Building Blocks for a Successful Year
By Julie Escobar
As we head into the new year and commit to helping agents more successfully and consistently build a better book of business, let’s take a look at some powerful and productive ways to do that WITHOUT a lot of stress or hassle.
Strategy #1: Commit to the list. Whatever database system you’re using, inputting your customer information is step one. Even if you don’t have EVERYTHING you need , or all the information you want, start somewhere. I’ve talked to agents who never get around to marketing at all because they feel like they have to do everything at once. If it seems overwhelming – start SOMEWHERE. Pick 50 or 100 people to add and knock it out in a couple hours – even if you’re simply using excel to add name, address, phone, email. Start somewhere. Then pick another day and do the same thing so you can get your list to the 200 mark. (Virtual assistants these days are very affordable as well – so that may be an option for some of you. College students are always looking for some extra money too – so ask around! Not sure who to add, refer back to the BusinessBASE we talked about last week that shared the 150 people who should be in your sphere.)
Strategy #2: Opt-ins & social media. We’ve got some powerful tools in our resource section. Terrific free reports that are a perfect addition to your website as an opt-in piece. Here’s a creative multi-use way to use these tools to help you build your list, feed your social media stream and entice your customers and prospects to continually return to your site for more resources! You’ll become the go-to agent for information! Simply click here to go to our resource section and download the free reports that will work best for you and your market. Go ahead and download as many as you like and bookmark this page because we add new ones all the time. These are going to now become part of the campaign you’re about to kick off! Now, take one per week or one per month and break the contents down into bite sized pieces to share on your social media and on the backs of your postcards.
I’ll give you an example: Take the How to Save for a Down Payment free report. It has seven tips for saving for a down payment. A fun strategy would be to kick off your Facebook posts on a Monday with a post something along these lines:
As a professional Realtor, it’s a privilege to help people invest in their future and find the home of their dreams. Often times, it is the down payment that can be a sticking point. This week I’ll share with you seven powerful ways you can save! Tip #1: 1. Get in the know. Like any good budget or savings plan, the first place to start is to determine where you are NOW in relation to your credit score, your monthly bills and assets. Contact me or a trusted mortgage professional to see how much home you qualify for and how much you’ll need to save to purchase your home. We can help you take a look at things like credit scores, loan requirements and interest rates now so you can be simultaneously doing ALL the things right during this savings period to ensure the most favorable rate and terms.
Say you made this your “Free report for January” in your business plan. When setting up your postcard campaign on Prospectsplus.com – choose the alternate back and add a little verbiage to that fact. Here is an example:
Happy New Year! As a professional Realtor who specializes in helping people find the home of their dreams, I’m always eager to share resources that can help consumers just like you make the best financial decisions for their family! Please visit my site today at www.yoursitehere.com and download a copy of my new free report: How to Save for a Down Payment. No cost or obligation and please share with friends! Call me if you have questions at xxx-xxx-xxxx!
Then do the same for month two and three of your campaign. This way your social media and your postcard marketing are all working in tandem. Keep copies of each report on hand so you can mail or email them out easily. (I would make a file on your desktop specifically to house all these reports to make finding them easier!)
Strategy #3: Commit to a campaign. Even if you’re not sure which campaign is right for you – choose one to use for the first quarter. Breaking projects down into bite-size pieces makes the process less stressful and more manageable for most people. I love the idea of a three month campaign because you can add your list, choose your card campaign and let that run for three months. Then make whatever revisions are necessary to your list once a quarter such change an address, add a new customer or referral, change an email, etc. This makes your database management less time-consuming as well. By breaking your campaigns down into quarterly increments – you also have the flexibility to try a new campaign on for size. (Look for new SOI campaigns that will be put online throughout the year including a Do It Yourself Series and a Money Saving Series.)
Strategy #4: Add a niche. One of the fastest ways to grow your sphere is to take what you’re passionate about, the people you like working with the MOST and create a niche for yourself. I’ve always said it’s tough to be #1 in a geographic market – but not in a smaller niche that you are excited about. From traditional (first time home buyers, fsbo’s, expireds) to out of the box (Harley riders, health and wellness seekers, boaters, fishermen) – find something you love, then get out there and meet THOSE people and start putting them into your list. The secret ingredient in a sphere of influence is INFLUENCE. Taking people from being “on a list” to knowing, trusting and liking you enough to want to do business with you. That process happens fastest when you’re working with a group of people that you like and know about in return!
Now you’re ready to get STARTED! Head into 2012 excited, eager and ready to take on the CHALLENGE! And don’t forget – our inside account management team is here to help you make some of these decisions and walk you through the processes. You can reach them at 866.405.3638.
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