Selling Soulfully with Jennifer Allan

Real Estate Prospecting - Turning Cheese into Soul - Open Houses

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:21:44 -0600

After a week away (thank you Robin!), I'm back in the saddle, talking about turning Prospecting Cheese into Soul... Today's topic is the non-cheesy Open House.

First, allow me to pontificate for a moment that I believe the first priority of any open-house-giver is to attempt to sell that house. After all, someone owns that house and has hired you, or an associate of yours to care enough about his listing to try to sell it. And no matter what you tell a seller ahead of time, he really does expect the offers to start pouring in at 4:05.

So, just remember that your primary obligation is to the seller, not yourself. Lecture over.

(For a discussion on whether or not to even hold open houses, click here for my series on the topic).

All that said, most of us do look at an open house as an opportunity to pick up buyers. Maybe even sellers. So, how can you do that without resorting to Old School Cheese? (That sound kinda gross, doesn't it?)

My best advice for figuring out what NOT to do is to spend a sunny Sunday visiting other agents' open houses. Egads, some of us are cheesy. Or, if not cheesy, just plain dumb, aka, unprepared. I visited an open house last winter and eavesdropped in as a visitor asked the agent how old the furnace was. The agent smiled brightly and said those magic words: "I don't know, but I'd be happy to find out for you!" This piqued my curiosity, so I actually went into the basement and, get this - LOOKED at the furnace. It was obviously brand new. I'd think that anyone who had ever seen a furnace could tell that. Of course, that would have meant that the agent would have had to have made that long journey down the stairs to see for herself - but clearly that was too much to ask.

I've also heard rumors of agents requiring ID before allowing visitors into the property. Okay, maybe in a multi-gazillion dollar home, but your run-of-the-mill listing? Puh-leeeeeaze.

Do I require sign-in? No, I don't. I just don't feel comfy doing it, but it's not something I advise against. When I hold an open house, I'm looking for quality over quantity. I'm hoping to connect with one or two visitors; someone I have a natural rapport with. When I find that rapport with a visitor, it's easy for me to draw them into a conversation about real estate and most of the time; they ask ME for my card. I like that. If I had people sign-in, I know I wouldn't follow-up unless I felt that rapport, so I just don't bother.

When you hold an open house, pretend that there's a hidden camera watching your every move (who knows?). Don't do anything the seller wouldn't approve of. Don't criticize the house (that guest you're talking to might know the seller and report back, or he might be a seller prospect himself and be less than impressed with your professionalism!), or aggressively direct visitors toward your fancy list of "other properties they might consider instead." It's far less cheesy (and effective) to be able to simply discuss the market conversationally, rather than push a pre-prepared package on guests.

(If you're enrolled in the SWS Winter of Soul, we'll be doing a thorough discussion of Open House Strategies on January 23!)

Next up... non-cheesy greeting cards...

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The Rookie-to-Rookie Show - The Unanswered Questions

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:13:54 -0600

Hope you were able to join us last weekend for the second Rookie-to-Rookie show at SellwithSoulLand... it was fun! In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, I held a free Teleseminar on Saturday where three newly-non-rookies (thanks Erin Deric, Kate Huntress and Melissa Brown!) shared their secrets for surviving their rookie years. We talked about things like how they financed the venture, what their biggest challenge was, where they spent money they wish they hadn't, how long it took to see a paycheck - stuff like that.

We covered a lot of information, but as always, there were a few questions from the audience we didn't have time for. I promised during the show that I would post those questions in my blog, and solicit answers from my honored guest speakers, and of course... anyone else who'd like to chime in...

Here we go:

1. Do you have a web site?

2. Do you work primarily from home or from your real estate office?

3. Did you take any sales training courses held by the "guru's" of our industry? If so, any recommendations one way or the other?

4. Any advice on how to choose a broker?

5. If a new agent keeps a full time job in the beginning, any advice on if or how to disclose it to prospective clients?

6. I work in an expensive market where the people in my sphere of influence can't afford to buy yet. Any suggestions on ways to reach other prospects?

7. Any suggestions to generate leads if you're new to town?

Okay, ladies! Have at it!

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The Rookie-to-Rookie Show TODAY (Saturday) at 11:30 eastern

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:41:26 -0600

If you're reading this earlier than 8:30 am (pacific) / 11:30 am (eastern) on Saturday, December 5th, you still have time to join us for the second Rookie-to-Rookie Show at SWSLand. It's freeeeeeee.

Here's the scoop:

So much going on, so much to do. But just because the holiday season is upon us doesn't mean we self-employed real estate-types can shut down, especially those who are new in the business. So, I hope you'll join us for the second Rookie-to-Rookie show here in the SWS Studio.

What's the Rookie-to-Rookie show and where exactly is the SWS Studio?

The Rookie-to-Rookie show is a free teleseminar program hosted by me and three newly-non-rookie agents. By "newly-non-rookie" I mean that my guests used to be rookie agents, but they aren't anymore which means... they made it through that first year and survived to tell YOU all about it!

And that's the plan. My guests and I will discuss the rookie experience from the perspective of those who succeeded where the vast majority, um, failed. But trust me, my guests are REAL people, not holier-than-thou mega-producers telling tall tales just to show off.

Here are some of the topics we'll hit:
·         Full time or part time?
·         How long did it take to get your first real prospect?
·         What were your most productive prospecting activities?
·         What was your most embarrassing moment?
·         What was your biggest challenge?
·         What would you do differently if you had it to do over again?
·         What did you spend money or time on that you wish you hadn't?
·         What was the most valuable training tool or system you used? The least?
·         How did you finance your venture into real estate?

Sound like fun? Hope you'll join us! Here's where to register:

http://sellwithsoul.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=65

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. THE SHOW BEGINS SOON!

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Turning Cheese into Soul - Newsletters - The Difference between "Meaningful" and "Interesting"

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:14:33 -0600

The other day I got a very timely question from my cyber-friend Ron, considering this week's Cheese-to-Soul series.

Ron asked if I knew of a source for good real estate-related newsletter content that would be "meaningful" to his Sphere of Influence (his "SOI"). He's frustrated by the material available for purchase, most of which simply feels canned. Moreover, he's uncomfortable using much of it because it relates to topics he's NOT an expert in, such as tax planning, home staging and credit reports.

I agree. As I may have mentioned a time or two, I refuse to use canned, boilerplate material. I think it's cheesy and dorky. (My definition of Dorky is any written, self-promotional communication that is dull, dry, boring or corporate. Most content-for-purchase pretty much qualifies. )

But let's go back to Ron's quest for real estate information that would be "meaningful" to his SOI. Here was my response to him:

"Here's the thing - your SOI doesn't have a lot of interest in real estate on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, there's not much in OUR world that would be generally meaningful to people outside of our world, with a few exceptions that come up from time to time.

You want your newsletters to be interesting to your audience, more so than "meaningful." And you know what's interesting to your SOI? Stuff from YOU. From YOU, their friend, Ron. Maybe an observation about the real estate market, if it's interesting, or to pass on a funny story from your career. Or maybe not related to real estate at all.

I write to my SOI every month in email form, not newsletter form. I want my SOI communications to clearly come from me, not some canned product I bought off a virtual shelf. If newsletters/emails are going to be part of my marketing plan, I'm going to put some effort into them in the hopes of inspiring my friends and acquaintances to think fondly of me, rather than to just simply remember that I sell real estate (and promptly forget)."

So, to pick up from yesterday's blog post on this very topic, remember that the primary goal of your "newsletter" is not to impress, educate or overtly prospect. It's simply to remind the people you know that you exist and that you're a pretty cool guy or gal.

What topics might do that? Well, kinda like blogging, the list is endless... and once you're in the habit, it gets easier and easier to come up with ideas. Here are a few of mine:

Didja' See Me on the News?

Denver Dwellers, what's YOUR special day?

And I thought I was so smart...

I recommend that you always have a notebook with you to scribble down ideas for SOI newsletters - and I think you'll be pleased how quickly your list will grow once you get in the habit.

This seems like a good opportunity for a little SWS plug - I just released my SWS Mega-Toolkit which includes a section of several dozen real-life SOI letters and emails that might give you some ideas for your own 2010 newsletters.

Okay, so that's three blogs on the Art of the Non-Cheesy Newsletter. I think I'll move on now... next up - Greeting Cards! Or... maybe listing presentations... or maybe... heck, I dunno. Just stay tuned!

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Real Estate Prospecting - Turning Cheese into Soul - Newsletters, Part Deux

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:37:39 -0600

In yesterday's installment of the Cheese to Soul series, I commented that I might have half a dozen posts in me about how to create an effective newsletter. Fortunately, or unfortunately, that might actually be true. We'll see how far I get today.

Remember, the goal of a newsletter is to make the recipient of the newsletter smile and think of you fondly. Which is best accomplished not with gardening tips, Just Sold notices or descriptions of your listings, but rather with interesting content that reflects YOU - your voice, your personality. And the best way to do that is to write the content yourself.

Now, don't freak out on me. Writing interesting content YOURSELF is not all that hard, especially if you work under the principle that less is more. As in - don't feel your newsletter has to be formally formatted with a Volume Number, Table of Contents and a three-column layout. Nope. In fact, a simple email-style newsletter will work much better. If you're on my mailing list, you've seen my "newsletters" which are nothing more than me rambling about something, hopefully of interest, with my cute little signature logo at the bottom. No sidebars, very few graphics, and only the occasional sales-pitch (which I usually apologize for).

And, by the way, my newsletters are probably the most important (and effective) self-promotion I do.

Write your newsletters with the goal of inspiring your audience to respond. Responses are good. They open the door to ongoing conversations with your readers and you never know where they'll lead. You're much more likely to get meaningful responses to your newsletters if they're done in a casual format, rather than a formal newsletter format. Whenever I get a newsletter that appears to be professionally-designed, I might be impressed, but I'm not inspired to respond. And, frankly, I make the assumption that the newsletter is mostly boilerplate or sales-pitchy anyway, and not likely to be of interest to me. If I'm pressed for time, I hit DELETE. Which is most of the time.

Make sure your newsletter goes out from YOU - as in, from Your Name. Not from some professional-sounding company or even your fancy tagline. YOUR NAME. Period. I can't tell you how many newsletters I get from people I know, but I'd never know who they were from because the "From" field is a company I've never heard of.

One last tip for today ... DON'T use a program to send out your emails that doesn't allow replies! I was recently added to an acquaintance's Avon drip campaign and right across the top of my daily marketing email (sigh) is the note: "PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL. This email box is not equipped to handle correspondence." Sheesh.

So... what might you write about that would be "meaningful" to your audience and inspire them to respond?

You know the drill... stay tuned.

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Real Estate Prospecting - Turning Cheese into Soul - Newsletters

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:48:21 -0600

Next up on the list of ways to turn Prospecting Cheese into Soul... the ever-popular Newletter! If you've missed the first two installments, you can catch them here:

Turning Cheese into Soul
FSBO's & Expireds

I probably have enough opinions on the topic of Newsletters to fill up half a dozen blogs... and I may just do that. But we have to start somewhere, so let's start, um, here.

We real estate agents love our newsletters, don't we? I wonder how many companies out there are capitalizing on our affection for the newsletter? Encouraging us to "build relationships" via our newsletter... to stay in touch with our friends via our newsletters... to promote ourselves and our wonderfulness via our newsletter?

I'm on a lot of newsletter distribution lists from agents around the country. Some are... well, let's just say that some are better (less-cheesy) than others. Most are clearly purchased "as is" and distributed at the touch of a button (or click of a mouse). Some display a little bit of customization, such as a spot to write a "personal" note and feature a listing or two. A few appear to be 100% created from scratch.

What are the typical topics covered in a real estate agent's newsletter? Lessee... home improvement tips, gardening ideas, recipes, market stats, Just Listed and Just Sold announcements, mortgage news... sorry... but YAWWWWWWWN. Not only does every real estate newsletter seem to follow the same pattern, but half the time, the information is so boilerplate as to not even apply to the local market! Even the fully customized newsletters, while more relevant to the audience, still tend to look, sound and feel like templates.

So let's step back a bit.

What's the real purpose of your newsletter? Is it to...

Educate your audience on the average Days on Market or Price per Square Foot in your area?
Impress the reader by displaying your new listings or bragging about your recent closings?
Ensure your friends know how important it is to winterize their sprinkler systems?
Share your gardening expertise, even though the monthly "tip" is clearly from a different climate?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above, I'll encourage you to think about your answer.

Isn't the ultimate goal of a newsletter to make your audience like you? And remember you?

We can debate all day about what exactly "like" means, but in general, I believe the point of a newsletter is that the person who receives it thinks a little more highly of the person who sent it than they did before it was sent. Which naturally leads to them being just a little more likely to remember that person than they were the day before.

So, what, in a newsletter, might inspire that reaction? Or conversely, what might be the kiss of death?

More next time...

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Real Estate Prospecting - Turning Cheese into Soul - Expired Listings & FSBO's

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:48:07 -0600

Here's the first installment in a series - Turning Cheese into Soul.

For the record, I have never seriously pursued Expireds or FSBO's myself; however, I have BEEN an expired listing and have appeared to be a FSBO, so I speak from the perspective of a consumer, not a real estate agent or trainer.

And I tell ya - the expired and FSBO campaigns I've personally been the recipient of are pretty darn cheesy. Obviously the agents are taking a shotgun approach to getting business from us poor saps who desperately need their "professional services." The good old Numbers Game - throw enough doo doo against the wall and eventually something will stick. And most of it is, indeed, doo doo.*

Here are some examples of the cheesy marketing I've gotten from agents who want my business...

Daily postcards addressed to "Property Owner."
Postcards with a hand-written "Call me! I Have a Buyer for Your Property!" (uh, the house was on the market for the last 9 months).
Envelopes with my name misspelled (at least that's a step above "Property Owner")
Letters with promised "enclosures" missing (e.g. "enclosed is a list of homes that have recently sold in your neighborhood!")
A laughably cheesy series of letters with an insultingly condescending tone.

I've also been cold-called, of course, although not nearly as much as I expected. In almost all cases, the caller was obviously calling from a list and was not in the least bit prepared for a real live human bean to answer the phone. They were usually nervous, probably due to the fact that they were not at all prepared to intelligently discuss the specifics of my listing. I guess they were just shooting for the appointment, and didn't bother to "waste any time" in preparation.

Here's the thing.

The owner of an expired listing or a FSBO probably really WOULD like to hear from you... if you have something to offer aside from a cheesy canned marketing piece and a desperate desire to get a listing agreement signed. These people are not the enemy - they're, yes, real live human beings who have a need they'd love you to fill. But no mass-mailing or cold-calling campaign is going to convince anyone you're the right (wo)man for the job.

What to do instead?

Quality over Quantity. Instead of simply shoveling out postcards, brochures and missing enclosures to as many targets as possible, take the time to personalize your approach to a few. Drive by the home. Take a close look at the expired MLS listing or the FSBO brochure. Note any marketing challenges you see and think about how you would address them. See if you can identify why the home hasn't sold - it may be price, but it very well may not be. Try to figure out if the property is a short sale; that will affect your approach. Ask yourself - "CAN I SELL THIS HOME?"

That's what your target audience wants to know. Can you sell their home?

If I had received just one personal letter (and I don't just mean a hand-written envelope) from an agent who had taken the time to actually LOOK at my situation and address it specifically, that agent would have had a great shot at my business. If one of the agents who called me actually knew where "Doe Run Estates" is located and why it's special (and challenging), I'd have been impressed. If any of them had indicated they had a clue why my property didn't sell, or even a sincere desire to find out, they might have caught my attention.

But, sigh, no. All attempts to entice me to take the next step were in vain. Hopefully they had more luck with their 99 other targets-du-jour...

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE OF TURNING CHEESE INTO SOUL...

*For the record, I like Borino's Expired Plus system. It's not cheesy and it's not simply a series of letters designed to beat down a homeowner's resistance. It's aggressive, but do-able for a soulful sort.

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Real Estate Prospecting - Turning Cheese into Soul

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:49:58 -0600

It's that time of year where thoughts turn to holidays and business plans. What to do, what to do in the new year to make it better than this last one?!

It's awfully tempting to seek comfort in traditional prospecting methods that have worked (?) for decades. Even if it sounds ghastly to you to knock on doors, call up perfect strangers or pester your friends for referrals; even if your bank account can't really handle an expensive mailing or advertising campaign, you figure... "heck, if it's good enough for so-and-so, it's good enough for me!"

Trouble is, and you know this deep inside, these traditional methods are cheesy. Uncomfortable. And increasingly ineffective as consumers tire of being marketed to. Combine your obvious discomfort in implementing cheesy prospecting methods with the general public's weariness of said methods... and what you have is a colossal waste of your time and money. Neither of which many of us have in great supply these days.

So, what to do instead? How can you, as I very cleverly just coined, Turn Cheese into Soul?

Over the next several episodes, I'll tackle some of the most popular "traditional" prospecting methods (like Expired listings, FSBO's, Open Houses & Internet leads) and show you ways to make them work for you ...without selling your soul to do so. ... yep, it can be done!

Sneak peak - all my Cheese-to-Soul advice will center around stepping out of the Numbers Game of prospecting - to approach your prospecting with a Quality over Quantity mindset...

Stay tuned!

FREEEEE Rookie-to-Rookie Teleseminar on Saturday Morning, December 5th
Register Here

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A Ridiculously Easy Way to Charm Your Sphere of Influence Today

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:28:41 -0600

Today you'll probably gets lots of Happy Thanksgiving ecards in your inbox.

Respond to each and every one. Won't take more than a few seconds. Just hit that REPLY button, say something nice, e.g., "Thanks for thinking of me - have a wonderful holiday!" or, take it a step further and initiate a get-together after the holiday, e.g. "Wow- I was just thinking about you - let's go have coffee!"

Feel free to send me YOUR Thanksgiving ecard and watch me practice what I preach!

jennifer@sellwithsoul.com

p.s. if you're on my mailing list, watch your email over the holiday; I'm having a little virtual party at my place. Invitation only...

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"I'm Your Friend, So I'll be Honest with you...!"

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:12:20 -0600

Couldn't sleep last night. Got up, turned on the TV, flipped thru channels until I landed on HGTV. When I can't sleep, HGTV tends to be my go-to channel since they usually have SOMETHING on besides "paid programming."

Anyway, I got my first taste of The Property Shop with real estate goddess Tatiana. I'd heard that she wasn't exactly the warmest, fuzziest real estate broker on the planet... and, indeed, I doubt she's often accused of being a little ray of sunshine.

This particular show's overall theme was the difficulty of working with friends and family. Okay, fine. You have my attention since that's sorta what I preach about all day long.

The first storyline has Tatiana reluctantly listing an overimproved loft in the 'hood. For a friend. Said friend had been trying to sell the loft for a year, priced at $900,000. No luck. Location sucks.

Tatiana comes in and says two things that made me LOL.

#1 - "Since you're my friend, I'll be honest with you. You're overpriced!"

#2 - "Since you're my friend, I'll list it for you at $895,000, but if it doesn't sell, we'll have to... blah blah blah."

Call me fussy, but since when is "friendship" a requirement for honesty in a real estate transaction? And since when do friends let friends overprice because they're friends?

Maybe I'm just punchy from lack of sleep...

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Greatness Doesn't Inspire Me Nearly as Much as Mediocrity Does

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:54:20 -0600

We read about Great leaders who have overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve... well... Great things. We hear stories of tippy-top producers who found themselves at some point living in their cars... but today make gazillions of dollars. Closer to (my) home, there are stories like Jack Canfield's where he had to peddle his idea for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book to dozens of publishers before one bit... and it became one of the best-selling books of all time.

Stories like these are supposed to be inspiring. But can I be brutally honest for a moment? I find them more intimidating than inspiring. Call me humble (ha!), but I'm just not sure I have what it takes to reach such Greatness and prosperity. Besides that, I've never lived in my car, which seems to be a pre-requisite for Greatness, although I have run out of gas a few times. Does that count?

I find far more inspiration in mediocrity. When I need to rev myself up to work on a chapter in my next book or prepare for an upcoming speaking gig, I seem to magically stumble upon someone in my industry who does their craft poorly, or at least, without Greatness. Many of whom are quite successful, I might add! Just the other day I was reading a fairly popular book about entrepreneurship (which is the topic of my next book) and was stunned at how superficial and obvious, not to mention poorly edited the material was. I mean, DUH. This stuff comes straight from Old School Self-Promotion 101 -- and the book was touted as revolutionary!

Anyway, after reading about half the book, I couldn't wait to get back to working on mine which I'd backburnered earlier this year. Heck, if this guy's stuff can be considered "revolutionary," to what heights might MY stuff climb?!

This approach could easily apply in a real estate career. Sure, there are a handful of real estate practitioners who are Great but the vast majority is, by definition, average. Many, of course, are less-than-average, but darnit, if they don't do okay!? Frustrating, isn't it?

Well, take that frustration and be inspired by it. Visit open houses on Sundays and observe how poorly many agents handle them - their signage, their (lack of) knowledge of the home and neighborhood, and their often-uncomfortable rapport-building skills. Eavesdrop on the other agents in your office and hear how unprofessional some of them sound while talking to prospects and clients. Preview listings in your area and notice how poorly they are priced and marketed. Read through several MLS listings and see how many fields are incomplete and the descriptions dull. As you work your own deals, note how long it takes for other agents to return your calls, and how unfriendly or unprofessional their outgoing voicemail messages are.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

If you, like me, are intimidated by the Great, look to the mediocre for inspiration. You can do better, significantly so, and in today's world of increasing mediocrity, you might find yourself among the Great!

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A Real Estate Career is NOT for the Liability-Phobic**

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:04:26 -0600

Been watching a conversation elsewhere on the web about whether or not to put buyers in your car... as opposed to driving separately. While some of the comments are ridiculously snotty ("They can drive themselves!" or "Let THEM use their own gas!"), the most sincere objection seems to be that putting another warm body in your car creates liability for you.

We hear similar objections all the time to doing things that serve our clients. DON'T attend inspections! DON'T recommend mortgage brokers! Don't give any advice that might be construed as legal! Don't put buyers in your car! Blah blah blah.

Basically, in order to CYA to the best of your ability, you should, as one instructor put it - "stand outside and smoke" during most phases of a real estate transaction. To avoid liability, y'know.

Well, shoot, I don't buy it. My buyers and sellers pay me darn good money to be intimately involved with every facet of their real estate transaction. And I show up. Yes, to inspections. I get on the roof and join the party in the crawlspace. If I don't know three good inspectors, I recommend only the one or two I like. I write my own addendums that probably border on practicing law. And yes, I put buyers in my car.*

It's my job. And in my 13 years of doing my job, I can honestly say I've been richly rewarded for doing my job and only threatened legally once. By doing my job, I serve my clients, which not only leads to happy clients, but more paychecks for ME ‘cause my deals close!

I know what I'm doing. And I shall do it. Even if I risk being sued. This is a liability-ridden business. If you cain't take that heat... go find another kitchen to play in.

*Here's my opinion on putting buyers in my car:
In 13 years, I can count on one hand (okay, maybe two) the number of times I've ridden separately from my buyers. I usually drive, but if my buyer has a car-seat issue, I'll ride with them. The only times I've had a buyer follow me is if we're meeting at the house and only looking at a few others - then it just seems to make sense.

The time spent driving between houses is great bonding, rapport-building and information-gathering time. I can't imagine not having that time with my buyers as we're getting to know each other and figuring out what they want in a house. It also gives me the opportunity to demonstrate my expertise in the area and for them to ask questions which, assuming I can answer (!), builds my credibility.

I've shopped for houses in other markets and the agents always drove. I'm trying to imagine them leaving me in my rental car to follow them in an unfamiliar town... and I'm pretty sure I would think they were rude, antisocial, lazy or ashamed of their car. I certainly wouldn't think MORE of them if they made me drive myself.

That said, if I didn't feel safe with someone, I probably wouldn't want them in my car, but neither would I be working with them.

** Nothing written here should be construed as legal advice <grin>

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Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Neighborhoods, Step Four - Analyzing the SOLDs - Dealing with the Outliers

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:06:00 -0600

Thanks to those who are sticking thru this series with me! While I think that the process of properly pricing homes is fascinating stuff, I know it's not nearly as sexy as other topics! (Although SELLING your properly priced listing is very sexy, indeed.)

In the previous installments...

Introduction
Step One - Before you price, prepare!
Step Two - Preview, preview, preview
Step Three - Play detective

...we talked about how to effectively preview the competition to figure out where your potential listing falls into the scheme of things. So, what about the SOLDs?

The problem with using SOLDs in your market analysis is, unless you've been a previewing mad(wo)man over the last eight months, you probably haven't seen the inside of the properties, and now it's too late. So you have to go off the MLS description - a very risky proposition!

But we'll do our best.

Print off all the SOLDs that seem to be comparable, even if they're much higher or lower than your assumption of the market value of "your" listing. Drive by all of them! Pay special attention to the outliers - the ones that seem to have sold way out of whack to the rest of the market, or whose Days on Market statistic is unusually low or high.

There's a good chance your drive-by will reveal the reason for the out-of-line price or DOM. Perhaps there's a commercial building next door, behind or across the street. Or, common in Denver, a corner lot that doesn't have a private back yard, or any back yard at all. Maybe it's a pop-top done wrong and doesn't fit in with the neighborhood. Busy street with a bus stop in the front yard?

Or conversely, you might see that it has a stellar location with an extra-large lot, a mountain view, or around the corner (at a suitable distance) from a popular coffee shop.

If the reason for the outlying price and/or DOM isn't obvious from your drive-by, go line-by line through the MLS listing. Is it missing a garage in a market that expects garages? No basement? One bathroom? Obviously, if the interior photos show that it needs work, that's relevant. Check the showing instructions to see if there are any obvious limitations on access.

If all else fails, and you really feel a particular house is a good comparable, call the listing agent. Hopefully they'll be helpful in helping you understand why the house sold at the price it did. Or, maybe not. But give it a try.

It really is the outliers that give you the most grief when looking at the SOLDs. There probably are some sold listings that fall right in line with what you're thinking the price of your listing ought to be, but the ones that don't give you fits. The more research you do on these outliers will not only make your CMA stronger, but will give you an air of confidence when going through your CMA with a seller.

Next Time - Putting it All Together

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Broadband Cards, Bandwidth Limitations, Back-Up Programs... and Video Blogging

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:52:24 -0600

Yeah, I know. Scintillating stuff!

But I'm wondering...

I live out in the country and the only high speed internet I can get is through a broadband card (well, I could have satellite, but satellite sucks). For $60/month, Verizon gives me 5GB of bandwidth to use to my heart's content. They SWEAR that's more than a normal human being could ever possibly use.

Uh, not quite. My first month I blew through 24GB of bandwidth, which I later discovered was due to my Carbonite back-ups always running. Y'know how much going almost 20k over your bandwidth allowance will cost you? $900. But since I'm such a good customer, Verizon graciously reduced that to $190. Still... ouch.

So, now, I'm, shall we say, a little more cautious with my precious bandwidth. Not only do I disable my Carbonite until I'm somewhere I can connect wirelessly, but I never, ever, ever play videos. Truth be told, I wasn't a big fan of videos before, but now that I might be financially punished for watching them, I don't even consider it. If a video comes in an email... I delete it. In a blog? NEXT.

Am I the only person on the planet who depends on a broadband card for internet service? Or, as more and more computers come with broadband cards installed, will this be more of an issue for video-blogging which has been touted as the next great thing?

Just a Sunday morning ramble...

Just Released!
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Playing Detective... Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Neighborhoods - Step 3

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:04:19 -0600

Here's the third, well, kinda the fourth (if you count the introductory teaser) installment in my series "Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Neighborhoods." You can read the rest of the series here:

Introduction
Step One - Before you price, prepare!
Step Two - Preview, preview, preview

I've had a few comments come in to the tune of "Wow - that's a lot of work - is it really necessary to spend so much time pricing a home?" Well, I say - YES! It is necessary! After all, our product is property, and our sellers pay us darn good money to know our product and move THEIR product off the shelf... so I believe with all my heart that we owe it to our future adoring fans to do our homework and make the most knowledgeable recommendations we're capable of.

Although... we'll never be perfect. Sigh.

Back to Pricing.

In the last installment, I talked about how important it is to preview preview preview. The more competing listings you preview, the better sense you'll have of where your listing falls into the mix.

Remember, the houses you're previewing are 1) the competition for your listing and 2) houses that haven't sold.

Why is it important to check out the active listings? Some agents don't preview because they don't think the active listings are relevant. "All that matters is SOLD." Eh, I disagree. First, what's SOLD is not competing with your upcoming listing, and when you're dealing with older homes, buyers don't always have a lot of options that meet their criteria. In many cases, the buyer will only find one or two homes that even come close, so knowing what they're comparing your listing to is critical.

Second, it's important to know WHY that active competition hasn't sold. Especially if it appears to be "priced well." You'll never know for sure why a house hasn't sold by looking at the MLS, although you may have your suspicions. It's not as if the listing agent is going to tell you that the house reeks of cat urine or point out that there's no bathroom on the main floor.

So, when you're previewing, ask yourself...

WHY hasn't this house sold?
WHAT makes it superior (or inferior) to "my" listing?
HOW could the listing agent do a better job marketing this home?
WHO is the ideal buyer for this property and is it the same ideal buyer as "mine" will attract?
(I can't think of a "when" or a "where," so I'll move on).

Training yourself to ask these questions at every house you preview makes you a better previewer, and therefore, a better pricer. It also helps you to remember each house so you can speak intelligently about the competition with your seller when discussing pricing, as well as down the road when that homes' status changes (sells, withdraws or reduces the price), you'll be able to nod and say to yourself, "Hmmmm, I thought so!"

Speaking of down the road... this is another important reason to preview. When or if the competition sells, you'll be familiar with it in case appraisal problems come up on YOUR property and the appraiser wants to use comparables that aren't appropriate. If you've been IN all the comparables, it's much easier to make a compelling case!

Okay, ‘nuff about previewing. Next time, we'll talk about how to evaluate the SOLDs in your CMA to help you price your historic home in your urban neighborhood!

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The Facebook Fan Page - Do You Join Because There's Value There... or Just To Be Polite?

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:30 -0600

In my continuing effort to better understand the professional value of a presence on Facebook, I am now going to ask for help on the concept of the Facebook Fan Page.

Let me disclose upfront that I have Fan Page and I am grateful for every one of the 305 310 313 fans who have, well, become fans. I even post there most days, and get a huge kick when someone comments on my postings.

But I must admit, I really don't see the point. As far as I can tell, conversations generated on Fan Pages tend to die out pretty quickly since the conversationalists aren't notified that someone has replied to a comment. Outta sight, outta mind.

And, well, this next bit is a little touchy.

I get invited to become a fan to at least a dozen fan pages a day. Mostly from real estate agents who are Facebook Friends on my personal page. That's totally cool.

But again, what's the point of becoming a fan of a real estate agent in another market except just to be polite? I can't say I'm much interested in the comings and goings of their local market, or of their listings or open houses. No offense, but well, I'm just not. Now, if the point of becoming a fan IS to do so out of politeness, that's fine, I'll do it. I want to have good manners, to be sure. If I never visit the Fan Page, I guess no one will know, so what harm does it do?

Am I missing something? Is there something really cool about these Facebook Fan Pages that has escaped my notice (MINE INCLUDED)? I'm serious - it may very well be the case because I'm still utterly perplexed by why anyone would want to Twitter. Although, I do have a Twitter account, too...

So... if YOU have joined a Fan Page (mine or anyone else's), why did you do it? Because you care about what that person or company is up to? Or just to be polite?

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Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Market - Step Two - Preview, Preview, Preview!

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:43:11 -0600

Just another installment in the series: Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Markets...

Introduction
Step One

In the last installment, I recommended that you always, always, always drive by your subject property before doing anything else. If you can get inside, so much the better...

So after you have a good visual of your subject property, it's time to go check out the competition - otherwise known as "previewing." (If your market frowns on previewing, and many do, please share with the audience how on earth you properly price homes!).

When I interview to list a property, I often find myself bonding with the home, to the point where it's almost as hard for me to be objective about it as it is for the sellers. I really have to fight the temptation to be overly critical of "my" listing's competition, while excusing "my" listing's challenges and flaws. Sometimes I'll take another agent with me on my previewing tour to help keep me objective.

SELECTING THE HOMES TO PREVIEW
Which homes should you preview? In a word (okay, a phrase) - as many as you can. Even if they aren't exactly comparable. With every house you tour, you gain a little better grasp on the up-to-the-minute marketplace, which makes it much easier to pinpoint the proper price range to recommend. It just happens naturally. As you look at the competition, you'll start to get a feeling for where your listing falls in the scheme of things, and the more you look at, the more confident you'll be in that feeling.

I try to preview at least 10 houses when I'm pricing a home. Sometimes I'll get lazy and only hit five - and I always regret it. It seems that it's right around the sixth or seventh house that I start to trust my gut about pricing. And that gut feeling is further confirmed on the eighth, ninth and tenth.

Depending on my price range, I'll preview all comparable houses within $50,000 (on each side) of where I think my listing will fall. By "comparable," I mean homes that offer similar square footage for the money. I probably won't preview a 1,000 sqft Bungalow if I'm listing a 2,000 sqft Victorian; they just won't attract the same buyer, even though they may very well be priced similarly. I always preview any homes within one block of my seller's property, even if they aren't comparable at all. It's just good practice in case the seller asks you about it.

Always preview the low outliers. A "low outlier" is a house that looks good on paper, but seems to be a screaming deal. You need to know why it's priced so well... but hasn't sold. There probably is a good reason. If there isn't, then this is the listing to beat. But we'll talk about that later.

How about the high outliers? The houses that are priced way above the rest, which are probably getting your seller all excited? Look at those, too. Chances are that they're just grossly overpriced (and the more houses you look at, the more sure you'll be of this). If they aren't overpriced, there's something really fabulous about them, and you need to know what it is.

As you're setting your previews, note if any homes are difficult to show. That will definitely affect market value. And frankly, if they are, I'll skip them. Lazy? Maybe, but on the other hand, a difficult-to-show home is not going to be comparable to MY listing because I don't take difficult-to-show listings!

Effective previewing in an urban market entails a lot more than just looking at a bunch of homes. Sure, that's what you're going to do (look at a bunch of homes), but in order to really evaluate the information you're gathering, you need to go in with the heart & mind of a detective.

We'll talk about that next time.

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It's That Time of Year Again... Doo-Dad Time!

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:09:28 -0600

Ahhhhhhh... flickering jack-o-lanterns... the changing o'the leaves... the first snowfall... chestnuts roasting on an open fire... and time to order your end-of-year Doo-Dads!

Every year 'round this time, real estate agents open their checkbooks (or, better said, key in their credit card numbers) and spend millions of dollars on calendars and other Doo-Dads designed to be distributed to anyone and everyone who crosses their paths. The goal? Why, to ensure that every human being on the planet knows who they are, what they do and how to reach them, of course!

A worthy goal, indeed.

Even I, staunch opponent of the typical Doo-Dad, am sorely tempted this time of year to spend my few remaining marketing dollars on something of value to throw at my sphere of influence in hopes of drumming up some last minute fourth-quarter business or filling up my pipeline for the spring season.

But sheesh, most Doo-Dads are really silly. C'mon - personalized fly-swatters? Ice-scrapers? Lip balm? Oh, I'm not sayin' that I won't use a free fly-swatter, ice-scraper or lip balm, but I can pretty much promise you that such Doo-Dads are NOT going to make me feel obligated to use the person or company whose name graces said Doo-Dad!

That said... I like magnets. Always have. Not just any old magnet, mind you; it has to be cool if it's gonna go on my fridge. Even more important, it has to be cool if it's gonna get sent out to my precious sphere of influence.

What do I mean by "cool?" Glad you asked.

A "cool" magnet is one that is 1) extremely clever or attractive, and/or 2) contains truly useful information that the recipient will appreciate and 3) reflects my personality or interests.

What are some examples of UNcool magnets? Oh, how about a plain-jane, vanilla business card magnet? Or a list of kitchen measurements? Or, from someone like me, the sports schedule of the local hockey team? (But if you LOOOOOOOVE hockey, this would be totally cool for you).

If you're going to spend your hard-earned dollars on Doo-Dads, put your money where your heart is. If something seems a bit silly to you, it probably is. As with every other prospecting method you evaluate, be willing to listen to what your gut has to say on the matter. If your gut seems to be saying "Eh... we can do better," trust me, you can.

Here's a link to what I consider to be the ULTIMATE in Doo-Dad-Coolness. Yeah, I had a hand in creating it, so of course I think it's cool, but I'd love your thoughts as well. And please share your own experiences with Doo-Dads - d'good, d'bad and d'ugly!

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Thank You for Re-Blogging!

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:06:44 -0500

I've been re-blogged a lot lately. Well, maybe not a LOT, but some. And in the past, it never occurred to me to check out the re-blogs - I just saw that little blue dot (or two) at the top of my post and smiled, knowing someone thought enough of my writing to include it in their own blog.

Then suddenly, one morning, duh, I realized that when others post my stuff, they attract their own audiences to the blog and start up whole new conversations about me behind my back in front of my face!

How cool is that?!

I visited all my re-blogs. Whoa - talk about fun! All these nice comments about me and my stuff that I didn't even know were out there! And more than a few people who had never heard of me (oh my!) who said they'd go check me out. Sweeeeeeet.

So, Lenn, Bob, Robin, Shirley, Donald, June, Gabe, Anthony, John and joe blow (yeah, seriously) ...... THANKS for the Re-blog! I shall endeavor to return the favor...

Happy Hallooooooweeeeeeen!

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Pricing Historic Homes in Urban Markets - Step One - Make Like a Boy Scout...

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:22:17 -0500

Earlier this week (or maybe last week?) I promised to do a little series with tips on how to properly price historic homes in urban markets. Here's where I promised that - you might want to read it first.

Got distracted by conversations ‘bout Real Estate Reality Shows, but here I am again, back to the more mundane issues of our daily grind... pricing homes to sell. Yawn. (I say that a little sarcastically; I totally love this stuff).

Pricing historic homes in urban markets is a bit (a lot?) more time-consuming than pricing newer homes in planned developments. But, at least to my way of thinking, it's a whole lot more fun! Hope you think so, too...

Step One is to Drive by the Home. Never, ever, ever begin the pricing process until you've at least driven by the subject property. You need to have an accurate mental picture of the home and its general location on the planet in order to take the next step. When you drive by, be sure to look for any locational challenges such as nearby railroad tracks, overhead high-tension power lines, undesirable neighbors (either commercial or residential) or obvious parking issues. If the home has an alley, drive through it to see what the back of the house overlooks.

Very few older urban homes are in a perfect location; almost all have some locational "amenity" that buyers will object to. You need to be aware of any such objections upfront. On the other hand, if the subject property IS in a perfect location, that's something you need to know as well, because most of the comparables you'll be using won't be.

While we're on the topic, it's far better if you can get inside the house before you prepare your CMA. I usually handle this by doing a 2-step listing presentation - the first being an information-gathering/rapport-building meeting and the second focusing on the current market - i.e. pricing. (Actually, I do a three-step listing presentation, but I'll talk about that later).

That said, whether you do a one-step, two-step or even three-step listing presentation, never meet face2face with a seller without first, driving by the house, and second, perusing the relevant market data online. You need to be at least conversational about the local market, even if you haven't done your detailed research yet. Remember, the general public thinks all we do all day is drive around and look at houses, so if you stutter, stammer and hedge when the seller asks you about his neighborhood's market activity during your first meeting, he'll certainly doubt your professionalism and expertise. Being able to casually toss out a few neighborhood statistics or hyper-local market factoids will do wonders for your confidence and credibility.

If there are any homes for sale or any that have recently sold within one block of the seller's home, know the details of the listings or sales, even if they aren't comparable. Your seller knows all about them and he'll expect you to as well.

Homeowners in urban markets tend to be pretty enamored with their neighborhood and will expect their real estate agent to be, too. So, be as prepared as you can, as early as you can.

Next Time - Step Two - Gentlemen (and ladies), Start Your Research!

The 2009-2010 Winter of Soul Kicks off November 18th! Click here to read more

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"Real Estate is a Relationship Business" - Not exactly... (A Rant)

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:06:14 -0500

We hear this all the time - heck, I say it all the time! "Real Estate is a Relationship Business" - meaning that the more people who know you and like you, the more real estate you'll sell. As opposed to the good old Numbers Game philosophy that the more people who throw away your monthly marketing postcards or ignore your newspaper advertising, the more real estate you will sell.

And of course, I believe that - at least the part about how the more people who know you and like you, the more real estate you'll sell.

But is real estate really a relationship business?

I say no.

This blog was partially inspired by an episode of Million Dollar Listing (don't get me started). Okay, too late.

The three twenty-something boys young men drama queens who are the stars of the real estate reality show seem to have an unending supply of "Dear Friends" with gazillions of dollars to spend on real estate (or gazillion-dollar homes to sell). Dear, dear friends. "After all," sez Chad, "Real estate is a relationship business."

Hmmmmm.

If you've ever watched the show with a critical/cynical eye, you might have noticed that these boys young men drama queens give abysmally bad counsel. Often laughably self-serving, almost always bordering on incompetent. They advise their Dear Friends to make full price offers in a declining market before the house even hits the market. They allow their sellers to dictate the price and terms of their listings, whining all the while that the seller is being unreasonable (but not knowing what else to do). They talk their buyers out of even asking for repairs at inspection because the seller has already come down on his price (again, in a recessionary market).

I don't know anything about agency law in California, but if it's anything like Colorado, these boys young men drama queens are failing in their agency obligations to their clients. Or, if not technically violating agency law, definitely doing nothing to earn their $100k+++ commissions.

Speaking of commissions, a recent episode showed Madison being dismayed when his seller client accepted a lowball offer on her $3.75M listing which resulted in - get this - a $42,000 decrease in commissions for him! Poor Madison.

So, what does this have to do with real estate and relationships?

Selling real estate is about knowing how to sell real estate. Let's say that differently. It's about knowing how to manage and facilitate the exchange of real property so that the buyer or seller who hired you is satisfied with the outcome.

Sure, building your real estate business may have everything to do with your relationships, but THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DO! Is tax preparation a relationship business? Is dentistry a relationship business? Is dog-training a relationship business?

No, we expect our tax preparers to know how to prepare taxes. We hope our dentists know how to fix cavities. We expect a dog-trainer to be a master in dog behavior. That's their business.

Our buyers and sellers have the right to expect that we know our business. Which is... how to manage and facilitate the exchange of real property. Not how to persuade our Dear Friends to provide us with easy paychecks.

Rant Over.

As promised, I'll return to my little series on pricing historic homes in urban neighborhoods... I just got distracted today.

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Dave Ramsey Podcast CDs up for Grabs...

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:59:00 -0500

Hey Dave Ramsey Fans...

I have a big box of CDs I've burned of Dave Ramsey's podcasts from the TMMO website. I listen to 'em in the car and then toss them in a box in the back seat. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds of these CDs just sitting there, and I have no further use for them.

Anyone want 'em? They aren't fancy - just a whole bunch of unlabeled CDs with two commercial-free DR shows on each.

Let me know and I'll send them to you...

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Dave Ramsey Podcast CDs Up for Grabs!

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:54:17 -0500

Hey Dave Ramsey Fans...

I have a big box of CDs I burned of Dave Ramsey's podcasts from the TMMO website. I listen to 'em and then toss them in a box in the back seat of my car. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds of these CDs just sitting there, and I have no further use for them.

Anyone want 'em? They aren't fancy - just a whole bunch of unlabeled CDs with two commercial-free DR shows on each.

Let me know and I'll send them to you...

Jennifer

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"Jennifer, What Do You Think of Client Appreciation Parties?"

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:19:37 -0500

Earlier this week, I spoke on the subject of Selling to Your Sphere of Influence - No Sales Pitch Required! at the Colorado REALTOR Convention.

As I usually do, I did my best to debunk many of the sacred cows of the SOI- business model training industry, such as how important it is to ask for referrals, why it's a great idea to categorize your friends based on their history of referring to you - stuff like that.

The crowd seemed to accept my protestations that this behavior is not only obnoxious, but that it's not terribly effective. Cool.

I closed my presentation by encouraging the audience to evaluate every prospecting strategy that crosses their path from their gut... to ask themselves if the strategy they're considering is one they're excited about and proud of; to be honest with themselves as to how they would respond to the strategy if used on them and whether or not it would annoy them, if used on them. And to trust what their guts have to say on the matter.

A woman in the back of the room raised her hand and asked if I "approved" of Client Appreciation parties. I asked her if she would enjoy holding such an event and she said she would. I responded with "then absolutely - have that party" with the explanation that if you enjoy doing something, it's probably a good prospecting activity for you. Me? Nah, I'd be too afraid no one would show up and it wouldn't be worth the pre-party stress!

But later I gave this some more thought and wish I had just another 45 seconds in that room to share the rest of the story...

Which is... I just can't get excited about the phrase "client appreciation party." Oh, it's not the worst thing in the world, but to me, it sounds like an event specifically held to make me feel obligated to the host with my future real estate business, as opposed to a party where I'll have a great time. I dunno - there's just something about that title that gives the introvert in me the heebie-jeebies - even more so than a run-of-the-mill party invitation might evoke.

Am I saying not to have the party? Heavens no! Party on, my friend! But call it something else! Have your party in conjunction with an event of general appeal - Oktoberfest, Halloween, your or your spouse's birthday, the World Series or Super Bowl, your housewarming celebration (even if you moved over a year ago!), or just your "first annual wine and cheese tasting" party.

Don't approach your precious Sphere of Influence as a real estate agent first and foremost, as if that's all you are to them. Be a friend or pleasant acquaintance, who throws a good party, and oh, yeah, also happens to sell real estate.

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Ten Ways to Show Your Seller You Don't Care

Jennifer Allan, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:54:42 -0500

Now that the listing agreement is signed and your FOR SALE sign is in the yard, you're done, right? Onto the next victim prospect to WOW with your fancy listing presentation and 132-point marketing plan! Of course, most of those 132 points are pretty much fluff & nonsense, but by the time you've overwhelmed the seller with your promises of Exceptional Service and Total Commitment, he probably won't notice.

No, he probably WON'T notice at the time, but he'll certainly notice later. The good news is that by then it's too late! He's committed to stuck with you! And you'll be damned if you'll let him out of your listing agreement after you've spent ALL THAT MONEY and ALL THAT TIME on his listing! Besides, he probably won't have the guts to even ask (whew!).

Want to Show Your Seller How Much You (Don't) Care?

It's easy! Just follow these simple steps...

1. Don't send your seller a copy of the MLS listing entry to get his feedback.

2. Don't let him know when his house officially goes "on the market."

3. Don't offer to do an open house, and be sure to argue with him if he asks you to.

4. Don't call the seller after your open house with feedback.

5. Don't call the seller after you show his house with feedback.

6. Don't call after the first few showings just to check in.

7. Don't monitor showings, but the next time you talk, ask "Have you had any showings lately?"

8. Put up a brochure box, but never fill it (or let it stay empty after the first batch is gone).

9. Don't send the seller copies of your advertising.

10. Don't contact the seller at all until it's time to ask for price reduction or to extend the listing.

If you follow these simple instructions for each and every one of your listings, you will be assured a long, glorious career of prospecting, prospecting, prospecting to keep that pipeline filled! You'll never have to worry about repeat or referral business distracting you from your all-important prospecting schedule...

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