In the past two weeks I’ve received four mailers and two phone calls heralding local real estate agents’ abilities to sell homes in my neighborhood.
Every mailer and each voicemail included the same general message:
I’ve sold a home in your area for a “record price.”
There is no better time to sell that right now.
I’m the best real estate agent for you.
These are six different agents. All separate brands. And they successfully made it all about themselves in every written or spoken sentence.
Now consider this statistic courtesy of the NAR:
87 percent of real estate agents fail within the first 5 years of business.
The difference between the 87 percent who do not make it and the 13 percent who do is simple.
The 13 percent expands their sphere of influence from day one. And they do this through providing value, purpose, and a reason for clients to want to belong to the community they provide.
Expand Your Real Estate “Tribe”
Public speaker, author, and marketing guru Seth Godin expertly delves into this topic through his TED Talk, “The Tribes We Lead.”
Your “tribe” or “sphere” is not ultimately about you and how many real estate awards you have won. Expanding your sphere and setting yourself apart is much more about the purpose and value you provide.
Godin draws on the example of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. These men could not have been more different on a personal level, but they still both found amazing ways to lead people through technology.
You may find yourself with a similar challenge. The real estate industry is swamped with agents attempting to reach similar goals. But the difference between the 87 percent and the lasting 13 percent are how they attempt to reach their goals.
Shallow attempts at networking and community building are detected from a mile away. Everyone receives mailers, emails, and mass phone calls.
But what really draws genuine attention is when you take the time to set yourself apart. Tinker with the best ways for your audience and sphere of influence to navigate the sometimes muddy waters of real estate.
How to Set Yourself Apart from the Competition
Only after you decipher who you are as an agent, what your purpose is, and the specific value you provide, can you begin to build your sphere.
Once you establish these tenants of business it is much easier to turn a mailer or voice message into a relatable and personable pitch.
In order to survive and thrive in the real estate industry draw from inspiration all around you. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here, but rather look to others who have dependable networking strategies.
Personalizing your approach, whether it is on the ground or online, is easier than you may think. Especially when someone else has laid the ground rules.
Take for example, Dylan Hale, an agent in the Raleigh-Durham area. He, on average, collects 5 seller leads for every one hour he spends strategically door-knocking.
Don’t believe me? Check out his story here.
Another example which will help you enter the expressway for sphere expansion is taking a cue from Becky Babcock and Brad Nix at the Path & Post Team. Their personalized approach has created an established following in a highly competitive area.
Not to say more traditional methods such as mailers or email campaigns won’t work. But make it all about value and about your clients. What will they be interested in learning?
The 7 Emails You Need to Send to Real Estate Leads
Expand Your Network and Stay Efficient
How do you stick to your mission all the while staying efficient? Again, this is not as hard as you may imagine. But you do have to commit the time to planning, processing, and producing.
A real estate CRM and lead generation tool that can take your proven practices and automate them is key.
Once you have these proven processes in place and your system is running smoothly, you can then begin to segment your audiences and put more specialized plans into place.
It is only then your emails, mailers, messages, and communication in general will become consistent and appeal to your “tribe.” Through your efforts will come experiences. And valued efforts create the type of experiences which lead to the 13 percent.
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