent is usually the agent that wins the leads business when they are ready to raise their hand to do business. Just as important as the speed to lead rule is your ability to personalize and show your own personality in your online lead responses so they can begin to feel like you’re an agent they can trust, like and do business with and not just a salesperson!

So how do you show your personality and personal touch in lead response?

Video is now the online lead conversion secret weapon. 86% of communication is non-verbal ( tone, eye contact, body language, voice inflection ) video allows us to communicate all of that! Your initial contacts are now 30 second video texts, 30 second video emails and a personal phone call, all three in under five minutes.

Make the message personal by holding a small white board with the clients name written on it in your hand in the video first.
Then the next contact hold the small white board with the name of the area they are looking for property written on it.
Then the next contact have your website domain name written on it and tell them what they will find on your website that is unique to other sites.
Quick follow up message to make sure they are getting all your messages. Plans changed?
Send a list of your top picks of homes based on their initial search enquiry.
Send them recent new listings and sales in what they told you they are searching for.
Let them know about your informed home buyer plan and how they can save time, money and stress.
Let them know how you have access to homes for sale that are not on the MLS
Let them know how you can beat other buyers to new listings
Let them know you have solutions for their common buyer challenges
Let them know what you have they cannot get online (service providers, schools, trades, local amenities etc.)
Let them see other photos of the listing they enquire on that are not on the listing
Let them know your value proposition like finding a home vs. waiting for it to come on market, new listing e-lerts, saved searches, transaction coordinator.
Send them market Snap shot stats

One of my favorite tips is using the app Calendly. https://calendly.com/ Whenever you get an enquiry about a listing you can respond using Calendly which will pop up and allow the prospect to book a viewing appointment with you for the listing they enquired on. Calendly syncs with your own calendar and knows to only offer times for viewings to the online lead when your own calendar is open. So Cool!!

Another great tool is using bit.ly to convert an email into a bit.ly link https://bitly.com/ and then be able to embed that email using bit.ly into a text back to your online lead prospect. It wows the prospect, makes the text pop, allows you to track their activity and saves your texting thumbs from cramping up on you!

Follow the universal online lead conversion script LPMAMA. Take the time to keep the prospect on the line as long as possible to build rapport and trust with this script!

L – Location, all the areas they are considering and you might suggest

P – Price, being able to determine their floor, ceiling and comfort zone prices

M – Motivation, Why? Pain or pleasure? When?

A – Assume you don’t have an agent because you are out doing this on your own?

M – Mortgage, All cash or will you be requiring financing? With who?

A – Appointment, L.G.T. Let’s get together

I hope some of these tips and tricks will help with your ongoing battle with online lead generation and help you take your conversion to the double digit level and create a boost in your business this first quarter of 2019!

Strength and courage,
Wade

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12 Ways To Get More Listings & Stop Being A Secret Agent

Wade Webb on October 10, 2018

The real estate market all over North America is beginning to see housing and commercial inventory levels rise and the difficulty of getting and keeping listings is beginning to fade away. So if the trend for inventory is on the rise but you are not getting listings or seem to be carrying any more than you normally did, what do you need to do to change that?

I use this analogy, that agents without listings are like a Starbucks franchisee without a coffee shop. How hard would it be to run a Starbucks and succeed without a place where they come to get their coffee? Not easy at all I am thinking. I would think it is just as difficult for an agent being a secret agent who isn’t carrying any listing inventory as well! So let’s look at ways we can trigger more listing inventory and finish 2018 and begin 2019 strong!! Here are the top 12 listing sources….

12 Ways to Get More Real Estate Listings

As I reveal the list, ask yourself if these strategies are something you do or something you’ve avoided. Remove the fixed mindset and bring an open mind to all of these being viable options to help grow your business.

1. Database – Not surprisingly, working your past clients and center of influence was the top strategy for Elite+ members to generate new business. With what frequency are you informing homeowners in your database? Do you truly know your customer? Become the knowledge broker for these people, and I guarantee you’ll win.

2. Mega Open House / Event – Who says Open Houses only attract buyers? When you create Mega Open Houses that truly give people a reason to show up, you can meet the neighbors, impress them and position yourself as the listing agent of choice. Provide food, drinks and fun, invite the neighbors and make the most of your Open Houses.

3. Geographic Farming – Identifying a group of homes with sufficient annual turnover to justify a large enough return on investment to offset the costs of your direct mail, marketing efforts, Facebook ads, etc. — and then inundate them with your message until you become their logical choice. Demonstrate proof of activity (Just Listed, Just Sold, Market Updates, etc.) to win over potential sellers and become the listing agent of choice in your marketplace.

4. Agent-to-Agent Referrals – A sharing of ideas and referrals many of our coaching clients cherish. But you can still capitalize on referrals by doing your research and forging relationships with agents in strategic locations. Determine the areas that statistically contribute the most people to your community, and then build networking relationships with agents from those communities.

5. Zillow/Realtor.com/Trulia/Homes.com/Online lead generation – Today’s most savvy agents are over-indexing on online arbitrage and seeing it as a significant listing opportunity. Why? Because those who are shopping for homes online often have to sell their own property before they can buy.

6. Expired Listings – Before you freak out and tell me how much you hate the idea of pursuing Expireds, think about this: A homeowner of an expired listing is just a human being facing a challenge. You’re a confident Rockstar listing agent. Be the knowledge broker and help that person solve their problem. When you do this, it becomes the Ultimate Proof of Success, showing how you achieved what other agents could not. So reach out — via direct mail, phone calls, door knocking — any way you want, but don’t allow a fixed mindset to blind you to the huge opportunity in Expireds.

7. Seller– Specific Online Marketing – “Curious about the value of your home?” Seven simple words that can get people to raise their hand and indicate the possibility of selling their home in the future. This isn’t a quick hit solution, but if you’re willing to provide information to these people, get them in your system and nurture them, you can convert over the long run.

8. Sign Calls – Have as many signs as your local regulations allow! (Another reason to do big Open Houses frequently with lots of signs.)

9. FSBOs – Love ‘em or hate ‘em, FSBOs are the fastest source of business opportunity. The truth of the matter is there’s a small percentage of people who won’t be able to sell their home themselves and will look to hire someone like you to help them achieve their goals. Remember, every home you list means more signs, more exposure, the ability to help more people.

10. Investors – There is so much money coming into the marketplace right now, and the question becomes are you paying attention to capitalize on the opportunity investors provide? What if you sat down with your title rep and asked for a report on everyone who owns three or more properties in your area. Identify them, work with them, help them sell when they’re ready, bring them meaningful value, and make them customers for life.

11. Builders/Developers – Similar to investors, you can capitalize on working with builders by having your title rep identify any properties zoned for R2 but currently only has one unit on it. Find those properties that have been owned 20+ years and ask the right questions to present the possibilities to the property owner.

12. Professional Networking / Corporate Relocation / Radio / Seminars / Yelp Reviews – These all tied for 12^th.

So there you have 12 of the top sources and activities for generating listings and I challenge you to act on one or two of these on our list and implement and execute them at the highest level. You can and see what happens to your final quarter for 2018 and your listing inventory.

Strength and courage,
Wade

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Asking For Real Estate Listing Price Reductions

Wade Webb on September 26, 2018

Now this isn’t really about getting new business. It is not a prospecting script, but it may be the most important phone duty that anyone in your office does–asking for price reductions on listings. Asking for price reductions can make or break a top real estate agent’s business. Not only will price reductions quicken the sale, and therefore, minimize overhead in a real estate agent’s business, but it will also prove to everyone your marketing systems work. Remember, price is 90% of any marketing plan and the faster you achieve market value, the faster everybody’s needs are met.

The challenge with price reductions is not solved with a phone script, but a series of planned events. This system you are holding shows you the right questions to ask prior to a listing presentation so you can learn their true motivation and then find ways to meet their goals. When the desire is to meet someone’s goals, they’re much more likely to listen to the plan that gets them there. As we all know, the correct price is the fastest road to the achievement of most goals that have to do with a sale.

Once the right questions are asked, the next step is an outstanding presentation with the correct verbiage during the CMA. We’ve all experienced the seller that no matter how much information is given them, including pre-listing sales packages that include pricing technologies and the right scientific research showing the exact value of their home–they still want more! What are we to do? What to do while battling another agent’s high evaluation or how to obtain pre-agreed listing reductions during the term of the listing. All I can do at this juncture is to assume the right questions were asked prior to and at the listing presentation, and they received information on how to price their property correctly. At the listing presentation this information was gone over and the scientific information was discussed. If after all of this has been done and the price is still too high your options are to not take the listing or to receive pre-agreed reductions based upon the success of marketing.

All this leads me to believe, if everything that should be done has been done, and you still have an overpriced listing, you (1) knew it was overpriced and took it anyway or (2) made a mistake based upon the fact you liked the property more than anyone else did. There’s also a possible third problem and that is the seller was a better salesperson than you, and sold you on the high price. All this is leading us to one conclusion, if you have been a victim of any of the previously mentioned three problems, you’re now going to have to consistently ask for price reductions, which may be the most embarrassing aspect of this business. How do you ask for price reductions when you told the seller you could market the home at the agreed upon price? Sometimes, their responses are furious, such as, “Well anybody can sell this house at that price,” “The other agent said that they could get more,” “I can’t buy my new home if I get that price,” or “Do you expect me to lose money?” All these questions ignore the main subject, and that is, market value is market value and none of the above questions have anything to do with or affect market value.

The following lead-ins can be used to ask for a price reduction, but it is very important you use new subjects as often as possible, so not to sound monotonous! Remember, an agent who asks for price reductions soon after the listing presentation will have a weary seller, so therefore, mix your price reductions with new and exciting marketing concepts. Concepts such as a page promoted on your website from your lender showing five ways, which the home can be financed. Adding a special home of the day button to your site or sending your evaluation surveys to all the agents who have seen the home– I’ve got a million of them. Remember, the seller likes the real estate agent who is ingenious in their marketing methods and also, the seller will then listen more intently to the following reasons for a price reduction.

Lead-ins to Ask for a Real Estate Listing Price Reduction

1. There’s been a new sale in the neighborhood that affects your value.

2. Here are some of the responses we’ve received from other agents.

3. Here are the responses I received from buyers I have shown.

4. Here are responses I have heard from buyers shown by other agents.

5. Here are the responses from the agents in my office.

6. Here are the attitudes of the real estate agents who attended the Broker Open House.

7. Here were the attitudes of the buyers who walked through your home on the open house.

8. Here are the responses we have received from the ad that we’ve placed in . . .

9. Here are some suggestions I would do if it were my home to make it more appealing to buyers. Oh, by the way, rather than just making these improvements why don’t we drop the price to compensate for some improvements the buyer may want to make?

10. Why don’t we increase the selling office commission? If I sell it, I will stick to the original terms of the listing agreement.

11. May we add a selling office bonus?

12. May we add points so financing becomes easier for a buyer?

13. I know this offer was low and the buyer did not accept our counter offer, however, may I lower the home to the amount we mentioned in the counter offer to attract more interested buyers?

14. May we ask for some concessions on the home you’re buying and then supply those same concessions to any potential buyers on their home?

15. May we offer preferential owner financing and make the property more affordable to any potential buyers?

16. We have an open house / new ad / new internet blast going out and I would certainly love to be able to market this home at a new and improved price.

17. I’m going to be taking the property out of the MLS and resubmitting it as a new listing, therefore, acquiring a new look and new enthusiasm among the cooperating real estate agents here in town. I’d like to do that at a lower price.

18. Is there anything we could throw in that would sweeten the pot, appliances, vehicles, maybe even a free vacation at a time share?

19. Many times we have found emotions play a big role in the sale of a home. Therefore, can we make your home more emotional by having it professionally staged and decorated by a local design group?

20. Cooperation among real estate agents is paramount to getting the property sold. Yes, I am the one agent that is handling the marketing, but I am marketing to more than 3,000 real estate agents who handle a large percentage of buyers. My job is to market to them so they can express their excitement of your home to their buyers. Let’s discuss what we can do to make this home more exciting to the real estate agents here in town.

21. Real estate agents have many properties to show and sometimes the determining reason for showing is ease of access. Let’s do some items to improve the showing procedure to make it easily accessible to real estate agents at any time and at a moment’s notice.

22. I would like to obtain a price reduction and do some things I have never done to market a home, such as advertising them in the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. Spending money on an ad that would reach outside our geographical area is risky, but I would be willing to go ahead and give it a try if we had a more marketable price.

23. I was looking at your holding cost and found if we drop your price and obtain a sale, we may eliminate many months of payments, taxes, insurance, and upkeep I believe would compensate for this price reduction. Let’s discuss how this might work.

24. In all the years I’ve done business, one of the hardest things I have to do is disappoint a client. The continued marketing of this property at the current price that I now find is too high only tends to disappoint you and therefore, I’d like to ask the following favor. Would you please consider a price reduction and if that’s impossible, would you allow me to discontinue my marketing efforts? It’s very difficult for me to express this to a seller that’s been fair with me and to a home I’d like nothing more than to market and sell; however, I truly believe unless we drop this price, the property will go unsold. I’m willing to give up my marketing effort and my listing to show you how clear I am we need to adjust our price today.

I hope you can use any one or all of these reasons to obtain a price reduction or improvement in terms or value. The phone is the most effective way to do this. The use of your assistant calling for price reductions or doing it by mail has proven to be ineffective. There are times when the real estate agent must pick up the phone, and the price reduction is one of them.

Strength and courage,
Wade

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Power Is In The Process for Your Real Estate Business

Wade Webb on May 16, 2018

Reflecting back on the winter Olympics I was constantly reminded of how close the competition is at high levels of sport and how it is so close sometimes at high levels in real estate. The little things in an athletes performances means the difference between winning a medal and going home empty handed. The devil is in the details and the little activities of the process with buyers and sellers as well and makes the big difference if the agent wins the listing or loses a bona fide buyer. Knowing the process that high performing agents use every time to win a listing or to win a bona fide buyers commitment is how any agent can compete at that higher level and reach the real estate medal podium. So let’s take a look at this high level performance and what it is they do.

The Pre Appointment Process

1.) Every top performing agent has consistent prospecting and lead generation activities and processes that generate them buyer and seller leads. I would suggest if an agent does not have a large enough lead stream if they are not generating leads from at least 4-6 lead generating funnels then it is not enough. Most top performing agents have 10-20 funnels at one time generating them buyer and seller leads.

2.) The next important step in the process is the top performing agents skill and ability to convert their leads to a face to face appointment. So many agents just give out information or talk about themselves or what they will do but they just burn through the leads and can’t get the appointment. The top agents know how to engage and grab the prospects attention. Sales is about creating awareness for the consumer about the challenges and fears they face in today’s market place and to let them know you have the solutions to their challenges and all we need to do is get together. For example they can’t find what they want to buy, when they find something it may already be pending or sold, market is moving too quickly no time make decisions, list their home and sell fast and they are homeless, can’t buy until they sell and get the equity out, can’t net enough money to buy again..

3.) Once the agent has secured the appointment then they always make a courtesy call prior to their appointment and confirm the appointment date and time still works for their client.

4.) While they call to confirm that appointment they ask the client “While I have you on the phone could I ask you a few questions?” The agent then takes this opportunity to ask all their pre appointment questions, they have to discover a ton of great information prior to meeting the client. (click to download pre appointment questionnaire ) If you sense the client resisting a bit to the questions then use a shorter version to get through this quicker.

5.) At the end of the pre appointment questioning the agent advises the client they are delivering them a pre listing package (Informed Home Sellers) or pre buyer package (Informed Home Buyer) to them prior to the appointment and could they take the time to review the package.

This process allows you to win their business before you even meet them. It allows you to stand out from your competition and be a lot like no other agent with your process! Let’s look at the actual appointment process.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS

1. I am a huge fan of the 2 stop process. The first step to your initial meeting is to take as long as you need to get them to like, trust and connect with you. The simplest way to do this is to use the FORD technique. Ask them about their FAMILY, OCCUPATION, RECREATION, DREAMS. Wait until you find a common connection before moving on to the next step.

2. Once we have that connection we need to take them on a Safe Island. Everyone wants to know what we are going to do and talk about before we actually do it. We let them know what is going to happen before it happens and this completely puts the client at ease.

3. Once they are at ease we then ask them our pre written, pre-planned questions that help us identify their TIMING, MOTIVATION and SITUATION.

Sellers

4. We then ask our clients to show us their home the way they want us to show their home to perspective buyers and take the tour of their home.

5. We then recap and summarize all the things we heard from our questioning and touring of their home and make them feel that we didn’t miss a thing.

6. We then educate them and explain to them all the things involved in our pricing process to ensure they don’t think we just go back to the office and push a button on a computer and out comes their price.

7. We then confirm our next appointment and ensure all parties on title and decision makers are going to be present.

8. Before we leave we educate them on the benefits to them of a 2 stop vs. a 1 stop process and ask them to wait to meet with you before making any decisions.

9. We come back for the second appointment and begin with small talk and take time to just visit. You could even recap the highlights from the first appointment and even get them to tour you around the property a second time. Don’t just jump right into business.

10. Once the time is right we then do our presentation and remember it is show time. We always want to explain to them the benefits to them of our presentation. How they now can hold us accountable, identify the difference in marketing plans and get to see the what is happening behind the scenes. Remember the listing presentation should only be 22 minutes in length due to the average adults attention span and declining every day.

11. After we present, we close by asking this question: “If we can agree on price, do you see any reason why you wouldn’t list your home today with me and my company?”

12. If they want to do business with you then we lead into our pricing presentation.

13. We get them to pick their listing price, sign all the paperwork and then we pack up and get out. Never get caught talking too much and un-selling the sale.

14. On the first day of their listing I always deliver a bouquet of flowers.

15. We also deliver an in depth package of information about their home to leave on the dining room table for the selling agents and their buyers to be better informed. ( click on link to download Sellers Homework Package)

So there you have it. An award winning process for dealing with a seller and listing their property. Feel free to comment below and share any other powerful activities you might use with your process. I would love to hear them all!

Strength and courage,
Wade

Visibility Trumps Ability – Dominate Your Market.

Wade Webb on February 14, 2018

A good friend of mine recently spoke to our brokerage and really brought home how anyone could go into any market place and dominate within a certain period of time. The amazing fact that 52% of all internet and online traffic is completely related to social media now and if you think social media is a fad and it is going away you really need to think again. The other statement that really resonated with me was “We need to act like a consumer with our marketing and follow the game changing way we are exploring on the internet and that is social media and not surfing the web anymore folks!”

So what is my point?

Well I have two points this week I really want to drive home. Let’s start with the powerful concept of “Visibility Trumps Ability” and anyone has the power to dominate in any market place thanks to the way the consumer is acting now.

So how do I do that Wade? Here it is….

1. You first need to make sure you have a business Facebook page and not a personal Facebook page. The business Facebook page is the only page that will allow you to really strategically gain visibility in your market area.

2. Once you have your business Facebook page then we begin marketing campaigns on your Facebook business page. This allows you to strategically place content you place in your campaign in front of residents living in your market area for a very low investment using the promote/boost content tool on Facebook.

3. I recommend one of three campaign investments which are the minimum $5, $10 or $30 a day to get things rolling.

4. So what do we promote/boost within our Facebook ad campaigns? Here is the list…..

A) Once a month a video, yes video of you talking about the market conditions and trends in your market area.

B) Coming soon listing

C) Just listed

D) Just Sold

E) Best buy

F) Invite to open house

G) I Have A Buyer

H) Price Reduced

5. Simple important rules for lead conversion when using the promote/boost Facebook tool….

A) Max 3 photos

B) Lead photo NOT the front of the property

C) No address

D) No Price….

6. Call To Action: Always say “for more information comment below”, “call/text me @ _______” , “email me @________” Look forward to hearing from you!

My closing point is this… ”We need to be acting like marketers the same way we or others are acting as consumers.” This is game changer marketing time and how we market has changed because of the way we consume. We are spending 52% of our time online now and that stats is climbing every year so we need to be visible and present on social whether we like it or not. I trust you take this nugget of information and take action and become visible in your marketplace and begin to generate more top of mind in your marketplace and generate more business while doing that!

Strength and courage,
Wade

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32 No Cost Or Low Cost Marketing Ideas For Agents 2018

Wade Webb on January 24, 2018

Often 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.

2018 Low and No Cost Marketing Ideas for Agents…

1. Pick up the phone and talk to 5 current or past clients a day.
2. Ask for the business just by adding to your email signature “The greatest compliment you can give me is a referral to your family, friends and colleagues.”
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
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.
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).
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 snapshot or 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 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. Logo your vehicle if you are not a bad driver.
27. Video interview local business owners, service providers and professionals in your community.
28. Create an agent to agent referral business with agents from other cities sending you their buyer and seller referrals.
29. Connect with solicitors that represent family, estate or financial institution law for referral business.
30. Visit face to face a for sale by owner and offer to provide them tips and ideas on how to sell their home themselves in exchange for referral business in the future.
31. Create a referral network with trades people, contractors, renovators and handyman professionals.
32. 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!

So there you have it an in depth list of ideas for agents with smaller or no marketing budgets in 2018. Feel free to add more ideas and suggestions to this year’s list in the comment section below!

Strength and courage,
Wade

PS… Click Here to grab your free copy of the Business Plan Workbook for 2018 available from our Homepage

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The Top Reasons Why You Should Buy & Sell Over The Winter 2018

Wade Webb on December 6, 2017

Knowing what the biggest objection you face over the next few months allows you the edge to be prepared when it strikes. We all know the #1 objection all agents are going to get from real estate buyers and sellers is “We want to wait until the spring.” So having the ability to change how the buyer and seller feels about waiting to buy or sell until the spring is imperative to your winter real estate success!!

Don’t try changing their minds and building their defense mechanism up but educate them and change how they think and then they change how they feel about buying over the winter instead of spring. The fact of the matter is, the reasons and myths are endless so it’s our job as REALTORS® to be equipped with facts and a strong reality check to combat these reasons we hear every day. To help you educate the consumers through the winter season I put together some of my top reasons a client would want to choose this time of year to buy, sell and list a home.

Top Reasons to Sell Real Estate Over The Winter

#1 – Only The Serious Buyers Are Looking Over The Winter
• Yes there are fewer buyers, but those buyers are usually very SERIOUS about making a purchase or many HAVE to make a purchase. Who else would want to look at buying during the winter?

#2 – Fewer Winter Listings Means Less Listing Competition
• Most sellers wait until the spring or summer to list, so your home will have far less competition
• Spring = Greater supply = Same Demand = Less Money

#3 – January Is The Biggest Corporate Transfer Month
• More corporate relocation moves happen during January than any other time of the year.
• Catch the corporate relocation buyers while you can.

#4 – Better Personal Prompt Customer Service
• By putting the home on the market during the winter you experience better, personal and faster customer service from movers, lawyers, banks, insurance providers etc. Listing realtors have more time to better serve their sellers and get all the marketing strategies in place.

#5 – More Bargaining Time to Get More Money
• By starting to market your home early, you may be able to secure a higher price with more listing exposure time. This season allows a seller to not be in a rush to sell and allow for more market exposure time and ultimately generate a higher price than in the spring.

#6 – Timing Is Everything. So Sell Now & Buy In The Spring
• If your home sells quickly, you will be able to shop for your next home during the winter, a great time to find a bargain!
• More time to look and not pressure to shop and beat the other buyers. Sell first and then buy in the spring when the inventory and selection begins to rise for you when you are the buyer.

#7 – Standing Out In A Smaller Crowd
• Most REALTORS® and offices have less inventory during the winter, enabling your home to stand out even more.
• Less marketing noise out there for the buyers and they see your home with ease now.

#8 – 20% Of Sales Still Happen During the Winter
• Buyers and Sellers are usually quite motivated to get the transaction completed. We still have 20% of the business in the year occurring during the winter.
• This can mean less price haggling and fewer hassles during the process.

#9 – Buying Without Having Something To Sell First
• By selling now you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the spring, when more houses are on the market!
• Less “subject to the sale” offers from buyers and you are not one of them when you are buying your next home.

#10 – No Yard Work When It’s Freshly Covered In Snow
• Great time for a home that needs a yard make over to sell.
• No need to worry about your yard work. Snow makes it look fresh and white.

BONUS…..

#11 – Buyers Time Everything Too
• Buyers begin the search and purchase for spring moves in January, February.
• Busy move times are March Spring Break, April Easter, May long weekend and July long weekends

#13 – No Pricing Wars With Others Sellers
• Less choice for buyers means less sellers to play pricing against each other
• Buyers will often make more concession in their buying decision with less choice

#14 – A Holiday Magic Feel To Your Home
• Property shows well, almost staged with holiday décor adding to the ambiance
• Tis the season for your home to shine!

#15 – Higher Quality No Looky Loo Showings
• Little chance of quick showings and not being prepared to show your home
• Easier time of year to make appointments and give sellers advance notice.
• Higher quality showings

#16 – Right Buyer, Right Time Odds
• The odds are the same for the right buyer looking at your home regardless of the season.
• Right buyer, right time, right home

My Top 10 Reasons to Buy Over The Winter

#1 – Fewer Or No Multiple Offers
• Little or no chance of multiple or competing offers for the buyer during this time of year

#2 – Better Personal Prompt Customer Service
• Better service from all service providers like the agents, banks, insurers etc. Not as busy now.

#3 – Sellers Are Motivated
• Sellers motivated at this time of year if still trying to sell from summer or fall.
· Sellers willing to negotiate, been on the market for some time now. Give and take.

#4 – Expired Listing Inventory
• Buyers can shop the expired listings market, which has the largest selection this time of the year.

#5 – Better Closing Options
• Good time of year to make an offer and do the due diligence, buyers can move quickly now or slower in the spring if not in a rush.

#6 – More Alternative Housing Options
• Easier for sellers to find alternative housing, not as much pressure finding a rental vs. the really busy spring and summer season.

#7 – Contingencies and Subject to the Sale Of Acceptable
• Great time for buyers to make contingent “Subject to the Sale” offers and get them accepted and movement on the price.

#8 – Better Available Moving & Service Providers
• Easier time for a buyer to move and find help and services like movers, cleaners, storage.

#9 – Smoother Mistake Free Completions
• Better timing for buyers on completions with lawyers, banks land registry. Not that busy and time to attend to you now.

#10 – Buyer Competition Lower
• Less competition for the same property from other buyers on the deals that pop up this time of year.

Bonus

#11 – Having More Time

Having time to make a decision and not be pressured in to offers or pressured into removing conditions or speeding up your due diligence time.

Now that you’re equipped with ammo to overcome any objection, educate the consumers and debunk the myths and go out there and list and sell some real estate this winter season!!

Strength and courage,
Wade

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How To Turn The “No’s” Into A “Yes”

Wade Webb on November 22, 2017

There will be plenty of times in the early days of a business when you’ll ask for something you want, and the answer will be no. For most people, that “no” is the end of the conversation. Real estate is a business full of rejection. How you respond to it is what matters. If you let it get you down, you’re going to lose. If you persevere in the face of adversity, you’re going to win. It’s been estimated only 4-6% of appointments are booked on the first call. That means success in real estate requires you making yourself vulnerable time after time after time. Picking up that phone again, being confident the next “yes” is coming. From a conversation standpoint, it takes almost 8 conversations to get a yes.

1. A No Means a Yes is Possible.

Most people won’t say yes to an idea without saying no first. In fact, studies show the average customer says no an average of five times before saying yes. This is because decision-making is an emotional process, not an intellectual one. Most people will do more to avoid pain than achieve pleasure, so the first impulse most people have when asked to make a decision is to find reasons not to make that decision. This usually takes the form of a no when what’s actually meant is maybe.

2. There are three generic types of no.

Assuming you’re asking the right person (that is, someone who ought to say yes), a no usually means one of the following:

a. Wrong information. You didn’t explain well enough why yes is a good decision for the other person. Therefore, you must now do a better job of explaining.

b. Wrong timing. The other person needs some time to ponder and thus is saying no to stall. Therefore, you must now be patient and ask for the yes later.

c. Wrong circumstance. There’s something over which the other person has no control that’s blocking him or her from saying yes. Therefore, you must now work with the other person to transcend the block.

3. Be curious rather than persistent.

The old adage “never take no for an answer” is usually misinterpreted to mean “keep pestering customers until they say yes.” This doesn’t work; in fact, it only hardens the no. For example:

You: “Would you accept an offer of $2 million?”

VC: “No.”

You: “Are you sure? It’s not a bad offer?.”

VC: “Yes, I’m sure.” (i.e., “No.”)

You: “How about $2.1 million?”

VC: “Please leave now.”

By contrast, if you become curious about the no, you can continue the conversation and find out what it will take to get to yes, like so:

You: “Would you accept an offer of $2 million?”

VC: “No.”

You: “If I understand rightly, though, you are looking to move. What is it about the offer that isn’t working for you?”

4. Move the conversation forward.

Depending upon what you learn (as the result of being curious), move the conversation so it gradually opens up the possibility of a yes. For instance, in the example above, your question might get any of three responses:

1. Wrong information. In this case, you roll back to that part of the discussion and clarify the misunderstanding.

VC: “I don’t understand how you’re monetizing.”

You: “I apologize for not explaining it well. Let’s go over that part again, and I’ll try to make things more clear.”

2. Wrong timing. In this case, you focus the conversation on making commitments to meet again to discuss the matter.

VC: “I need to think about this for a while.”

You: “I understand. What are the areas of uncertainty we should clear up before we meet again?”

3. Wrong circumstance. In this case, you suggest a creative approach that overcomes the blockage.

VC: “We know the offer is not what I hoped for.”

You: “Maybe we should be thinking in terms of a concession. What can you tell me about the approach you had in mind?”

Needless to say, there’s a lot more you can do to turn a no into yes. In my door to door encyclopedia sales days we always said “I am just one more “no” closer to that “yes!”

Strength and courage,
Wade

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Why Video Is So Important To Our Marketing

kelowna on September 6, 2017

As you probably know, there is a big shift in video across social media for REALTORS. Agents typically fall into 3 categories when it comes to video…

They avoid it completely
They do it but not very well
They are crushing it!

What category are you and your real estate business in?

Video has become the normal way in which many people consume information online. Most agents are missing a big opportunity by not using video. Even from a listing point of view, listings with videos get 400x more inquiries! But videos are more than just a way to showcase a listing. They can also show the community, lifestyle, and even the agents selling the property! Most agents first professional video, let’s be honest, is not their best but they are like a fine wine and just get better with age! We all learn something valuable in the process. Even though we took some great pictures of the property, it wasn’t enough. We all start with some basic video, nothing at a professional level and then move to working with a hired professional, and the professional video is what sells the listing!

Generating New Business

Video is what has helped many agents stand out in the marketplace. Instead of just saying what they do differently, they can show potential customers how they are different. Besides listings, agents use video for testimonials, open houses, and client appreciation events. For testimonials, shoot the video at closing or at your client appreciation event. At your client appreciation event have a raffle, but those clients who do a testimonial video get an extra raffle ticket! At these events the clients are dressed up, having fun, and even have a few glasses of wine. Then take them to a private area for filming, so they don’t feel any stress on camera.

Content Is King

You have to make videos that resonate with your audience. “About me” videos are a good choice and help your potential customers get to know you and your team. Community videos are great too; you can start by interviewing local businesses. Good news, these businesses will share your video interviews on their social channels too! Also, if you are looking for video topics, think about what questions you are constantly being asked as an agent. For example, the market is very competitive and buyers want to know what they can do to get their offers accepted.

Maximizing Your Videos

Use Google Adwords to generate traffic to your videos. Videos are posted on your personal website, company’s website, and landing pages too. Videos are uploaded natively to Facebook to get more views. The videos also go to blogs and are emailed to agents and customers in their database. If there is a place to share the video, then share it there! Most of your main videos are maximum 3 minutes long but create some 15-30 second teaser videos specifically for social media.

YouTube

Make sure your videos are lined up for organic views on YouTube… This means filling out the tags and descriptions, as well as making sure your video is public.
Facebook Live – There is so much traffic on Facebook, and your live videos will get a great organic reach. Facebook Live can be used for events, open houses, or even interviews.

Getting Started

I recommend having a dedicated website you can share with people to see your videos. That also means getting a YouTube channel to host the videos. I also recommend getting a simple kit that comes with a tripod, mic, and wide angle lens for an iPhone (usually less than $100). You don’t have to have a bunch of fancy equipment to make a video. Don’t over analyze it, and your videos don’t have to be perfect. Just create a video and share it with the world!

The Future of Video

Videos aren’t going away, and remember Google owns YouTube. Videos can be one of the tools customers use to find you online.
It will also give you a way to stand out once you start working with your leads to showcase all the work you’ve done. So what are you waiting for?
Get out there and share a video!

Strength and courage,
Wade

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Why You? Why Your Company? Why now?

kelowna on June 14, 2017

Is there any competition in your marketplace? You and I both know there are a ton of real estate agents out there! There is this myth that all agents and all companies are the same and do all the same things.

The challenge is how to separate yourself from the competition…

Here’s the truth… If you’re not unique, then you’re weak! Be committed to creating a better experience for your customers because you know your unique factors! What unique factors do you have that create a better experience for your clients? What is your value proposition and how are you communicating it, Fast?!

It is amazing to me how so many agents struggle responding to the questions so Why you? Why your company? Why now?

Let’s talk about Your Super Bowl Commercial. Imagine if you invested $5,000,000 in a Super Bowl commercial! It would be 30-60 seconds long and be seen by 114,000,000 people. What would your pitch be? What would you say about yourself and why should the customer want to work with you? On a smaller scale you are advertising yourself every day… When someone says “you are in real estate?”, what do you say? Is it unique? Remember if I am not unique, then I am weak!

How Do I Create My Powerful Pitch?

#1 Start with a problem. This is a hook, and the reason a customer should be interested. The goal here is to articulate a problem that connects with the kind of customers you want to serve. When you speak to people through their problems, you are speaking life into them engaging with you.

#2 Amplify a problem. Use quick examples… Say something like “buying a home is easy…” Then list out some of the problems most of your customers might face. Remember to think about this from your customer’s perspective, and the types of questions they are asking… Questions like: So what? What’s in it for me? Can you prove it?

#3 Offer Your Solution. Talk about facts, data, proof, and credibility. You can even use a script. “Clients work with us because we have the experience, we sell homes faster, and get our customers more money. We pride ourselves on customer experience and relationships, and we have 7x times more five star reviews than any real estate agent in our marketplace. Our number one aim is to make sure you are our next five-star review and we want to deliver that experience to you. These are my competitive advantages (restate them) that you can hold me accountable to.” Remember even if you are a brand new agent you can still use the facts and data from your office (be honest and disclose that) to offer the solution to your customers.

#4 C.T.A. You’ve got to have some kind of call to action! It could be something like: visit our site, like our page, schedule an appointment, or sign the contract. Remember if you don’t close you can’t win!

The Most Persuasive Words. Have you heard of the 12 words that are considered to be the most persuasive? They are: You, Money, Save, New, Results, Easy, Health, Safety, Love, Discovery, Proven, and Guarantee. Think about your marketing presentation; are you using those words? The most engaging agent’s know the words to say and how to say them and get people’s attention and stand out!

You and the Competition. Listen, when you follow all of these steps you are creating a degree of separation between you and the competition. When you can articulate your uniqueness and how you can solve problems for your clients you are standing out from the competition! This makes it much easier for your clients to choose you over all those other agents in the marketplace. Take the time to really invest in your pitch and identify what it is that make you and your experience unique? What are the problems that buyers and sellers are facing today in your marketplace? What do you do to provide solutions to the buyer and seller? You only have seconds to engage, persuade and differentiate yourself from the competition. I challenge you to work on your power pitch and really stand out from your competitors.

Strength and courage,
Wade

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