Thoughts on Marketing…

Some people do begin their real estate careers right after high school or college, but most come to real estate after doing something else. Some have retired, and other are just looking for a change of pace.

When writing agent bios I always look at those past careers to see how they can tie in to real estate sales. Often past experiences can reinforce the skills that the agent wants to emphasize.

Some past careers make for a tougher transition than others. For instance, school teachers have to teach themselves listening skills after years of being the one doing the talking. On the other hand, a good school teacher has the skills to educate buyers and sellers about the reality of today’s market.

That’s one skill that a bartender might not have, but I think good bartenders possess the majority of skills needed for a successful career in real estate.

My definition of a good bartender is one who has a following – a person who is a “draw” for the establishment where they work. They can mix a good drink, but it’s their people skills that turn occasional customers into “regulars.”

So what skills do they possess that keep people coming back?

A good bartender knows how to listen. Just think of the time they spend listening to their customers. And while they may not have to listen wholeheartedly to everyone, they need to pay close attention to their regulars. Just as good real estate agents need to pay close attention to their buyers and sellers.

And then they’d better have a good memory. Not only does he (or she, of course!) need to remember what each person at the bar wants when they hold up a finger for another drink, he needs to remember what to set down in front of a regular when they walk in. And then, he needs to remember what that person does for a living, the names of their children, etc. Agents need to remember the personal information along with their clients’ wants and needs.

A good bartender respects what the customer wants – he doesn’t try to suggest that something else might do. As an agent, he probably won’t show someone a home on a busy street if they’ve specified wanting to live on a quiet cul-de-sac.

A good bartender can talk to people from all walks of life and treat them equally. He must be non-judgmental and friendly, in all but the most extreme cases. And when faced with those extreme cases he has to think and act quickly without getting flustered. Good practice for dealing with the surprises buyers and sellers sometimes spring on an agent.

A good bartender knows how to keep confidential information. Good bartenders can’t be gossips. Can you imagine how fast they’d lose their following if they started mentioning that Mr. Smith came in for a drink with Miss Jones, or if they mentioned that a salesperson from X company was involved in a long conversation with the owner of Z company? In real estate, keeping client information confidential is a must.

A good bartender has to have people-management skills. He needs to be able to say “You’ve had enough” without turning a customer into an enemy. That takes a bit of finesse! This skill could translate well into the finesse that’s needed when clients ask an agent to do things that go against regulations.

So – if you’re a bartender and thinking of a change, consider real estate. You have the skills!

Professional courtesy sounds like a good thing, and in some cases it is. But too often it turns into “cronyism” – to the detriment of consumers and citizens.

This courtesy prevents the members of a given profession from trying to steal each other’s clients. But it also prevents them from coming to the aid of consumers who have been harmed by others in the profession.

For instance, patients who have received damaging treatment from doctors and who are justified in bringing suit often have a hard time finding other doctors who will support their claims. By the same token, doctors who know that another doctor is hooked on prescription medications to the detriment of his or her patients routinely look the other way. It’s the polite thing to do.

Lawyers are another “closed set.” They simply don’t want to bring suit against each other because it “isn’t the thing to do.”

Then there’s law enforcement. Our newspapers are filled with stories about police officers who turn a blind eye to other officers’ misdeeds. From dealing drugs or stealing merchandise to drunk driving, wife battery, and even beating someone to death, other officers overlook it because they’re a part of the brotherhood. Cops who do testify against one of their group are often shunned – and even forced out of the job.

Real estate agents are expected to have enough professional courtesy to respect other agents’ relationships with clients and customers. And those who are ethical do. Others, however, are all too willing to bad-mouth other agents or even tell outright falsehoods about them as a means of stealing their clients. This is one profession that hasn’t quite adopted “courtesy” as one of the rules of doing business.

Considering all this, I’ve been thinking about how far professional courtesy should go when it comes to my field of copywriting, and the “sister” fields of graphic design and website creation.

Since there are subjects I don’t write about, customers sometimes ask me what I think of some other copywriter to write those projects. If I know someone is good, I’ll say so. But if I don’t like their work, I’ll say that I don’t know and will advise them to ask for samples and references before making a decision.

After all, since I don’t write about the stock market or computer software, my opinion could be off base.

I do the same with graphic design and web creation, but I’m wondering if that’s the right thing to do.

If I know that a certain designer always brings their projects in two months late, or is difficult to work with, should I tell someone who asks about them? Or am I right in giving the same advice – “Ask to see samples and references?”

I’d love to hear your opinion…

When blogs first came on the scene, they were like online diaries. People were writing long rambling descriptions of their day, right down to what they ate for lunch and what time the plumber arrived to hook up the new dishwasher. And aside from family and close friends, no one was reading them but the person who wrote them.

But that has changed. Your blog, if you are in business, is a marketing tool. As such, you need to pay attention to what you say and how you say it. If you really want to write a private diary, then open up a new word processing document and keep it in your own computer. Or, if you really have to share it with the world, use a fake name.

I recall an instance a few years ago when I came across a blog written by a fellow copywriter. It was filled with details most of us would not share with customers, and was riddled with typos and incorrectly spelled words. The sentences were run-on and the paragraphs were huge blocks of dense copy. It also talked about how irritating some of her customers were.

I mentioned it to another writer and she said “Oh, that’s OK. It’s just her blog. It’s her private thoughts and has nothing to do with her business.” I disagreed then, and I disagree now. Because it’s out there for anyone and everyone to see, it’s a representation of that writer, her work, and her attitude toward her customers. It is a part of her marketing.

There’s nothing wrong with a business blog sharing personal incidents from your life. In fact, showing your readers you’re a real person allows them to see you as a real person – someone they might like to know.

But when it gets into boring details or “too-private” information, you’ve gone too far.

And as for trashing your customers – or anyone else – all you’re really doing is trashing yourself.

I’ve never been a proponent of being phony, but you don’t need to tell everything you know, and you don’t need to share every negative thought that pops into your head. We all get mad and want to throw things at other people sometimes. We even want to tell the world that so-and-so is a no good jerk – and why. But those thoughts don’t belong on a blog.

If you’re bubbling over with angry thoughts, write them on a piece of paper and then tear it up and throw it away. You’ll feel better for getting it out of your system and you won’t damage your own reputation.

The same rules apply to commenting on other people’s blogs. While your potential customers may not find your comments in a Google search for your name, they may come across them accidentally.

Just yesterday I read a blog post written by someone who was shocked, hurt, and outraged at the mean-spirited comments she’d gotten on an opinion post she’d written. Her original post was mild-mannered, but some of the comments were vicious. And who did that hurt in the long run? Not her. It will ultimately hurt the people who wrote the nasty comments because others will see “attacker” as one of their personality traits.

So, think before you write. Remember that your customers, your boss, your spouse, your friends, and even your Mom might be reading that blog post or comment.

I know – that’s a generalization and we shouldn’t generalize. I should have said “A whole lot of your customers are in a hurry.”

But the point is still the same. Even people who aren’t in a hurry don’t like to waste their time on unnecessary, boring activities.

I’m cranky about it this morning, because that’s what I had to do.

I was trying to help a friend find some information, so I found the right website and clicked on a link that promised to provide it. That took me to a page with another link…same promise. And then – I couldn’t even believe this – that page had another link.

I ended up having to visit 3 more pages before I got to the information promised on the first page.

If it had been an item to purchase I’d have been gone long before I found it.

The whole experience reminded me once again that I need to keep an eye on my own links – and make sure that I’m never asking people to go in circles hunting for things on my site.

It’s also a good reminder about using Google pay per click ads. How many times have you clicked an ad for something specific and found yourself at a home page where you had to turn into a detective to find it? I generally just click away and pick a different ad link to follow.

Why didn’t the advertiser who wanted to sell me a “3 inch red widget” just send me right to that page? Did he hope I’d make some impulse purchases as I wandered through his site? I think that only works in retail stores.

What do you do when the links lie to you? Do you leave? Do you hunt? Do you get annoyed and rant about it on your blog?

I firmly believe in newsletters sent in the postal mail – and was gratified to read that marketing guru Dan Kennedy agrees. He says that when your prospects open their mailbox and find something from you they can hold in their hands, it has much more impact than an email – or a link in an email to go read a newsletter online.

When that something also gives them good information or entertainment, it’s that much better.

For one thing, you can take your cup of coffee and go sit on the deck to relax and read a newsletter. A computer screen doesn’t offer that opportunity for comfort. And if you’ve included good information, your newsletter will hang around to be passed to friends or family. That means they’ll see it and think of you a few more times before it hits the round file.

However… if you’re trying to promote your business on a non-existent budget, sending your newsletter via e-mail is better than not sending it at all.

Why should you use a newsletter?

Because it is a non-threatening, soft sell method of reminding people that you’re there and that you offer something that they might want or need soon. It helps you maintain “top of mind awareness” with people who might otherwise be lost to a competitor.

What do you put in a newsletter?

It depends upon your business, of course, but here’s a starter list:

• Something personal, but not too personal! News about a class reunion you’ll attend soon or a child going off to college, or that new puppy. Just a little something to remind people about “who you really are.”
• News about your industry. If it’s real estate, give a market update. If you’re a hairdresser tell about a new development in hair care products. If you sell cars, give a sneak preview of features to expect on next year’s models. Just make it something that your readers didn’t already get on the evening news.
• News about a non-profit that you support – perhaps an event coming up or a success story.
• A few good quotes that reflect your own attitude.
• A puzzle – you can get software that lets you build crossword puzzles based on words used in your profession
• Your own thoughts about life. I used to sometimes write a column such as “20 things I love about Autumn” or “The best thing about January.”
• Seasonal tips – like reminders of things to include in your tax deductions or fun things to do on the 4th of July.

Who should receive your newsletter?

Send your news to past customers, present customers, and your sphere of influence. Then, if you serve a particular geographic area, you can expand your list and use it as a prospecting tool.

When you’re just starting out and your list is small, leave room to write a personal note on newsletters you’re sending in the postal mail. It doesn’t have to be long, just something that shows you were thinking of them specifically.

While your sales message should take up only a small part of your newsletter, this is also a good place to include notice of a special sale or a coupon. If you can make it exclusive to your readers, all the better – because it will make them feel special.

Sometimes it’s good to stop and remember why we have the freedom to run our businesses, market our products, and even to send each other videos such as this one…

Baby boomers make up a huge part of the buying public right now. And studies show that women over 50 control a mammoth percentage of the nation’s wealth. This is a group with buying power, so if your product or service is one that would appeal to them, you’d do well to target them in your promotions.

So are you marketing to boomers? And if so, how are you going about it?

If you start treating them like “old folks” you’ll lose your audience pretty fast – because the majority of today’s “senior citizens” don’t have any intention of feeling or acting old.

They’re enjoying activities they didn’t have time for before retirement, and becoming more active than a whole segment of today’s youth. For them, there’s a whole lot more to do than sit glued to a computer screen or a TV or a video game.

They may have some physical issues to content with – but that doesn’t keep them down. So – “old people advertising” is definitely not the way to approach most baby boomers.

Instead, why not subtly appeal to the young people who are still living inside those mature bodies? Why not capture their attention by evoking happy memories of malt shops, sock hops and evenings at the drive in? Why not remind them of cruising the avenue in a muscle car – and being young and carefree?

Why not incorporate 50’s and 60’s melodies and images into your online marketing?

I don’t know any female boomer who doesn’t stop, listen, and pay attention when they hear the strains of a favorite song. Many of the men do too.

But it is legal to use it? According to an article on about.com, the music you’d want may well now be in the public domain. Here’s their notation:

“Published from 1923 to 1963 – When published with a copyright notice © or “Copyright [dates] by [author/owner]” – copyright protection lasts 28 years and could be renewed for an additional 67 years for a total of 95 years. If not renewed, now in public domain.”

It might take a little research to find out if the melody you want is still protected, but if using it causes baby boomers to linger on your site because being there makes them feel good, it would be worth your time.

What about the images on your site? Almost any boomer will stop for a look at a hot car from the 50’s and 60’s. Is there a way to incorporate one into your graphics?

Of course it all depends upon what you’re selling, but if you can convey the feeling that your product will make them feel like they felt back then, you’ve probably made a sale.

Everyone agrees that the housing market is in trouble, but how this trouble affects individual real estate agents is the source of conflicting reports.

Some say they simply can’t make a living any more. “Nothing is selling” is a refrain I’ve heard from agents from coast to coast. Many of these agents are dropping out of the business or trying to work part-time while they take a job that pays wages.

Others say they’re doing fine – that they always make money during bad times.

So what gives?

I believe the difference lies in their attitudes and expectations. Each agent gets what they expect to get, because their expectations color their activities. And their activities determine their success – or lack of success.

I can almost guarantee that the agent sitting in the office playing video games isn’t making any money. Neither are the ones gathered in the break room crying about how bad things are. They don’t expect a buyer or a seller to call, and they don’t reach out to anyone because they “know” that no one is interested.

Then there are the ones making money. They’re either on the phone or out there making contact with potential buyers and sellers. They’re also studying – learning how to deal with the new regulations. And they never stop marketing. Instead, they’re finding creative ways to market their services without spending a ton of money.

These agents are taking a critical look at their marketing methods and measuring what works and what doesn’t work. Then they’re directing their dollars to those activities that bring them business. I may be wrong, but I think we’ll see a huge shift away from homes magazines and newspaper ads.

Since over 90% of buyers begin their search on the Internet, smart real estate agents will shift more of their attention to creating web pages that capture visitors – and they’ll set up systems to keep in touch with all their leads via email.

They’ll also do more social marketing. Agents are using sites like Active Rain to show their area expertise and drive new buyers and sellers to their websites. Those who blog regularly are reporting huge increases in sales just from this one source.

Of course, there are those who use social marketing poorly and never gain a following. I’m thinking of the ones on Twitter who post the same message about a new listing 20 times in a row. Marketers in other businesses do the same, and they’re just as forgettable.

We have entered an age of skepticism. It’s a time when we don’t automatically trust people, but wait to see if they’re worthy of our trust. We want to get acquainted and know a little about a person.
Blogging creates that opportunity for potential customers to gain insight into who you are. So does drip marketing, if you’re willing to “give away” a little helpful information in your messages.

This need to get acquainted also puts new importance on agent bios. They’re an opportunity to show potential customers that you’re a real person – with interests and passions that go beyond your professional duties. Bios give prospects a way to connect with you and trust you because you’re “like them” in some way.

One thing I believe is certain: The agents who take the time and effort to learn how to market effectively in this economy will be the market leaders when things improve.

This morning, once again, I cursed my electrician.

I do this often, because he placed my kitchen can lights where they shine on the back of my head rather than my counter tops. But when I really steam is when I have to change a light bulb.

The can lights weren’t cheap – they were supposed to be “top of the line,” in fact. But getting them loose to change a light bulb is a major production, and it makes a big mess.

And every time I have to do it, I’m reminded of the corners he cut to save what probably didn’t amount to $50 on a several thousand dollar electrical job. You see, these can lights have an inside sleeve, and that sleeve is held in place by 4 metal clips. Or, it is supposed to be held by 4 metal clips.

Our electrician saved time and money by installing only 2 clips per light. And that means the two clips aren’t supported as they should be, and they fall out. Today, as I used electrical tape to hold my fixture together because the clips are long gone, I thought about the few dollars he saved and what it cost him.

If anyone asks me about electricians – which they do, because my husband is a retired home builder – I tell them to steer clear of the one we used. How many $8,000 jobs has he lost because he saved perhaps an hour of labor by not installing all 4 clips on those can lights?

And how many other jobs has he lost because he no doubt has cut the same corners in other people’s homes? We talk about people who serve us well, but by the laws of human nature, we talk even more about the ones who have “done us wrong.”

I have the same feeling about the man who built my kitchen cabinets. They looked fine, but after we lived here a few short months, some of the cabinet doors were loose. Upon inspection, I found that where a hinge called for 2 screws, he had used but one. I had to go to the hardware store, buy the screws, and install them myself.

How many dollars did he save by leaving 2 screws out of each cabinet door in my kitchen? And how much did that kind of corner-cutting cost him in terms of good will and future business? You know what I say when people ask me about cabinet builders.

And of course these two men aren’t the only ones. We see examples all the time of places where someone cut corners in spots they thought the customer wouldn’t notice – or at least wouldn’t notice until they’d been paid.

Business people should be looking for ways to give just a bit extra – to leave a lasting impression of good will with every customer.

Finding ways to give not quite what was promised leaves its own lasting impression – and it is one that can eventually destroy a business.

If this has happened to you – chime in and tell your story. Or, if you’ve found great ways to give just a little extra to your customers, tell us about it!

When we write, we know what we mean to say. But sometimes the way we arrange the words makes it difficult for a reader to know what we mean.

For example:

Yesterday I got a Google alert that one of my articles had been picked up for someone’s blog. This time the article and my resource box had been through an “article spinner,” which generally creates nonsense.

Interestingly, when this happens, they quite often take the phrase “retired home builder” and change it to “old bag builder.” (This is a reference to my husband in my bio.)

I would hope that everyone knows what I meant when I wrote “retired home builder,” but what is an “old bag builder?”

Does he build old bags?
Is he old and he builds bags?
Is he an old bag?

Whatever it was supposed to mean, the reader has to stop and think about it – and may come to the wrong conclusion.

Newspaper journalists are notorious for writing sentences that confuse because they put the modifiers in the wrong place.

Here’s a recent example, from an article about someone who caught a tagged fish that was worth $1,000.

“Of the 825 fish turned in since early spring, four have had tags worth money that have been returned to the department.”

Huh?? What does that sentence say??

If they wrote “four that have been returned to the department have had tags worth money” it would make sense. But the way it’s written you have to stop and ask if they mean the money was returned. If so, “have” should have been “has.”

So… after you write it, read it. Check to see if your meaning is clear and if your modifiers are in the right places. And just to be on the safe side, ask someone else to read it too.

When you market with words, you want the message to flow. You definitely don’t want anyone to stop and wonder what you meant. When that happens, your momentum is lost and you send your reader away from the thoughts and feelings that you are trying to evoke.