Articles
of Interest
Common and Costly Mistake #2 That
Nearly All Agents Make:
Image Style Websites
By
Stephen Raitt (Reprinted
with Permission)
Most
agents believe that marketing means promoting themselves. They believe
that saying they are "the best" means people will want
to work with them.
Every year,
real estate agents from all over the globe spend millions of dollars
on colorful, beautiful and expensive brochures and advertisements.
These polished pieces are filled with clever lines that promise
"quality", "integrity" and "service".
This type of
advertising is called "image" or "institutional"
advertising. Image ads usually talk about how great the person paying
for the ad is. This type of advertising provides no benefits to
prospects, and gives them little or no reason to favor your business
over others.
Open any local
newspaper and you'll usually find an entire section of realtor advertising
filled with realtors making the same empty and meaningless boasts:
- "I'm
#1!" (Would you sign with someone simply because they told
you they were #1?)
- "We
Are The Biggest!"
- "I Sell
Homes In The Best Communities!"
- "I Care
About Your Business!"
- "I Have
All The Credentials and Awards!"
- "I Provide
Great Service!"
What's wrong
with ads and slogans like these? Several things....
- they don't
give prospects any compelling reason to contact you over any other
agent (anyone can make the same claims).
- there are
no benefits for the prospect (What's in it for them?)
- they don't
tell a complete story
- they don't
make a specific offer
- they don't
include a call to action
- they're not
measurable or trackable
These "image"
ads don't make the phone ring. Why? Well, to begin with, "quality",
"integrity" and "service" mean different things
to your prospects. These terms are too broad to be useful. Furthermore,
everyone is saying the same vague old generalities. Think about
all the advertisements you are inundated with on a daily basis.
Do you process all these advertisements? Or have you unconsciously
(or consciously) devised a strategy to deal
(or, more to the point, not deal) with all this advertising? Of
course you have. It's called Tuning-out...Ignoring. The fact of
the matter is... You can't make anyone read what they're NOT interested
in.
It's that simple.
People don't want to be sold. But, they do want to be helped. Successful
marketers understand that they must concentrate on a prospects'
needs and wants. This kind of advertising is called Emotional Direct
Response Marketing (or more commonly just Direct Response). With
effective direct response marketing, you offer people what they
are dying to know, and then they contact you to get it. Done properly,
this can totally
eliminate cold call prospecting by providing incentives for qualified
prospects to contact you of their own volition.
Compare the following direct response style headlines with the previous
ones:
- Your Home
Sold in 90 Days at a Price Acceptable to You or I'll Buy it for
Cash!
- FREE Over-the-Net
Home Evaluation
- Find out
how to beat other buyers to HOT new listings.
- Stop renting
and own your own home. Free list of zero- down homes.
- How to Save
Thousands of Dollars When You Buy Your Next Home
- 6 Things
You Must Know Before You Buy
- 27 Quick
& Easy Fix Ups to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar
Put yourself
in the shoes of someone looking to buy or sell a home. Are these
headlines likely to be more effective in getting you to pick up
the phone and call an agent than the image style boasts...of course
they are.
Direct response
marketing, by its very name is self-explanatory. It is designed
to evoke an immediate response, action, visit, call or purchasing
decision from the viewer or reader. Direct response advertising
directs people to action. It compels readers, viewers, or listeners
to contact you before they buy or sell a home.
Emotional direct
response marketing is ideally suited for use on the Internet.
Why is this?
People love to use the Internet because it offers a non-threatening
and hassle-free way to gather news, facts and advice. They know
they can visit your website without the pressure of talking to a
sales representative or being sold. They know they won't have to
talk to anyone if they don't want to. They can spend as much time
as they want looking at information without feeling threatened.
Clearly, this
is a double-edged sword. People know they can visit your site without
the hassle of being contacted, but you want to talk to the real
prospects. The SOLUTION - use direct response marketing techniques
on your website.
The last thing
people want to do is "raise their hand" so that a salesperson
can contact them. In order to overcome the reluctance of being sold,
you must give them forceful and compelling reasons to contact you.
With a direct response website, people will be compelled to leave
their contact information behind in return for
the free information or specialty service you will provide to them.
To find out
the 8 most common and COSTLY MISTAKES that nearly ALL agents and
brokers make with their website, and how to avoid them, visit http://SuccessWebsite.com?si=31.
AOL Users: <a href="www.SuccessWebsite.com?si=31">
Click here</a>
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For the next
30 days, I encourage you to go on as many listing presentations
as possible. If not for the increased production, then simply to
increase your skill level. Bottom line: you need to have the integrity,
the commitment and the responsibility to keep your word and move
forward to achieve your next level.
Before we conclude,
I'd like to reiterate the two concepts that I feel are most important.
First, when you're meeting with a seller, you want to look at yourself
as a coach . You're there to coach them and give them the best advice
based on what they're committed to. Ninety-nine percent of the time,
the best thing for them to do is to hire you. The second thing is
when you're there with that seller, you must truly be present .
Be present to their situation; be present to what they're saying.
Don't talk at them, but talk with them.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephen Raitt is a leading
Internet marketing expert for the real estate and financing industry.
He has helped thousands of real estate agents and loan officers
develop and promote their Internet presence more profitably.
His Special
Report, "How to Become the Dominant Internet Agent in Your
Marketplace Overnight... Without Spending a Fortune, Wasting Your
Time, or Even Caring How It Works!" and his book, "87
Ways To Make 0ver $1,OOO,OOO Annually In Commissions On The Internet"
are both available WITHOUT COST or obligation at: http://SuccessWebsite.com |
