2010 Game Plan
December 9, 2009 by Eric Pointer
Filed under Articles, Conversion, Mindset, RE Tech, Real Estate Sales Training, Training
As we finish up 2009 and head into 2010 I know many agents are doing their planning and goal setting for the coming year.
So, I thought I’d pass along some information and tools that have helped shape my business and may help yours going into 2010.
First off, the hottest topics in RE these days are: Online Lead Generation, Listing Syndication, Blogging, Social Networking etc…My team in Ann Arbor is doing all these – but we NEVER take our eye off the “sphere of influence” target either.
For example,
1. Any entity or person that I pay money to, I solicit business from. I call upon: my lawyer, financial planner, estate planner, insurance providers, lenders, contractors, auto dealerships, etc… I basically reaffirm my desire to help them grow their businesses and ask them to commit to helping me grow my business.
2. I send an email to all my clients thanking them for putting their trust in me. And I ask them to keep me in mind when they hear of anyone anywhere needing to buy or sell. I also tell them that during the holidays they’ll hear friends, colleagues, relatives and neighbors talk about their plans…I ask them to tell these folks about their experience with me and to pass my name and number along.
(A good portion of my business comes as a direct result of referrals and I can attribute ASKING, SEEKING and KNOCKING to all that business-the Lord is good!)
Many of you have asked how I syndicate my listings and although I won’t share the entire system with you HERE - I will tell you that you need to get your listings on Wellcomemat, Craigslist and Vflyer ASAP and commit to learning a bit about blogging and Twitter, too.
1. Wellcomemat–http://www.wellcomemat.com/team366
2. Craigslist–Craigslist is one of the most visited sites on the internet and getting your listings on there has two benefits: Listing exposure & lead generation.
3. vFlyer–Go to http://vflyer.com/ and see how it works…
4. If you have a blog, get great new material by setting up a Google account here: http://Google.com. Then go into settings and set up an ALERT for the type of information you are interested in blogging about.You’ll get a steady flow of great topics and will never lack for something to blog about!
5. Facebook – Post listings and rentals on your facebook account. In our town, Ann Arbor, MI, students who are using Facebook as there social networking platform run into our RENTALS posted there and we have been fairly successful getting student rentals rented.
6. Commit to learning a bit about Twitter as well in 2010…There are many ways to spend time and I haven’t embraced this yet but I’m willing to learn and maybe this tme next year, I’ll be singing the Twitter praise as well…
These ideas have helped me weather the storm and even prosper.
So commit to implementing at least one of these stategies in 2010. I’m certain that if you do you’ll increase the number of listings you sell and buyers you serve.
Have an outstanding Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2010..
Trulia and Zillow: Online Area Experts
November 6, 2009 by Todd Waller
Filed under Social Media, Training, Videos
You’ve no doubt heard about Trulia and Zillow. Did you know that both services want agent input to help answer consumer questions?
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Selling Real Estate: A Look at Home Buyer Trends
September 28, 2009 by Todd Waller
Filed under Articles, Buyers
Every year, the National Association of Realtors® produces a report on the trends of real estate buyers and sellers. NAR’s 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers is a 116 page document filled with graphs, charts and brief analysis on real estate consumers’ behavior.
Here at theRockStarAgent.com, we strive to assist agents making the jump into Real Estate 2.0. Part of the jump includes understanding the reason for the shift. Real estate changes rapidly and if you’ve not noticed, the internet and technology of merely increased the rate of change.
This post will focus on the Buyer side behavior of the real estate transaction. But really, who cares? Right? After all, once you get in front of a buyer, you know instinctively what you need to do to help them meet their real estate goals. These assembled words and charts simply attempt to show where the change is and where you as an agent should be moving your business and marketing efforts.
Overview:
The internet is not a fad. It’s here and it’s changing how real estate is searched for, how housing information is accessed, and what’s important. From the report we know that:
- the internet is as important as an agent in finding a home for buyers;
- members of Gen Y are using “off the beaten path” sites with real estate listings nearly 15% more than any other group;
- agents and the internet are seen as equally useful among home buyers;
- buyers want help in negotiating and finding the right home, but NEED help in determining price.
[after the jump, charts and stuff...you've been warned!]
Social Media, Blogs & Twitter: Oh My!
August 24, 2009 by Todd Waller
Filed under Lead Generation, Mindset, Social Media
19 Reasons You Should Blog And Not Just Tweet
Great post on why you should not simply focus on one network in your SocNet strategy at the detriment of other networks.
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…they all have good aspects in trying to connect and re-connect with friends, family, past clients and soon-to-be clients. The one thing they all have in common, other than being able to absorb a LOT of your time, should be your…
Blog.
Your Blog is Where Your Heart Is
You invite a bunch of “followers” to your home for a get together. They drive to your home, come in through the front door, admire your taste in [fill in whatever hobbies float your boat], grab a drink and head out to the deck where the grill is working its magic.
Once you’ve gathered a few folks in this manner, you simply have a good time. Make sure everyone’s comfortable, the conversation is good and the food and drink are plentiful.
5. Secret everyone knows: most of Twitter is just linking to blogs and content on the open web. Being the end product people are actually interested in and focus their attention on is where your ideas will be studied carefully, not in the cacophony of Twitter.
Easy, right?
Social Media in Real Estate
August 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Articles, Lead Generation, Social Media
What is Social Media?
Social Media according to Wikipedia, “are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.” The different social media outlets aim to integrate both media (print, audio, video) and interaction between the content creators and the consumers of the media.
Social Media? Like MSNBC?
No doubt you’ve heard about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. All three of these social networks (SocNets) have their place within the online community as places to “gather.”
You’ve also likely tried to get involved in one SocNet or another and found yourself asking, “Why do I care what these people are doing right now? Heck, why do they care about what I’M doing?”
Both are valid questions, however the point of social media is to have a conversation with prospective clients across the internet. Remember, the National Association of Realtors states that nearly 90% of real estate consumers utilize the internet to find information about their next foray into real estate.
So, if 90% of consumers are utilizing the internet, that means that as an agent, you need to be found in as many places as possible across the ‘net….just like your listings!
[but that's an entirely separate subject and article]
Why SocNets? Think Chamber of Commerce…
Top 5 Best Practices for 2009
The past 2 years have been brutal for most agents. Watching this pain fires me up. I’m not certain why, maybe because it motivates me or maybe because I’ve learned to harness its power. I’ve learned that to thrive in the eye of a storm requires mental toughness, quick action, agile response, intelligence, the right tools and know-how.
With that in mind, here are our Top 5 Best Practices for ‘09.
You can hang your hat on these.
They are the foundation upon which our success has been built.
- #1. People First
2. Understand the long term value of a client and make sure they know how much they are valued.
3. Surround yourself with excellence.
- #2. Remove Barriers
2. Face your fear and it’ll disappear.
3. Remember, there is no sound more beautiful than the sound of one’s own name. Know your client’s names and use them often.
- #3. Tools that WOW!
Agent Bailout
Scary! The headlines today read…
Decline Continues…With No End In Sight!
When we read this stuff, we can’t help but chuckle a bit.
Don’t get us wrong we understand how macro-economics can affect local markets but we are seriously NOT experiencing all the doom and gloom ourselves in par
t because a couple years back we created a plan that is recession proof.
We call it our :”Agent Bailout Blueprint” Essentially it is our business plan and model and it has been the foundation upon which we have navigated these troubled waters.
It is probably not the only way – but it is our way and it is working and because it is working in the “worst economy since the great depression” and in the worst state – Michigan – we figured that it may be helpful to others as well.
We kinda figured that since everyone accept us REALTORS are being bailed out – why not name the plan we’ve been using for some time now, “The Agent Bailout Blueprint.”
It’ll take you from how to get your head on straight through the processes of acquiring new customers – to converting customers to clients – to worry free closings – to cost cutting strategies – and “base nurturing” for optimum referral and repeat business..
It’ll help you learn more about how to automate lead generation and about the new world of putting your listings all over the net.
The New Real Estate
July 27, 2009 by todd waller
Filed under Buyers, Sellers, Social Media
The last few years have seen a massive shift in how real estate is done. The basics of real estate sales still work and work well. In addition to knowing how to get deals closed, today’s real estate market requires you to know a lot more about how information moves.The two areas where the real estate industry has seen a gigantic shift is in: 1 – the crumbling of house values;
2 – the heavy emphasis on systems and technology to close transactions.
Where Have all the Values Gone?
[apologies to Paula Cole and her song Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?]
Seemingly, the halcyon days of real estate are behind us when you could list a home, throw a dart to choose the price and the home would sell in a week. Sellers were ecstatic, agents elated and buyers were just happy they purchased before things got too expensive.
Then the house of cards collapsed…
Now, agents have to justify to sellers why their home is worth 20-50% less than when they purchased. Buyers are having a field day applying the boot to sellers that NEED to sell.
Agents, meanwhile, have adapted as they know best. Some, who saw the declining values as never-ending and too much work, bolted the industry. Other agents, comfortable with their communication skills and an eye for the long term, saw the drop as their time to shine. These agents KNOW in their hearts that by serving their clients well, during the period of a down market, they will reap the rewards when the market turns…
Transparency…there’s that word again
Customer Service is Not a Four-Letter Word
[Some thoughts from this past winter on customer service. Seems Customer Service is nearly a four-letter word...]
So on Wednesday, we got a fair bit of snow dumped on us in the Ann Arbor area. It fouled up the roads, was generally a pain to travel through and seriously messed up one of my windshield wipers.
You never realize how much you depend on those wipers until they don’t work correctly…
So, on my way home, I stopped into our local Advance Auto Parts for a single replacement wiper blade. I anticipated paying for the blade, opening the package, removing the old blade and installing the new blade.
You Know What Happens When You Assume…
Rob, the guy behind the counter, zeroed in on me as soon as I came through the door. Greeted me warmly and inquired why I had poked my head into the store. When I explained what I was looking for, he took one look at my car (he saw me pull up) and asked what year it was. He then asked which blade I was replacing, found it, cashed me out and then headed for the door with wiper blade in hand.
Shocked that he was heading to the door, I asked what he was doing, “I’ll replace it for you if that’s okay.”
Some of Life’s Neatest Moments are Small – An Aha! Moment
As I drove home, it dawned on me what had just happened. I had low expectations, anticipated that I would fumble around with an auto parts book, have to wait in line, and then spend a few moments in the freezing weather replacing a simple wiper blade.
Admittedly, my expectations weren’t high to begin with…
…and I was alright with that.
I thought of my clients, past and present, that have expressed their pleasure at some small expectation that my team and I have exceeded through the course of our transactions. It dawned on me that many folks entering the real estate market view the process as about as enjoyable as root canal…and that, potentially, as an industry, we have brought this upon ourselves.
A Few Questions…
First-Time Home Buyers: Got any?
When Uncle Sam says, “Hey, first-time home buyers, I’ll reduce the cost of your first home by $8,000,” folks respond!
The NAR released its March Existing-Home Sales report this recently, and it paints a story that’s kinda grim, but still has some silver linings.
An NAR practitioner survey in March showed first-time buyers accounted for 53 percent of transactions, based largely on contracts offered before the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit became available. “Buyer traffic has been rising, and real estate offices are getting phone inquires about the tax credit,” Yun said. “By early summer we should be seeing a positive impact on home sales from record-low mortgage interest rates in addition to the stimulus provisions.” [emphasis added]
So, even before the $8,000 sweetener, first-time home buyers were seeing value in jumping into the market. With interest rates steady to falling, and inventory levels remaining relatively high, this is great news as the summer buying season gears up!
The problem facing many Realtors® is how to find those first time home buyers. Simple deduction, and NAR reporting, tells us that an overwhelming majority of folks utilize the internet, at some point, to find information about their next, or first home, purchase.
theRockStarAgent.com has a Google Adwords Qualified Individual on staff. Our company specializes in generating leads via cost effective real estate internet traffic management and lead capture websites.