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Everybody wants attention, especially Realtors

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Crosstown Realty Inc

 

barrie real estate

Being one in an industry represented by over 850 Realtors now working in the Barrie area alone, raises an important question for me...

How does one stand out in a sea of over 850 Realtors all vying for your business and at the same time retain at least some dignity? Here are a few things I won't do.

I'm not going to phone you while you are sitting down to dinner with your family or unwinding from your day just to remind you I am here should you ever need me. I know what it is like to be on the receiving end of those calls, though I am sure you would be nicer to me than I am to them when they call again and again.

I've stuffed my flyers into your mail boxes for years but there are so many doing this now that nobody ever says "hey look kids, its another flyer from that Realtor Mike Montague" with a big smile any more. 

I know you likely have enough calendars, fridge magnets, note pads and pens so you don't need any more with my toothy grin on them.

Pasting my face on bill boards all over town is really not an option I have warmed up to. Along with you, I too would have to look at those giant vanity boards every day. I get a little queezy at the thought of my head the size of a Volkswagen beetle on signs at the side of the road as people drive past day and night. And I would have to come up with a clever yet cliche saying to post along side my gargantuan head. "Make your next move with Mike" or "Barrie's number one six foot three left handed Realtor". I don't want to be the cause of any accidents as people roll their eyes. I've done the ads on bus benches but people keep sitting on them and they look at me strange when I drive past with my head out the car window shouting "hey you can't sit there". 

Quality service and experience are what you expect from a Real Estate professional,  but how do you determine up front who is best to provide you that?  Advertising, according to law is supposed to offer you something of value in exchange for your time and consideration.

Radio tv and print media must entertain and inform you in exchange for your weathering the marketing of their sponsors. Most of us are unaware that many forms of advertising today, especially billboards fail this requirement by offering nothing in return, in fact much of the advertising we are exposed to today is in breach of long standing laws.

What I try to do simply, is be a source for good information about real estate to the community so that hopefully some of you come to rely on it or better yet become hopelessly addicted. I have used various means to share what I regard as quality info about real estate, home ownership and all the curiosities and concerns that go along with it. Resources such as Facebook, Twitter, this blog, news paper articles, magazine articles, seminars and now, a weekly television show. 


Barrie realtorYou can join others who couldn't resist the temptation  to click the Facebook link right down there, and again, right over there. In future my name and face will pop up from time to time when you visit your Facebook news feed page. Typically I'll be sharing  something I have read of interest to local home owners or a real estate relevant news story I think is worth passing along.  

Most important, over time I will become lodged in your sub conscience and when it finally comes time to sell your home or buy another you will sit bolt upright from your slumber that night shouting out my name.

"Eye on Real Estate" can be seen on Rogers TV in Simcoe County. 

 

Happy New Year

 

 

 

Posted by

 Mike Montague

  

Barrie Power of Sale Listings

Barrie home values

 

 

Comments (8)

Vickie Nagy
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate - Palm Springs, CA
Vickie Jean the Palm Springs Condo Queen

I've been trying the Facebook thing, but I'm not doing something right. I'll have to mosey over and 'like' you and see what I can do right!

Dec 29, 2010 05:07 PM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Looks like you found a creative new way to get others involved with you.

Dec 29, 2010 05:10 PM
Andres Munar
Keystone Alliance Mortgage - State College, PA
Experience The Difference

Facebook is a great way to attract people who already know one. One tip I learned it to get those people who like your page involved. For example I just created a new email signature that included all my social media on it and i gave away a $5starbucks card to the first person that could name all of them

Dec 29, 2010 05:17 PM
Catherine Ulrey
Keller Williams Capital City - Salem, OR
Equestrian and Acreage Property Specialist

I like the angle you wrote this from, and I am sure your clients will too!

Dec 29, 2010 05:22 PM
Maureen Fukumoto
Help-U-Sell Realty Pro - Mililani, HI
Maureen

I'm still working on getting my FB in useable condition.  Sounds like you are way ahead of me.

Dec 29, 2010 09:15 PM
Allison Stewart
St.Cloud Homes - Saint Cloud, FL
St. Cloud Fl Realtor, Osceola County Real Estate 407-616-9904

I loved your post..the visual imaging was great!  In my market area Kissimmee St. Cloud there are 406 active Realtors in just the 34769 zip code. That is a lot of calendars, billboards, and postcards! I agree that social media is one effect avenue to promote yourself and your services one which we will be exploring in greater depth in the coming year.

Dec 29, 2010 10:05 PM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS

It's important to find what works for each one of us - some are more comfortable with direct mail, which I personally do not endorse.  Social media, which I use extensively, is a more direct route these days. Happy New Year!

Dec 29, 2010 10:38 PM
Ty Lacroix
Envelope Real Estate Brokerage Inc - London, ON

Mike, when I look at some of the more successful REALTORS in cities across North America, very few paste their faces across town and other old hat marketing.

Ty

Jan 02, 2011 02:09 AM