Real Estate Tips

Is Working From Home Killing Your Productivity?

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:12:53 -0600

Working from home is something many agents aspire to do, but it seems like most agents who work from my home (myself included) aren't always as productive as they could be. So after some digging, I decided on what I feel are the top three problems that cause sub-par productivity when selling real estate from a home office. Note: Many of you suffer from the same afflictions at your managed office, too!

• Lack of Planning - whether you work from home or at an office, this is always a biggie. Make sure your day is structured into managing the important elements of your business: prospecting/marketing, lead follow-up, appointments, administrative tasks, and so on. It's cliché, but failing to plan does set you up for failure.

• Lack of Limits - Perhaps this should be a sub-heading of planning, but you must set limits. It's all too easy to become distracted by mundane activity, so during your work time, you must distinguish between business activities and home activities. For example, from 8am-4pm, decide not to answer your home phone, do laundry, dishes, run to the grocery store, etc. during your work time. No exceptions. Period.

• Losing Track of Time - a definite result of not planning and having no limits, it is very easy to become side-tracked on the phone with mom, or hubby, or dearest daughter and have an hour of your work day pass you by. Keep a timed schedule to ensure that you are meeting the needs of your business and can "leave work" when appropriate.

Of course the first step to recovery from an affliction is to admit you have a problem. Share your productivity zapping afflictions in the comments below.

How to Close a Sale With No Stress

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:09:40 -0600

You close sales all day long and don't even realize it. And you close them without stress, too! Let me show you how easy it is.

Basically, you must always remember one simple, easy rule. You must, not matter what it is you want someone to do, ask for it and expect to get it!

Here are some common closes you might make in a day with no stress:

Honey, will you please pass the ketchup?
What's your email address?
Do you want to go to lunch at 11:30 or 12:00?
What's the best way to reach you?

Do you recognize the common trait with these questions? I'll give you a hint the answer:

You expect a favorable answer. You expect "Honey" to pass the ketchup, you expect that you'll go to lunch at one of those two times, you expect someone to tell you how to reach them...and that idea should apply to every bit of information or request you ask for.

Apply this approach with buyers, leads, sellers, and other agents. Assume you'll get what you want and ask for it. If you don't get it, ask why, address the concerns as appropriate, and ask again. Repeat this process with everything (listings, phone numbers, appointment, etc.) until you get it. That's it! Give it a week, and you'll be amazed by the results.

But let me ask you? Have you ever used this technique on accident and gotten what you want? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Daily Agent Tips Is Now On Twitter

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:36:34 -0600

Started the Daily Agent Tips Twitter Page a few days ago. You can follow me here.

Are You Losing Real Estate Buyers To A Simple Misunderstanding?

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:05:31 -0600

Yesterday there was a feature post where a buyer couple asked an agent to see some homes, and then sent that agent an email saying that she only showed them homes they already saw online and therefore did not want to use her as their agent.

Ouch! That stings. But chances are it wasn't personal. Maybe they didn't like her, but maybe they were just uninformed as to what a buyer's agent really does. On the surface, it's hard to say. But in either case, situations like this one can lead to a new level of salesmanship and financial gain when handled properly.

I propose that moment's like this are the moments that real estate agents become bonafide salespeople. We don't sell houses, but we do sell our consultation services. A buyer will know when they like a house or not, so we aren't really "selling" the house. But we do need to sell ourselves and our value as negotiators and representatives. So how do you convert these buyers?

I Suggest A Three Step Process

Don't take it personally.
Qualify the situation.
Resolve the issue and move forward as appropriate.

It is important to realize that while the situation may seem harsh, you don't know for sure why the buyer is making the unfavorable decision at hand. All you need to do is simply pick up the phone, call the person(s), own up to your confusion, and ask questions about why the prospect has the feelings they're describing. A few things could happen.

It may be that they really aren't in a position to buy and know they wasted your time. It may be that they didn't like you. It may be that they have another agent already even though they said they didn't. Or it could be that they're confused about what we do. And until you know for sure, you still have a viable lead that could use some extra conversation and subtle education.

Perhaps by making these follow-up/clarification calls you only close one extra buyer out of ten, but if you've already spent time developing a relationship with a prospect, and they suddenly jump ship, a quick exploratory conversation will not only put your mind at ease, but on occasion it'll put a few extra dollars in your pocket.

This Little Trick Will Increase Your Productivity

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:22:11 -0600

Here's a brief, easy little trick you can use to help you get save time and get more done in your office and when completing administrative tasks or prospecting. To illustrate its importance, I'll use an example from my doctor.

As a result of a severe infection from a tick bite, I recently suffered a blood clot in my leg. Today I saw my Hematologist for the first time. He was nice, polite, and obviously very busy. Since one of my best friends is a doctor, I know just how many patients that this man must see in a day. To complete his task and see all of his appointments, he must stay on task and avoid distractions. So...

can you imagine what would happen to this man if he answered his phone every time one of his patience wanted to ask a question, schedule an appointment, gripe, moan, complain, worry, or think something horrible is happening? How many patients do you think he could see if he handled all the administrative tasks of his office, sought new patients, saw his current patients if he was taking every call that came in? Very few.

So why do you agents insist on answering every last call that comes through their phone?

I can think of three reasons:

They think that's "what you're supposed to do"
They're desperate for a sale and will talk to anyone
They subconsciously want the distraction from other work at hand (i.e. prospecting).

(I guess there's a fourth, too. They aren't working to begin with or they've spent too much time wasting time to generate enough activity to actually have work to do...)

So, if you find yourself getting overloaded with phone calls that interrupt important time for you, do what my doctor did. Tell your patient client, "I don't always take calls, but I will always return them."

It's that simple. You're busy. Respect your own time, and your clients will respect it, too.

Quick Tip: Schedule a block of time each day to return calls. If a call is important, your client will leave a voicemail. Even then, you'll find many of those voicemails were for calls that could wait. Avoid being a slave to your ringtone, and you'll find there's a lot more time in your day than you thought!

Subscribe to Daily Agent Tips right now, and you'll instantly receive our free e-book - "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads."

Made a Few Fun Updates to Daily Agent Tips Today

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:23:08 -0600

I spent most of my day tweaking the Daily Agent Tips homepage and messing around on Twitter. If you were thinking that www.dailyagenttips.com was loading too slow, I've updated that and it loads almost instantly now, and I tweaked the margins in the blog posts to make the text easier to read, and finally I added a dedicated subscription page!

So, if you want to get the Daily Agent Tips free E-book - 59 Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads - you can go to my new dedicated subscription page, and subscribe right now!

Why Do Most Real Estate Agents Ignore Powerful Sales Tips?

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:35:29 -0600

It seems like everyone has real estate tips to share with agents. From your family it's probably, "Why are you still in real estate?" or "Here's a tip: Quit now!" From your broker it's probably, "Real Estate is a number's game. Go make more calls!" And the list of "marketing tips" most sellers try to give is absurd. So I'm not surprised that many real estate agents get too much bad advice from too many sources (and I guess I can only complain a little since this is a tip-based website). But the bottom line is it seems like agents tend to ignore the powerful sales methods they should be following in exchange for complex and convoluted ideas from questionable sources (like those crazy family members!).

Now, I don't claim to be a mega agent because I'm not. But I do know a little something about sales and persuasion and making sales happen. I guess my sales background makes it hard to look at real estate through "non-salespeople" eyes, but at the end of the day how much money you make in real estate is directly dependent on your ability to persuade people to purchase your consulting services. After thinking about this for a bit, I came up with 4 powerful sales tips that most agents don't follow, and I'd like your opinions about them.

4 Powerful Sales Tips Most Real Estate Agents Ignore

Business Planning - This is perhaps one of my biggest gripes. Most agents work a job when they have every opportunity to build a business. If a top agent were to fall ill, there's usually a team of people there who can handle the business while that agent is out. But the average agent works an job. And when he gets sick, his bank account suffers immediately. I think that perhaps the illusion of working for a broker makes this business feel "like a job." At the end of the day however, you are a contractor and you pay your own business taxes. In addition, it makes no sense for an agent to work as a one man team, when someone else will happily do administrative work, handle incoming calls, conducting your marketing, schedule showings, and upload MLS data for just a few dollars, thus freeing up your entire day for the big-money work - selling! Why should an agent do administrative tasks, paperwork, marketing, incoming calls etc. when someone else will do it for just a few bucks an hour. When was the last time you saw a doctor doing all his admin tasks, hmmm?
Answering Your Phone/Returning Calls - Personally I think allowing calls to go to voicemail for most of the day is a good idea (buyer leads will leave messages and you'll be able to return calls by priority), but whatever you do you must at least return calls. If I take the time to call an agent and leave a voicemail with a simple request (like feedback) or a question, I expect the professional courtesy of a quick, brief return call. I didn't call you to waste your time, so don't turn my professional call into a waste of my time.
Consistent Follow-up - This really falls into the business planning category, but even if you don't run your practice as a business, you should still have a strong follow up plan. If you can't think of anything to say when you follow up with leads, take the time to read a few sales books and learn more about the art of asking questions. You'll find plenty of ideas that you can use to help you increase the effectiveness of each call.
Ego-Advertising - Perhaps the biggest detriment to the real estate industry is the continued use of poor advertising practices. Direct marketers figured it out long ago that when you focus on the emotional triggers of your target market, you can make a fortune with highly targeted, low-cost ads. Postcards are a great example. They're easy to print and easy to mail...and cheap! But agents waste that money saying, "Look at me! I've sold a billion dollars in real estate!" (Actually there is a guy in my area who uses the "I've sold a billion dollars" as his billboard ads). Take those same postcards, target a specific niche to advertise to (first time buyers), buy a targeted mailing list, and offer specific benefits to that market group. You don't need a huge response rate to fill your financial pipeline. And you won't look like a sleazy salesperson...

What do you think? What other powerful, effective sales tips do you see real estate agents ignoring in favor of less productive strategies?

Click here to learn 59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads from DailyAgentTips.com!

How to Handle The "We Want To Think About It Objection"

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:54:55 -0600

Here's a recent post on Daily Agent Tips:

How to Handle The "We Want to Think About It" Objection

Plus get 59+ Proven Ways to Generate Leads when you subscribe to Daily Agent Tips today!

100 Emotion Words That Sell

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:13:37 -0600

I was reading through a book of words and wrote these down. Since sales is an emotional process, it's important to use vocabulary that helps focus your clients on the emotions they're feeling. Add a sprinkle of these words to your vocabulary to help get your clients excited!

1. Supple

2. Sleek

3. Luscious

4. Delicate

5. Smooth

6. Elegant

7. Generous

8. Pleasant

9. Distinguished

10. Unique

11. Innovative

12. Playful

13. Exotic

14. Proven

15. Feel

16. Freedom

17. Relaxing

18. Invigorate

19. Breeze

20. Save

21. Profit

22. Preferred

23. Thrilled

24. Delight

25. Power

26. Desire

27. Spacious

28. Adorable

29. Polite

30. Bright

31. Energy

32. Sassy

33. Sensible

34. Classy

35. Sophisticated

36. Gentle

37. Decent

38. Sweet

39. Mature

40. Dependable

41. Stable

42. Alluring

43. Radiant

44. Stunning

45. Unlimited

46. Rugged

47. Masculine

48. Feminine

49. Vivacious

50. Voluptuous

51. Petite

52. Natural

53. Trim

54. Handsome

55. Beautiful

56. Appealing

57. Breathtaking

58. Secluded

59. View

60. Architect

61. Charming

62. Private

63. Historic

64. Bright

65. Airy

66. Character

67. New

68. Ideal

69. Family

70. Sunny

71. Coveted

72. Dark

73. Warm

74. Comfy

75. Tender

76. Dream

77. Romp

78. Laugh

79. Glee

80. Wild

89. Serene

90. Believe

91. Strong

92. Flourish

93. Joy

94. Wish

95. Opportunity

96. Flexible

97. Appetizing

98. Renew

99. Incomparable

100. Artistic

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How to Qualify Your Home Buyer Leads And Maximize Your Sales

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:46:11 -0600

Here's a recent post from the Daily Agent Tips website:

How to Qualify Your Home Buyer Leads and Maximize Your Sales

Enjoy!

- Eric

Why Health Insurance Is Vitally Important for Real Estate Agents

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:47:29 -0600

After I graduated college and moved away from my family, I lived for several years without health insurance. But I knew I was on borrowed time. Finally, the worry got to me and I made the decision to get adequately insured. And good thing too, because my luck ran out two days before my 28th birthday.

How to Turn Open House Leads Into Clients

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:05:48 -0600

This is a recent post from Daily Agent Tips. It was also posted here on Active Rain.

A Simple Plan for Turning Open House Leads in to Clients

Enjoy!

- Eric

Overcome More Objections With These Three Words

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:11:11 -0600

Here's a recent post from Daily Agent Tips. It was briefly shared on ActiveRain as well.

Overcome More Objections With These Three Words

Thanks for reading!

Eric

Top 10 Goals For A Brand New Real Estate Agent

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:24:35 -0600

This post is an interactive post on Daily Agent Tips. If you choose to share your ideas on this post, please make your comments on the Daily Agent Tips blog.

Top 10 Goals For A Brand New Real Estate Agent

Just uploaded the new Daily Agent Tips logo to Active Rain! What do you guys think?

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:33:56 -0600

I really like my new logo! What do you guys think?

How to Write Effective Handwritten Thank You Notes

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:15:04 -0600

Writing thank you notes is a simple, effective way to set yourself apart from other real estate agents and make an impression during the lead or client follow-up process. Here are a few pointers to get the most out of this powerful technique.

Use A Pen

Whenever possible write your thank you notes by hand. At a minimum you should be able to jot down a quick thank you for all of your clients and your best leads.

Be Brief

There's no reason to write a novel. A brief thank you (for the appropriate reason) will suffice. Include a personal touch by mentioning something meaningful to your recipient.

Make A Commitment

Tell your recipient what you will do next. The idea is to give your recipient an expectation of value or responsibility. An example would be "I'll touch base with you on Friday afternoon if we don't talk before then." Of course, you'll need to deliver on the promise you make. Doing so will show that you keep your word and someone they can trust.

Be Truthful

If you have nothing to be thankful for, your letter is worthless as "just a follow-up tool." Express your genuine appreciation for the opportunity to meet or do business with your recipient. They will read right through you if it's a form letter that everyone gets.

Here's a sample:

Karen,

I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the opportunity to speak you at the Open House on Bryant Lane on Sunday. I've already told three people about your funny story regarding the other house you saw that day. I still can't believe it!

I will follow up with you on Wednesday as well to make sure you were able to take care of that financing issue we discussed.

Feel free to give me a ring anytime between now and Tuesday.

Enjoy your week!

Eric Lowery
Daily Agent Tips
eric.lowery@era.com
(123)-123-4567

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Stay Safe During Your Open House With These 5 Tips

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:26:22 -0600

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Open house boredom can lead to some strange conversations, but also some very important ones. I've been holding open houses with a co-worker of mine lately, and a few weeks ago we started talking about how to stay safe in this business.

My coworker expressed to me that she was not comfortable holding open houses on her own because she didn't want to be attacked and unable to defend herself. It's a common fear and one you may have had yourself. Since I have a background in law enforcement, I have a unique view on how to stay safe during an open house, and I thought I'd share a few ways to make sure your open houses are profitable and safe.

Partner Up!

There's safety in numbers, and it applies to open houses, too. Absolutely the best way to help stay safe is to work with a partner. Bad people are like electricity. They follow the path of least resistance. A lonely agent in an empty house might put up a small fight, but two agents can kick ass. And if they can't kick ass then they can probably escape and get help.

Be Alert!

The most important step you can take to stay safe at an open house (or anywhere) is to pay attention to your surroundings. You know what feels normal when people are touring a home and what doesn't. For example, most men pay attention to the structure of the home, while women may become distracted by furniture and décor. A guy paying too much attention to potentially valuable personal items should trigger some of your "Spidey Sense." More often than not, your Spidey Sense will go off and you may not know why. Take careful note of what's happening in and outside of the house and don't ignore your intuition.

Know Where Your Exits Are!

When you hold an open house by yourself, make sure you know where all the exit doors are and make sure they are unlocked while you're there. In the event that something happens and you have to make a run for it, you wouldn't want to come to a door that is dead-bolted from the inside and requires a key. Another simple thing you can do is to always position yourself closer to the exit door than your visitor. If you're attacked, the attacker won't be blocking you from getting outside.

Don't Lead. Follow!

When a stranger comes into the house, you can stay safer and keep a better eye on your buyers by not walking ahead of them as they tour the home. A simple rule of thumb is to never turn your back a stranger. Being attacked from behind makes defending yourself that much more difficult. At the same time, the bad guy will no longer have the same element of surprise. In most cases this strategy will put you closer to an exit door as well.

Arm Yourself

My dad has been robbed at gunpoint at an ATM, and when I was in high school, two men attempted to carjack me. And I guess I'm a little extra biased here because of my law enforcement background. You may not see it, but whether I'm selling homes or going to the grocery store, there is almost always a Glock pistol somewhere on my person. In my view, as long as you're responsible and obeying your local laws, there is nothing wrong with carrying a firearm. I would also suggest you take a firearm safety class and shooting lessons.

In the event that you're uncomfortable carrying a firearm, there are other things you can use to defend yourself if necessary. I was voluntary pepper-sprayed twice in police training. It doesn't work on everyone, but it works on most. And when I say it works...it's one of the most painful experiences I've ever had.

Finally, I would suggest keeping a pen in your hand while someone is touring the home. This will serve two purposes. From a sales perspective, your pen is your sword. You need it for notes and signatures! But from a safety perspective, if someone launches an attack, you have a quick and effective defensive tool that's ready to use.

Here's to safe, successful open houses this holiday season!

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Daily Agent Tips got a mini-makeover today. Check it out!

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:14:42 -0600

Hey guys, I'm just finishing up my blog post for tomorrow's Daily Agent Tip. Yesterday, I launched the new logo (much better than the one in this activerain blog don't ya think?) See it here.

AND...now that Daily Agent Tips is fully operational and the content is expanding, I would LOVE for some of my friendly active rainers to maybe share some thoughts about those posts in the comments section on that blog. Now that I've generating a fair amount of subscribers I'd like to start some dialogs with my readers!

Thanks!

Here's A Little Help If You Are Thinking About Quitting Real Estate

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:06:00 -0600

Unless you're living under a tree, you know that agents are quitting...fast. Many markets have had hundreds of agents who have stopped practicing in the last few years. And if you're struggling (or new), you might have even had thoughts about quitting as well. But before you do, consider a few ideas from a bald guy from New York.

If you like to study marketing and business mentality, you probably already know who Seth Godin is, but if you don't, I'd like to introduce you to a few ideas from his book The Dip. (I linked the image to Amazon.com if you want additional details on the book.)

Should You Quit?

There are two ways to look at quitting. You can view quitting as being a moment of failure, or you can recognize a bad situation when you see it, and cut your losses. If you are about to quit because you just want to give up, chances are you are actually in a phase of your business Godin refers to as "The Dip." If you feel you're giving up, now would be a good time to sit down with Godin's book to discover if you're in a position to stick it out despite your inner feelings, or to see if another career path is in your future.

Are You On The Path To Success?

Many times, someone quits at the very moment they're on the verge of success. In these cases, you're not in a bad situation that warrants quitting. You're in the best position you can be in because you're moving through the next step on the path to success. So how do you know which path you're on? That's exactly what this book is about.

The Choice to Push Forward

Your choice to push forward is deeply personal. You have responsibilities to yourself and your family, and the decision can be difficult no matter which path you decide to go down. So, if you're feeling down, or wanting to give up, I want to encourage you to push forward and find solutions. Either way, I know the material Seth Godin has produced has given me deep insight when making my own decisions, and I believe this book in particular will help you rejuvenate your desire for success.

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Here's another link for the Amazon.com detail page. If you haven't read Seth Godin's other books, I highly recommend taking a look at them, especially if you enjoy the marketing/branding side of your business.

Would you like to learn 59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads? Get a free instant download when you subscribe to Daily Agent Tips right now!

59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:02:51 -0600

I thought I was going to stop doing it after a short while, but there are enough of you signing up for Daily Agent Tips each day that I'm going to continue offering my free e-book for new subscribers. I'm still debating on how long I'll leave it up, but if you haven't gotten it yet, you might want to click here and consider signing up. It's only been a few short weeks since the new site launch, but I'm really excited about the number of people who are joining Daily Agent Tips.

The free e-book is called "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads," and you can download it as soon as you register. Just make sure you follow the directions shown to get your download link.

You'll see the email sign up form here.

Thanks everyone!

Eric C. Lowery, Daily Agent tips

How to Create A Slam-Dunk Listing Presentation

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:26:56 -0600

This is a special offer from DailyAgentTips.com

In the tense, unstable market conditions across the country, it is more important now than ever before to fine-tune and hone your sales and persuasion skills. When you observe the agents who are closing transactions, you'll find that, without exception, there is a routine to the way the convert leads into clients, and convert clients into closed transactions. But with all the different tips and strategies, how do you know what game plan to use for your listing presentation?

There's no such thing as a perfect plan, but all good listing presentations share common elements. First, each presentation has a flow. Here are the minimum elements of a listing appointment:

Previewing the home
Market analysis/Determining Price and Terms
Determining your fee
Paperwork

To increase their odds, top listing agents also use:

A seller's concern survey
An interactive goals and action worksheet

These two items are used to help you stand apart from your clients, and show that you care about their goals and concerns. They also help you determine your seller's likely objections and hot buttons.

In each step of your appointment, you have the opportunity to make or break your chances of taking the listing, so back in 2006 and 2007 my listing partner and I set out to develop the most effective presentation we could. The results? After extensive trial and error, we developed a system that led us to an 86% success rate for listing homes at fair prices. So what did we do?

We created a step-by-step process that allowed us to maximize each step of the appointment and allowed us to uncover the seller's entire motivations for selling, what emotional hot buttons would help us close the sale, what the seller's primary fears or objections would be. Then as we went through each phase of the presentation, we were able to alter our presentation to fit the needs of each potential client, and use the clients own desires to convince them that we were the best agents for the job.

In January 2009, I turned that entire process into a detailed e-book. Here's an idea of what it contains:

The psychology of home seller
What to do when you arrive
A sample seller concerns survey and how to use it
A sample goal and action sheet and how to use it
How to approach your listing paperwork
Discussing your market analysis
How to obtain 7%+ listings even in this market.

In addition there are several bonus features:

Blow Your Competition Away With These 5 Tips
25 Ways to Ruin a Listing Presentation
10 Ways to Guarantee Your Listing
5 Clues You're Talking Too Much
7 Clues Your Sellers Are Ready to Say Yes!

And what were our stats once we started using these techniques consistently?

We listed 86% of our appointments at our desired price and terms
We turned down 10% of our appointments at our desired price and terms
4% of our appointments ended in questionable terms or were lost to another agent

While this style of listing presentations is not for everyone, it is effective. It's designed to be interactive with your potential client, and completely seller-focused. Will they want to know more about you? Certainly. But we suggest letting them ask only the questions that are of concern to them. And when you use this approach, it won't matter how young or old your client is or how new you are to the profession, because you are creating a dynamic, individual approach custom tailored to the person(s) sitting in front of you.

If this sounds like the type of listing presentation you'd like to use, but you're not quite sure what you need to do or say, this e-book may just contain the answers you're looking for.

To purchase this Daily Agent Tips exclusive e-book, simply use the purchase button below. If you have not subscribed to Daily Agent Tips daily email tips, you can do that here.

Buy "How to Create a Slam-Dunk Listing Presentation" now!

$24.99

Warning: Rant Spawned from A Recent Post and Comment

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:23:17 -0600

First of all, if you're looking for drama between rain members, this isn't what this rant is about. Instead, it's about a common social view of real estate agents that has always troubled me. It just so happens that I was reminded of it by Kristina Pratt's post "Cheating On Your Agent" and the first comment on that post which was supplied by Heather Fitzgerald.

Kristina's post brought back a memory of one of the ONE time I was cheated on by a client, and as I read her post, my mind began drifting back to a long-standing gripe I have about our industry. Once I read Heather's comment and a few other comments, I knew I needed to vent it out in a blog post.

Everyone agent knows the deal. Sellers think we charge too much to sell their home, and buyers tend to shop agents till they find the house they want and "the agent of the day" gets the deal. And Kristina is absolutely right. It's our job to to educate our clients.

So why is it that agents seem like the blacksheep of the professional world? If you go to the doctor or dentist, you go on their schedule. If you need to speak to an attorney you set an appointment. Can you call your doctor at 11pm? No. Unless you get lucky and he's the "on call" doctor that night. But agents...are different. Call an agent at 11pm? SURE! Call an agent and expect to see inside a house in 15 minutes? I'll be there as fast as I can! Holidays? Weekends? You bet! Now, I understand that most people buy real estate during non-working hours, but at some point it gets ridiculous.

Whos fault is this?

I think it's our fault as an industry. The barrier of entry to this profession is infintestimal. It costs nothing, and a 75-hour (in Georgia) licensing course. It's absolutely ridiculous compared to other professional service/consulting jobs. Doctors? 8-10 years of higher education/experience before they're let out on their own. Attorneys - 3+ years. Agents...eh, I finished my licensing course in 4 weeks. It was a joke. On top of that, if you're a doctor or attorney, you're doing it full-time. How many part-time doctors do you know? What about part time agents?

The reason we're responsible for our reputations is very simple. Our stereotypes are true. How often does an agent list a house only to rarely if ever contact the seller. He sticks the home in the MLS and is done. Does he deserve 6% for what will amount to only a few hours of half-assed work? No. So the good agents are left defending a publicly perceived "standard commission" and aren't allowed are too afraid to find a way to band together and find better business models to change the way our industry operates and thus perceived.

In fact, the real estate business model lends itself to perpetuating this problem. Every agent is their own business. And most of those agents are terrible at running a business. This leads to never-ending problems getting a hold of people, continued aggravation through all parts of the sales process, and the erosion of trust from our potential clients because of the actions of someone else in the profession.

What happens next?

I think that if we don't change, our industry will be changed for us, and without our say. We no longer control access to inventories. Buyers can see everything we see in the MLS by just going online to any agent's website. We aren't keepers of any special knowledge (like a doctor or attorney), and managing contracts is very straight forward when done properly. I think we are very much at risk, over the next 5 to 10 years, of becoming simple transaction agents, middlemen no-less, with little perceived value.

And it will be our fault for eroding our value as consultants because as an industry, we will continue to perpetuate poor business models and lax standards.

Now, before I get flamed with anti-agent comments, I believe that agents have the potential to command tremendous value for our clients. But the general public will never see agents in that light if we don't give them that impression in the ways we do business and hold ourselves accountable to extremely high business standards (the NAR Code of Ethics doesn't cut it as a end-all standard). There are plenty of good, honest, hard-working agents that I respect, but frankly, I think as an industry, we've earned a big F in presenting ourselves to the public. And it shows in the overall public perception of our value.

I'd like to open a respectful dialogue here with other readers. Does anyone else feel the way I do when examining the experiences you've had with others in our profession? Share your comments, please.

Also, if you'd like to learn "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Leads," Daily Agent Tips is offering them free by instant download. Just click here.

5 Steps To Turn Your Blog Into A Lead Generating Machine

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:53:17 -0600

As a general rule, there are two types of real estate websites. Some sites never change (static sites), and there are sites that constantly evolve (think ActiveRain). Both types of sites can be effective at generating leads, but I see a large gap in lead generation skills in agents whos website is primarily a blog. So here are five things you can do to take your blog and turn it into a lead generating machine.

1. Change Your Focus

The first problem I see is that many agents treat their blog as an online diary about their real estate activities and go no further with their website's development. Leads that materialize just because you talk about yourself online are few and far between. There certainly aren't enough to fund your business, so to generate sufficient leads from your blog, you must see your blog as a lead generating tool, and design your blogging around that purpose.

2. Define Your Purpose

The second issue at hand is narrowing the purpose or scope of your site. Once you've decided to use your blog as a lead generating tool, it's time to narrow your site's focus even further. As a general rule, it is easier to generate buyer leads online than seller leads, but I suggest that you create your blog (or blogs) to focus on a highly specific niche. For example, if you specialize in downtown condos, and want to generate condo buyer leads, your blog should not stray far from that focus. If you suddenly blog about the random suburban buyer you're working with, and there's no relevance to your readers, you'll only alienate your potential clients.

3. Give Incentives

Once you've determined your blog niche, you can begin to deliver targeted messages and building a relationship with your desired readers. Use incentives important to your readers to exchange for contact information and permission to contact. To use myself as an example, I run http://www.DailyAgentTips.com. My niche is sales and persuasion for real estate professionals. Agents that read my blog are looking for information on how to improve their skills, build their business and close transactions. To encourage subscribers to my website, I offer a free instant download - "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads" - to anyone who subscribes. If you are working downtown condos, you might offer a free downloadable list of condo foreclosure deals (foreclosure lists work well for most types of property anyway), but I think you get the idea. Find something that your readers want and offer it to them in exchange for contact information. Even if it's just an email address, it's an avenue to further your relationship, and relationships turn into contracts.

4. Call to Action

Once you've come up with a few good incentives to offer, you must ask your readers to take the action you want when they're on their site. You decided to offer a foreclosure list on your site, so you find a widget that allows you to collect an email address. Once that email has been collected, the reader is led through a step (or steps) to obtain the free list you offered. But first, you must tell them that you want them to enter their email. A good place to do this is at the end of a relevant post. For example, you write a post about a friend of yours who just bought a foreclosure for 60% of market value. You talk about how happy she was to find a deal, how smooth the transaction turned out to be, and how easy it was to find the property because of all the great deals. Following the post you write your call to action:

"To get your free list of every foreclosed home in Lilburn, GA, just enter your email below"

(Your email form would be here).

People will do what you want them to do, but you have to ask! To see how simple it is to lead someone through the process, try going through the process with me on Daily Agent Tips (you can unsubscribe immediately if you want). You can get an idea of what customers might experience on your website.

5. Follow-Up

Once someone has raised their hand as a lead, it is time to build the relationship (not rush to sell them a house). If you've only collected an email address, just begin an email dialogue. Ask them what houses on your foreclosure list caught their eye, etc. Seek to obtain a mutual conversation and your leads will soon turn into a clients...and paychecks!

Blogs do not naturally lend themselves to become lead generating sites in the traditional context. On the other hand, it is easier to draw traffic to a blog, your blog will follow current trends, and it's easier to begin conversations with your readers. Further, with the rise of popular blogging sites like ActiveRain, etc. you can easily find the tools you need to turn your simple online diary, into a core part of your real estate income. If you don't yet have a blog, I highly suggest you consider starting one. Most quality blog services will charge a small monthly fee, but when used properly, you will reap rewards far beyond your expenses.

Would you like to receive tips like this every day? Sign up for Daily Agent Tips daily newsletter right now, and instantly download my free e-book "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads!"

Many of You Are Forgetting Something...

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:36:24 -0600

Ok. Just a heads up, here. I see than many people have taken the time to go to Daily Agent Tips and download the free e-book being offered - "59+ Proven Ways to Generate Real Estate Leads." However, some of you are clicking the request, but not checking your emails!

So, when you go to download your free ebook, make sure you check your email right away so that you can confirm your request and receive your instant download.

If you haven't already done so, you can click here to get the free ebook I'm talking about.

Thanks eveyone!

Eric Lowery, Daily Agent Tips

Are Your Trying To Pick Up Turds By The Clean End?

DailyAgentTips.com - Eric C. Lowery — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:24:38 -0600

Here are four recent posts on Daily Agent Tips! Enjoy.

A Simple Plan for Turning Open House Leads Into New Clients

Are You Trying to Pick Up Turds By The Clean End?

Double Your Income Each Year With This Business Strategy

How to Use Seller Concessions to Get A Better Deal For Your Buyer