Mutiny Against Lackluster Agents!

Yesterday in what promised to be a wonderful trip, full of great sightseeing and new experiences, I found myself right in the middle of a huge sales pitch. I've been disappointed in tours before but this was different. I didn't see this coming. It wasn't the experience that myself or the others on the tour were expecting, or mentally prepared for. The tour director's words were so well rehearsed that he couldn't answer small non-tour related questions. He appeared to be more like a robot than a human. Needless to say I was disappointed with the tour and the entire day turned sour. The beautiful surroundings dulled and the things we were brought to see became no more than a commercial trap for foreigners.

This morning in my reflection over the day I brought this back to first-time home buyer's searching for their dream-home. 

• How many agents are working toward a commission and not assisting the buyer?
• How many agents are going through the motions of showing homes, completely void of emotions and compassion for the buyers?
• How many agents really care whether or not the buyer finds a home that meets the needs of the buyer?

My husband and I have bought several homes as the military has moved us around the country. When we have the misfortune to cross paths with a "robot" agent we quickly severe all ties and move on to another agent that will really meet our needs. But I wonder how many buyers know that they don't have to stay with that terrible agent?

Yesterday as I was forced to continue through my tour with the "robot" tour guide I daydreamed of what would happened if the bus full of people said "no" and refused to continue the tour? It would not have made a big impact, not even a small ripple in the sea of tour agents in this small country. But what if unhappy buyers across the USA stopped working with the lackluster, non-caring agents in their communities? Think of the ripple effect!!! 

As the internet continues to educate buyers the agents without the personal touch will fall by the wayside.  Don't get caught standing in the road as your buyers toss you aside!

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Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, has been working in real estate since 1996. Visit her website, www.TheSecretAssistant.com to find out how she can assist you today!   Contact Jeri today.

Go Viral With This New Social Media Listing Tool

Advertising your listings just got easier and best of all it is FREE!   We all know that social media is “the place to be” and Realtor.com is making it easy to advertise your listings in a consistent and professional manner.   As a bonus your sellers, your friends, your family, even your kids can advertise your listings!  Watch your new listings go “viral” as everyone shares your listing.

Let me show you how easy this is.  Using your CRM system email your new listing information to your database.  Be sure to include your Realtor.com url.  You can find this URL on your Realtor.com listing page near the bottom of the listing information, above the map.

Ask your database members to share the listing with their Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn friends.  At the top of the listing page, on the right, is a “share” button.  Click this button.

The dropdown box lists all of the social media venues available to the user.  Follow the prompts and the listing will be shared on their social media pages. They have the opportunity to add comments before the listing is posted.  This is a great place for posting how wonderful the property is or how great their listing agent is! (If they want to share the listings on more than one type of social media they will have to do each one individually.)

Be sure to tell them to have their family and friends to do this as well! The more people that “share” your listings the more exposure their home is getting on the “world wide web”!   With more than 400 million people on Facebook alone think of the marketing power you have!  Best of all – it is FREE!

BTW- Don't forget to "share" your own listings on your own social media pages as well!

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Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, has been working in real estate since 1996. Her expertise includes listing coordination, including advertising. Does your advertising need a boost? Contact Jeri today.

Do You Know WHERE You Are Advertising?

Have you googled any of your listings? Seriously, put 123 Main Street, Anywhere, NY in the search box. In preparing this article I googled one of my client's listings. The results yielded an amazing 131 search results! Have you tried this with one of your listings? As a real estate agent you should be well aware how important the internet is to your business. In the recent 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers released by NAR it was revealed that an astonishing 90% of all buyers used the internet to search for their next home.

• Do you represent your listings well on the internet?
• Are your sellers happy with your internet advertising of their home?
• Are your sellers aware of where their home is advertised on the internet?

If not then you are failing to provide them with a vital part of your overall marketing plan for their property. Are you taking advantage of all of the internet marketing opportunities available to you? It couldn't be easier to saturate the internet with your listings. Let me give you a few examples:

If you use Postlets then your listings are automatically syndicated to FrontDoor, Google Base, HotPads, Oodle, Trulia, Vast, Zillow, BackPage, DotHomes, Enormo, Local.com and Lycos. You also get the links and code for posting to Facebook, Twitter, CraigsList, FriendFeed and other. Best of all, you can do all of this for FREE....YES, no cost to you!

A second, equally excellent option is ListingsToLeads. This innovative online program syndicates your listings to the same partners as Postlets but also gives you syndication on Google Maps, Yahoo Real Estate, AOL Real Estate, CyberHomes, HotPads, LakeHomesUSA, CLRSearch, PropBot, Vast, eRealInvestor, LandWatch, ResortScape, Oodel, Walmart, MyRealty, Overstock, InvestorLoft, Military.com, OpenHouse, Homes.com, TweetLister, HomeAway Real Estate, Property Pursuit, HomeWinks, Relocation.com, RealtyTrac, My Home Renter, Homes & Land, Home Search, Keller Williams Listing System, Showing Suite, Pulse Mailing, Austin Home Search.com, Scripps, Northern Nevada Regional MLS, MLive.com, Maine Homes.com, Homes Database, Property Shark, Sierra Nevada Media Group Real Estate, Smart Zip, Suburban Real Estate News, Open Houses Inc., Homes Book.com, Sokous.com and Spotlight Preview. A few of these partners are regional and not applicible to everyone. You will find the majority of these partners are included in your ListingsToLeads subscription.There is a subscription charge for the use of the ListingToLeads service and at this time I do not have a price breakdown of those charges. If you contact Scott Pierce at L2L he will be happy to assist you with that. I'm sure you are asking why go with a subscription-based service when Postlets is free. The way I see it is you actually generate income with L2L because you will attraction more leads due to their fully branded, website and social media integrated listing advertisements. Each ad has a call to action but the big cost saving comes with the one click CraigsList post tool. It is also extremely easy to post to Facebook as well.

A third, and widely used system, is vFlyer. One of the most unique features of vFlyer is the ability to generate printable PDF versions of your flyers, as well as create embeddable widgets for your website or blog, and much more. vFlyer doesn't miss a beat in syndicating your listings either. You'll find they will add your listings to Trulia, Oodle, Google Base, Vast, Yahoo! Real Estate, Zillow, Geebo, OLX, HotPads, DotHomes, Lycos (via Oodle), Cyberhomes/AOL, FrontDoor, Backpage (Business Subscribers only) and Kijiji (Business Subscribers only). You can also post vFlyer listings to CraigsList and Facebook. vFlyer offers a free, ad-supported service as well as a number of subscription options.

Many MLS systems syndicate your listings. It is important that you maximize your photos and write a creative and narrative description in order for your listing to "put its best foot forward." I know many times you need to get your listing into MLS fast with the intention of making it look better later. Later may be too late because many times your listing is syndicated right away.

If you have a website based on a template system, such as Point 2 Agent, Agent Image, Z57, Advanced Access, Best Image, or any of the many other excellent systems available, you will have automatic syndication. As with your MLS, create the listing to the best of your ability when you first post it.

As you can see, there are many advertising possibilities available to you for virtually no cost, or very little. With 90% of buyers shopping the internet for their next home they are certainly the most educated buyer a real estate agent has ever worked with. Don't take this too lightly or you will find your premium listing inventory growing smaller and smaller.

One of the best options you have is to consult with a real estate virtual assistant on how to maximize your internet presence.  The benefits will be greater than you can imagine!

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Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, has been working in real estate since 1996. Her expertise includes listing coordination, including advertising. Does your advertising need a boost? Contact Jeri today.

~~NOTE~~ Jeri does not work for, nor represent, any of the companies mentioned above.

KISS ME, I'M IRISH - GREENER AND LOVING IT!

Today, as St. Patrick's day is celebrated throughout the world, I wanted to jump on the wagon and celebrate with you as well!  When thinking what I could share with you my thoughts went into several areas.  My Irish heritage gives me a DNA that loves the beat of the bodhran and I go giddy over Riverdance.  I know most people love a little Irish liquor called Bailey's but I prefer Saint Brendan's.  In fact give me a pot of coffee and I'll finish a jug of Saint Brendan's in record time! I was the only kid on the block who spent hours searching for four leaf clovers and it has always been my dream to search for four leaf clovers in Ireland. So, although I've haven't had the pleasure to step foot upon Irish soil yet, I am Irish to the core.

Because this isn't a blog for me to gush over the features of a good Irish step dance, Irish whiskey or even a good pint of Guinness then I need to stop myself now and get on with something real estate related. Right? Yes!

In the spirit of St. Patrick's day let's look at what many others are doing this week, going green.  So many articles are being written this week about what we can do to better improve our "carbon footprint" while we are here on Earth.  As real estate professionals we have a responsibility to see that our clients have homes. Regardless of whether they buy or rent, in the end our job is to see our clients placed in adequate shelter.  We certainly want that home to be safe and in that process why not make our clients aware of their carbon footprint as well? 

Why not give your clients a green gift when they move into their new home? Most agents give their buyers a token of their appreciation, a housing warming gift.  Why not make that gift more green?  A gift of earth friendly products show your client that not only do you care for their comfort as they move into their new home but you are also concerned for the earth as well. I know many Realtors give their clients gifts that make that first night in their new home a bit more comfortable.  Why not use earth friendly products? Here are a few suggestions:

• Organic Soap
• Organic Paper Towels
• Organic Toilet Paper
• All natural breakfast foods
• All natural paper plates/utensils
• Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
• Green Cleaners
• Coupons/Gift Certificates to local market offering locally grown foods
• Coupon for Free Dinner/Pizza (great for that first night) An organic or all-natural restuarant is preferrable.

Use your imagination, shop locally and see what interesting items you can find.  Don't forget a few snacks too! Place your items in a nice, reusable and attractive basket and leave on the kitchen cabinet for your buyers. 

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day.  If you just can't get enough visit www.st-patricks-day.com to get a really good dose of Irish music, photos and fun. As for me I'll be out and about searching for that four leaf clover today and listening to a little Irish music. Click to hear to hear a wee sample of my favorite! (or click below)

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Do you need ideas for closing gifts?  Contact Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant today!  Email or visit http://www.thesecretassistant.com/

Time's A Changing!!

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Need help communicating important events with your clients?  Contact Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, for information on how to stay in touch with your client effectively. 

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

In this advertising series I’m stressing the importance of marketing yourself.  Let’s spend a few minutes answering a few questions:

1. You need a new car.  How will you decide to purchase that car?  Ad #1 or Ad #2?

 2. You would like to get married. Will you marry the nice person in Ad #1 or Ad #2?

3.  You need a personal trainer.  Will you hire the person in Ad #1 or Ad #2?

4. You need a new home.  Will you hire the agent in Ad #1 or Ad #2?

Carefully consider why you made the decisions you did in each instance?  I’m assuming you selected Ad #1 in questions 1-3 and probably most of us selected Ad #1 in question #4.  Do you understand your reason for the selections? 

A photo speaks a thousand words.  Cliche I know but so very true.  You can scream “I Sell Homes” from the roof of your office everyday but if you do it wearing a bag over your head then no one will know who you are.  Understand the analogy?  Do you have your photo on each and every piece of marketing and correspondence that leaves your office, right down to your post-it-notes?  If not then email me and I will send you a fresh supply of those brown paper bags. 

If you do have a photo then three cheers for you!  One more question.  Is your photo up-to-date?  Could you be arrested for a bait and switch operation?  You know what I mean!

I’ve contacted realtors before that looked like this on all of the marketing material I saw:

When I arrived at the appointment they looked like this!!

Needless to say my husband and I didn’t "like" any of the homes we were shown and found a reason to cut the appointment short. In my opinion if an agent cannot even post a real photo then what else is she hiding?  I don’t want to know so I’ll find someone else!!!  Get the point?  Keep your photo up-dated.  With today’s high resolution point and shoot digital cameras it is too easy to do. 

Marketing rule of thumb #1:  Create marketing as if you were marketing to yourself.  Would you buy a house from YOU?

Evaluate your marketing, even items that you might not perceive as marketing such as notepads, pens, letterhead, etc.  What is your marketing saying?  What are you marketing?  Are you selling your services or dozens of little tiny houses in an ad?

What are you REALLY selling?

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Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, has been working in real estate since 1996. Her expertise includes listing coordination, including advertising. Does your advertising need a boost? Contact Jeri today.

ABSTRACT ADVERTISING

Are you a patron of the fine arts? Do you rush to every new gallery opening and every new art exhibit? Even if you answered “no” to both of these questions you may be very familiar with abstract art. Many artists have painted in this style and Picasso is probably the first artist that you think of when thinking of abstract artists.

If you are like me you have to squint at times to try to see what is really in the picture, or to try to figure out what the painter wanted you to see. What do you see in this painting?


Although this isn’t the work of Picasso you will recognize it as abstract art.  As a real estate agent are you surrounding yourself with abstract art on a weekly basis?  Are you commissioning your own works of art each week?  NO?  Are you sure?  

Are you guilty of advertising in the abstract style?  Do your ads look like this?  

WHEW!  There is a lot of “stuff” on this page!!  How many people will actually take the time to look at this entire ad?  If you “squint” at this ad what do you see?  Nothing special, do you?  What is this ad really trying to accomplish?  In my opinion - too much! There is just too much on this page, making it too confusing. Our eyes just won't focus on something so busy so our brain is told to "turn the page."

Let’s look at a much “cleaner” ad.

 



 


I don’t know this agent.  I don’t work for her and didn’t create this advertisement but I believe it is brilliant!



Everyone knows that real estate agents sell homes so this agent didn’t crowd this ad with dozens of tiny photos and descriptions.  Instead she knows that intelligent people seek an agent first and she has created an ad with her identity first and foremost. She is asking prospects to call her for her expertise, not because of the white house in the 3rd row on her ad.  By running this ad everywhere, on a consistent basis then she gains the trust of her target market (highly intelligent people) by her overall appearance that she is the expert.


This has been proven in market after market.  Agents sell homes, not ads.  What are you really selling in your ads?  Do you know?  Are people squinting to read your ads or just turning the page?

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Jeri Winkler, The Secret Assistant, has been working in real estate since 1996. Her expertise includes listing coordination, including advertising. Does your advertising need a boost? Contact Jeri today.

Do People Know What You Are REALLY Advertising?

If you lived in a foreign country, couldn’t understand the language and saw an ad on TV should you be able to immediately recognize what product is being sold? Of course! Well, that isn’t always so.  View this current commercial running every 5 minutes on my local cable TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flA6bD_OzJA I don’t have a clue what they are selling!  After doing a bit of research I found that it might be a loan company’s TV ad. Crazy, huh?

Are you guilty of advertising your services this way too?  Do you want your “audience” (ie-prospects) to remember the cute house, the catchy verbiage or YOU?  When it comes right down to it are you marketing the same house over and over or are you marketing your services?  Do your ads contain a lot of info about the houses you have available? Of course!  But, are you “selling” yourself short in the process of keeping your clients happy in your marketing efforts?  After all they hired YOU to sell their house, won’t the next client be looking for an agent as well, not a pretty house? 

I know there are arguments for and against the concept I’m talking about.  If what you are doing is working then stop reading this article and get back to work.  If you are not getting any results from your marketing efforts then it is time for a change.  How?  When? How much will it cost to change?  Good questions.  I’ll address these questions in upcoming articles.  In the meantime dissect your marketing.  Do you know exactly what works?  Do you know how it works?  Knowing the answers to these questions goes a long way in understanding why your marketing doesn’t work.

Until next time…

Give It Up? 24 Hours? I'll Need Rehab!

Can you stretch your imagine, I mean REALLY stretch it to imagine living without your computer for an entire day?

This includes:

• NO web surfing
• NO email
• NO online working
• NO Twittering
• NO MySpace
• NO Facebook
• NO IM
• Don't Even Check Your Calendar!

Are you up for the challenge? Great! Tomorrow is Shutdown Day. The idea of Shutdown Day project is simple - just shutdown your computer for one whole day of the year. Instead of hanging off a keyboard all day involve yourself in some other activities: sports, gardening, fun stuff with friends and family - whatever, just to remind yourself that there still exists a world outside your monitor screen.

You can sign up for the challenge on the Shutdown Day site, http://www.shutdown.org/. Prove to yourself, and the world that you can do it. Enter photos and videos about your challenge. As an added incentive you have a chance to win prizes!

Go ahead...Just Do It...as a great shoe company always says...it is Saturday anyway....you need a break!

We will meet back here Monday to talk about rehab.

Is This a Marketing Nightmare?

New tax assessments were mailed out a few weeks ago here in Alex Bay. I've been told property around here hasn't been assessed in years. As people opened their mail you could hear a collective groan across the village that evening. Suddenly homes are popping up for sale faster than the tulips are coming up. I don't know if the drastic tax increase caused this but it is certainly suspicious. As I watch graceful old homes being sold now my heart aches that if this tax increase is truly causing this market deluge then it is a shame.

As real estate professionals what can we do to get people the most money for their homes in situations like this? What are the most effective marketing techniques we could use in times like these? Direct marketing? Probably not since everyone is in the same boat, neighbors are selling too! Internet marketing seems to be the answer in this type of market. Let's explore all the options. Of course the MLS is the standard. I don't know of any MLS that isn't on the internet today. Every company should have a website that advertises all of the company's listings. Each agent should definitely have a website. There are many free portals available to advertise - Google, Craigs List, Postlets, and LiveDeal. For approximately $10 you can create a property specific site. Many cities have advertising outlets that allow you to advertise properties at little or no cost. In Louisville, KY a site called louisvillemojo.com allows agents to advertise listings at no cost. A local agent there tells me he gets good results from the ads he places there.

Also explore alternative advertising. I live in an area that is home to many retirees that winter in Florida. In the case here in Alex Bay I would recommend that local agents advertise throughout Florida in the top marketing venues there. In other areas look to the population to direct your marketing efforts. Know your market, know their lifestyles and if they are mobile then market to the areas they move through in their travels. Your local population makes life-long friends as they move throughout the country in off-seasons. These friends could be the next resident of your community!

Explore and experiement with your marketing. You've only got new business to gain! If you need assistance with marketing contact Jeri, The Secret Assistant. Jeri@TheSecretAssistant.com

Life of a VA & Casual Fridays

Ok....it has been a long time since my last post. Time is flying by, which is a good thing! My clients are busy, despite a slowing market. Listing are at an all-time high, which is normal in this type of market so we are beginning to fine-tune some expired campaigns as those will be forthcoming soon. Watch for upcoming blogs on expired campaigns.

Today I want to talk about the life of a VA. I got the funniest cartoon from a dear friend, changed it up a bit so I wanted to share it with you. So many people think I work in my PJs and bunny slippers day-in and day-out, which I don't...only a couple of days a week. No, seriously, it is wonderful to be able to work from home but I've found out the day I don't get dressed is the day the doorbell will ring and I'm mortally embarrassed to be caught in my bunny slippers and sleep shirt! So, for all of those people who think web cams are great...NO! That would entail not only getting dressed, but brushing my hair and possibly putting on makeup too. Might as well go back to the corporate world...ha! So..to further our industry I'm promoting casual Fridays in the VA world....

Testimonial to Direct Mail Marketing

I am a firm believer in "mix" marketing and I stress this to all of my clients. I have seen many good results from mixing direct mail marketing with email marketing. This was once again shown to be true recently when I heard that a realtor in Colorado had published a magazine, inserted in the newspaper and as a result had more listings than he could handle! So many agents are getting out of print advertising...this agent seized the opportunity and filled the gap in the market. Why don't more agents realize the no one has a choice to receive mail from the US Post Office? Why not send direct mail where you know that you have the chance that your name and face will be seen for a few seconds? Do this frequently and you will be remembered! Email is a choice. I can choose whether or not I want to receive your email. I can block your mail, I can delete your messages. It is a VERY good possibility that your beautiful email stationery will never been seen by 50% or more of the people you send it to, therefore your name and face will not be something they will remember when it is time to buy or sell a home. Think about it. It is logical...mix your marketing!!

Reason # 1,290,948 To Be A VA

This week I found another reason I love being a VA. Yes, I love being able to work in real estate, an industry that I love. I love being able to work from home and not having to worry about driving through any lake effect snow and possibly not making it home. I love being able to walk to the post office everyday and wave to my neighbors and stop and smell the roses along the way during the spring. But this week I found another reason to love being a VA. My husband left for Afghanistan this week for a year long deployment. It was nice to know that I didn't have to go into an office the following day and face everyone. It was great to be able to let the answering machine take the unimportant calls for the day. It was a great week to be a VA. It also made me appreciate all of the wonderful clients I have. They offered me wonderful words of encouragement and support and let me take time off to spend time with Rodney before he left. I work for the best agents in the country! I love each and every one of them!! They allow me to do the job I love. To all of you out there....you are the best!!

At this point I've heard from Rodney, my husband, and I know he has made it safely to Afghanistan. Only got 363 days until he comes home!

Are You Afraid to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Don't Be Afraid of Virtual Assistants!!!

Click on the photo for more information

Lead Management Goes Virtual

Today there is not a need for an agent to spend hours hovering over a computer waiting for a lead from one of many websites to come flying in. What? That is not what you are reading in every trade magazine and hearing at every seminar. Every top coach, speaker or real estate guru stresses the importance of acknowledging a lead the second it hits your inbox. Not only do they want you to do that, but they want you to do this with a personal touch. Boy! What a tall order. When will you have time to do your other job? Remember your other job? Listing and selling homes? Isn't it time to let someone else sit in front of a computer and handle those endless leads?

Of course! That is where a virtual assistant can step in and answer those emails in a timely manner and with that personal touch those gurus love to see! Most email programs can forward specific emails to your virtual assistant as soon as they come in and eliminate the need for you to have to handle them at all. Many of the top lead generating system will also allow you to cc your assistant as well. Don't continue to be tied to your desk under mountains of leads. Let your VA handle this task!