Just a few short minutes ago I wrote a blog entitled Hurray! I finally got out of the house. And it just occurred to me that I could have included some helpful hints to residential realtors struggling in today's market. After all, I was soooo impressed with what I experienced at Westgate Resort's time-share presentation.
So, as I said in my earlier post, I attended a time-share presentation in Gatlinburg this week....highly motivated for the $100.00 I was promised for 60-90 minutes of my time. That alone tells you something. (Anybody writes to me and tells me I'm cheap, I'll get nasty. I might just shoot raspberries at my monitor.)
I actually enjoyed the presentation, so here are some helpful marketing tips that you can integrate into your own real estate programs.
1. Have an arcade to put the children in. (Perhaps you can just issue IPods and PSPs. Of course, provide sterile and one-time use ear phones.) The respite from children alone will make people flock to you. They will listen to whatever you have to say, regardless of the length of the sales pitch. In fact, they will want a long pitch.
2. Offer breakfast or lunch. It's a nice touch. Everyone won't show up, but they will Intend to show up. So, you will only pay for the serious lookers and homeless people.
3. Tour your prospects around the home in a golf cart. It's fuuuunnnnn!
4. Have a magazine filled with photos of the house...not just staged, but with people in the photos looking at wide-screen TVs, drinking martinis at the kitchen island, playing football in the front yard with their kids, a digitally added tree house in the backyard. You get the idea. (As an aside, I got my kids out of the arcade when it came time to tour the property. The accommodations had multiple wide-screen, wall-mounted TVs. When I found a moment to whisper to my 14-year-old son about the presentation, he said, "Mom, they had me at TV." -- yes, shades of Jerry McGuire.)
5. When it's time for the rubber to meet the road, have a sharp point on your pencil and make your pitch in a room filled with others looking for homes. Make sure the table is small, intimate and keep eye-to-eye with your prospect. Write on scraps of paper, the back of this or that, and in illegible script to create a feeling of urgency. Oh, also start your presentation with pictures of your other half, if you have one, and photos of your kids. It's a nice touch and really pulls at the heartstrings.
6. Make sure that every time someone agrees to buy a home that it is announced on a very loud PA system. And welcome the new homebuyer to your city/state/community. "May I have your attention please, agents. Please remove inventory number 2349590406830450 from your list.)
7. Offer food, booze, laughy taffy, etc. to encourage a wonderful relationship with you.
I'm sure I could think of more, but now I have to work for a living and I don't even sell real estate, so none of this is useful to me -- a mere closing gifts manufacturer. (And commercial real estate communications and marketing professional.)
As I said before, can't waste the space... Please take a look at www.wevemovedgifts.com.
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