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Do You Have A Clear Focus for your Business?

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty Diamond Partners Inc

I have spent the past five years working in the traditional mode of focusing on listing homes and representing buyers and sellers in response to email, phone call, Internet, walk-in, and referral leads as well as to leads resulting from my own prospecting, SOI contacts, etc. I have naturally brought my own style and my own twist to this but there is nothing particularly unique about how I have been operating. I don't have a system to peddle.

Along the way I have explored many of the coaching and business building programs offered, each of which claimed to be the best yet, produce results others only dream of, etc. Each citing the success of their clients as reasons why it would work for me or you or anyone else willing to pay thousands of dollars for the books, tapes, hour-per-week telephone calls, etc. Real Estate is not a lot different from other areas in that the one who usually makes the most money from these systems is the one promoting the system.

I spent thousands on subscriptions to REALTOR.com, top producer, eNeighborhood, and others. I have looked at hundreds of agent websites, some custom designed, some template drive, many with a very attractive look and feel, and others that wouldn't win any awards for aesthics. I've tried to analyze these sites, not just by look and feel but from the standpoint of what they offer the consumer and why a buyer or seller would want to bookmark them and return later, why a buyer or seller would decide to use the sponsor of the site to help them find a home or sell a home, and in terms of how they went about lead capture. I have invested in Pay-per-Click with some success and I have optimized my own sites with considerable success.

Reflecting on all of this input or environmental scan, one of the inescapable conclusions I drew from my research (some of it very expensive research) was that very few agents do a very good job of communicating their core business. Boil it down and most agents are saying:

You want to list a house? We can do that!

You want to buy a house? We can sell you one!

Want to know know about current mortgage rates? We can provide the info!

Want to know about tax credits? We can help you!

Want to find a foreclosure to buy? We can help you!


While this may sound like everyone is a full-service agency and can offer a wide range of services, the image created may be, I am a jack of all trades, and a master of none!

One of the principles of successful business is: FOCUS!

Most successful businesses know precisely what their core business is and they focus on it like a laser beam. Everything they do is targeted on their core business.

Following that principle, I have spent the past year preparing for the launching in 2010 of a new FOCUS to my business. Yes, I am still a REALTOR; I am still in the Real Estate Business; I will still help you market your home if you like and I will do a very good job for you if I am your marketing agent.

But my primary business as of January 2010 is, I am John Cleek, The Buyer's Agent!

Here's what that means for me:
1. I introduced a new website (not just a tweaking of one of my existing sites) 3 days ago at www.home-buying-made-easy.com check it out. I am still adding to it and will be for some time to come but the basic layout, the landing page, won't change a lot from the way it is now. Check out Cleek's 10 Dos and Don'ts for Home Buyers.

2. I have completed my new consumer guide to buying a home, Seven Steps to Home Ownership, Home Buying Made Easy. The book will be available via Amazon in April, before too long a Kindle version will be ready, and an e-book edition is available now. Immediate download is available through the website listed above. This book was written for Buyers first, not as an alternative to using a buyer's agent but as a companion to using an agent. I plan to give a copy of the book to every buyer who seeks my services.

3. I will introduce the Buyer's Newsletter in March which will be a monthly free online source of current news about anything and everything of interest to home buyers. Sign-up will be on the above website.

4. I am developing a Registry for interested Buyer's Agents from anywhere in the country who are interested in receiving referrals from buyers in their area. This will not be a registry where all you have to do is pass the breath/mirror test and have a current real estate license. I will have a checklist of qualifications as a screening tool to make sure that those who sign the registry are in fact committed and qualified to provide robust service to buyers. (The book includes, on page 29 in the online version,  a Buyer's Agent Job Description which is much more demanding than just possession a license to practice real estate.)

5. Links to online resources including an IDX search, interactive calculators such as the Ginnie Mae, How Much Can I Afford to Spend, and Kiplinger's How much will my house payment be?

6. An FAQ for Home Buyers which will include answers to all of the questions submitted by Buyers. Consumers who purchase the book will use a dedicated e-mail address to ask questions and obtain answers free but they will be asked to show evidence they first checked the FAQ so as not to ask a question already answered.

I am interested in hearing how you see the FOCUS of your business in the year ahead. I am also open to collaborate with anyone who shares my focus on buyer agency.

Comments (2)

Carlos B
TreeHouseForRent.Com - Exeter, CA

Great title for your new website! The first thought that popped into my head, when I read it, was "Ask the Builder," and "Ask.Com" I believe if you provide your site as an authority where people can go to get questios answered, you new site could, over time, surpass your own expectations. Ask the Builder earns over $2,000 per day from Google adsense ads alone. Freeforclosuredatabase.com over $3,000. Regards!

 

 

 

Jan 25, 2010 12:08 PM
Charles Stallions
Charles Stallions Real Estate Services - Pensacola, FL
850-476-4494 - Pensacola, Pace or Gulf Breeze, Fl.

Well John, sounds as if you are getting focused alright. You bolded section put it in the right propective. Jack of all trade.

Jan 25, 2010 12:17 PM