Generate Unlimited No Cost Buyer and Seller Leads

Wade Webb on March 31, 2021

buyer seller realtor leadsWhat if I told you that there was an unlimited, free source of brand new Buyer and Seller leads out there that you could tap into at any time? And I’m not talking about a list you already have, or getting referrals from your existing sphere. I’m talking about using a platform with as many viewers as Zillow – or even Netflix – that you’ve probably heard of, but aren’t using to generate new deals on a consistent basis… sound too good to be true?

I’d like to introduce you to Craigslist – and before you write this off just let me show you why it’s one of the most under-utilized opportunities for real estate agents today. Yes….Craigslist. As I alluded to above, Craigslist is one of the top 15 most-viewed websites in the United States – going back and forth with Zillow currently sitting at #14, and far above Netflix positioned at #17. This is because communities throughout the United States and Canada still primarily rely on Craigslist to find professional services, jobs, goods for sale, community events and yes… even Real Estate. Also, did I mention it’s FREE? If you use Craigslist to your advantage, it can become a fantastic source of fresh leads to grow your Power List and generate deals. However, I’ll warn you – some of the methods we’re going to discuss in this article, and over the coming weeks, might seem unconventional… but they’re used with great success by agents across the country.

The Method is split into three parts:

1. Create “Listing+” Ads
2. Set Up a “2nd Opportunity” Email Auto Responder
3. Be Safe With Online Leads

Let’s break them down for you….

1. Create “Listing+” Ads. Craigslist is a great place to post active listings (for free!) and gain exposure for a property. However, you don’t need to have listings of your own to implement this strategy. As a side note, many agents who are already posting their listings to Craigslist aren’t structuring them correctly, so people don’t respond and they’re not getting the value they could. So, what do I mean by “Listing+”?

Posting a listing to get exposure for a property is great, but the real value of the posting is in the opportunity to generate new leads from it. That’s why if you don’t currently have any listings – or even if you do, but they’re not going to attract the type of buyers and sellers you’re looking to work with, it’s totally acceptable to promote another agent’s active listings. Sometimes you might even get better results than with your own.

You’ll need to talk to the listing agent before promoting their property, however it’s usually somewhat easy to find a colleague who would appreciate the extra exposure for their listing – think of it like sitting in on an open house for another agent. Once you have a property to promote, it’s all about giving people a “Dual Call To Action”. Normally, marketing experts recommend focusing on only one thing, but I told you we’d be covering some unconventional methods! To meet Craigslist’s Terms, and gain maximum exposure, your primary call to action needs to relate to the property. However, it seems you can add a secondary call to action with related information which often turns out to be more effective at generating leads than the property itself.

2. Set Up An Auto Responder. So far I’ve covered all of the value you can get directly from a Craigslist Cash™ Listing+ Ad, but that’s just one of many opportunities you’ll have to offer value and convert a client from a Craigslist posting. When viewers “Reply” to your post you’ll receive an email which you’ll want to respond to immediately. The best way to do this is to use an auto-responder which gives people information about the property, but don’t stop there! Present your lead with valuable information and a reason to contact you. The trick is picking the correct offer to go along with the listing you’re promoting and using the correct Direct Response Language to get people to work with you.

3. Be Safe With Online Leads. No strategy to meet new people is complete without considering your safety a #1 priority. I had to add this third part because I want to stress how important it is to be safe with any – and all – of your online prospecting activities. Here are a few guidelines to ensure that you and your clients stay safe out there: Verify any new lead is a real person by having a conversation over the phone before any in-person meetings are to take place. If you can arrange a video meeting, that’s even better!

Google the lead to verify that their social profiles, or professional profiles, match up with who they say they are. Always meet in public for the first time. Whether it’s at your office or a coffee shop, hosting a meeting in public will give you a good opportunity to assess the situation before moving ahead with a client. Another option is to find a “showing buddy” (another agent) who will show properties to online lead sources with you – obviously you returning the favor works wonders for the relationship.

Finally – Trust your gut 100% – if it doesn’t feel right for any reason or no reason at all, you don’t have to work with anyone. No deal is worth your safety.

Let me know if you are using this already and the success you’re having with it in the comments below.

Love to hear from you!

Strength and courage,
Wade

REALTORS© It’s Never Too Late To Generate Referral Business

Wade Webb on December 16, 2020

realtor generate referralSo many of my coaching clients feel guilty for not maintaining contact with their past clients and think it is too late, embarrassing and they don’t want to hear from them. This is the furthest thing from the truth and this week we are reactivating old clients, generating referrals, and building our relationship list. Many agents I know have a drawer full of old clients they simply forgot.  Life gets busy and before you know it, it’s been months (even years) since you last contacted some of your clients. That’s why we created the “Never Too Late Letter ”… This is an easy way to get back in touch and harvest referrals and repeat business from your network, and this  letter has worked for hundreds of agents all over the world. I’ll give you the letter to use and also give you an example of a Referral Coupon.  This coupon is designed to work much like a “bounce-back” type of coupon that restaurants and retail stores use. The very same strategy will work for you if you just give it a try.

How To Use The “Never Too Late” Letter System…

 

STEP 1: Create a LIST of your past clients and friends, friends, family, and acquaintances from your files, phone contacts, email accounts and social media sources. Narrow your list down to the people you’ve not contacted in the last 6 months.

STEP 2: Send them a personal LETTER Here’s two pre-written letters for you to use and make your own.

Never Too Late Letter

Confession Letter

 

STEP 3: Give your Power List a meaningful REASON to get back in contact with you using a “Referral Coupon” that goes with this letter and they may or may not use it, but it’s a stand-out way to remind them that you work by referral. (IMPORTANT:  This coupon is designed to give a discount to the END-USER only.  In most, it is illegal to directly compensate any unlicensed person for sending you business.  This coupon only makes a discount offer to the end user, NOT to a person sending you a referral.)

STEP 4:  FOLLOW-UP with regular contact (at least monthly) Agents tell me they start getting calls within a few days after this letter goes out.  But you can also follow up by phone 7 days after sending the letter. Going forward, you’ll want to keep in contact in a meaningful way. This is very important. For every 100 people on your database, 14 of them will buy or sell a home in the next 12 months.  And that doesn’t include the Referrals they could be sending you. Don’t continue to leave this gigantic hole of lost revenue in your business by not following up at least once a month.

 

This “Never Too Late Letter System” will help you get back in touch with your clients.  Then you have make a commitment to not lose touch again by following up with your network each month with welcomed and valued contact. Would you like to use a marketing system that costs nearly $0.00 and can bring you a steady flow of quality, motivated buyers?

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

 

 

Realtors© Secrets To Making Your Calls

Wade Webb on November 25, 2020

When you think about it, there’s nothing difficult about picking up the phone and calling a few people. Right? It’s easy to do… and also easier not to do. And that’s the danger. So why do we have this reluctancy to picking up the phone and making a call? Why is it so easy for us to not make those calls? I talk with a lot of successful agents on a regular basis. And if I had to boil down what makes those people so successful, it’s not that they’re all insanely innovative and breaking new ground. It’s not that they figured out some marketing “hack” no one else knows. It’s not dumb luck. It’s one simple, common trait – they’re doing the work. They make the calls and contact the people and have the discipline to do it over and over and over even though it is not what they want to do nor is it glamorous but it is the key to their success. It goes back to one of my favorite quotes: “Do the thing, have the power.” –Emerson. Having the discipline to take consistent action is really what separates the winners from the also-rans in this business.

Today I’m sharing three ways to overcome that resistance to making your calls so you can start booking more appointments… consistently!

1. Get Prepared In Advance – I’m sure you’ve had this happen… You wake up with the best of intentions to make your calls. But before you actually begin, something comes up. Or you “remember” a more urgent task you should be doing (which, in reality, is just an excuse). Or you simply avoid it because you don’t feel like it. And over time, this failure to make your calls is absolutely killing your productivity. It undercuts your potential. It’s the biggest reason why agents ride that rich/poor rollercoaster and fail to create any predictability in their businesses. This often happens because you didn’t prepare ahead of time. A productive prospecting session begins the night before. You need to get everything prepared so there can be no distractions and no excuses to get started the next morning. The night before, be sure to gain clarity on things like: Who am I going to call? What’s the outcome I want to achieve? What scripts do I need to achieve those objectives? Answer these three questions at the end of each day, get everything ready, and you’re much more likely to follow through on your appointment setting calls the next day.

2. Get Yourself Charged Up – Half-hearted prospecting is not successful prospecting. Even if you’re not “feelin’ it” when the time comes to start making your calls, you need to know how to get yourself to a peak state. And it’s more than just mental. In fact, I think it starts with physicality. A great way to get that energy up is to move your body. Jump on a mini trampoline, do some jumping jacks or whatever it takes to get your blood flowing. Then comes the mental part of it… your affirmations and strategic questions to put yourself in a winning mindset. “I’m a lean, mean, appointment-setting machine!” “What do I love about my clients?” “What do I love about setting appointments?” Do this regularly and I guarantee you’ll have more productive call sessions and build some serious “appointment setting” momentum.

3. Share Your Results? – What’s your first response to the suggestion that you should actually publish the results of your prospecting sessions to the public? I suspect many agents will feel like, “I don’t want to do that. It makes me look desperate or like I’m a telemarketer.” Do you feel that way? Because if so, here’s my response: You’re looking at it all wrong, and your whole mindset around prospecting might be off base. Remember this: You’re not calling people to “sell” them something. You’re calling to check in, catch up, build rapport, answer questions, and inform people of market happenings. You’re calling because you care, and because that’s what trusted advisors do. Once you start thinking about it from that perspective, it becomes a no-brainer to follow up each session by sharing what you achieved on social media.

Imagine a post that says something along these lines in your Instagram Stories: “Just had 10 conversations with past clients and sphere… Keeping them informed on what’s going on in the market. Every day I do this to keep my clients informed. That’s what it’s all about!” Maybe you even sprinkle in some stats, like this: “70 calls made, 6 great conversations, 2 potential buyers and one homeowner considering putting their home on the market. Can’t wait to help them move on to the next exciting stage of their lives!” Not only does that show people that you care, but it informs people that you’re active and you have a system for finding buyers and getting first jump on listings… basically establishing that you’re the go-to “knowledge broker” for your market. A consumer who sees that every day in your Stories will definitely be impressed, and you’ll gain top-of-mind awareness in the process. So start doing it!

I am hoping these help build in some accountability for your prospecting sessions and make it easier for you to pick up that phone consistently and book more appointments! Let me know which one(s) you’ll start doing in the comments below!

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

REALTORS… Google Your Name. What Do You See?

Wade Webb on October 21, 2020

realtor google name searchImagine… A homeowner sees your signs in her neighborhood. Maybe she’s seen your ads in her mailbox on online. Then she decides to sell. If she doesn’t have an agent already in mind, what do you think is her next step? She’ll likely do her due diligence and conduct her own research about YOUR NAME she keeps seeing. And where does she go to do that? One place: Google. Now comes the scary part… What does she find when she Googles your name? Are you confident, or will she see a hodgepodge of half-baked marketing ideas you’ve used over the years that create no cohesive vision and make no strong impression?

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 1:

Control the First Impression – You need to buy Google keywords of your name so you can control the first impression and send these prospective clients exactly where you want to send them. Maybe it’s a landing page specifically built to introduce people to your unique way of doing business. Maybe it’s just the home page of your website, or your “About Me” page. Whatever the case, make sure you own those keywords so you can control the narrative… right from the start!

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 2:

Over-Index on “Google My Business” – You’ve probably searched for a business before, and alongside the results a box pops up with all sorts of pertinent information about their hours of operation, their phone number, website, reviews, etc. Right? That’s all controlled through “Google My Business,” and it’s something you should be paying attention to! This is a great opportunity to add all of your information AND ALSO add photos of yourself, your team, and recent “Just Sold” properties. PRO TIP: Create a standard for formatting your name, address, phone and domains so it’s easy for Google to recognize you’re the same person wherever they see that same information.

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 3:

Max Out Your Off-Page SEO – It’s likely you have profiles all over the Internet – from Facebook to Zillow to Realtor.com and beyond. Agree? Here’s the big question: Is there consistency among all of them? Would consumers instantly recognize you from one platform to the next? Or more importantly, does Google itself recognize you as the same person to make sure they know exactly who you are? Be sure to use the most accurate and appropriate keywords in all your profiles to make it happen.

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 4:

Get All Matchy-Matchy – Take that SEO concept we were just talking about, and now apply it to your brand. Does your profile look the same on all the different platforms? Would consumers instantly know that it’s you, or do you use different photos, typefaces and colors from one site to the next? Your job is to make it “dumb and easy” for someone to recognize you immediately. This is how you tap into the power of multi-channel marketing and gain top-of-mind awareness, where people start telling you, “I see your stuff everywhere!” PRO TIP: This includes usernames… always try to use the same usernames on all your social platforms.

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 5:

Tools, Apps & Gizmos – Here are three tools you should be aware of and use in your marketing: Whitespark.ca – This allows you to audit what shows up in your search results. Namechk.com – Type in your name, see all social profiles and domains that show up using your name. Google Search Console – This service from Google tells you what people searched that led them to your site. What did they click through to get there? Go find out!

 

Getting “Google Ready” Tip No. 6:

Be YouTube Ready – Google and YouTube are practically siblings, both owned by Alphabet. YouTube is the second-most utilized website and search engine on the planet, which means being “Google Ready” also means being YouTube ready. Step up your game with these tips: Thumbnails – Don’t underestimate the importance. This is what attracts people to click play on your video. Use Canva, or hire someone on Fiverr to create something eye-catching. Titles and keywords – When posting a video, you need to think in terms of SEO. What’s the keyword you want to rank against? Titles and keywords are not the place to be clever or cute. Keywords need to be based on how people search. Make it obvious what your video is about. Watch time – YouTube loves when people watch longer. Do whatever possible to keep people interested and engaged. Channel Subscribe-able? YouTube wants to keep people on the platform, so make sure you make your channel subscribe-able so they can recommend channels and videos to increase watch time.

Let us know in the comments where your business needs the most help becoming “Google Ready.”

 

Strength and courage,
Wade

Handle The Seller Listing Objections In A Low Inventory Market

Wade Webb on August 26, 2020

seller listing objections low inventoryThis week we have one specific objective in mind: Overcoming THIS objection: “If it’s such a seller’s market and there is no inventory, where would we go?” You know you can help people find the perfect home for them, but there are a lot of homeowners who fear if they sell their home, they’ll have nowhere to turn to. So let’s overcome their fears and get them “un-frozen” to generate more listings!

Here are Four Ways to Overcome the No. 1 Listing Objection. The biggest idea you want to convey to a homeowner is that ultimately, they are in control.

No. 1: Tell them they can extend the closing to meet their needs. Lots of people don’t realize they don’t have to stick to a “one size fits all” contract. They can put whatever terms in it they choose.

Make sure homeowners are aware they can stipulate the closing doesn’t happen until a date that’s suitable for them.

No. 2: Sell now, rent back. Many buyers are happy to get any offer accepted right now, so they’re making concessions on their move-in date. We’ve talked to lots of agents who say it’s not uncommon to include a 45-day “rent back” clause into a sales contract to ensure the homeowner has plenty of time to find and close on their new property.

No. 3: Make the sale contingent on finding a new home. If homeowners are still uneasy, take it a step further and make the sale contingent upon them finding their new home. Keep reiterating they are in charge here!

No. 4: The ultimate control: Saying ‘no’ is always an option. Remind the homeowner if things don’t work out to their satisfaction, they can always turn down any offers they get. Meanwhile, you’ll be doing your work to find them the perfect new home to ensure they won’t need to take that step.

Try these scripts and dialogs on for size with your sellers…… “It’s a valid concern. A lot of past clients have felt the same way. This question demonstrates the importance of us getting together, so I can show you how our team wins bidding wars, identifies off-market properties and make sure we look at options for you. That’s what you want, right?” When you get together, be sure to show them what you do to help them find the perfect next home while working on the sale.

“That’s exactly why buyers hire me to find them a home. You see, our team doesn’t just wait for a home to show up on the MLS. We proactively call. We mail letters and we make targeted social media posts to homeowners letting them know we have a buyer that might be interested in their home. And if we were to find you the perfect home, instead of waiting for the perfect home, would that work for you?” Bottom line: Let these homeowners know they have options, make them feel comfortable, and get them off the fence!

I have included a visual tool that always seems to help in this very situation. The power in a visual tool versus just saying things to a seller is game changer, I call it the “Home Seller Protection Plan”. The idea is that you the agent sign this form and date it yourself and then hand this to the seller putting your promise in writing to protect them from being homeless and making sure they don’t have the problem of “no-where to go”! What’s your next move? Win the low inventory seller objection game and keep the listings and business moving in this resourceful thinking outside the box time. Let me know how you plan to implement these approaches in the comments below!

Strength and courage,
Wade

How To Compete For The Listing

Wade Webb on April 29, 2020

realtor compete for house listingBack in the early 90’s Colliers Encyclopedia sales training taught me the power of a process and presentation in sales will give you that competitive edge every time. If you wing it then you get “wing it” results! If you are planned, intentional and know what to say and how to say it then you are there to decide whether you like the client, their home and their motivation because you have their listing if you follow these steps. This week we follow step by step the competitive edge and winning the listing every time.

Phase 1 ( Let’s assume the request to meet has already come in )

  • Initial request call comes in
  • Pull Title
  • Pull old listing info off MLS system
  • Pull assessment data
  • Pull the CMA data
  • Prepare all the listing documentation (Checklist for all documents required)
  • Pre Listing Package delivered to client and all listing documentation for their review (Courier, You or Assistant delivers your pre listing package to the clients home in advance.)
  • Follow up call (Re Confirming the initial meeting, date, time, confirming they received pre listing package, confirming they read and gather items you need in the package for our first meeting together)
  • Pre appointment interview questionnaire (when, why, how, who)

Phase 2 Seller Process (1st time face to face)

  • FORD – Family Occupation Recreation Dreams. Take notes…(talk long enough connection in common)
  • Tour time (Nobody knows the home better than you, show me the home the way you want me to show it to the buyers) Take notes, photos, measurements (point out flaws clean, smoke, pets, repairs) Should I Question?
  • Pre-planned seller questions (Click Here to Download), recap summarize pre listing apt questionnaire responses
  • Educate benefits to them of the two-stop process versus a one stop agent process
  • Educate them on your appraisal process. Never assume they know all that is involved coming up with their price
  • Ask to not make any decisions before we meet again
  • Confirm the second stop appointment
  • Leave them with “thank you” chocolate bar, note pad, pens (Gift Swag Bag)

Phase 3 Seller Process (all decision makers must be present or wait to meet)

  • Small talk first (not about real estate) Never rush into business show that you care
  • Recap summarize our first meeting, ask if they forgot to tell you anything about their home when we first met
  • Tour again (if they just love touring me around)
  • Sit them down at kitchen table and do Listing Presentation
  • Sell them on the benefits to them of your presentation
  • Debunk the myth – all realtors and companies do the same thing
  • Get to see behind the scenes and know what is happening when it feels like nothing is happening
  • Hold you accountable, make sure it gets done and done right
  • 22 minutes max ( BIGNESS, RESULTS, MARKETING, OHT’S) 5 mins per section
  • Close – If we can agree on price, do you see any reason why you wouldn’t list with me and company today
  • Pricing Presentation Time
  • Close – Sign up listing, pack up and head out

Phase 4 Seller Process ( First few days…)

  • Bouquet of flowers delivered to their home day one of listing
  • Listing Marketing Checklist implemented
  • Sign, Photos, Feature sheet completed
  • Business cards with mini MLS listing Avery sticker label on back of your cards. (50 cards to seller and tell them to hand them out and help you help them to sell their home)
  • Deliver all copies of listing documentation (value in physical delivering)
  • Build Sellers homework book with the sellers (dining room table) survey plan, utilities, tax notice, neighbors, transit, schools (Bind up nicely, master copy sticker, place on dining room table)

So there we have it. The step by step process and the competitive edge for competing for a listing in a competitive low inventory marketplace. Love to have you share in comments some of the ways that you compete at a higher level for listings in today’s market place and feedback on this week’s topic!

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

How To Get Clients Picking You Through All The Noise

Wade Webb on July 17, 2019

pick realtorWhen potential clients are looking for a Realtor, they’re probably meeting with several before they decide on one. Because this is one of the biggest transactions people deal with in their lives, it’s no wonder they stress over choosing the right professional to stand by their side and help make sure everything goes smoothly. Plus they want to LIKE you, and have a great and fun consumer experience. So how do you help them make it easy to choose YOU as their agent?

Simply put, it’s by focusing on THEM rather than yourself. Most agents they interview are going to talk mostly about themselves, their sales, their competence, blah blah blah. Any presentations or meetings with agents the buyer/seller attends is going to run together in their minds- what is there to set them apart? When you focus on the client, talking to them mainly about their own wants and needs, they will immediately get the feeling you’re there to help rather than to sell them. And that interaction lays the basis for a consumer experience they’ll want to repeat, or refer others to.

Tip #1 Focus on the client. Before you meet with your potential buyer or seller, you should know something about their motivations and what they’re looking for. You’re not there to cram all your successes down their throats, or talk about how you’re the best agent in town – you’re there to show you have their wants and needs in mind.

For Sellers… How do you make sure sellers know you are paying attention to them and their needs? Before meeting with them:

Pull tax records for the home

  • Check MLS for past sales
  • Drive by the home and take a photo- show you went the extra mile
  • Ask if they’re interviewing other agents- ask to be their final interview if possible (you want to be their last, best impression)
  • What YOU want from a seller is a client who is motivated to sell. Ask questions like “When do you need to move?” and “Do you need funds from this sale to move?” You want to qualify the seller during this meeting.

For Buyers It’s important to qualify buyers to make sure they’re serious about buying, but once you’ve done so, how do you set yourself apart to make sure they want to work with you? It’s the same tactic as working with sellers, above- LISTEN to what they’re asking you for. Ask leading questions, take notes, and find out what problems they’re trying to solve by moving. Focus your meeting on how you can help them fix those problems. See Tips #2 and #3, below.

Tip #2 Extreme Differentiation. Many agents naturally think their advertising or promotions should be centered around their services — who they are. This is a big mistake.  Your business is about fulfilling desires or solving problems of your client. This is the entire reason for creating your Unique Selling Proposition.  Your USP is a simple, yet powerful concept that forces your mindset into becoming client centered – what you will DO FOR THEM.  It answers the question every prospect asks of you:  “Why should I do business with YOU, instead of any other Agent, or any other option, including doing nothing at all, or what I’m doing now?” Your Unique Selling Proposition is the answer to that question.

Here are the elements of a great USP:

First, your USP must answer the question: “Why should I do business with YOU over any other options?”  Or, “Why should I buy this home vs. any others on the market?” Or, “Why Should I consider this financing package over every other option?”  Do you see that your USP can be applied anywhere in your practice where you want to influence people? People want to know what’s in it for them!

Second, your USP must be very SPECIFIC and MEANINGFUL to your targeted audience.  By specific, I mean: is it meant for them and them alone? And by meaningful, are you offering something important to them?  Don’t use vague generalities, like “multi-million dollar producer,” or “quality,” or “excellence.” They mean nothing to your audience.

Third, your USP must say something UNIQUE about you or your offer – something you do different from others.  Something that sets you apart in a meaningful way, and be above and beyond your prospect’s normal expectations of service from a Realtor. That’s why words like “experienced,” is fluff that doesn’t work.  Who doesn’t expect you to be experienced? There’s nothing Unique about that term. The same is true for the designations you think are so important but the average person has no clue what they mean or how they benefit from you having them.

Fourth, if you want to know if you have a really great USP, it must evoke the question from your audience….

“Oh really? How do you do that?”

Here are some great examples of Unique Selling Propositions:

  • When Showing Homes:  “The 22 point perimeter security system means you will feel safe and secure during those nights when your husband/wife is away.” (Turning a feature into a benefit)
  • When Helping Buyers:  “This financing package will save you over $2,000 in normal closing costs, and reduce your payment by $95 each month”
  • When Making A Listing Presentation:  “My exclusive 28 point marketing plan sells the average home for 97% of listing price, and in only 42 days”

Tip #3 Set Expectations and then EXCEED Them. Setting expectations with a client, and their great consumer experience, starts at the very first contact. Take detailed notes when talking to a prospective client (always keep a notepad handy), and follow-up with them immediately. They may have reached out to other agents, who took time to get back to them or maybe won’t remember much about the conversation they had with them at first. Be prepared with 3 important pieces of your toolset: Success Book, Marketing Plan, and a great listing presentation. End the presentation by talking about how you’ll communicate during the sales process, and what to expect as next steps. This period is key in helping your clients to understand what will happen next, when you’ll communicate, and every piece of the process. Then, work on exceeding those steps by going the extra mile. If you didn’t get the listing, it’s ok to ask why so you can improve for next time. If it’s not a mutual fit, that’s ok too.

Tip # 4: Follow up!! Here’s where MANY agents fail. Once the sale is over, they let the relationship drop away. You’ve gotten what you wanted- why bother working a completed transaction? WRONG. Your past clients are your most important source of referrals – they’ll even bring you repeat business if you maintain your contact with them. What do you usually do after a sale? Do you send a gift, like Steve Vaught? (click here to read Steve’s idea) Do you send a follow-up letter asking for your client’s testimonial or for referrals? You probably should be doing all of those things, but MOST importantly you’ll need to keep in touch with previous clients on at least a monthly basis.

Commit to monthly or don’t even start. The Direct Marketing Association reports that the optimum contact time is every 21 days. There have also been studies out there that say for every month you forget about your house list/clients, you lose 10% of them – another reason for monthly contact. Finally, the NAR reports the “average” contact program takes between 8 and 12 months to “start” working. We’ve cut that time in half with Service For Life!, but even if it takes 10 months to start the “market share engine” producing, that’s still a great deal, considering most agents never get it going.

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

Asking For Real Estate Listing Price Reductions

Wade Webb on September 26, 2018

asking for real estate listing price reductionNow 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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