David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
Is your customer service best for you or your clients? Think about that question for a moment. Obviously, great customer service is not what is easiest for you. In most situations, it is about going above and beyond. Maybe even inconveniencing you.
I recently read a great article by Rebekah Radice, “The Simple Truth Behind Customer Service,” and the comments that people left got me thinking: Your customer service should be what the client expects, not what is easiest for you. So here are my random thoughts on providing great customer service:
- Everyone wants attention now!! We all do. When we have a question, we want an answer. So when possible, answer NOW!!! Whether it be by phone, email, text, or smoke signals.
- “I return all phone calls after 5 p.m.” HUH???? Cell phones: They are amazing because you can actually leave the office/land-line and still have a conversation.
- “I return emails by the end of the business day.” What does that mean? To me it says emails are not important. By now you should have a phone that has email coming to you so you can return them immediately. Continue reading »
David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
Any time you come in contact someone who needs a REALTOR®, you should add them to your database. Trust me, I know this idea in itself is not brilliant. Once you have a database, how do you keep in touch with those clients?
The key to having a database is to stay in touch with past clients, current clients, and future clients. Not just past clients. What about someone who contacted you but did not need your services at that time; that is defined as a “future” client. So if you don’t already, add every person and email address to your data base as soon as they contact you. Now would be a great time to start. Once you have a growing database, let’s talk about 5 ways to keep in touch with them.
- e-Newsletters - Again, not a rocket science idea; you probably already do this. But if not, start doing it. Many email marketing programs will do the newsletter for you and send it out monthly. Making this the easiest way to keep in touch. Make sure the newsletter does not just talk about real estate, but other topics as well. This gives a better chance of your contacts actually reading the information and finding it helpful. Keep in mind, not everyone needs a REALTOR® right at this moment. But they always are looking for helpful information.
- Friend them on Facebook - As Facebook has grown, the majority of folks are on Facebook daily. So friend your database on Facebook. This makes it easiest to keep up with their needs and life events. Most people look at Facebook as being private, so not all clients may accept your friend request. In this example I suggest just friending past clients, that way you have the strongest relationship with them. Continue reading »
David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
And now for Part 2. (Check out part 1 here.)
4. Magnet Sign- “No one has ever called off a car magnet.” Really? Ask around your office — someone has gotten a deal off their magnet sign on their car. Get a nice and easy-to-read magnet for your car. Heck, how else can someone tell you sell real estate when they see you at a traffic light?
5. Name Tags- Yes, trust me, I know. No one has ever said, “You look amazing in that outfit. Now if only you had a tacky looking name tag, the outfit would be complete!!” But just like with magnets, it gives you the easiest and most direct way to make sure everyone knows you sell real estate. Make sure the name tag is direct and easy to read. Heck, make it catchy. Maybe a name tag that just says “Looking to buy a home? Ask me!” How much does a name tag cost? Maybe $15 on the high side?
6. Open House- Again, no one likes them… which gives you an even better opportunity to ask REALTORS® in your office if you can hold an open house for them, for one of their listings. It helps get that REALTOR® more traffic for their listing and it helps you get some new potential buyers. You can also try this approach with smaller home builders.
7. Market to a Professional- Think of a marketing campaign and aim it at a certain professional group. Try to choose a group that has some influence on other people such as CPAs or financial advisors. Or groups that have many coworkers, such as teachers, firefighters, police officers, or HR departments. Then offer them something for free. Some examples are a free home warranty, appraisal, free iPad, or talk about a specific program that is just for them (e.g. tax credit for teachers). Then make a flyer and drop it off at schools, fire houses, offices, etc. These groups are great to market to because if you do a great job they will tell all their friends and coworkers.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, online marketing should still be king. But, there are still other ways to market yourself. If business is slow, or you are new to the real estate business, then this list gives you some inexpensive easy ways to market yourself.
David Krichmar has been in the real estate business since age 19 and is currently a mortgage expert in Sugar Land, Texas. Connect with him at www.daveyourmortgageguy.com or @DaveMortgageGuy.
David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
Let’s go old school for a moment. Trust me, I am not saying online marketing (social media) should not be No. 1. But until humans become robots and do not have eyes, there are other ways to market as well. Here is the first half of seven ideas I have come up with to market yourself offline:
1. FSBO’s- Yep, the dreaded “for sale by owner.” Yes, they can be a waste of time; but honestly, how much time does it take to ring a door bell? That’s all the time it takes to approach a FSBO. Instead of taking the usual, “Can I list your home?” approach. How about offer to do a marketing flier about the home with your info? If the seller has any buyers that are interested in the home ask them to give you a call. Offer to post their home on Twitter, Facebook, and blog about it. It can’t hurt you to try a different approach than most REALTORS®.
2. Real Estate Magazines- We all love to look through the real estate magazines that show homes for sale. Grab a bunch of these from your real estate office or from your grocery store. Then staple your business card to the front and drop off a copy monthly at your local salon, dentist and doctor offices, oil change places, etc. What does it take to do this? Some business cards, a staple, etc. Try it!!
3. Books- Yes, books are dying. But until they do, go by your local book store (Barnes and Noble or a local used book store) and find the real estate section. Stick a business card in the first chapter of every real estate and mortgage book. How long can this take???? Seven minutes per store — I timed it myself.
Stay tuned for Part II to read the rest of my great suggestions to market yourself offline.
David Krichmar has been in the real estate business since age 19 and is currently a mortgage expert in Sugar Land, Texas. Connect with him at www.daveyourmortgageguy.com or @DaveMortgageGuy.
David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
As I talk to newer REALTORS®, about 50 percent of them do not want to commit to a “niche” or area of expertise. “I sell anywhere so I do not want to commit to one area,” which is a valid point. But at the same time, every REALTOR® sells anywhere locally. So how do you separate yourself and get the phone to ring? Commit to an area of expertise. Here are my ideas on how to find your expertise:
1. Past Deals: You know from your past experience that you have dealt with certain types of deals. Have a majority of those deals been in a certain town? Maybe you have sold a larger number of condos? So you could market yourself as a condo expert.
2. Your Work Experience: Before you became a REALTOR® what did you do? If you worked for a new home builder, then your area of expertise is with new construction homes. Was marketing your prior career? If so, you can use that expertise when becoming a listing agent — marketing is such a huge part of being a listing agent. Most likely any past career you had, you can use that knowledge in your real estate career
3. Your Competition: This is the sneaky suggestion, but may be the best! Research your competition; is there a specific area of real estate that they are not focusing on? Eg. A specific neighborhood, folks downsizing, newly wed couples needing to buy a home, etc.
At first as a new REALTOR®, this topic can be very scary because you want to sell all Real Estate. But, in order to separate yourself, you must find an area of expertise to grow your business. Once you find your niche, get to work marketing your butt off.
Some marketing ideas are:
- Blog about the topic
- Farm to that area
- Have a catchy slogan that explains your area of expertise
Do not be afraid of your area of expertise. Love it and live it.
David Krichmar has been in the real estate business since age 19 and is currently a mortgage expert in Sugar Land, Texas. Connect with him at www.daveyourmortgageguy.com or @DaveMortgageGuy.
David Krichmar
By David Krichmar
Testimonials are a very important asset to you. Heck, what better way to show your “The Best REALTOR®” then with testimonials from past clients? Here are five great tips to get more out of your testimonials:
1. Content- “Dave is great,” is not a testimonial. You will want to be at least a paragraph, four-to-five sentences. Let the client paint the picture of the great job you did. This means do not just post the good parts or shorten it. Putting “Kim did a good job,” in quotation marks makes me feel like you cut out the part where Kim did something not so good.
2. Key Words- In anything we do online we want keywords. This is how you get found on the Internet. So highlight the keywords that your client uses in their testimonial, such as the town, county, subdivision, builder’s name, etc. of the home. If the client does not mention them, add them after the testimonial.
3. Links- Just like keywords, we also want links that point to our websites. If the client mentions a keyword, such as “Sugar Land, Texas,” have it link back to your website. Especially if this is an area that you specialize in. This is also a great idea for school districts, subdivisions, etc. that are mentioned on your website, blog posts, and/or Facebook pages. Continue reading »
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