Anti-Spammers of the World Unite!

Internet strategies can be used to make you money by the bag full.  They can also be used to make your life more enjoyable.

I discovered a simple very cost effective technique that is designed to put a smile on your face. I say this, because it messes with the spammers of the world and helps to keep the clutter out of your mail box.

Have you ever wondered where all your junk email comes from?  Especially if you have an email address that you have not signed up to any lists.  Or, you have not posted on any public advertising sites.

I don’t mean the targeted email that might have some value or interest.  I am talking about that email that does not make sense, does not have a link to let you opt out, it comes in waives and it usually has an offshore origin.

One way spammers get your address is through the use of spam spiders. If you have a web page that you put your email address on and most of us do.  The spiders will pick up your address and you will start to receive their unsolicited email.

To limit this, I have discovered a couple of ways to trick the spiders.  The first way is to post you address with out using the symbol @ and replace it worth the word “at”.  Most people wanting to contact you will realize that they will manually have to replace the word “at” with the symbol @ if they would like to email you.  The benefit is that the spiders will not figure it out.

If you are concerned that people who are visiting your site will be confused, there is another way to fool the spiders.  You simply make your email address in what is called an image, don’t worry if you don’t get it your web designer will.

The beauty of implementing either of these techniques is that the spiders will skip right over your email address, however the people you are trying to reach will be able to contact you.

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Client Refrral Tips – 2 of 4

Remember most people that are buying or selling are talking with others about their future move, this enables them to naturally find out who else is planning a move.

Never be afraid to ask for referrals, explain to the client exactly how they can locate the ideal buyer or seller for you and how it will benefit them.

Offer a unique service to your client – for example hire a qualified reliable handyman that will show up a day or two after close, in many situations a few hours of a handyman will go a lot further then a gift basket.

If you are going to give a gift that is unique and has great advertising shelf life, give your clients an extra one and have them give it to a friend, have the second one engraved “a gift form one friend to another”.

Give your clients a recycle box with your brand on it – each week you are out at the curb in front of all the neighbours.Wear a referral lapel pin that will give cause for conversation.

Give the person your business card so that they can go to your web site to see or retrieve something of value to them, you have inadvertently promoted yourself three times. 

You would pay another agent a referral fee; consider paying a referral fee to the members of a large charity and their organization if they will send all of their business to you.

Rather then inviting a friend or great customer to an event, give the tickets to your clients and have them invite a friend.

Offer a seasonal benefit such as having your client’s driveway snow removal done for the winter or lawn cutting or weed spraying for the summer.

 Visit   www.UnitedStatesReferral.com   or   www.CanadaReferral.com

Real Estate Agent – Web Pages

Because of my involvement in the Internet world I often come across ideas that many real estate agents seem to overlook.  I am sure that the strategy that I am about to share with you will not be limited to just Realtors.

Many of us have had web pages for several years and are now looking to upgrade.  This is part of our natural learning curve as well as the learning curve of web page developers and their improved technology.

The strategy that I am about to share with you is one that is inexpensive and will potentially drive you a ton of targeted business.

Don’t get rid of your old web page, the web page you currently have is probably still usable. If you have your personal name as the registered domain it will most likely be ranked high in the search engines.  This is great for people that want to search for you by name.

But what about people that want to search for your product or service in your market and have not found a real estate agent yet.  I have heard statistics that say 60% to 80% of people looking for a new home start on the Internet.

This is where the second leg of your web site marketing strategy should come into play.

Buy a new web page domain name (or several) that match the word search buyers and sellers use most often when trying to find a Realtor in your market.  At this point it gets a little more involved,  you have to put the same words in your headline and in the body copy of your web page to help drive your site higher up in the web search engines.

What makes this strategy so inexpensive is that if you already have a web page, you are now only adding the cost of hosting to your budget, making this is one of the lowest cost methods of advertising yourself and your services.

Your new web page should have some offers that buyers and sellers can request such as Relocation Service, Distress Sales or a Hot New Listings report. If you don’t have anything to offer your future buyers and sellers you are missing the mother load of potential business.

When building your page our signing on to a monthly service do not get caught up in the razzle dazzle of web pages with a lot of blinking and flashing.  A great functional web page will offer people valuable information, gather contact information and will not lead people off the site on a surfing tour.

For a minimal expense these opt in offers can also be added to your old site for.

To view more Information Visit  www.OwnYourOwnWebPage.com 
a division of www.SellingToolz.com

Client Referral Tips – 1 of 4

Customers that give referrals will become more loyal to you because of this public statement, so it is important to remember to treat them right, if you forget about them they will vanish. 

When I first got into the business I counted up my list of people I knew and bought them all a business card holder, I put my card in each one – a client gave me a great suggestion, he said it might be a good idea to glue the my card in the fist spot..

Send your clients an anniversary card each year on the date of their home purchase. 

Hand written cards and envelopes should be sent to all of your clients as often as you can.  When is the last time you threw a hand addressed envelope in the trash before opening it. 

Think of as many reasons that you can to contact your clients on unique and personal dates for unique and personal reasons.

At the end of each day mail out a personal had written card to the people that you have spoke with.

Find out why your clients called you or referred you, and then give them more of the same.

Ask for your client’s birthday, if you mail a birthday card to the client on their birthday, it might not make that much of an impression the first year but you can rest assured that it will as the yeas role on.

Give your clients a time limited rebate; a reward that is going to be delivered on the close of their sale, or when their listing term ends.  Paying for their legal fees can make a big impression.

Visit     www.CanadaReferral.com or www.UnitedStatesReferral.com

Real Estate Agents – working with offers

It amazes me how many Realtors® I still see working the the old fashioned way, delivering offers to the seller and then running them back to the buyer, often doing four or five trips before acceptance.

This has to be one of the biggest time wasters that I know of,  average time 2 days.

When ever possible both buyer and seller should meet in real estate agents office to work with the offer.  The average time spent on an offer when all the parties meet at the office is 45 minutes. 

Your biggest problem here will be getting the other agent on side.  Many agents will put up a wall and do almost anything to avoid coming in to your office, normally they will blame their client.  However, my experience shows that well over 90% of my local clients will come into the office.  In any event, if only 50% of the agents cooperate, just consider the time you have saved.

If the other Realtor® will not come into the office then the next best thing is to have them bring their client into their office and have your client come into yours.  Do the necessary changes by fax, average time 1 hour.

If you cannot get the other agent to go along with this, then try to get all parties to meet at the house being sold.  My buyer agents find that this is successful as they often have a hard time getting the other agent to bring their client into a real estate office, your average time will increase to a time of about 2 hours.

If you can not get the other agent to cooperate then see if you can them fax the offer to you and have your client come meet with you.  I actually do not mind this, as you can delegate the follow up meetings too look at the offer to your team for simple changes and initials.

Finally,  inform your clients as much as you can about the offer before you meet with them.  I always amuses me just how many Realtors® still try to keep everything secret, all this does is create mistrust and slow down the process.  If you tell your clients the details of the offer in advance of meeting them, they can prepare any questions and reveal their thoughts right away as opposed to having to “think about it.”

As a listing agent, I like having the offer faxed to me.  I call my client on the phone and get all the changes done verbally.  I call the other agent and explain what it is that I have in terms of acceptance and if they co-operate, I get them to do any changes over the phone with their client.

If necessary I fax an offer with the changes, less the signature.  When we finally come to an agreement I either have all parties meet or I meet with my client and fax the signed offer to the other agent.

Visit www.CanadaReferral.com or www.UnitedStatesReferral.com

Listing Appointment – Time Savers

As you know, a lot of time can be waisted here, mainly because of the time needed to inspect the home and speak to “potential” sellers. 

When you consider the number listings that are turned down because the Seller is priced to high or because they are agent shopping, with commission being the driving motivation.  This is an area where time management is needed.

I have found that one of the best ways to cut down on these time waiters is to advertise Over The Net or Over The Phone Evaluations.  This simple strategy enables you to do much of your pre qualifying over the phone and in many cases eliminate the appointments that are not going to have a desirable result.

If you know what has happened to market values in your area over the years, there is an extensive amount of information available that will enable you to price the property well before you have to set or confirm an appointment.

Simply put, if the potential listing is going to be way overpriced, your next step is to implement a good script that enables you tell the prospective client that they will not be able to sell at this time.

To cut down on time spent at your listing appointment I recommend that all your listing information be filled out in advance by one of your team members.  Not only will you save time you will cut down on your paperwork mistakes.

Another time saver that I have implemented happens at the listing table.  We are required to have a property statement of disclosure, this form consists of a lengthy list of  questions concerning the property.  Get in the habit of having a postmarked envelope pre stamped and leave this with them to complete and mail in to the office.

After the listing or offer has been processed, have all amendments and waivers done by mail, fax or when possible have the Seller come into your office.  If your Seller scan not make it to the office or does not have access to a fax, use the postal service and be sure to include a self addressed envelope, again these tasks can be arranged and completed by one of your team.

This still leaves photographing and putting on the lock box on the property. If you have a team and work with buyer agents then you can double task here.  Your Sellers will want to see that someone on your team inspects the property.  In the past I have had some difficulty getting my buyer agents to view my listings, so I implemented a policy where my buyer agents have to take pictures and put the lock box on giving me a triple benefit when you consider that I do not have to do this task or pay someone to do it for me.

Visit www.UnitedStatesReferral.com or www.CanadaReferral.com

Booking Listing Appointments

I don’t know about you, but one of my pet peeves is going to an appointment and then getting stuck waiting 15 to 20 minutes for clients to show up.  It seems that in every relationship either the husband or the wife is a late person by habit.

To eliminate this problem, I make my listing appointments flexible.  More specifically, I book my appointments giving me the option of showing up between a given time period.  If you show toward the later of this time slot, both decision makers are normally present.

For example, if I book a time to show up between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to meet at a property, the people that have scheduled to meet are not late, as they are rushing to make it for the earlier end of the appointment in case I arrive then.  In addition, if you show up with 15 or 20 minutes to spare before the end of this scheduled time slot, you can use this toward your presentation without worrying that the Vendor has gone and squeezed in another appointment derailing your presentation.

This format also gives you the benefit of not having to rush to avoid being late or having to make excuses because you were.  In addition, you gain flexibility in scheduling in any additional appointments that come up.

The buyer agents on my team often complained about buyers always being late. I suggested this strategy to them, only book the time period little tighter. Instead of making the slot span one hour make it 15 minutes.

If you have buyer agents working with you and if they are working to their max, I would suggest that you have one of your administrative team members book all their showing appointments.  If they are, slackers have them book their own appointments, this will enable you to direct your team to the most productive tasks.

Work your business plan

This is the time of year to start working on next years business plan.

I have laid out a guideline for my team to follow and I believe if they work on these simple steps, success is all but guaranteed.

The first step is to block out your calender, with your prospecting being your most important appointment of the day.  Use a pencil (in case of changes) and block out all the times that are going to complete your day and do this well in advance of the day you are going to work on the task at hand.

Many of you will say that your family is more important; it is acceptable to build  your calender based on this approach.  However, remember that airlines will tell you to put your oxygen mask on yourself first in order to be able to help the people beside you. 

Prospecting is the oxygen you will need to be successful is real estate sales, if you want to help your family – look after your business and your business will look after you.

You should also try to do some of your prospecting at the office as opposed to calling at home.  If you have a hard time disciplining yourself to make the calls that are required to reach your goals it is probably because the couch is winning out over the phone.

Follow these simple rules you will be on top of your game and sales will follow.  More importantly if you can not master the phone you might want to consider another career other then real estate sales.

Check out www.UnitedStatesReferral.com or www.CanadaReferral.com

Telephone prospecting the easy way

We all know that prospecting for buyers and sellers is essential to the success of any good salesperson, the problem is that we all seem to chase the same carrot.  I believe that there are easy ways to go about this sometimes daunting task, and there are hard ways.

My team and I met recently and because the holiday season is upon us I gave them what I think is the easiest telephone technique in building their business that I know of.  This suggestion in my opinion is a golden nugget and it is based on building your direct contact business and your referral business.

Many of the people that I have worked with over the years are timid when it comes to getting on the phone to look for business, this is something that pretty much all salespeople can relate too.

These fears prompted me to think of ways to get people to work on their business using methods that get people around these fear tendencies.  As I mentioned, at this time it just so happens to be the holiday season, however this technique can be used many other times of the year and be just as effective.

This nugget involves putting together a list of every person that you know, with the intent to call them and wish them a Happy Holiday and to verify their mailing information so that they can mail out a holiday greeting card.  No one will be upset that they are going to be getting card from you.

While you have them on the phone, ask if their email address is handy and be sure to close off the conversation by asking them to pass along your name to anyone that they might know who will be selling in the new year.  By pushing out this suggestion to the new year, you will not be looked upon as being a pushy salesperson.

Each month this column will be added to as I suggest to my team how to go about getting in front of their clients in a friendly way.

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Streamline Your Delegation

This letter will focus on time saving strategies designed to benefit you in the area of delegation and putting your business on auto pilot.  For the greater part, this is a low-cost idea that anyone can implement.

I have gone to the office of several REALTORS(R) to see how they run their business.  In doing this I have observed almost all of them take notes or use a Dictaphone to remind themselves of the things they need to do.

This works well, however with this method, I find that you often have to duplicate the delegation of tasks to various team members.  Or you have to hunt for pen and paper when the need arises to scribble down what it is that you want to have delegated,  often misplacing the note.

To streamline this task, it is far more effective to have an answering system setup on a private phone line, beside the desk of your Service Coordinator so they can deal with the delegation of these tasks.  If you have a voice mail phone system in your office, you may not need a private line.

This eliminates the need to remember to call in at specific times to speak to someone on your team in order to have things done.  For example, when you get out of an appointment you can get any special requests asked of Buyers, Sellers or other REALTORS(R) off your plate immediately.  An even better benefit is that we are often closer to a phone then we are to a pen and paper, especially when driving a car.

I have found that on those occasions that a phone is not available and I have to use my Dictaphone, the natural inefficiency is that you have to repeat every task and you often have to sort through the messages to find the one that is relevant.

You can also have your clients leave messages that are not of immediate importance, such as the name of showing agents for following up, or the need for new feature sheets etc.

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