So how is your Target Marketing to Zero working out? Are you underwhelmed by calls and inquiries? When was the last time you generated a strong lead? And when was the time before that? These are the questions you need to ask yourself regularly as an independent Realtor. By now you should have accepted the fact that most brokerages are unable to generate enough business to each of us to call it a full-time career so we work hard to develop our own lead generation process. But is it working and are you the problem?
Here is what I am talking about. Once we have identified our target market to focus our marketing efforts on, what are we doing to be sure that we are sending our message to them regularly and giving them to urge to use, refer and promote us on a daily basis? You see I don’t feel that most realtors take the time to do just that and when they do, they just Hope and Pray that everyone thinks of them as their next Realtor. Well it doesn’t work like that and until you honestly measure your results, you will never get beyond a “friends and family” Realtor and actually run a high chance of failure. So how are you sending a regular message?
Billboarding – I like billboards and fixed signs in areas that you target. Buying the shopping cart ad is not going to get you a strong lead system but it will sustain a presence you already may have. But don’t kid yourself and think a business can be built around it.
The Mail – I like mailers, flyers and neighborhood info if it is done well. Picking a neighborhood to “farm” is a great way to build a brand but doing it once and then complaining that it does not work, does not work. Commit to 2 neighborhoods and do something monthly. After a year, measure your success but don’t quit because nobody called and hired you after you blow through your first book of stamps.
Networking – I like networking. Many times I hear Realtors say “I get all of my business by word of mouth”. And then you find out they sold 6 houses last year. I love word of mouth and built my company with it but it wasn’t because I counted on others to spread my word with their mouth. I made a list of networking events that put me in front of the people I wanted to market to. Then I attended them(this is key) regularly and took a leadership role. All of this is not to be confused with knowing lots of people and saying hi in your community. Professional networking can’t be beat.
The Expert – I like knowing the expert. People love to know the best person for a job. Being an expert at something is critical for success but getting people to agree with you is where the money is made. What are you doing to demonstrate to your fan base that you are the best at something specific or that your experience is better then other options? Creating a power circle is something I suggest as well as marketing local information that most people do not see. Study a topic in your field and be the go to person for it.
Niche – I like a niche. Everyone can’t help everyone. What is your niche? There is a reason that General contractors, practitioners and laborers struggle to keep afloat. They are not specialists in a specific product. The ones that excel are doing something no one else may do and talking about it. How are you describing your specialty on a daily basis?
Realtors are a dime a dozen by volume but only a few really make a mark. It is a hard industry and especially because to truly be successfully you must think at all times like a self employed sales person. The ones that create a product, a plan and a process that all support each other will be successful but hoping that your next deal is around the corner or your name gets passed along by accident is not a business plan. Go hustle and make a name for yourself.
-curt
