This is probably the best marketing tip I will ever post. In fact, I even hesitate to post it, because it's just so darn good...I wouldn't want my competition using it. Fortunately, this takes a lot of hard work and time, and I figure only one or two people who read this will actually do it.
Write a Book About Real Estate and advertise yourself as "the author of Winning Big with Arizona Real Estate." Of course, insert your own state in the title. Or make up a better title. You get the point!
It's really not as hard as it sounds. In fact, with all of the blogging going on here, if we just focus half of our energy on writing a 175 page book- you could be a published Real Estate author in no time at all. Don't believe me? Please keep reading.
When people are flipping through a Homes & Land or surfing the web, who do you think they will choose as their Realtor? The one that has some cool initials behind their name or the author of Winning Big with Arizona Real Estate?
I know what you are thinking, so let me try and convince you:
I don't think I can do this!
First of all, everyone has a book inside of them. It doesn't even have to be about real estate; although that would be ideal. As far as being a good writer-- nobody is really good at writing and that's why the greatest authors in the world use editors.
Find a Freelance Editor...
If you Google "freelance book editor", you will find people-- oftentimes published authors themselves-- that will go over your text with a fine toothed comb. He or she will fix any spelling or grammatical errors and turn your "rough draft" into a publishable manuscript. Here is a good editor that I've found -- her name is Laura Orsini.
How Can I Get Published?
I've read that for every book that is published, there are 10,000 that have been rejected. Stinks right? That's perfectly alright, because nowadays we can "self publish."
Once your manuscript is perfected, you can self-publish your book with great ease. You can find companies that will publish 10 copies of your book for about $6.50 per copy (here), or you can spend $1300 and get a full hardcover package from iUniverse.
Personally, I would go with iUniverse, because for $1300, they provide you with one hardcover copy (for yourself), twenty paperbacks, editorial services, cover design, distribution to Amazon.com, listing in Google book search, and a marketing tool kit. They put the little barcode on the back with the ISBN number and everything. Just because you paid to publish it, doesn't mean it's not a real book. It will be on Amazon.com for goodness sakes!
In all seriousness...
...you could work on your book for an hour per day. You will be able to write 175 pages (a good benchmark) in 6 months. Again, all it takes is your commitment.
You will crush other Realtors in your area, as you are the only one who is a published real estate author.
Think about it! Consider it. The time and money you put into this will be rewarded ten-fold.
The Process
Get a general idea of what you want to write about. Then, come up with about 10 - 12 chapters. Write them down and write a few paragraphs under each chapter heading- just to give yourself an idea of what that chapter will include. Each chapter should be 15 - 18 pages long.
Now plop down in front of the keyboard and start writing! If you need "filler" material, just quote other authors-- just be sure to credit him or her with endnotes or footnotes. You don't need anyone's permission to do this; you just need to properly credit the original author. Don't know how to footnote? That's okay, just have your editor do it.
Tell yourself that you will write one chapter per week (15 - 17 pages), and in 10 weeks, you are done!
Of course, this is a little more than an "hour per day" as I said earlier, but this is a feasible goal to set. Next, start marketing yourself as a Realtor and a published expert. It puts you so far above your competition, it's almost ridiculous. Offer a free copy of your book for anyone that get's prequalified for a mortgage...or whatever your requirements are. Just make sure you push the heck out of that book. Let potential clients know that they will be dealing directly with you, the author. I know I would call you.
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