David's Blog

Maybe you're right? Maybe the seller doesn't care?

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:43:41 -0500

I've read hundreds of discussions here at ActiveRain regarding the fact that "print is dead", "flyers are a waste of money", etc. The mantra for 2009 (especially in light of the housing market's downturn) is that the internet is where it's at...and that anything having to do with print advertising is sooooo 2003.

Well...YOU might believe that, but your sellers may not agree.

The seller on a 3.5 million dollar home expects a little more than just an $8.00 vFlyer and a Featured Listing on your website. And his neighbors are watching to see what kind of agent you are in the event they need to sell their home too.

You can do a flyer in Microsoft Publisher and print them out on your inkjet in a pinch, or you can have your internal marketing marketing department create a standard flyer which may or may not appease the seller. On a 3.5 million dollar home at 6%, the seller is going to pay the listing agent's office over $100,000 in commissions, of which the agent is likely to share in the 80-90% range on average.

The agents above chose to spend $129.00 to have us create an elegant, high-end 2-sided flyer layout for the above property, and have the flyers printed on heavy cardstock with an ultra high-gloss UV coating. The seller absolutely loved them. The people who worked for the company that the seller owns absolutely loved them. The surrounding sellers loved them. And the agents realize that prospects on future listing presentations are probably going to love them too.

I guess I can't help but wonder whether the agents whose mantra is "print is dead" are actually losing business as a result??? When I sold real estate, virtually all of the listings I took were because of my marketing. Yes, some were referrals...but most were because of my marketing. I didn't necessarily price the home the highest. I wasn't always the agent who'd been in the business the longest. I rarely (if ever) reduced my commission. Yet I managed to close 8-12 transactions a month.

My mantra was "Have a better gameplan and marketing than your competitors, and you'll likely win."

It seemed to work.

By the way...some of you may be thinking "Yes, on a multi-million dollar property, it makes sense, but on a $299,000 listing, I'm going with the cheap stuff."

Cheap stuff?? LOL!!

If anything, you spend $79.00 on a professionally laid out single-sided flyer instead!! BUT YOU NEVER EVER PROMOTE CHEAP! That's like handing out Post-It Notes instead of actual professional business cards. Don't do it! It'll kill your business and chances of success faster than anything!

Even at $299,000...the seller is paying almost $10,000 in sales commissions...and the professional marketer will win every time in those situations as well. And $79.00 isn't what I'd call expensive anyway!

If it's time to find out whether print really is dead, order a nicely done, professional listing brochure on one of your listings. Watch the seller's reaction. Keep a few on the side for your upcoming listing presentations. Hand deliver 10-15 to the surrounding neighbors.

See which mantra is true (you might be surprised).

Just my Saturday morning thoughts. Thought I'd share. ::: smile :::

Dave

Do-It-Yourself Postcards, Flyers, Business Cards, Doorhangers, Etc.!!!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:10:19 -0500

Exciting News!!

www.FlyersToYouExpress.com

We just completed a partnership agreement with one of the industry's foremost print-on-demand and mailing companies who specialize in serving the Real Estate community nationwide.

A Little Background

FlyersToYou has been in business for 8 years, developing highly customized marketing solutions for Realtors everywhere. BUT...we've never really had a self-service option for those who prefer to do things themselves, or who'd rather save a little on the design side.

UNTIL NOW!!

With www.FlyersToYouExpress.com, anyone can take full control of their marketing anytime, day or night, creating distinctive postcards, flyers, business cards, doorhangers, etc. It's incredibly easy now to set up a drip mail campaign for your SOI or farm. You can print very small quantities...all the way up to 10,000 or more, and have them delivered on time at bulk rate prices!!

Examples

Below is just a quick sampling of some of the designs which YOU can customize! Just Listeds, Just Solds, Neighborhood Market Reports, Distressed Homeowner Marketing, Commercial Real Estate, Lending, etc. PLUS, if you don't see exactly what you're looking for, you can upload your own design!!

This is an exciting move for us...and we invite everyone to visit www.FlyersToYouExpress.com to have a look around and see how we can help!

Dave

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
www.FlyersToYouExpress.com
www.PrintAtWholesale.com
www.FTYDomains.com

One Realtor's Idea of a Really Unique Business Card!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:34:09 -0500

One of our top customers, Dee Messing from First Team Real Estate in Southern California, faxed over an order form the other day. She needs more business cards. Here in California, a new bill was passed requiring that agents put their DRE license number on all of their marketing that is considered a "first point of contact" with the consumer. Business cards, flyers, postcards, etc.

But Dee wanted something different. She wanted to stand out.

She asked if I had any ideas how to make a business card really unique, and during that conversation, the idea of a "bookmark business card" came up. SHE LOVED IT!!

Not only would it be completely different than what her competition was using (and immediately recognizable), but it would also give us extra space to use to show off what she does in terms of marketing a listing. Dee always orders 11x17" full-color brochures for her higher end estate home listings...so we included an example of one on the back of her card.

We also discussed the potential drawbacks. People wouldn't be able to keep these in their standard business card holders. Her response? GOOD!! She doesn't want to be one of 100's in there anyway (I love the way she thinks!)

For the front, we used the same basic layout that was created two years ago for her Realtor.com banner, and below is the result. You kind of have to tilt your head a little to read the back, as it's a different orientation than the front.

She showed everyone in her office the online proof...and now they all want them! YIKES!!

I love it!

What do you guys think??

All comments are welcome and appreciated, as always!

Dave

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
ddaniels@flyerstoyou.com
http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FlyersToYouExpress.com
http://www.FTYDomains.com
http://www.PrintAtWholesale.com

Anatomy of a Real Estate Logo Design

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:29:17 -0500

Hi everyone!

We've had a lot of inquiries lately on personal branding and logo design. What's involved, how much it costs, etc. Apparently, many agents are realizing that if they don't have a unique "look and feel", it may be difficult to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack.

As a result, I thought I'd share with you a little bit about the process. It's kind of fun to watch somthing go from a plain white "sheet of paper" (actually my computer monitor)...to a finished product. Well..in ths case, it's not quite finished yet...but hopefully will be by the end of the day, as we have an 11x17" brochure to do on a new multi-million dollar listing of hers.

Sandy is one of our newest customers. She came to us with simply the name of her new real estate company.

Meritage Real Estate.

As the Broker/Owner, Sandy wanted something elegant....a little artsy-fartsy, yet still conservative. She specializes in higher-end properties, and was hoping to create something which would appeal to that prospect base. She had no clear-cut ideas in terms of fonts, or colors, other than she's partial to darker colors. Rich blacks....maybe some gold tossed in for good measure. Possibly burgundys, plums, etc.

Well....first things first. We need to do an "ink-blot" test. LOL!

An "ink-blot" test is simply a way to find out a little more about what our customer is thinking. Everyone has their own idea of what fonts and/or designs reflect "elegance". So it becomes necessary to test our customer's thoughts and ideas in this regard in an attempt to give them exactly what they're looking for.

Step 1 (the corny ink-blot test)

Above you'll see an example of the "ink-blot" test. Phase 1 of creating a high-impact design which can then be used across all marketing platforms.

It doesn't look like much right now, as it's a hodge-podge of fonts, swirls, etc. Nothing at this point is EVER intended to be a final logo (as you'll see). But it definitely helps establish an insight into the minds of our customer, and they easily choose which ones they like...and which ones they HATE right off the bat.

In this case, Sandy liked the 3rd one on the left and the bottom one on the right. Her husband, Jule, however, preferred the 2nd one on the right. They basically didn't like any of the others at all.

PERFECT!!!! It never bothers us when some ideas are not liked at all...as it really makes our job much, much easier!! It tells us in what direction we need to head, and we can begin the process of Phase 2, which starts getting a bit more serious.

Phase 2 (honing the design)

We took Sandy and Jules input...and started playing with those ideas. Adding color, highlighting effects, embossing techniques, and other ideas. Phase 2 is an important one, as we're finally going to start getting close to some sort of finished product.

Here's what Phase 2 looks like:

At this point, it starts becoming easier to get a feel for what your new design might actually look like on various marketing pieces. You begin imagining what they'll look like on business cards, presentation folders, letterhead, trifold brochures, etc.

You can see the variations we came up with to further "test" what Sandy was looking for. We often find that our customers don't know....til they see it. For example, the photo (above the first logo) which was now introduced really appealed to Sandy. Her first comment was that she absolutely loved it because it looks exactly like what her own personal property looks like. OMG! That was lucky! But I'm very familiar with Sandy's market area, and this photo was actually taken in that vicinity. Hmmm, maybe it wasn't so "lucky" afterall??

Nonetheless, it was interesting to see if a photo was what she wanted, or whether she preferred more of a vector piece of clipart...or what?

Just as before, she was drawn to Logo #1. She said the font was exactly what she imagined her company's name looking like...and Jule relented on his idea (logo 2 on the right.) Sometimes seeing things developed a little further helps you decide whether you're on the right track or not.

So we moved on to Phase 3 (getting very close to final stage now)

Phase 3 is where we're almost done. At this point, we take the main idea, experiment with color schemes a bit more, and create examples of actual marketing pieces that would have the logo on them (in this case, presentation folders).

Here's what's currently posted at Sandy's proofsite:

What will happen now is Sandy will take another look, see yet more ideas thrown in, and see a color scheme that she wasn't thinking of at all (the cream version in the lower right). We do that just to make sure.

At this point, we're probably one step away from creating a final version.

Sandy and I haven't spoken yet, as it's only 6:20 am here on the West Coast, and we just finished uploading the example to her proofsite.

Later today...I'll come back and let you know which one she liked....and time permitting, I'll show you what the final version looks like, along with examples of various marketing pieces. She wants everything, from Listing Presentation Binders, to signs, to Follow-Up Notecards, etc. so there should be a lot to show!

SUMMARY

If you've thought about branding (or re-branding) yourself, I hope the process above lets you know how easy it can be. It shouldn't be daunting at all, and it's not nearly as expensive as you might think!

However, it can definitely raise the bar in terms of "look and feel" and if that's an important factor in your real estate business (it is, by the way)....then perhaps we can get you started with YOUR VERY OWN ink-blot test soon!!?? :P

Hope you enjoyed it!

Dave

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com
http://www.PrintAtWholesale.com

Latest Twitter Page Makeover...and yes, only $39.00!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:05:28 -0500

Hi everyone!

We recently had the great pleasure to work with David Serle with REMAX in Boca Raton Florida. He had seen one of my previous Twitter makeover blogs...and felt it was time to perhaps give his a revamp.

So, below are the before and afters (thank you David for letting us show these!).

Hmm...this is almost like home staging for the web!! LOL!

Here's the "Before" page:

And here's the "After" page (branded to match his website):

If your Twitter page, or AR blog header, or AR profile could use a "makeover", (or you have any other design needs, from business cards, to personal brochures, postcards, etc.) call us! We're pretty fun to work with (am I allowed to say that??)...and we should have some cool new stuff ready for you in no time!

And a Twitter Page Makeover will only cost ya $39.00!

Talk to you soon!

Dave

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365

http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com
http://www.PrintAtWholesale.com

Realty Source's Twitter and Blog Header Makeover ($39.00 ea.)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:34:13 -0500

Hi everyone!

Scott Engle from Realty Source, Inc. was kind enough to let us share with all of you the recent makeovers we did on both their Twitter page and their Active Rain Blog Header.

$39.00 each (not bad for a professional look and feel compared to the standard Twitter page, or no blog header at all!)

If it's time you got rid of this...

And you want something nicer, give us a call! We'd love to give you a hand!

Dave

Ph: (951) 652-8365

"Pimping" your Twitter Page (Realtor example inside)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:27:53 -0500

I recently blogged about Twitter. I'm a newbie over there...and for the first few days of my "Twitter Life", I was using the standard layout which we're all familiar with.

Looks something like this:

(That's not my page by the way.) I'm just using it as an example since I've already customized my own page which can be found here: http://twitter.com/FlyersToYou

In any case...a number of fellow Rainers wanted to see an example of what a Realtor page might look like after customization. So, I thought I'd use Jennifer Rotellini's branding to give you an idea. I kinda threw this together rather quickly this morning as I've got an incredibly busy day today....but I think it came out kinda cool? I'm also showing you her business card so you can see that her Twitter page now matches the rest of her branding completely.

If anyone's interested, I'm thinking we can do this for you for around $39.00 and handle the entire upload to Twitter and everything.

Whaddya think??

All input, feedback and ideas are welcome, as always!

Dave

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com
http://www.PrintAtWholesale.com

If you use Twitter...take a look a this!!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:32:42 -0500

Okay...I'm a newbie when it comes to Twitter. I guess it took me a while to understand what the whole sensation was all about...and I'm not sure I even understand it now!! LOL!

(It strikes me as a bit frivolous, to be honest.)

I'm not sure I care to know that Steve is making toast, or that Julie is hiring a babysitter, or that I'm being followed by some guy trying to sell me something over and over again. Seems there's more inane pitches being posted all day long versus anything of real substance. I guess that's what you get for 140 characters, huh?

But I'll hang in there....for a while.

In any event, I didn't know you could add design stuff until I started experimenting a little. I saw someone else's page and it had a nice graphic in the top left corner. So I thought....Hmmm, I wonder how far down you can take that graphic...and started playing around with showing examples of our work.

It's a bit busy...and I need to go in and tidy things up, but here's a screenshot of my home page.

That whole graphics bar on the left could be used for a myriad of things. I haven't created any samples yet, but my head started spinning with ideas for Realtors. Incorporate their branding into that area, maybe even show recent listings there??

Kinda interesting. I'll keep you posted on ideas...but I'd love to hear yours!!

Dave

I know it's just a matter of opinion...but what's yours?

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:27:13 -0500

We have a customer who just opened up her own bookkeeping service. We did her logo and branding..and she recently asked us to do a trifold brochure about her company.

She gave us several examples of brochures that her competitors had done...and said she wanted hers to be better! LOL! All of our customers want that!

Well...below is her new brochure. I'll have a question or two after you take a look.

Here's my question.

I know it's just a matter of opinion...but I believe most people would say that the brochure we created has a higher-end, more professional feeling to it. If you were a large company looking to outsource your bookkeeping, I'm curious as to which one you'd respond to??

If the answer is ours...then I want you to take a look at your own marketing...and ask whether it projects the image you want it to?? I've seen some really GREAT stuff here on ActiveRain. But I've also seen a lot of (hmm...looking for a nice way to say this)...well, not so great graphics and design.

If you were your own customer, and saw your own business card, flyer, postcard, brochure, sign, website, etc....would you list or buy through you? Or would you choose a competitor who simply had a marketing advantage?? They might not be as experienced, or as knowledgable, or as successful as you, but if the image they're projecting is a better one...you might be cheating yourself.

If that's the case, maybe we should talk?? It doesn't cost nearly as much as you might think it does...and it's wonnnnnderful when you experience the results first-hand!! DON'T lose another listing or sale simply because you've been out-marketed by one of your competitors!

Dave

AR Profiles...how much is tooooooooo much?????

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:17:57 -0500

Hi everyone! Okay, this has to be fast, as I'm on my way out to dinner with my daughter and her friend.

But I need your help!

After Sally Hanson asked me to give her a hand tidying up her profile here on AR, I reluctantly went back and took another look at my own profile. Kinda boring, kinda put together quickly when I first joined, etc.

So...today I decided to update it. Add some graphics, explain a little more about what we do...show some more examples of our work...and, um...well,

I think I got carried away! LOL!!

If you have a spare moment, click on my new, updated profile...and let me know what you think? Too long? Too much? Just right??

I really appreciate your feedback!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!

Dave

Are you using Follow Up Notecards (or need some?)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:16:39 -0500

Follow Up Notecards

Perfect for all kinds of follow up! Just met someone at the grocery store? Send a "It was nice meeting you" notecard. A past client's anniversary coming up? Send a notecard. Received an inquiry from your website or blog? Follow up notecard.

There are only a million or so reasons to send one!

To prove how effective they can be, we're offering 1,000 full-color, extremely high gloss finish on front (matte finish on writing side) 4"x6" notecards for only $99.00! This doesn't include tax and shipping, but it DOES include a professional layout FREE!!

Month of June only!

I figure each month we can come up with some sort of special deal for ActiveRainers. This month it'll be follow up notecards. Next month?? Hmmm....dunno yet. To make sure you don't miss any specials, please subscribe to my blog. It'll be easier to keep track that way.

I'll be posting an order form at our site soon (the special AR version of the order form). Be sure to check back as I'll comment when it's up and provide a link to it, ok??

Happy following up!!

Dave

http://www.flyerstoyou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com
http://wwwPrintAtWholesale.com

Wholesale Printing Site for Fellow ActiveRainers is Now Up and Running!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:33:12 -0500

Our wholesale print site is now up and running!

www.PrintAtWholesale.com

Just wanted to take a moment to let all of you know that we're making our ridiculously low wholesale print prices available to all ActiveRainers effective immediately! Woohoo!!

We were initially only going to make it available to trade and industry professionals, such as graphic designers, marketing agencies, etc. A place where they could go, order high-quality color printing, and resell it at a nice profit. It then occured to us that many in the real estate industry have pulled way back on their marketing due to costs...and I thought maybe we could help!

So, how about 1,000 full-color business cards on ultra-thick cardstock with extreme gloss UV coating for only $21.10?
Or 1,000 4x6 full-color postcards (front and back) with high-gloss UV coating for only $67.50?

Here's an example of our pricing compared to, let's say, VistaPrint. By the way...we're an authorized Reseller for VistaPrint so we're actually big fans of theirs. They do quality work and offer decent prices. Some of you may even have done business with them.

But...take a look:

Business Cards

VistaPrint 500 1-sided on 80# gloss paper: $48.98 Our price: $19.65 (thicker paper & UV coating)
VistaPrint 1,000 1-sided on 80# gloss paper: $62.98 Our price: $21.10 (thicker paper & UV coating)

Postcards

VistaPrint: 500 2-sided 4x6 postcards: $130.98 Our price: $55.09 (thicker paper & UV coating)
VistaPrint: 1,000 2-sided 4x6 postcards: $158.98 Our price: $67.50 (thicker paper & UV coating)

8.5 x 11" Flyers

VistaPrint: 500 on gloss text: $274.99 Our price: $137.75 (with aqueous coating)
VistaPrint: 1,000 on gloss text: unavailable Our price: $143.44 (with aqueous coating)

Here's the catch!

The site is completely and entirely self-service.

While that makes it perfect for those who like to tinker and create their own designs...it is NOT for the faint of heart. There are terms used on the site like "full bleed" and "CMYK" and "350 dpi", all of which can be daunting to those who are unfamiliar with printing and/or layout terminology. And due to the prices we are offering, we will be unable to devote the manpower to answer questions with regard to designs, monitor calibrations, unexpected color shifts from RGB to CMYK, etc. We will not be able to make any exceptions to that policy.

If you prefer not to design your own pieces, there are many templates available which are easy for anyone to complete and they're definitely worth checking out! But it's a site designed for the trade and those who are either adventurous or well-versed in print technologies.

My Ron Popeil Pitch (Yes, tell a friend!)

This is going to sound cheesy, but if you've ever watched Ron Popeil's infomercials when he talks about "If you promise to tell at least 10 people about our products, then you can buy them today for only....", well here's my similar pitch :::groan:::

We're obviously counting on volume to make the site work. We're hoping that 100's of users turn into 1,000's of users. It's the only way we can offer the prices we're offering. Everybody can win, but we really do need your help in telling fellow agents, friends, family, etc...about the site. The more users we have, the easier it will be to keep the prices down!

Pretty easy to remember: www.PrintAtWholesale.com

Have fun...and happy printing!

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com

Business Card Makeovers...(how do you know when you need one?)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:33:29 -0500

Business Card Makeovers (how do you know when you need one?)

The last couple days have been interesting. We've had soooo many requests for Business Card Makeovers lately that I'm beginning to wonder if spring fever is in the air??!! Time to clean the house, reorganize, and take a closer look at one of your most important "first impression" marketing pieces.

Your business card.

Above are three examples of makeover requests that came to us yesterday. The first two are for businesses owned by the same guy. Rod's been using his old business cards for a lonnnnnnng time (they're the faded ones in the background behind the "madeover" versions). Well, it was time to reoder, and a real estate customer of ours recommended that he give us a call to see if we could help.

When I first saw his cards, my knee-jerk reaction was that he'd probably been using these since...oh I don't know, the 70's?? Yikes!! And the card on the far right is for a woman who is starting a health oriented business. The card in the background is the ACTUAL card she designed in Publisher...and printed out on her inkjet printer on perforated paper from Staples. Wow, that paper sure is flimsy, and the ink absorbed a little too much, causing the letters to be blurry.

BUT....she was actually handing them out, and I was left wondering whether people were taking her as seriously as they might have had she used a more professional layout.

When Lynnie came to us, she had started her limousine company about 45 days earlier. She had also gone to a graphic designer who created a business card (see top left). If you look REAL close, you can actually see some white letters just to the left of the clipart chauffeur tipping his hat. You know what that is??? HER CONTACT INFORMATION!!!! I couldn't believe it!! Even in real life, it's so hard to read that it was hard for me to imagine she actually paid for these to be done. Cheap paper, and did you notice the name of her company??? Phat Daddy'z Limousine!! All I could think of was "Where's the bling?" If you're gonna use the name Phat Daddy'z, it seems like your cards should be totally different than what she had.

So, we did a makeover. Wound up doing that diamond-like lettering for the name....and included a cropped out image of her actual limousine!!! Then, it was printed on heavy duty, ultra thick cardstock in color on both sides, and the front was finished with an extreme gloss UV finish. They look awesome, and her business has exploded!!

I love that!

Oh...by the way...

Yes, of course we do real estate business cards!!!

They're probably not the "run-of-the-mill" business cards that many of your competitors are using. And yes, we have a tendency to go slightly overboard in creating a unique and distinctly different look for Realtor marketing. Some people don't like 'em (and that's okay). But the ones that DO like 'em...

LOVE THEM!

If your "spring cleaning" includes thoughts of possibly making over your own business card, give us a call or email us to give us an idea of what you have in mind. We'll even do plain and boring if that's what you want (although we might sneak in an idea or two just because we can't help ourselves!)

:: grin ::

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365
ddaniels@flyerstoyou.com
http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples
http://www.FTYDomains.com

Is "Connie Clueless" Selling More Real Estate Than YOU???

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sun, 03 May 2009 15:06:42 -0500

Rita Burke posted a great blog the other day about being at a garage sale...and overhearing a conversation between a woman and the homeowner. The woman turned out to be a Realtor (Rita aptly named her "Connie Clueless"), as it quickly became evident that "Connie" wasn't very polished, didn't know the local market at all, and well...also didn't have the greatest people skills.

I hope Rita doesn't mind me using the "Connie Clueless" character here, but I wanted to post the comments I left on her blog...as its own blog here. The reason?? Most of the discussion at Rita's blog were commentaries regarding the lack of professionalism, or the low standards of entry into becoming a Realtor.

While I agree with that...I took a slightly different approach, and I hope some of you find it interesting food for thought. By the way, it turns out that Connie wasn't really attempting to sell the homeowner on her services (thankfully!)...however it nonetheless gives us something to think about.

My response over there was this (some areas have been slightly revised for purposes of this blog):

Rita...very interesting blog!!

From my vantage point...Connie was at least out "doorknocking" a little. She wasn't very good at it, but she was at least trying. (She'll get better at it over time). Soooooo many Realtors have given up on any sort of marketing (other than perhaps their website)...that even in my own neighborhood, I haven't received ANYTHING from ANY Realtor in over a year!!!

Nothing. Zip. Nada!!!!!!

No printed materials at all. No personal contact. No phone calls. Not one single postcard. Not one newsletter. Not one brochure. The Realtors in my community ought to be ashamed of themselves!! They may know their business well...but they sure aren't business people. Heck, even the local pizza-joint owner knows he needs to advertise to generate business (and he does). And even though he's a small independent...he does an absolutely incredible business. He also sells pizzas for $7.99.

But Realtors who have the potential of earning a heckuva lot more than $7.99 per sale don't do any marketing at all??? That fact amazes (and baffles) me.

Perhaps the "Connies" of the world are out there at least trying to do "something" because they don't yet have a referral base to work off of...or they can't yet afford a pretty website and SEO optimization to compete in that particular arena.

So what does she do??

She goes to garage sales and rubs shoulders with the homeowner. She puts 10th generation copies of dayglow green flyers on windshields, and hand delivers refrigerator magnets to 100 people in her farm. Effective marketing?? Probably not in the broader sense of the term. But if no one else is doing ANYTHING...then Connie in a weird way deserves to get the business. And she will. Trust me. She will.

Should she be more experienced?? Have a more positive attitude?? Be more "market-savvy"?? Well, of course. But in the meantime...if she's the ONLY Realtor the neighborhood knows, she'll get business in spite of herself.

That's a shame...but it's not Connie's fault. Let's stop picking on her for her lack of skillsets. You can be the best, most experienced and most knowledgeable Realtor in town, but if you're hiding in a closet somewhere, sellers have no choice but to do business with Connie.

I'm often amazed at how many agents don't understand that concept. It's too simple. It's Business101, and it can make the difference between ultimate success...or ultimate failure.

If I met Connie...I'd simply say "You go girl!" She can work on honing her craft, learn some more effective people skills, and be more prepared...and when she does, you better watch out. She'll OWN your particular farm area!!

We expect consumers to explore the value propositions that we, as Realtors, bring to the table. Interview and seek out agents to determine who would best be able to represent them...but we don't even bother giving them a way to contact us????

That sounds like the beginning (or end) of a bad joke.

Dave

*********************************************************

Okay, so that was my response. A bit opinionated (you expected less??) LOL!! And probably even comes across as a bit self-serving, given that I own a national real estate marketing firm.

But here's the deal.

It doesn't matter whether you doorknock, or visit garage sales, or send postcards, or WHATEVER! What matters is that you're doing SOMETHING to let people know you exist! I read many comments on Rita's post where agents recommended wearing your name badge at all times. I agree with that. But that's PASSIVE marketing. Yes, I know it may start a conversation while in line at Starbucks, but that's not the kind of marketing I'm talking about.

I'm talking about proactively advertising YOUR business. Just like the florist, the tanning salon, the auto repair service, and the pizza joint.

Please don't get upset at this. It's just an observation. We specialize in real estate marketing, but it's not the ONLY marketing we do. After all...most of our customers have spouses or friends who are in OTHER businesses...and we're often recommended to them as a result. I've done marketing campaigns for hot air balloon companies, bookkeeping services, or private tutoring services that have far eclipsed what I've seen from my local real estate community. They're thriving businesses now too...and they don't make anywhere near the amount on a per sale basis that agents can. I just don't get it.

DO NOT BE COMPLACENT AND SIMPLY ALLOW THE ONLY MARKETING FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS TO BE WHAT YOUR BROKER IS DOING ON A COMPANY WIDE BASIS. That works for your broker...but all you'll get is the "trickle down" stuff.

***************************************************************
Here is one of the most important facts to keep in mind when developing your marketing gameplan:
***************************************************************

On average, ONLY 3% of the general public is "thinking real estate" at ANY given point in time.

That's it. THREE PERCENT!

And out of that three percent, one may already have their home listed....and one may have just closed escrow on the purchase of a new home. So now you're down to only 1%.

The math becomes quite easy.

If you send out 100 newsletters each month to your 'sphere', then the MOST return you can expect to get is 3%...or three prospects. And two might already be gone....so now you're down to one.

When I sold real estate, there wasn't a month that went by where I wasn't sending at least 1,000 pieces to my farm. 1,000 x 3% =30 prospects. If 20 already had their homes listed (or whatever), it still left 10 REAL PROSPECTS for me to work with!!

Even if I had another competitor in my farm who did a reasonable job at marketing (I didn't, by the way)...but if I did...and had to split the number in half...I'd still have 5 prospects all to myself!

What to send...and what NOT to send!

OMG...I just realized how long this blog is already. Sorry about that! If you're still here...THANK YOU! I'll try to wrap up my thoughts quickly.

I NEVER EVER sent Cherry Pie Recipe Postcards. I only sent things having to do with Real Estate. I'm NOT the community BAKER...I'm the community REAL ESTATE EXPERT!!! The pizza guy doesn't send newsletters about real estate. He's a pizza guy for crying out loud!

I NEVER EVER sent pens, notepads, refrigerator calendars, etc....as I'm not a big believer in PASSIVE marketing. You can prove to yourself how effective passive marketing is by asking yourself which title company left the last batch of styrofoam cups in your break room. Was it First American?? Stewart?? Chicago Title?? (No ones remembers).

What you send MUST BE REAL ESTATE RELATED....AND IT MUST BE PROACTIVE! In other words, you need to give those 30 people a REASON to call you right now. Someone's going to ask for an example, and although I have tons....I'll give you one easy one based on current events.

A postcard that reads: "How The New Appraisal Law That Went Into Effect May 1st Will Affect YOUR Home's Value!"

Compare that to a refrigerator magnet or Cherry Pie recipe postcard.

See what I mean??

Happy Selling!!!

Dave

P.S.

If you have an idea for a marketing campaign that you want to talk about, call me. Or heck...even if you DON'T have an idea, but NEED one...call me. We can discuss your goals...what kind of budget (doesn't matter how big or small, by the way.) But rest assured...we can help you take your first step toward building a better and more successful real estate business! That's our promise!

http://www.FlyersToYou.com/samples

http://www.FTYDomains.com

How to work EXPIREDS (Caution: Not for the faint of heart!)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:21:37 -0500

Sorry for the "in your face" graphic above...but it sorta "sets the stage" for this particular blog entry. As some of you are aware from reading my recent blog about overpriced listings, I'm one of those who thinks a little "left of center." It's an occupational hazard, I guess....or perhaps just a personality flaw. LOL!

Nonetheless, it served me quite well when I sold real estate...and I used many ideas that were definitely different from what "everyone else" seemed to be doing at the time. I hated being like everyone else, sounding like everyone else, looking like everyone else and earning like everyone else! I know it's the rebel in me, and you'd think that by age 51, I'd have figured out a way to tame it somehow. But...nope, it's still there.

This is a long read...but I think you'll find it to be worth it on some level. I hope so anyways!

Working Expired Listings

Early in my career, I was told that working expireds was one way of potentially generating new listings. All of the components were there. It was easy to identify the prospects (MLS), it was easy to know what they'd listed at (MLS)...and it might be easy to figure out what went wrong....and swoop in to become their new savings grace. The answer to their woes...and prayers.

So...each morning for several weeks, I'd search for "Expireds" in the MLS. With coffee cup in hand, I'd begin calling each one in hopes of saying the right things to get an appointment.

"Hi, Mr. Johnson?? My name is Dave Daniels...and I'm a real estate agent with XYZ Realty. I'd like to..."

:: click ::

Hello??? Hello??? Is anyone there?? Hmmm, we must have gotten disconnected somehow. :: eyes rolling ::

Next call.

Hi, Mrs. Smith? My name is Dave Daniels...and I'm...

ARE YOU A REALTOR???

Why yes, I certainly am...and the reason I'm calling is...

WELL, I WISH ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WOULD STOP BOTHERING US!! :: click ::

:: take sip of coffee...loosen tie...and attempt to uncross eyes ::

Next call.

Hi, Mr. Peterson? My name is Dave Daniels...and I'm a real estate agent with XYZ Realty.

YEAH DAVE, WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH?

:: shocked...somewhat taken off-guard...sitting up straighter ::

Well...I'm actually calling because I think there might be something I can help YOU with! My records indicate that your home is no longer listed for sale?

YEAH, WE DECIDED NOT TO SELL UNTIL THE MARKET TURNS AROUND.

Oh, I completely understand. Was that because you were expecting to net more from your sale than you would have with the previous company?

YEAH, THE OTHER AGENT KEPT WANTING US TO REDUCE OUR PRICE MORE AND MORE....AND WE GOT FED UP. DECIDED THAT WE'RE HAPPY HERE AFTERALL AND THAT NOW'S JUST NOT THE RIGHT TIME TO SELL. MY JOB TRANSFER TO INDIANA ALSO FELL THROUGH AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW IS ILL, SO WE DECIDED TO STAY WHERE WE ARE BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO HER...AND SINCE MY JOB TRANSFER ISN'T HAPPENING NOW, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE TO SELL ANYWAY.

Oh, I see....well....um....the point is that....the...uhhhh....

:: blank stare ::

:: thinking to self now....I should've gotten a job at the county! ::

ROFL!

You could stay on the phone til you're blue in the face...and maybe even get an appointment. Heck, there are several ways you can even go with the situation above. Try to convince them to buy a bigger house and have mom move in with them, blah, blah, blah. But don't you HATE those kinds of selling situations? They feel a little cheesey, don't they??

SOLUTION

After thinking about it for a while...and realizing that I hated making those phone calls, or finding out that 65 agents had already beaten me to the punch, or WHATEVER...I decided there HAD to be a better way!

But what was it??

The "what ifs" started filling my mind.

What if I didn't have to compete with every other agent who was calling them the moment it expired?? What if I didn't have to get hung up on?? What if, instead of me going to them...they came to me???

(I liked the sound of all of the above!!)

So I came up with an idea. Some of you will think it's just a tad bit on the "dastardly" side, but I didn't. I thought it was very professional, definitely different, and a much softer sell than manning the phones three days a week with the resulting scenarios outlined above. It was also more "time effective" for me in the long run...and the clients came to me somewhat "pre-sold" all by themselves.

THE MARKETING TECHNIQUE EXPLAINED

I deduced from experience that most listings were taken for a period of six months. The problem was, our MLS didn't show the expiration date of the contract, only the START date of the listing. Sure...once it expired, you could easily find THAT information, but what if you wanted to initiate SOME sort of contact prior to the expiration??

Well...the math was easy. If most listings are taken for six months....then all I have to do is search for listings from 5-1/2 months ago. That way, I could get a fair idea of what properties might be expiring in the next couple of weeks. Simple.

I'd then tour those properties, and leave a bookmark thanking the sellers for allowing me to preview their home. That's all. Nothing more....nothing less. The bookmark would have my branding on it, my contact info on it, and examples of my professional marketing on the back (just like Jeff and Lisette's above). It was printed in full color on thick cardstock with a high-gloss finish, which ensured it would stand apart from any other "ho-hum" business cards which might also be left on the kitchen counter.

If you want to scroll back up to the top of this blog to see an example, I'll wait. :P

That was it. My job was done.

Somehow in the sellers' eyes....I already looked different than other agents. I also had a nice sentiment by my thanking them, and I illustrated the kind of marketing I ALWAYS did on the back of the bookmark. Like it or not, most sellers are totally dissatisfied with the kind of marketing their agents do. Cheap inkjet printed flyers, no Just Listed's, no private website dedicated to their property alone. They feel that's the reason the house didn't sell, and all the while their agent is simply telling them to reduce the price, reduce the price, reduce the price.

Yes, sometimes that's necessary...but that's off-topic. I'm only reiterating the reasons many SELLERS believe their property did not...(or is not)...selling.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

After 5-1/2 months and no sale, the sellers were usually already frustrated...and counting the days until the listing expires with their current agent. I often would get phone calls from them stating their unhappiness with the current agent...and could I help them? I know...I know....delicate situation. Some will view my leaving the bookmark as an active solicitation of their customer. We even had it brought to the board once. They lost. It wasn't a solicitation at all. It was a representation of a more professional Realtor who thanked them for allowing the agent to preview their home, that's all. I did not ask them to call, I made no promises whatsoever, I didn't "sell" them anything.

But if what they saw on my bookmark convinced them that I might ought to be their next agent (it did), then I'd wind up with the phone call prior to their contract expiring. For the naysayers, let me reassure you that NEVER did I EVER meet with them prior to the expiration!!! BUT...I would confirm the expiration date with them, and offer to schedule an appointment for the day after. I'd also tell them that our appointment would come in handy because many, many agents would likely be calling them the moment their listing shows up as "Expired" in the MLS, and they could simply tell those agents they already had a scheduled meeting with another agent.

I'd get the listing almost every time. The ones who were ridiculusly overpriced...I wished them well. The ones who were marginally overpriced, I used the technique discussed in the blog referenced above. The ones who's job transfers fell through, or had a mother-in-law who was ill??? I never got calls from them.

CLOSING COMMENT

It seems like we sometimes have a tendency to make this job more difficult than it really is. We put ourselves in situations that can be downright uncomfortable...or even demeaning. And it seems like our corporate trainers will STILL tell us to "call expireds" instead of just using common sense and a slightly different approach.

By the way...the cost to print 1,000 of those bookmarks??? $99.00

Happy selling!!!

Dave

www.FlyersToYou.com/samples <---see more examples of stuff here
www.FTYDomains.com <---register your real estate domains here for $9.99/yr.

A Solution for Overpriced Listings??

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:13:56 -0500

There was a blog the other day which talked about overpriced listings. I posted a reply...and at the request of a fellow AR member, I'm posting that response as its very own blog. Hopefully, it'll offer some of you a new (and hopefully interesting and effective) way to handle those overpriced listing situations everyone seems to be running into lately.

All of us know too well that many, many agents will take overpriced listings as "business generators". They feel that at least they'll have a sign in the yard for the whole neighborhood to see!! Maybe it'll look like they're actually doing business, when in actuality all they're really doing is what ANYONE with a license could do. Does that make them a good or bad Realtor? Is it wrong??

That's a tough question.

It's a fact that sign calls can convert into real transactions, even when the resulting sales are NOT on the subject property. That can be a good thing, right?? It simply becomes a loss-leader. You know you might not make any money on the overpriced listing...but perhaps you can parlay an interested buyer into another home?

Car dealers do it all the time. Price one car at cost or wholesale...and generate a lot of foot traffic off the ad. Tell everyone the car was sold that morning, but "here's one you might be interested in!"

Or...you can refuse to take the listing. But should you??

When I sold real estate, I did a bit of a "hybrid" approach. I had watched several listing opportunities fall by the wayside when I refused to list at the price the sellers wanted. Then, I sat on the sidelines, and watched as "ABC Realtors" took the listing. There was a sense of "justice" when the property didn't sell for three months. And then, the unthinkable happened!! The sellers reduced the price, and the listing soon showed up on the MLS as "Pending". Thirty days later it closed for $499,900 (the sellers originally listed at $579,900) Grrr!!! Some other agent just made $XX,XXX dollars in commission!!!! I hated that!!

So, I vowed to never let it happen again. But how would I accomplish that without losing all sense of self-worth or integrity?? Well...it came to me....and here's an illustration of how I handled those situations from then on.

If my sellers wanted to list at $399,900, but the property only comped at $349,900, here's what I would do.

I created a form that I had them sign. The form stated that it was my professional opinion that their property value did not exceed $349,900. BUT...that I'd be willing to list and fully market their home under the following conditions:

1.) They needed to acknowledge that we MIGHT only be marketing their home to 3% of the general public (the percent of buyers who pay cash), as the other 97% required financing...and that the actual value would be dictated by the appraisal required on the new loan.

NOTE: This was a perfect time to suggest that they purchase a certified appraisal to determine value. We could also then market the home stating "Appraisal already in at $_____________". Historically, offers will come in at 97-100% of value in those circumstances, versus 90-95% of value on initial offers for properties without an appraisal.

2.) They understand that most experienced Realtors who show property in that particular neighborhood are very familiar with the area's values...so the seller had to acknowledge that they're aware the property may not be shown often (and consequently the marketing timeframe would be extended.)

3.) Sellers had to acknowledge that payments on their existing home loan would continue throughout the marketing period. If we didn't sell their home for 4 months during the "overpriced stage", they'd have to initial where it said the inactivity could result in additional mortgage payments of:
$________________ X _______ months. An example might be $2,300 x 4 months = $9,200.00

NOTE: You could often get them to immediately lower the price by $10,000 with that alone!

4.) If after a specified period of time passes (in my case, usually 60 days)...they acknowledged that a price adjustment may be necessary. I'd explain that we'd re-research the market conditions at that time, and take into consideration any increases or decreases in housing values throughout the neighborhood, and re-price the home accordingly.

What you, as the Realtor, get out of it....is preservation of your professionalism. You also get at least 60 days of business generation from the sign...and/or any internet traffic. You lay the groundwork for the inevitable price adjustment to actual value...and you get name recognition in the neighborhood, which always gave me the opportunity to door-knock and hand out the most impressive listing brochures the surrounding sellers had ever seen!!! I could also take those opportunities to explain to the surrounding neighbors that we had priced the home a bit high during the initial marketing phase...but would make whatever adjustments may be deemed necessary in order to sell the home. That usually covered my rear end if neighbors saw that the house hadn't sold yet!!

It worked every time...and my integrity remained intact. And ABC Realty didn't get the commission.

I DID!

WIN/WIN

Dave

Is the domain name you really wanted...already taken??

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:06:54 -0500

You've come up with the perfect name for your website...but it's already taken!

Don't you just hate that??? It's probably happened to all of us. I remember being so excited to go and register www.DavidDaniels.com when I was still selling real estate, only to find that it was already taken. So I tried Dave Daniels....already taken. Then I tried DavidADaniels with my middle initial...and guess what?

Yep, already taken.

Grrr.

We even ran into the same dilemma recently while creating a new "look and feel" for David & Erin Brown, a wonderful couple of ActiveRainers from Naples, Florida.

We wanted to build their whole brand around "David & Erin"....and in the process, discovered that www.DavidAndErin.com was already taken. A young couple who had gotten married a year ago was using it as a personal website for their wedding. It included photos, guest lists, etc....and you guessed it, their names were obviously David and Erin!

Can you imagine the audacity???

Well...we contacted them....and fortunately they hadn't really been using the site since posting their honeymoon photos. We inquired as to whether they might be interested in selling the domain name....and they were. It cost $150.00 I think, but it fit with the whole branding that we'd created...and was well worth the expense. We now have it forever!! Woohoo!!

But we must have spent hours at GoDaddy checking availabilities of alternate names...when it occured to me. Hmmm....I always buy my domains at GoDaddy ($9.99 ea.)....and they've wanted us to become a reseller for them for ages. Maybe I should look into that??

Well...as a result, we've recently created www.FTYDomains.com to serve our customers. You can also find it under www.FlyersToYouDomains.com. It's an approved GoDaddy reseller site, so you get the same great pricing that GoDaddy offers, the same oustanding customer service, and the same product mix (hosting, email accounts, website builders, SEO, blogs, etc.)

We invite you to come take a look around...and ask us any questions you may have regarding your domain name needs. We're pretty opinionated when it comes to domain names, especially in regards to real estate. We always recommend you stay with .com if at all possible. We also recommend that you avoid hyphens, as most prospects forget to add them. The word "Realtor" has to stay out of your domain name purchases, as it's a trademark owned by Realtor.com....(and they'll make you take the site down and change the name). I guess that's the benefit of working with our site. We've been in the business of helping Realtors market themselves and their properties for almost 8 years now...and can easily assist you in deciding which names would be the best!

So if you've been racking your brain for the best domain name ever....or simply need a place where you can check and see whether certain names are available....come visit us!

It's an easy name to remember: www.FTYDomains.com

We hope to see you there!!

Dave

Can you blog about a development or property if it's not your listing??

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:28:48 -0500

Well...I did it again.

I managed to have one of my comments deleted from another member's post because of what I said.

Most of you know by now that I'm not one to offer "Atta Girl's" or simply agree with the original poster in the name of political correctness. If it seems wrong, I can't bring myself to type "You Go Girl" and instead will present my honest opinion on where something possibly went wrong.

Today's topic?

Blogging about a new development or another agent's listing without permission.

With Localism on the rise, there's a tendency to want to blog about all current happenings in the community. New developments, custom homes being built, active listings...etc. But do you need permission to blog about them???

My take on the situation is...YES, ABSOLUTELY!!!

As a Realtor, when you blog about anything...you're wearing your Realtor hat. You have certain obligations and rules to follow. It's not the same as being a nurse talking about a new high-rise development you saw this weekend. Or a plumber who's blogging about a custom home that's being built. You're a real estate agent, bound by a Code of Ethics and MLS policies which may undermine your seemingly innocent blogging efforts.

A recent post discussed an agent's blog from 18 months ago. It was about a new development which this agent had seen...and liked...so she blogged about it. After all, it was a new development in the community and obviously would be of interest. It was positive and contained nothing derrogatory. No harm, no foul.

Fast forward to today. That old post is still circulating around the internet and coming up in search engines. It still includes the old photos even though the project is now complete, and the agent doesn't want to go back and update the blog. She had been invited by the new lead agent on the development to tour the property, but that was last year. She never did, although it was on her list of things to do.

Here's where it gets sticky.

The developer has the property listed on the MLS, but is very unhappy about the old blog (to the point of being unwilling to work with the agent or allow her access to the property). The developer is even telling other agents how unhappy they are about this particular blog. The agent who blogged about it 18 months ago is generating phone calls from prospective buyers...and wants to figure out how to work with the developer.

Most of the comments on that post revolved around things like "I guess the developer's not happy that you know how to generate leads better than they do"....or "Why aren't they sending you thank you's for trying to sell their property and for the free advertising?" Or.."It's in the MLS, so you should be able to do what you want to help get the property sold. After all, isn't that the seller's goal?"

The reality of course, is much different. If you're blogging about another agent's listing, whether it's a new development, an individual property, or raw land...(without their consent)....you are in violation of a whole bunch of stuff. You're advertising the property. Period. Plain and simple. Sure, you may consider it to be "only a blog"...but if you're a Realtor....and generating phone calls from buyers...I guarantee every arbitration board or court is going to consider it as advertising.

As such, you're bound by established rules and policies governing that sort of thing. Local MLS's have policies, your state's Real Estate Department has policies...and NAR has policies. As an example, here is one MLS's (Pacific West Association of Realtors) published policy in this regard:

MLS Committee's Guide to Advertising another Agent's Listing

Purpose
The purpose of this guide is: (1) To highlight the specific sections in our MLS Rules and Regulations ("MLS Rules") that govern the advertising of another agent's listing; (2) To provide explanations of the advertising rules so that you have a better understanding of what you can and cannot do; (3) To give examples of what can and cannot be done.

Summaries
Here are summaries of the specific sections of the MLS Rules that apply to advertising another agent's listing.

Sec.12.8
Listings may not be advertised by any MLS participant, except the listing broker, without prior consent (except on the internet covered in Section 12.16).

Sec 12.9
The truthful use of the current listing information from the A.O.R.'s "statistical report" or "comparable report" by a Participant for showing market share is alright. However, it may NOT Include the address of the property and must clearly state the time period covered for the claims. It must also include a "Based on...where...& when..." disclaimer.

Sec. 12.11, 12.15.1 & 12.15.5
The purpose of the MLS is to market properties to bona fide prospective purchases, to offer compensation to other participants, to support market evaluations for bona fide sellers & for appraising. Other uses of this information are expressly prohibited.

Sec. 12.12
The AOR leased MLS information is confidential and must be controlled at all times.

Sec. 12.13
Current listing information may not be given to real estate professional who do not belong to the A.O.R.

Sec. 12.16
Other broker's listing may be posted on a website if they clearly state the listing broker's name. It must show the source of the information and be updated at least every 7 days.

In addition of the PWR MLS Rules, the Department of Real Estate maintains rules and regulations and the National Association of REALTOR® Article 12, Code of Ethics, governs advertising. It is suggested that all rules and regulations which regulate advertising should be reviewed in full.

12.16 is obviously the most pertinent. It must clearly state the listing broker's name and be updated a minimum of every 7 days.

Hmmm...no wonder the developer of the project is upset. Old photos, old information, and the agent herself is generating buyer leads without their consent to even advertise the property. Some comments on that agent's post implied that it's against the MLS rules to NOT cooperate with the agent since the property was in the MLS.

Not true.

If an agent is in obvious and direct violation of so many policies, the listing agent nor seller on a property is under any obligation to do business with her or her clients until the violations are cured. Even then, I'm not sure I'd count on getting any actual offers accepted under the circumstances.

Alas, if you're going to blog about another agent's listing (no matter what kind of property it is)...you better get their consent (I'd get it in writing)...and you better be familiar with what your state and MLS's rules are for governing that kind of thing. To suggest in public to "Just send those buyers to the property with another agent" is just furthering the embarrassment and low regard for our industry (yes, many agents suggested that tactic on the other blog.)

The right thing to do is always easier...and I apologize to those who felt my truthful and direct comments were impolite, discourteous, rude or otherwise. In response to my commentary, some even wrote "No wonder he's an EX Realtor who now only sells flyers and postcards". Wow, you wanna talk rude?? LOL!!

I sold real estate for 10 years as a top agent in my area. I averaged 8-12 transactions per month, so I'm fairly well-versed in real estate. I now run a marketing firm doing "flyers and postcards" with annual sales of close to $3,000,000. I love what I do...and it seems unnecessary to have to continue reading things like "I appreciate your opinion but you're just a flyer guy". (Sorry for the rant).

Dave

So you don't think Walmart Real Estate will happen? Think again.

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:16:43 -0500

Saturday morning, my daughter and I went up to our local coffee hangout...placed our order....and sat at one of the tables outside in anticipation of enjoying our favorite beverage on a warm but clear day in Southern California. I bought that morning's edition of the Los Angeles Times...and was looking forward to perusing whatever news was happening...before settling in to see how many squares I could fill on the crossword puzzle...and how bad I'd regret using my trusty pen instead of pencil.

Then, there it was...in the business section.

I almost couldn't breathe for a moment. I honestly think my heart stopped. NO, it was NOT an article about Walmart getting into the real estate business (the graphic above was manipulated.) BUT...the headline read "Times Media to enter real estate business."

EXCERPTS:

"Searching for new sources of revenue, Los Angeles Times Media Group is getting into the real estate business. On Monday, Times Media Group and other partners will launch ZetaBid (www.ZetaBid.com) a business that will auction foreclosed homes and other properties."

Bob Bellack, who is chairman of the new enterprise, said "The traditional newspaper model doesn't exist anymore. The next generation media company is a company that facilitates transactions and helps buyers and sellers come together." Bellack said ZetaBid's print and online listings would provide more information that other auction companies on properties for sale, including opening bid prices, contact information for listing agents and photos.

The Times and other newspapers have been suffering from a downturn in advertising that has been exacerbated by the housing slump. The ZetaBid venture represents one way for Times Media Group to counteract that, industry analysts said.

Steve Gray of the American Press Institute in Reston, VA, said "the newspaper model has been limited to telling people what is available to buy. But in a digital world there is no reason why newspapers shouldn't be part of what follows."

*********************************************************

So...okay, here's the deal.I've commented on a number of blogs about the prospects of MAJOR companies getting into the real estate business...and how it's going to affect the industry permanently.These comments are usually in response to agents blogging about their unwillingness to negotiate their commissions. I don't want this to become a new discussion about that. But my feelings have always been that major players are going to be entering this market soon...rewriting the rules on how this business is transacted and compensated...and we're not going to have a choice.

If you don't think every single newspaper in the country is watching closely as to how this L.A. Times venture will develop, think again. And although I have no "real" proof....I'd bet a million dollars that Walmart already has a team in place trying to figure out how THEIR entry into the real estate business will take place.

Will it replace real estate as we know it today???

Gosh, who knows. But I do believe it will impact it heavily. These operations have more money to spend on marketing than anyone else....and ZetaBid is already dictating that Realtors who want to play in their arena will be paid 2% of the winning bid price (providing they've previously registered their customer).

We've seen an entire industry adapt to $4.00 prescriptions...and five-dollar footlongs. Those companies don't do inkjet printed flyers at home, and they've got jillions to spend on SEO.

And the consumer feels like they're getting what they've always wanted.

I think I'd be making some definite plans on how best to compete....right now.

Dave

10 posts on one page...and they're all about dryers? That's ridiculous!!!

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:16:01 -0500

So..I log into AR...fresh cup of coffee by my side (first one of the morning, so YES, it's possible I'm feeling a little bit cranky!)...and what do I see???

TEN...count them...TEN posts about dryer lint (or something like that)!!!

I think they were titled:

1. "Don't place your dryer too close to the toaster."
2. "Why your dryer loses socks."
3. "Your dryer is not a good place to cook grilled cheese sandwiches."
4. "If you decide to dry your hair in the clothes dryer, close your eyes. You'll get less dizzy."
5. "The only kids who should play in the dryer belong to the neighbor."
6. "Dryers are a great place to toss a salad."
7. "Where does dryer lint come from anyway?"
8. "Speaking of which...is it somehow related to belly-button lint?"
9. "If you wear white shirts, why is belly-button lint blue?"
10. "I swear I do NOT have belly-button lint!"

Seriously, the posts were about dryer safety (the importance of vent cleaning, etc.) So it's not necessarily the TOPIC I resent. But all of the advice could have been contained in ONE blog....not ten. It seems obvious that someone was getting ALL of their blogging points handled in one morning...and couldn't come up with more than one idea or concept.

Why aren't new posts limited to, let's say two per day? To clutter up the entire Blog Navigation page with dribble about washers and dryers is not only frustrating, but will lead to people seeking information away from sites like this. I wonder how many legitimate (and interesting) posts were shifted to the next page as a result?

Brad...you and the gang need to do something about this.

It's ridiculous.

::: taking another sip of coffee now....and feeling a little better :::

Dave

Promoting your blog (example inside)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:43:14 -0500

Looking for a unique way to drive traffic to your blog site? We might have the answer!

Yesterday, I received an email from our primary print vendor. They have a promotion going on their 2-sided, ultra-thick cardstock, full-color bookmarks. Well...we don't do a lot of bookmarks, but it gave me an idea!

Why not use them to promote your blog?????

They measure 1.5 x 7" and are inexpensive!! They're also finished with an extreme gloss UV coating and look incredible (for anyone who's ordered our business cards...they're printed using the exact same cardstock and finish). I thought it would be fun to create an example of what a "blog card" might look like (Kevin hasn't even seen it!)...and I can imagine them being found all over town! Bulletin boards, restaurants, dry cleaners, Starbucks....wherever!!

Why wait on a search engine result...when you can so easily drive traffic to your inside/outside/Localism blog???

The design above was put together quickly this morning to give you an idea of what it might look like, but you can also use your imagination to envision what the following bloggers could do with their existing headers which we designed for them:

The backside could be used for contact information, areas of expertise, etc.

We haven't even created an order form for them yet...but it looks like the pricing would fall in the range of $69.00 for 500....or $99.00 for 1,000, not including layout or shipping.

Oh, by the way...I also initiated the process to trademark the slogan "Get to know me. Get to know Real Estate", so forgive me for this...but I'd caution against using it. I simply thought it was too good to pass up...and will likely incorporate it into all Blog Cards.

It would be interesting to get some feedback as to what you think of the idea???

Thanks for any input!

Personal Branding...does it really matter? (TEST INSIDE)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:20:29 -0500

So...there seems to be a lot of discussion here on the Rain about Personal Branding. Is it necessary...or is it not? Is it too "all about me"...or can it really help grow your business?

Well...as the owner of a national real estate marketing firm...my answer is probably obvious.

But I don't want to push my opinions on you. I'd much rather you decide for yourself. So I created a very simple test. Oh, don't worry...it's an easy one...and I'm sure ALL of you will pass with (excuse the phrase) FLYING COLORS!

So here goes. Ready??

That was easy wasn't it? They're all examples of branding. And pretty good ones too, because ALL OF US probably got the answers right!!

If you're not using Personal Branding in your current real estate marketing...you might be making a huge mistake! Use your imagination for a moment. Imagine you're looking at a bulletin board that's filled with 30 business cards from local Realtors. Most are white...with a rectangular photo in the top left. But there's one or two which stand out from the rest. You know...the ones that get noticed first.

It looks something like this:

I know, I know. I've done this a million times before...and I already know your answers.

It's a little too obvious. Your eyes went to the two black ones first. And out of the two black ones, you first looked at the one with the photo on it.

That's normal.

We ALL of look at the one with the photo first. Human beings will look at another human being before they'll look at anything else...even when it's on a simple thing like a business card.

So what?

There's a fun little test I do at the beginning of each of our seminars (it can even be done over the phone). It's a blast....and teaches you why branding is so important. It involves creating a list of ten items. Arbitrary items, numbered 1-10. Number 1 could be a snowball....number 2 a ballpoint pen, number 3 a baseball bat, etc. It really doesn't matter what the items are. I'll ask you to try and remember those items....in order.

Some people will get one or two correct....and in rare instances, I'll find someone who gets 5 or so correct. BUT with everyone, after 30 seconds of teaching you why branding is so important...you'll suddenly know the list forward and backwards. I can give you a number...and you'll tell me what the item it is. I can give you an item...and you'll tell me what number it is.

The funniest part about it (I'm a bit of a smart-aleck when it comes to stuff like this)....is that a year from now...we'll be on the phone discussing your next marketing project...and I'll say "Hey Sally, what's number 7???"...and you'll instinctively know the answer (immediately!!) Probably forever too! From a list you learned a YEAR ago!!

Here are some examples of personal branding:

If you're ready to take your real estate career to the next and more memorable level, give us a call. We can do the 1-10 test (you'll love it, I promise)...and I'll explain why that test means so much to your real estate business.

Remember how I said you'll immediately learn the list forwards and backwards??? Well, I'll show you how to have your prospects learn THEIR real estate list forward and backwards too. In other words, when they THINK ABOUT REAL ESTATE, we'll program them to SEE your image. And when they SEE YOUR IMAGE...we'll teach them to think about real estate.

It's sooooooo simple! And it will absolutely grow your business!

So pour yourself a cup of coffee...and give me a call. I look forward to meeting you!

Dave

Note: The logos shown above are the copyright and property of their respective owners and are used here for example and learning purposes only.

Role playing with "Skip" (a difficult seller)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:41:29 -0500

How do you sell to an old codger who smokes cigars and cusses like a sailor?

Well...Greg Nino posed that exact question in a recent blog called "Meet Skeptical Skip". It was a great exercise in role-playing.

That blog can be found here.

A Little Background

Seems Skip has a home to sell and is interviewing a bunch of agents. He wants $500,000 (even though the home is only worth $485,000 tops). He also wants to close in 30 days or so.

Yikes!

He tried selling it FSBO for the last 8 months, but failed. And now he's wondering how YOU intend to market his home!?!

The Role Play

I love role playing. Well, wait... actually, I hate it! LOL! Way back in my mortgage days, it seems I was always chosen (in front of the entire company) to play the role of loan officer...while someone else got to play the role of "Feisty Realtor" (yes, mortgage companies DO actually use those kinds of role playing situations!! LOL!!

Anyway...you really had to be on your toes...because whoever was playing the Realtor would inevitably try to trip you up every 30 seconds or so along the way. Sometimes it got to the point of being ridiculous, which is why I never liked them in that kind of setting.

BUT, role playing is a vital part of becoming a successful salesperson...so you HAVE to do it!! Whether you practice in front of 1,000 fellow loan officers, or one-on-one with a close associate, or even by yourself with a pad of paper and some expected responses is up to you. But it's absolutely necessary in order to hone and fine-tune your selling skills!

Back to the "Skip" Blog

Skip owned a Ford Dually because, well...it's "American". He loves eating Spaghetti 'O's out of the can and he hunts squirrels. He claims to be a war veteran (there's even a mannequin with a uniform on it) and he's a retired machinist.

The blog was very entertaining and I think it's up to over 100 comments now.

It was fun to watch as fellow Rainers posed questions to Skip. Some gave up on Skip completely, some closed a little too soon...and some hung in there the entire way.

The "Piece of String" Close

Yesterday, I blogged about an old boss who taught me a very valuable lesson using a simple piece of string. How it can be much more effective to ask questions rather than shifting immediately into sales mode. So I posted a response on Greg's blog. It was slightly different than many of the others...and no, I didn't win the listing. :(

But I DID receive three emails this morning from fellow Rainers who said they enjoyed reading my little sales strategy. They mentioned that, because comments have a tendency to get lost in the shuffle on busy blogs, that perhaps I should post my own blog so others might see if there's something they can use.

So that's what I'm doing. Below is my "Piece Of String" tactic with Skip in its entirety. My hope is that someone will bring something away from it that might be useful in their own selling situations. Have fun!

Here's my Comment posted in its entirety

Interesting post (I LOVE these kinds of roleplays!)

But...

Shelve the marketing answers for right now. Skip doesn't really care about that stuff (yet). He WILL, of course...but he's testing you first. He's a tough old coot (which should be painfully obvious by now.) I wouldn't go anywhere near his questions just yet....and I certainly wouldn't espouse the virtues of the internet and/or call capture systems, etc. PLEASE don't be offended by that. It's just an observation.

When a client asks a question...he's controlling the situation...NOT YOU! You need to get control back before anything you say has any bearing on this "meeting".

Let's see what we can already gather about Skip.

From his age, we can be pretty sure he actually WAS in the service (no one under the age of 60 wears suspenders anymore). And 60 is Vietnam era. It's also a pretty fair bet he's a blue-collar guy...based on...well, EVERYTHING about him!!! So if you think your white collar selling tactics are gonna go ANYWHERE, I have news for ya! They're not.

(So let's try a different approach).

"Skip, your questions are great, but let's come back to those in a moment, ok? First...by the time I leave here this afternoon, you and I need to decide whether we're a good fit in working together to sell your house. I'm pretty sure we are, but we'll have to team up on this in order to get it done. Because of that, I'd kinda like to get to know you a little better...things like how long you were in the military and what you did when you got out?"

Skip: ::: Slightly caught off guard and a little suspicious about the military question :::

What makes you think I was in the military boy?

"Well...I couldn't help but notice the uniform over there on the mannequin, and you sorta remind me of a favorite uncle of mine named Bob. His real name was Robert. (Skip's real name is something else too) Uncle Bob was in the Army and he smoked cigars too. He was also a bit feisty when it came to business, but he always wound up making the right decisions. Probably similar to you! So...how long were you in??"

Skip: I did almost 20 years and three tours in the army. But that's before your time.

"Yep...I'm glad of that too. My whole generation is pretty lucky to have had you guys over there to help us live the lives we do. What did'ja do when you got out?"

Skip: I became a machinist, same thing I did in the army. Did that for pretty near 25 years before retiring.

"Well, I'm glad to hear about both of those experiences. Wanna know why?"

Skip: Sure. Why?

"Because to sell your house. it's gonna take what you learned from BOTH of those experiences in order to get the job done. When you were in the service...you and your fellow soldiers probably never backed down from a fight, did you?

Skip: Hell no! NEVER!

"Good...cuz I don't either. If things get a little tough...I'm not running, and it's good to know you won't either. I also need to count on you having my back...just like your old army buddies did. And you can always count on me having yours too. I also need a good machinist on this team. Wanna know why?

Skip: Yep.

"Because a machinist understands that without the right tools...the job can't get done."

You all can take it from here because you can already see where I'm going with it. If I immediately start stating what I can do...without him on my side...I've lost the battle. And I'm not going to let him control THIS conversation at all. I'll ask the questions, thank you...and guide him wherever I need him to be.

And I'll walk out with the listing (probably at $490,000 but I'm okay with that.) He'll also know I'm every bit as good a Realtor as HE was a machinist. And if he ever had a boss who didn't appreciate his skills (he did, by the way....we ALL have)...then he'll know exactly why I need him to appreciate mine.

Someone else can take it from here....I just wanted to point out that I hadn't seen anyone guiding the conversation yet. And it's so easy to do!

Here's a hint: Skip is a laydown. He'll do whatever you want. Let him fuss a little. No big deal. He's a puppy dog at heart.

Just my four cents or so.

Dave

Pushy Realtor...or Pully Realtor?? Which one are you?

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:00:37 -0500

So, last night on ActiveRain...I commented on a really terrific blog posted by Greg Nino about a fictitious seller named "Skip", a tough old coot who wants to overprice his home and have it sell almost immediately. He's really rough on all agents...and his first question is what your marketing gameplan will be to sell his home. He's been interviewing tons of agents...and he's not much of a charmer.

Greg had asked agents to join in on a role-playing exercise...and I thought "Ohhhh, what fun!!"

Many of the responses were great...but some shifted into "sales-mode" immediately.

"I can do this for you...and that for you, and these things for you."

It reminded me of an old boss of mine who carried a piece of string with him wherever he went. Kinda weird I thought.

But that little piece of string taught me an incredibly valuable lesson one day over lunch.

I'll explain.

Steve (my boss) and I loved discussing sales strategies together. He was a consummate salesperson and I always enjoyed how he let me "steal the podium" whenever we had conversations like this. He seemed to listen to whatever I had to say before commenting with some magical words of wisdom.

Well, that afternoon, while sipping coffee after our meal....he pulls out a piece of string...and lays it on the table. One end near my side of the table...and one end near his side of the table.

He said to me, "Dave, let me see if I can illustrate the difference between a "pushy" salesperson...and a "pully" salesperson."

He continued.

"A pushy salesperson does this."

::: while talking, he begins to push his end of the string toward mine:::

"Pushy salespeople....in their attempt to get their points across, push their arguments, push their justifications, and push their "pitches" on us."

::: he keeps pushing his end the string toward mine and it's all beginning to bunch up on my side of the table :::

"But all that ever happens in the end is the customer winds up with a knotted, tangled piece of string sitting in front of them. That knotted up pile of string represents the pushy salesperson's sales pitch. Disorganized...and in a mess. And they'll fail every time if they do that."

He was right as far as the visual. Sitting before me, on my side of the table, WAS a knotted up, tangled mess of a string.

He then straightened the string back out, only this time he says

"Now, watch what a "pully" salesperson does." (I'm thinking to myself..."What the heck is a PULLY salesperson??")

He takes his end of the string...and starts pulling it around the table, effortlessly gliding it with only his fingertip. Over to the left....over to the right....all around the table. And I couldn't help but notice that everywhere he pulled his end of the string...my end followed.

All the while he's saying:

"A pully salesperson asks more questions than a pushy salesperson. And what happens is the customer's end of the string always follows. Effortlessly."

It was funny to watch MY end of the string following his end everywhere. He finally pointed to a spot on the table and said:

"If you want your client to wind up here (pointing at a spot on the table)...you have to guide them there by asking questions. They won't get there on their own."

I watched as my end of the string wound up dead center in the exact spot he was pointing to. He had guided my end of the string there perfectly.

He finished by suggesting that every time I found myself in any kind of sales situation....to simply

REMEMBER THE STRING!

And I have. And I probably always will. I'm 50 now...and that scenario happened in my early twenties. It's amazing how often I still "remember the string" and close sales by simply guiding my client's end of the string around to MY spot on the table.

I don't want to repeat Greg's entire post here...but it might be kind of fun for you to go have a read through the various comments. There are a lot of them....and I think mine's probably somewhere near the bottom still. But it'll definitely give you an idea of how that string changed my whole sales career!

You can read Greg's post and the comment I left by clicking here: http://activerain.com/blogsview/638539/Meet-Skeptical-Skip

Have fun!!

Dave

Custom Blog Headers On Sale (Examples Inside)

David Daniels (Owner of FlyersToYou, Inc. and former Top Realtor) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:34:30 -0500

Fellow Rainers!

You've seen 'em all over the Rain! Custom blog headers which help give your inside/outside blogs a little more "ummmph". A little more pizzazz...and a LOT more identity!

Well, we've decided to save you a little money in the design, layout and uploading of your custom header!

Here are some examples you may have seen around the Rain:

Our services include the design and layout of your custom blog header, along with the uploading to ActiveRain's Blog Customizer. We'll also select matching background and menu colors and then add the code to your My Settings page at A/R to make the whole thing "live". You'll love the way your new blogs look!

By the way, if you're concerned about loading times, our high impact blog headers average less than 50kb in size, which means that even on the slowest dialup connections, your header will take less than one second to load. On high speed connections, they'll load immediately.

If you're interested in more information, we invite you to email us at: info@flyerstoyou.com or download an order form the following link:

http://www.flyerstoyou.com/forms/BlogHeaderOrderForm.pdf

Of course, you can also call with any questions by dialing (951) 652-8365.

We look forward to meeting you...and helping you create the coolest blog ever!

David Daniels
President/CEO
FlyersToYou, Inc.
Ph: (951) 652-8365