Open house: a waste of time? This goes for folks who say doing open houses is a waste of time. I like doing open houses: 15% of my business last year was a result of clients whom I impressed during open house.It's the battle of the old versus the new way of farming, or generating business.
S
ome folks prefer to do it the way they've always done it --- walking their farm areas, door hanging, mailing Just sold/listed postcards, etc. And some of them are really good at it and do get a lot of new business that way.
But others, like me, prefer to do find business in other ways. Some ways are tried and true, like writing personal notes, calling your client base, mailing monthly items of value, popping by --- basic principles of Brian Buffini's Working by Referral.
What works for you doesn't work for me
For folks who like to do it the old-fashioned way, go for it. But don't hate me because I like to do it another way.
Don't call me foolish because I invest time in coaching, or that I spend a lot of time blogging and doing other things online.
Don't tell me I'm wasting my time (what, spending days walking around neighborhoods is more efficient?) working online.
Don't tell me I'm wasting my money on a smart phone (putting your schedule on a blackboard or a paper calendar is better than having it on my phone that I carry with me at all times, everywhere?)
Open house: a waste of time? This goes for folks who say doing open houses is a waste of time. I like doing open houses: 15% of my business last year was a result of clients whom I impressed during open house. I once held an open house where there must have been 70-groups who came. I picked up a seller whose house I sold, and who bought a house I listed for a total of three sides.
Don't tell me that creating visual tours doesn't add value to a simple post on the MLS (I'm sure virtual tour companies can produce all kinds of data to support why virtual tours are attention-grabbers, etc).
Guess you don't believe in posting the tours on youtube either.
VisualTour.com makes it so easy to convert the tour to youtube, and to put a link on Facebook.
New business tools
Not one method is the absolute best. It helps to augment your current marketing with other tools that are in tune with how our target audience behave. And those tools include blogging on Active Rain, participating in social and business networks like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, adding your thoughts on Trulia Voices and Zillow.
Going to where my target audience is: ONLINE
In a previous post, I said that 30% of my business last year was from leads I generated via the internet.
With more than 86% of buyers and sellers going online to search for real estate properties and agents, then wherever they are, that's where I'm going to be.
During the Survival Guide 2009 seminar offered by REALTOR.com as part of heir Marketing and Technology Real Estate Series, Max Pigman (VP, REALTOR.com), he gave offered the following thoughts:
-
Outwit: Use the power of free "viral" marketing tools, such as social networking and video podcasting, to connect with prospects and spread the word about your listings. Sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn have been skyrocketing popularity, particularly among the 35-44 age group.
-
Outsell: Embrace technology. Be sure you have an excellent online presence and are using the latest methods to promote your online listings-slide shows, video and virtual tours, and interactive advertising.
-
Outlast: Your marketing can't be stagnant. It must mold to the current market conditions and consumer concerns. Tell buyers about price decreases and attractive interest rates. Educate buyers about the new $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
So...those folks who aren't going to change with the times...stay true to what you do. As for me, I'm hitching my wagon to the stars.
RELATED POSTS:
- Convert VisualTour to Video and post on YouTube
- 10 Things to do when posting on craigslist
- What I did to get 70-80 groups to come to my open house
Comments(15)