So many agents start out in this business, working hard, yet find only frustration. If this sounds familiar, read this secret of success from Linda DeVlieg of Coldwell Banker Legacy, Albuquerque, NM. Linda is one of my CyberStars(r) (www.CyberStars.net), and she exemplifies the qualities of the agent who succeeds wildly in today's changed world of real estate sales and marketingl.
Linda sent me this story awhile ago. Since then, she has had unparalled success, and I thought you might pick up a tip or two from her experience as a new agent.
“When I first started in real estate, I found myself driving to the most remote areas, trying to sell anything that even appeared to be real estate. It was fruitless. I was floundering. I tried cold calling, mailings, taking floor duty once a week, open houses and all the traditional methods that have been preached for years. Then, like magic, a computer tripped me up in the hallway one day. I remembered hearing about these gadgets, but I had a terrible fear of computers. Then I realized I could use the darned thing to keep recipes! From there, I discovered database management. Having been a secretary all my life, I figured, ‘Hey, this beats a typewriter.’
“Then, suddenly, while at home downloading Martha Stewart recipes (true!), I realized I could use this for real estate! Wow! I ran to my office, blasting the news to everyone! My manager’s words? ‘Stop! It's a waste of time. Go out there and get to knocking on doors! This computer stuff is just a fad!’ The big producers giggled: ‘Look at her, isn't she cute carrying around all that geeky stuff?’
“Suddenly the huddled masses of shivering and confused obsolete ambassadors of door knocking started knocking at my door. ‘Teach us,’ they pleaded. ‘Teach us so that we can do this Internet thing.’
“As this geeky agent climbed to the top of her mountain and looked upon the huddled and confused masses, she lifted her Treo 600 to her ear, picked up her Red Tablet pc, clicked and typed, ‘Thank you for contacting me today from my website. I'll be glad to assist you on your move to Albuquerque.’”
Linda's story is typical of many top agents I meet around the country. The needs of the consumer have changed. The consumer's access to information has changed. The agents who succeed today, whatever the nature of their market, have recognized that change and have adapted to it. Among their favorite money-making tools, according to a recent poll of my CyberStars(r) are:
- A real estate specific database
- A notebook or tablet pc
- VisualTour.com virtual tours
- A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
- A blog
- Podcasts
- Digital Camera
And of course their #1 marketing tool, their personal Web site. This, above all others, is the tool the CyberStars(r) use to capture their market. They averaged $115,400 gross commission income from their Web site alone in 2005.
Acquiring this technology and using it in an intelligent, time-saving, marketing-oriented manner allows you to meet the needs of today's home buying and selling public....and to succeed where others don't.
It's great day on the lake here in Reston...hope it's a terrific day where you are!
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This is also a great story. I never knew all the details - Linda is a spirited person, and a wonderful examplemof a True cyberStar.