The Cairn This is the 6th in a series of brief blog articles inspired by Good Earth Tea® quotes. “He that can have patience can have what he will.” -Benjamin Franklin 1706 -1790 One of the most common questions we get from new clients is “how long will it take for my site…

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  “I just don’t have time” always leads to the death of a real estate blog. Even bloggers that have great success from their sites find that, at times, the time it can take to construct worthwhile content is hard to come by. And the more often that it is hard to come by the…

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One of the first things that people need to learn about WordPress is that there are 2 very different versions of the platform. The first is WordPress.com This is the free* version of their blogging/content-management platform. Each site is part of a vast network of websites all controlled by…

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As the end of the first quarter closes for this year you may be thinking to yourself “Gosh, I gotta step this up! I am not on target for the goal that I set for this year to improve my sales volume!” If it feels like I am talking to you then here is the great news! The first step is that you realize and you are aware that something needs to improve or change to get the results you want for this year. Use this checklist to see what area you want to improve in and also evaluate what you would like to see happen. This is exciting! If you follow this checklist you’ll be able to focus and close 30%-100+% more this year!

1. Get More Leads! Now you might be saying, “Tricia, I don’t want more leads I just need to raise the lead quality.” But here is the bottom line. As our market changes, buyers and sellers keep evolving in the way they look for real estate and make decisions. We have to be CONSTANTLY on the hunt for pumping more leads into the organization. In the next steps I will also help you raise that lead quality. Just remember the psychology of growing and improving starts with you! If you don’t believe that more leads will make a difference, then NO ONE ELSE will either! Bottom line: more leads = more sales.

2. Tighten up your sales process: The secret to growing your business is to create connected and meaningful conversations with qualified prospects. Look at your process. How does the lead contact you? How long does it take for your to PERSONALLY engage (yes I do mean voice to voice and heart to heart) with them? What is the outcome that you want in the first connection (schedule appt, etc)? What do you want to have happen during that first appointment to create the mindset for them that they are a raving fan and want to work with only you? You are only as strong as your weakest link so your first impression with the prospect and the connection is your tipping point against your competition.

3. Raise that sales conversion! Bottom line is that you want to get more clients and close more transactions. If you are a one person operation look at a recent transactions that you lost. What do you think happened that made you lose the sale? If you have a team that meets with the buyer or seller are there some in your team that are rising stars but need coaching and help to duplicate your processes? Train, Tweak, Refresh and Improve your core story of why people will want to work with you and help your sales team where needed to get them to the Rock Star level of working with folks and closing business!

4. Increase the transaction value: Do you really need to cut your commission to get the seller to list with you? For those of us who have purchased something extravagant at any point in our lives like a Louis Vutton bag it’s because we are connecting with something more then the actual product. We are buying the experience, the culture, the identity and more. How can you add these values to their experience right now. This is KEY.

5. Follow up! Follow up with your leads! Follow up with your raving fans to raise the connection! Follow up to build your unique positioning! Follow up!

With the first quarter of 2012 behind you, you may still be looking for answers and strategies that can take your web marketing strategy to a whole new level. There is so much talk about there about how to kick up web leads but before jumping in to quick fixes and spending money on things out of priority here are 5 things you can do immediately to turn your online visitors into tangible sales:

Step 1: Make a list of all the Web sites and technology products you have. You may find that you have products that you’ve totally forgotten about. Don’t feel bad. There are a lot of us out there that have bought products and thought we would use them immediately, only to have them end up gathering dust. If you start with organizing a list of all your technology tools, then you can make notes by each one, indicating if you use it or why you haven’t used it. If some of these tools carry monthly fees, think seriously about how long it might take to get them implemented into your marketing strategy. Even a small $29 per month service can add up quickly and eat away at your bottom line.

If there are things on your list that you want to start implementing, call the product’s customer service center and find out how to maximize it.  There also may be virtual assistants or consultants that can help you sort through your products and streamline them so they can be used more effectively.

Step 2: Analyze and evaluate where your business came from last year. Ask yourself questions and write down your answers.  Start with questions like, “How many buyers were new home buyers? How many sellers did I work with last year? Where did they live? How did they find me? What is the profile of my average buyer/seller?”  By analyzing your answers to these questions, you’ll uncover trends on the type of clients you are attracting and what makes you special in the way you work with them.  This step is very important and it is the foundation for creating a strong, interactive Internet marketing strategy that will attract and communicate with your Web site visitors.

Step 3:  Build or enhance your Web site to reflect your specialization.

Make sure your Web site has customized content that speaks directly to your online visitor. You want your Web site to be alive and conversational! The way to do this is to eliminate “cookie-cutter” pages and have pages that relate to their world; offering free information like school reports, and articles. Having a Web site that is unique and interactive also will help in search engine ranking strategies.

Step 4:  Drive traffic to your Web site in as many ways as possible.  There are many ways to get people to your Web site, such as using craigslist ads, facebook, youtube, e-mail marketing campaigns, search engine optimization programs and offline promotion of your Web site address.  The more channels you position your message the better.

Step 5: Share your vision, practice the dialogue and share the message of your unique marketing.  There is a huge opportunity to crush your competitor in your market if you understand the tipping points that you offer and what that means to a seller.  Have your visuals and dialogue practiced so you can share this effectively on a listing presentation.

Whether you are a new agent starting out or have been in the business for a couple of years here are some things to consider when implementing your 2012 business strategy. Here are 7 key elements any new agent must have going out of the gate!

1. Secure your own domain name. It’s important to have a domain name that either you have that you can put with your company provided site or a site of your own. That way you start branding from the beginning and get the foundation in place.
2. Make sure you have a stand alone website that can easily grow with you.  Ask the web provider if you can add unlimited pages, photos, video, social media elements, and even your own links and PDF’s. This allows you to have a solid foundation in place even if you end up moving companies down the road.
3. Have your own IDX (MLS search tool). There could be rules in your MLS that prevent you from having your own MLS search but you’ll want to investigate this. Your broker may give you a link or the MLS may also provide a free MLS search link but you want to have a search tool that brands you as the agent of contact for every listing and has built-in lead capture elements as well so that you can generate as many leads as possible and ensure that you are the one getting the lead.
4. Additional domain names that extreme target market. This is a powerful way to kick up additional leads. For example potential sellers will be drawn to an ad that indicates they can get information on their local market conditions so having a domain name like www.FortMillHomeValues.com compels the homeowner to visit. Have the domain name point to a page within your site or even better, point to a specific landing page.
5. Have a Sphere of Influence letter ready to go that shares the information about your services and the unique tools offered on your website. Your sphere already has a connection to you so give them the incentive to come to your site, and enter them into a drawing when they provide their email address. This will help to build up your email pipeline and save money in the long run on communication!
6. Get to know Craigslist! This is a free way to run ads and drive traffic to the pages within your site as well as search properties on the MLS. Post in the real estate services section as well as the for sale sections.
7. Become the “GURU” of your market.  Learn the MLS and how to run market condition reports of what is selling, the days on the market, and more. You want to be the walking encyclopedia so pretend you are back in college and learn, learn, learn. You’ll start spilling the knowledge with others and this will prove that you are the “Go To” person for real estate in your area and you will have great information to share on your website that is of true value.

Today’s guest post is from avid real estate blogger, author of LifestyleDenver.com: Gretchen Faber. I asked her to contribute with the following article because of her brilliant effort on social media’s latest big deal, Pinterest. 6 Reasons Real Estate Bloggers Should Be Pinning on…

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Photo by miss karen. Thinking About Going Mobile With Your Real Estate Website/Blogsite? Do you need it?  Is this just something that the buzz is causing you to feel like you are in danger of being left behind? Or is the fact that mobile web browsing has exploded in the last 2 years mean it’s…

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Our blog articles, like this one, are often inspired by the challenges that we encounter on a daily basis with new clients. One of the most common pitfalls for a new, excited blogger is overlooking the importance of properly categorizing their content. Note: This post is not about what Categories…

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Although we understand the importance of have a real estate website, there is a huge opportunity to develop a website more specific to a niche market. If you are working with the short sale market and speaking with distressed homeowners you know first-hand how different this scenario is versus the traditional real estate listing process.  Distressed homeowners are often embarrassed over their financial situation and are looking to seek out answers on their own term so they can find a way to resolve their challenges. By developing an extremely targeted website focused on their needs you will be able to help the homeowner look at their options and at the same time generate leads for your business. Here are 7 key steps in developing a short sale website.

1. Use visuals and graphics that relate to how they feel and buy a domain name that reflects the message of the site.  Don’t make the homepage graphics all about you with your photo and your logo but rather about their emotional mindset.  Take a look at www.KnoxvilleForeclosureHelp.com and see the picture of the woman? When a homeowner looks at her they will relate and say to themselves “that is how I feel”. The homepage sets the stage for them feeling comfortable to go the next step.

2. Have content that relates to the questions a homeowner may have. Sure they may be hearing the word “short sale” more often but homeowners still do not understand what that may mean to them.  Have information that allows them to know what a short sale is, how a short sale is different then a foreclosure and what the effects of a foreclosure can have on their job or on their credit. These are the things that homeowners want to know and they want to know that if they go down this path of listing their home that there is hope for a resolution.

3. Place calls to action (clickable engagement points) on every page in the site so as they go through they can easily be compelled to ask for more information. Have buttons like “know your options, click here” or “what is HAFA? Click here” or “free reports” (reports about short sales not general real estate!) to generate the interest of them to click through for more information.

4. Make sure you have an Email Follow up campaign so that when they click on the calls to action you can start building rapport with them as well. Remember, the homeowner may want information but then shy away from contacting you just yet. By having an email follow up plan in place you stay positioned in front while they research and look at their options. You want to be the focal point for when they want to ask for help and you want to make it easy for them to reach you.

5. Put a language translator element on your site. Not every distressed homeowner speaks English but may be in need of help. Give them the ability to read the information in their language so they can learn their options.

6. Social Media share elements will allow for those who are visiting your site to push to their friend in an email, post on facebook or even tweet about the information you are providing. Make it easy for folks to spread the message of what options are available to homeowners.

7. Add video messages, testimonials and blog entries to your site. A personal video from you about how you help homeowners facing foreclosure will allow the visitor to understand why it’s important to ask for help. Testimonials from other homeowners that you have helped will show the distressed homeowner that if you have helped them that you may be able to help him too.  Blogging allows the homeowner to see your thoughts on what is happening in the real estate industry from your perspective as well as see how knowledgeable you are on this topic.