The Relationship Revolution

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

 

We're always on the lookout for great reasons to call your closest contacts, past clients and farming areas.  Everyone understands the concept of updating a personal mailing list near the holidays, so this is a natural calling opportunity.

So, group your contacts in the Relationship Manager and call them!  Let them know you've been thinking of them and wanted to be in touch.  Ask how they're doing, how the family is, and let them know that you'd like to be sure you have updated contact information. They'll be thrilled to hear from you. 

It's also critical that you ask for an updated email address.  This will allow you to send postage free e-Greetings for Thanksgiving, Seasons Greetings and New Years.  You can also choose specific greetings for Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

SAMPLE DIALOGUE:

"Hi, __________.  It's __________.  How are you?

The reason I'm calling is that the holiday season is here and I'm updating my mailing list.  I wanted to be sure I have all the right info for you.  I have your mailing address listed as _________.   I wanted to also get an email for you.  I can include you on my e-newsletter list which always has great tips and market updates. <<remember, if you already have an email, use the opportunity to confirm that's it's the best address to use>> 

Thanks!  And, there's one last thing. Please don't forget that I'd love to help anyone you know who might be interested in buying, selling or financing.  Anyone come to mind that I could reach out to?

Get started!  Do it now.  You may just end up with some extra income for your holiday shopping!

While They Last ...

Generate new leads and give back this holiday season

A very limited number of holiday-specific notecards are available, tied to the Realtors Reach Out giving program.  We're winding up an incredible year with this program.  To date, PropertySource has contributed $30,000 through existing membership dues! 
 
If you're interested in the holiday-specific notecards, please contact your Systems Coach right away.  Requests will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis.  Instead of adding additional fees, you can renew your membership early, lock in the current rate and extend your current term by a full year.  You can also choose an ala carte option if you prefer. 

A great success

The Realtors and Lenders Reach Out program was originally launched following the events of September 11, 2001. An immediate outpouring of contributions and volunteer efforts followed, as thousands of agents provided information and resources via their PropertySource websites, e-Newsletters and e-Greetings. Over the years, PropertySource has continued its commitment to giving, and we’re now including our members in the process!  Maya Angelou’s quote on the cover of our new Referral Challenge holiday notecards says it all:

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

Want to participate? Read on - Time is of the essence!

 

 

Our Relationship Masters are on the ball!

Last week when the agent notification emails went out prior to the sending of the Buyer/Seller eNewsletter, our Relationship Masters were quick to point out an issue with the photo on our very popular "Home of the Stars" feature.  We had inadvertently included a photo of Bobby Brown:

 

But the article was actually talking about the listing of Grammy winning songwriter and producer Jimmy Jam, pictured here:

 

Our Relationship Masters are paying attention!  The photo was replaced before any clients received the eNewsletter.  Thank you for the eagle eye! 

Economy Soothe-sayers

We heard some great tips from Relationship Masters during our Roundtable Webinar last week! I'm sure part of the reason for that is that we got suggestions in advance for topics to discuss, including "Crazy Times in Real Estate: How to Cope."

One comment that provoked a lot of discussion and note-taking came from Win Raynor in Virginia Beach. She found a way to respond positively to the negative news we're all hearing lately on the economy. "I'm finding that in this market my clients are nervous and need to hear from me more often." Win said. "Tomorrow evening, I've set up a roundtable discussion at my home with a financial guy so they can talk about the economy in a relaxed setting." Great idea! I pointed out that bringing in an additional expert is also a great way to avoid feeling put on the spot.

Other tips and comments about the times we're in that I'd like you to hear in case you couldn't join us:

• Mikki Stockwell, Bloomington: "This session was helpful in making my attitude more positive. As the old saying goes, Real estate is 5% knowledge and 95% attitude."
• Connie Williams from Fayetteville: "Thanks for the tip about printing out the Articles of Value and using them at an Open House!"
• Donna Caddell from Buffalo: "I'm using the Listing Tools for both new listings and ones that aren't moving as fast as I'd like them to."
• Dick McLeod from Louisville: "There is activity; people are buying. Houses are still on the market a little longer, but people are buying and selling. When the going gets tough, we get back to basics."

That's what it's about. The top 3 things to remember in these "Crazy Times" are:

1. Get calm. You're not going to be a welcome resource for your clients otherwise.
2. Get perspective. This downturn is temporary. Keep an eye on those developing trends.
3. Get a plan. And follow it!

Hope to see you on the next online Roundtable. We can learn a lot from one another.

Masters of the Round Table

A Review from the August 28th Round Table

We recently had an enlightening Round Table discussion via Webinar with a great group of our Relationship Masters.

We reviewed a topic that might have been surprising to many - utilizing social networking websites. We compared various sites such as Linkedin, Facebook and even briefly delved into the realms of Myspace! Linkedin is a great source for the upbeat professional, and can help network your contact world right at your fingertips. The popularity of using the internet as a social networking tool is growing and could very well be a common practice for professionals in the near future.

Connie Williams confided to us that she had never used a social networking group via the internet before, but was interested in learning how it would benefit her business and wants to give it a try.  Allen Gordan said, “There is no point in dragging your feet as it is what is up-and-coming” in regards to utilizing the internet for social campaigning.

We also talked about the Olympics and how to take the inspiration you might feel when watching the games and turn that into renewed commitment to build your Real Estate business.  Bob was recently in Beijing leading up to the Olympics and his observations astoundingly hit the mark on how to keep your Real Estate business at top performance while reflecting on the qualities one would need to be the very best. As you know, Olympians aren’t found in everyone, you have to possess the drive, focus, passion and determination to attain that exemplary level of excellence. This is a great recipe for succeeding in life and real estate.

We also polled our Webinar attendees and concluded that many are shy of their revenue in comparison to last year’s market; however, some had equal to or better than sales production than in 2007.

In conclusion we ended the Round Table discussion covering prospecting and how this is especially important in today’s market.

Undecided on whether the next Round Table discussion is for you?  Rachel Garrett's feedback might be the little nudge that you need! 

"I LOVE these sessions and wish we could have more of them. I appreciate Bob's knowledge and his willingness to share his ideas and perspectives with us. While we all are marketing 'gurus' in our own way, it sure is nice to have the opportunity to interact with realtors from other parts of the country and hear what is working for them. Keep up the fantastic work!"

We would like to encourage you to try and participate in the next Round Table discussion. Our next Round Table Discussion is Thursday, October 9th from 11:00am - Noon Eastern.  This session is reserved for our Relationship Masters.  If you are a Relationship Master and would like to attend, please call 1-800-298-5055 and one of our Systems Coaches can help you to get registered. 

October Webinar schedule

Welcome to PropertySource University!  

October 2008

Jumpstart 2 - Webinar
10/02/08 11 AM - 12 PM EDT By Invitation Only
New Masters and those needing a refresher.

- Registration Tools (e-Sweepstakes and Home Club)
- e-Newsletters
- e-Greetings
- Listing Tools

Relationship Master Round Table
10/09/08 11 AM - 12 PM EDT By Invitation Only
A new session in which you provide the content.
Share the latest trends and solid ideas for succeeding.

Jumpstart 3 - Webinar
10/16/08 11 AM - 12 PM EST By Invitation Only
For Relationship Masters

Article of Value Campaigns

Print-On-Demand

Jumpstart 4 - Webinar
10/23/08 11 AM - 12 PM EDT By Invitation Only
For Relationship Masters

• Integrating your existing personal website
• Customizing your PropertySource website
• Website marketing tips

If you have any questions about these upcoming events, contact your Systems Coach at 800-298-5055 or submit a request at http://help.propertysource.com.

Profiling home buyers' behavior

In the DAILY E-NEWS from rismedia.com, they highlighted a demographic survey about online home shopping as the top story. The survey sponsor, Obeo, is a company specializing in services like virtual tours to enable consumers to take "psychological ownership" of the real estate they view online. They sponsored a survey in January of this year to determine the online home shopping behavior and preferences of different demographic groups.

Among the interesting findings, more women (41%) than men (25%) begin their home search online. The sponsors particularly wanted to profile preferences by gender. The study also confirms NAR's earlier findings - as many surveys do - about the Internet as a first step for most home shoppers. It also showed that this behavior is consistent across all age, economic and ethnic breakdowns. As the article's author Glade Jones says, the times they are a'changin'.

Real estate agents turned up as the #2 most useful source of information. As this table shows, 22.16% had  that experience. The least useful source of info was reading home ads in newspapers (4.55%), which is not really a surprise, followed by "Driving through desired neighborhoods" (10.04%), which is a little unexpected. Only 6.25% listed "Went to open houses" as the most useful source.

To get a broader picture of their interests in particular categories that are a typical part of the online listing, go to the article and download the survey. There's always more to know!

"Official" Won't Get It Done

I was talking to our marketing director the other day, and she related this story. Jean called her financial advisor, Marcia Cammack, concerned about the AIG meltdown. I'll let her tell it:

"During the conversation, I asked Marcia if she'd received the paper I signed earlier, agreeing to move some money out of AIG. Marcia turned her head and spoke to her assistant, Wendy, this way: 'Wendy, do you have handy that paper Jean Walker signed?' Amazingly, she did.

"Now, this struck me as extraordinary," Jean continues, "for several reasons. For one, Marcia probably handles dozens of clients - most of them with a lot more money invested than I have! For another, she didn't specify for Wendy what 'the signed paper' was about. Yet her assistant knew right away. We joked about what you had to pay to get assistants to read your mind, then Marcia said it was really about her relationships with clients, and that Wendy buys that philosophy 100%. For that reason, Wendy knew that I've been moving a lot of investments around in the last 3 months. (And which ones were most recent.)

'We want our clients to know we're connected to them,' Marcia said. 'That's why we don't greet them with questions like [in an official monotone], What's your social security number? Or, Give me the last three addresses where you lived. Or, What color was your last neighbor's mailbox? You know ...' I laughed with her and said, yes, I sure did, having 'official' conversations with service companies as a regular thing.

"I pointed out to Marcia that when I'd called that morning, she picked up the phone herself (her direct line), and said, 'Hi, Jean. How are ya?' I can't think of the last time THAT happened with an organization providing me a service. Most of them seem to be about trying to impress me with their importance, rather than insisting on mine. 'Well, of course!' Marcia said. 'If we did that around here, I'd be bored to death. I'd have to quit! I don't want to have those kinds of conversations with my clients.'

"We laughed a bit more, took care of business, and signed off. As always with Marcia, I felt an almost physical sense of relief that she is looking after my affairs and actually knows who I am and what my concerns are. And is dedicated to supporting them. How important is that in this kind of economy?!" Jean said.

As I've heard somewhere before, Priceless. So here's a question for you: Do your clients feel the kind of confidence in you that Jean has in Marcia? Consistent relationship marketing is key. Interesting coincidence (I swear I didn't notice it) that Marcia's firm has a key in its logo.

Higher Commission, Faster Sale?

Many of us visit inman.com on a regular basis, as it's such a good source for industry information, news and commentary. I ran across an interesting piece by columnist Ilyce Glink yesterday that's generating some interesting feedback from agents across the country. In a discussion that began with the topic of writing 90-day listing agreements, the comments soon turned to remarks from agents who feel that prospective clients "seem to think we shouldn't make a living," as one agent put it. Apparently there's a lot of resistance in some areas to the 6% commission when homes are taking longer to sell. This agent listed the many other expenses a real estate professional has that consumers may not be aware of.

One Coldwell Banker agent had an interesting take - that she's found that homes paying a full agent commission will sell faster in this market. She sees the agent commission as "part of the marketing" in that it creates more exposure for the home when inventory is high. As Nancy Lavigne says, "If there are 10 listings that meet your client's criteria and four of them are offering a higher commission, which ones are you going to show first?" Take a look at the article, and register your opinion while you're there. Do your clients know how much you do to earn that commission?

Calling All Innovators!

What do you have in common with Rick, Scott, Barbara and other members? You're an innovator! You get great ideas about new ways to use your relationship marketing tools - things we've never thought of - and you put them into practice to build business.  Here's a few examples.

The Article That Became A Web Page.
Here's one from Rick Minassian, who converts the text of selected Articles of Value into custom pages for his PropertySource website. His clients who visit the site today will find helpful pages on saving energy and how to organize a successful garage sale. There are a variety of articles he can change with the season or community interests. Here's how he did it:

1. Generated a customized .pdf (Acrobat file) of the "30 Ways to Save the Planet. And Some Money" article in the Articles of Value section of his Relationship Manager.
2. Then Rick used the "select" tool in Acrobat to capture and copy just the text.
3. In the "Custom Pages" section of his personal website, he simply added a new article (tab "Energy Savings"), and pasted in the text he wanted to include.
4. Clicked "save" and the page was immediately live on his site. Clever guy, that Rick.

The Open House Tailgate Party.
Then there's Scott Baumgartner. He landed the contract to sell Jesse Ventura's former home; it happened to be near Super Bowl time. So Scott decided a traditional Open House wasn't really the ticket. He used the "Friendly Reminder" e-Greeting and customized the text for his Open House on Super Bowl Sunday. It was a great success. And everybody got home in time to watch the game. Talk about winning by association!

Here's one more. Donna Reed had witnessed many times the lure of our $50,000 Home Sweet Home Sweepstakes. So she promoted that on an electronic sign at a busy intersection, and got lots of calls. Who wouldn't want a chance at winning $50,000? Sounds electric!

These Relationship Masters are always on the lookout for referrals, and make it a regular practice to sit down and look at their relationship marketing tool chest in new and creative ways.

Where's yours?
Tell us about your innovative use of the tools and features! Either get in touch with your Systems Coach with the info, or just send an email describing your experiment at thinking outside the box. How have you used your Print-On-Demand tools in a new way? What about your e-Newsletter custom articles? We'll feature as many winning ideas as we can right here on the Blog! Come on - We'll spread the good word to other savvy agents looking to stand out in the marketplace!