oo much agent ... not
enough prospect. It's one 1. They may impress other real
of the most common mistakes estate agents, but they won't
in real estate marketing, impress your prospects.
especially with those new to the 2. They put you at risk of
profession. alienating certain audiences with
lesser income levels.
In your marketing, you should 3. They smack of ego and
focus on putting your prospect self-importance.
first. That means you should 4. They shift the focus from the
identify the wants, needs and prospect to the marketer.
fears of your prospects, and 5. They're ill-timed and
address those things in your therefore ineffective (too much,
marketing. Make a strong offer. too soon).
Solve their problems, answer
their questions, and quell their What do the above five points
fears. share in common? They fly in
complete contrast to proven
Address these things before you marketing principles.
say one word about your
qualifications, your length of I know what you're thinking: "But
service, or any other personal my prospects need to know I've
attribute. been successful in the past." And
you're right. The question is ...
And while we're at it, let's when do they need to know it?
address the elephant in the room. Right off the bat? Do you really
Let's talk about multi-million need to hit them between the
dollar clubs, superstar eyeballs with your
performers, gold star agents, and super-platinum-awesome-club
similar accolades: membership status before you've
even offered them something of agent they call. Goodbye listing
value? or purchase.
Ask yourself what you really want Let the others shout about their
your marketing message to millions of dollars and elite
accomplish. Do you want it to statuses. Choose instead to spend
convince prospects of your your time developing a whopper of
superior service? Or do you an offer and focusing on your
simply want it to persuade them prospects' needs, fears and
to contact you? desires. Make it a point to
harvest those critical first
If you're a smart marketer, phone calls. See who comes out on
you'll focus on the second goal top.
-- to get them to contact you.
That's an objective you can Dan Gooder Richard summed this
actually achieve through concept up nicely in an article
marketing. So use a strong, he wrote for Realty Times
valuable offer to get them to (www.realtytimes.com), October
call you. 2004: "Let them get to know you
-- not by what you say about
Then you can invite them down to yourself, but by how well you
your office, or offer to stop by show them you can provide
and chat with them. Then you can solutions to their problems while
share some of your (relevant) saving them time, money, and
success stories. headaches."
Focus too heavily on your Renowned copywriter and marketer
credentials at the expense of Bob Bly echoed the sentiment in
ignoring your prospects' needs, his book, The Elements of
and you will not be the first Copywriting: "When writing copy,
start with the prospect, not the problems, their needs, their
product. Your prospects are hopes, their fears, and their
interested primarily in dreams."
themselves -- their goals, their
About the Author:
Brandon Cornett has worked as a marketing manager for a direct mail company serving the real estate industry since 1986. He now dedicates his time to helping real estate professionals improve their marketing. His "Modern Guide to Real Estate Marketing" and his free newsletter are available at: http://www.ArmingYourFarming.com
Source: www.isnare.com
