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Agent Marketing 2007

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with The Edge Virtual Assistance

There has been much talk about marketing tools for Agents and I know that especially at this time of year everyone is looking at calendars etc for client gifts. 

Personally, I dislike the calendar idea.  In the old days these were often to be seen hung behind the toilet door at my Grandmothers house.  She lived in the same house that she and my Grandfather had bought just after they got married, right after WWII.  The area had changed ALOT since then and all around her smart renovations were underway, but her simple little cottage still stood proudly in the middle.  Needless to say she probably received more marketing gifts from Agents than any person I have ever known.  She received everything from clocks to calendars, notepads, egg timers, write-n-wipe boards, pens and even a cookbook as end of year gifts from local agents.

Apart from the calendar which she only hung behind the toilet door as "the picture was pretty" (calendars with agents pictures on them saw only the inside of the trash bin).  The one gift she had the most use out of, the gift that hung around the longest, was the pen... A humble little pen with a name and phone number on it.  The pen lived next to the phone, moved to the fridge door, to the study and later next to her chair where she did crossword puzzles with it. 

When she eventually DID sell, do you know who she called? Joan van Zyl... (SEE even I remember her name!)... the agent on the pen....

 

Ros Null, REVA

www.the-edge-va.com 

Show All Comments Sort:
Anonymous
Karen Villa Schweinfurth
Humm, now you've got me re-thinking that calendar idea.
Sep 13, 2006 03:19 PM
#1
Ros Null
The Edge Virtual Assistance - Buffalo, NY
REVA
Well... the pen is simple, fairly inexpensive and you get alot more use out of it than a calendar usually.  They also stick around alot longer in general.
Sep 13, 2006 03:32 PM
Brian Brady
Matthews Capital Markets - Tampa, FL
858-699-4590

Pens are a great inexpensive idea.  Here are some others:

1- water bottles for a football team or golf tournament goodie bags

2- high school football schedules

3- Magnets for the fridge (yes, they work)

4- Pizza menus for the local take-out/delivery shop.

5- Informative books for the local barbershop (How about your favorite AR blogs?)

6- cups for a picnic

7- and, of course, pens 

Sep 13, 2006 06:36 PM
Dave Rosenmarkle
Highland Realty, Inc - Fairfax, VA
33 years of providing fully satisfying service!

Hi Ros

Right or wrong, I've been doing calendars for 17 years. Some of the poor placement or lack of use may be a direct result of the quality of the calendar sent. If it looks cheap and uninteresting, it deserves placement near or in the littler box. Over the years, I have people call and ask when my new calendar was coming out or complain if I waited too long into December before sending it.

That being said, I'm sure all of us at one time or another have taken a listing at a home where there is an agent calendar on the wall and agent magnets on the fridge.

As with any mailing or marketing piece, it doesn't much matter what you send if there is no relationship and/or no follow-up contact. We are in a people business. The more people we spend time with, the easier this people business becomes. Good luck! 

 

 

 

Sep 14, 2006 04:17 AM
Ros Null
The Edge Virtual Assistance - Buffalo, NY
REVA
You are ABSOLUTELY right Dave.  The relationship and follow-up are definately important factors with any marketing effort!
Sep 14, 2006 04:22 AM
Dawn Shaffer Life is good!
Battle Ground, WA

We plan on investing in pens as well. I'm always leaving them at homes as I do virtual tours...so I might as well leave a memento which they may be able to give to friends or family!

 

Sep 14, 2006 07:58 AM
Laura Monroe
Inman News - San Francisco, CA
Dir. of Industry Engagement & Social Media

Hi Ros,

I agree! I have too many calendars, but I could never have enough pens! Plus, they stick around alot longer, staring at me from my desk that I sit at wayyyyy too much, posting on all sorts of forums and such:)

P.S. Where are the cute icons on this forum....?

Sep 15, 2006 01:58 PM